When I was a student in the U.S. in the Sixties and Seventies, a slogan we shouted was “the whole world is watching,” which was an attempt to shame the Johnson and Nixon Administrations by reminding them of what we assumed was their obligation to preserve the U.S.’s standing in the eyes of the rest of the world. Trump has no shame and his Administration doesn’t care about what the rest of the world thinks of the U.S. If it cares about anything, it is to be feared.

What the whole world is watching now is the Trump Administration’s attempt to take over Greenland by purchasing it – the explicit offer – or by military force – the thinly-veiled second option. Two points have been made repeatedly by Greenlanders, Danes, and their European supporters. Denmark has unquestioned sovereignty over Greenland. If the Trump Administration’s concern is defence from China or Russia, it has the right to expand its military presence in Greenland to allay that concern. It is clear now that Trump really wants the land.

Greenland is Not For Sale!

I support the Greenlanders and the Danes because I think their arguments are far stronger than the Trump Administration’s. Furthermore, if the U.S. were to incorporate Greenland, then I think it would try to take a slice out of the Canadian north. It would argue that it already has Alaska and Greenland, so it needs the Canadian north to complete its defensive shield. Besides this being an attack on Canadian sovereignty, it would be an attack on Canadian Inuit, just as the seizure of Greenland would be an attack on Greenlandic Inuit. As the Greenlandic Inuit have made clear that they see no future as part of the U.S., I am sure Canadian Inuit share their view.

What can I do about this? I’m not a U.S. citizen, so I have no voice in the U.S. political process. If there were a protest demonstration at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, I would be there (but, as a senior citizen with health issues, very cautiously). I will send this blog to Baxter Hunt, the U.S. Consul General in Toronto, who is the only U.S. public servant whose responsibility includes paying minimal attention to what I am saying.

I have decided to boycott travel to the U.S. I see the imperialist threats towards Greenland as the last straw, following the Trump Administration’s military attacks throughout the world, trade wars, domestic terrorism, and assaults on the media, universities, and judiciary. My travel boycott is not a rejection of the American people, but rather of their current federal government.

My 55^th college reunion is in Cambridge, MA in early June. I attended most of the reunions every five years. I enjoy meeting old friends and making new ones. This year, I will not attend, and I will make this decision and my rationale known to my classmates. Even if I wanted to attend the reunion, I might be denied entry. I could be turned away at the border because of my social media history. I asked ChatGPT, “Has Sandford Borins written things on social media that are critical of the Trump Administration?” It produced a long list. A Customs and Border Protection agent could ask the same question and send me home. I don’t want to visit the U.S. when it is not permitting visitors free speech under the First Amendment.

To My Fellow Canadian Citizens

I urge fellow Canadians who share my concerns about American imperialism as it is being directed towards Greenland today, and possibly Canada not long after, also to take action. It could be by attending rallies and writing a nearby U.S. Consulate or the U.S. Embassy. And it could be boycotting non-essential travel to the U.S., which to me would be vacations and all but the most essential visits to friends and relatives. There are numerous alternative travel destinations. We can keep in touch with friends and relatives electronically, or they can visit us in Canada. Resistance begins as a personal act. So this is where I start.