 Patricia Paris
Patricia's Porch Talk 'Imagine All The People' "Imagine all the people, living life in peace…" Written as part of his Vietnam war protest, "Imagine" was John Lennon's second major solo release. Thirty six years later, the lyrics from the 1971 song still send a powerful message to our own unsettled times. The song plays in my head when I see the latest statistics from the Iraqi War. This week it started playing again like a scratchy old LP album as I read an email from a friend about the growing list of contaminated and defective imports from China. These products include defective tires, contaminated toothpaste, fish containing toxins and contaminants, children's toys, cough syrup, pet food, and, more recently, the blood thinner Heparin. The email message called for ALL Americans to boycott products from China for one month, from June 4th to July 4th. Normally I would dismiss such a message as just another internet forward, but this one piqued my interest. With the recent deaths from the contaminated blood thinner Heparin still fresh on my mind, such a ban seemed to not only be practical but appealed to my desire to 'do something'. My next thought was that such an action would work only if those calling for the ban actually follow through and if they spread the message far enough. If only a handful want to 'do something', we wouldn't make a dent. It would take 'all the people' to be noticed, to make a difference, bringing John Lennon's haunting lyrics again to mind. "Imagine all the people" banning imports from China for a month, from June 4th to July 4th. Roughly, here's how such a boycott would work. 70% of polled Americans believe that the trading privileges afforded to the Chinese should be suspended. Well, why do we need the government to suspend trading privileges? We can do it ourselves! Simply look on the bottom of every product you buy, and if it says 'Made in China' or 'PRC' (which now includes Hong Kong), simply choose another product or none at all. You will be amazed at how dependent you have become on Chinese products; however, you will be equally amazed at what you can do without Sometimes a particular brand may come from both places – for instance, canned mushrooms. Some cans may say 'Made in USA', yet other cans of the same brand may say 'Made in China' and they may be mixed together on the shelf. Another is plastic Easter eggs. We don't need plastic Easter eggs to celebrate the holiday. We can revive a sweet American tradition by dyeing real eggs and benefiting some American farmer at the same time. Easter has come and gone this year, but keep this in mind for next Spring. If 200 million Americans refuse to buy Chinese imports for thirty days, it would create enough of a trade imbalance that some American businesses would feel a temporary pinch from their stockpiled inventory. That sounds like the upside to me. We can give the American companies who continue to buy from the Chinese fair warning that the American people can take control of their own destiny by sending our own message. Implementation of the boycott will begin on June 4th and continue it until July 4th. That is only one month of trading losses, but they will at least have to ask themselves if their lack of controls or concern for American consumers is worth it. Readers, I didn't have to think about this very long. I'm going to join this effort. I've been taking some baby steps in this direction anyway, but for the next month I'm going to try harder. I hope you'll join me. "You may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one." Copyright 2008 Patricia Paris Contact: patriciaparis@gmail.com Member: Tennessee Writers Alliance, Int’l Women’s Writing Guild, Tennessee Mountain Writers, Chattanooga Writers Guild | 
