To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
President Obama: Don't meet with Kate Middleton and William Windsor
Dear Mr. President,
We, the undersigned, formally request you choose to not meet Kate Middleton and William Windsor (aka "Prince" William) on their visit to the US December 7-9, 2014.
We, the undersigned, formally request you choose to not meet Kate Middleton and William Windsor (aka "Prince" William) on their visit to the US December 7-9, 2014.
Why is this important?
Two hundred and thirty-eight years ago, the Founders of our country took a principled stand that the United States would not sanction the archaic institution of monarchy and its inherent consequence of inherited privilege.
When offered the crown, George Washington turned it down, stating, "In America, the law is king," setting a precedent that in this country, people earn wealth, power, and privilege by their deeds, not be the circumstances of their birth or marriage.
Today, in the UK, there is a growing movement called "Republic," activists who promote and desire to follow our example and abolish the monarchy in their country, based on the principle that all people are created equal.
Their movement has special relevance at a time when the government of the UK is cutting funding for social programs and scientific research, projects which benefit the whole country as opposed to monarchy, in which taxpayers who themselves are struggling underwrite the lavish lives of those who essentially do nothing to merit those lives.
Furthermore, Kate Middleton is an extremely poor example for woman and girls, in that she has never worked or accomplished anything on her own. It is unfortunate that the media give her so much attention when there are women worldwide who are doing genuine good, whether fighting for the right of girls to attend school, like Malala Yousafzai, researching a cure for cancer, training to become an astronaut, or doing one of a myriad things that benefit humanity as a whole.
Even worse, Middleton's family attained their wealth in the worst possible way--the company they own, Party Pieces, regularly utilizes child labor in Mexico, by children as young as four years old.
Yes, the UK is our ally. That is why you should meet with its leaders--its democratically elected leaders, the Prime Minister, cabinet members, and members of the Parliament. Meeting with Middleton and her husband only serves, even passively, to endorse the unfair system from which they benefit.
Finally, here at home, our country is in turmoil, our democracy in peril. Priority should be given to meeting with leaders of the African-American community and family members of those whose lives were unjustly cut short in recent incidents of police brutality. Your time and attention should also be directed to victims of the growing economic inequality in this country, who are struggling just to put food on the table or keep a roof over their head. When so many are facing these challenges to their survival, it is all the more offensive for you to instead focus on those who live an unearned life of privilege that we in the US rejected more than two centuries ago.
Please cancel your planned meeting with Kate Middleton and William Windsor and instead meet with struggling and suffering people of this country and their representatives this holiday season.
When offered the crown, George Washington turned it down, stating, "In America, the law is king," setting a precedent that in this country, people earn wealth, power, and privilege by their deeds, not be the circumstances of their birth or marriage.
Today, in the UK, there is a growing movement called "Republic," activists who promote and desire to follow our example and abolish the monarchy in their country, based on the principle that all people are created equal.
Their movement has special relevance at a time when the government of the UK is cutting funding for social programs and scientific research, projects which benefit the whole country as opposed to monarchy, in which taxpayers who themselves are struggling underwrite the lavish lives of those who essentially do nothing to merit those lives.
Furthermore, Kate Middleton is an extremely poor example for woman and girls, in that she has never worked or accomplished anything on her own. It is unfortunate that the media give her so much attention when there are women worldwide who are doing genuine good, whether fighting for the right of girls to attend school, like Malala Yousafzai, researching a cure for cancer, training to become an astronaut, or doing one of a myriad things that benefit humanity as a whole.
Even worse, Middleton's family attained their wealth in the worst possible way--the company they own, Party Pieces, regularly utilizes child labor in Mexico, by children as young as four years old.
Yes, the UK is our ally. That is why you should meet with its leaders--its democratically elected leaders, the Prime Minister, cabinet members, and members of the Parliament. Meeting with Middleton and her husband only serves, even passively, to endorse the unfair system from which they benefit.
Finally, here at home, our country is in turmoil, our democracy in peril. Priority should be given to meeting with leaders of the African-American community and family members of those whose lives were unjustly cut short in recent incidents of police brutality. Your time and attention should also be directed to victims of the growing economic inequality in this country, who are struggling just to put food on the table or keep a roof over their head. When so many are facing these challenges to their survival, it is all the more offensive for you to instead focus on those who live an unearned life of privilege that we in the US rejected more than two centuries ago.
Please cancel your planned meeting with Kate Middleton and William Windsor and instead meet with struggling and suffering people of this country and their representatives this holiday season.