StratOkay, it is time to try this again. Liberia is an independent nation, founded by people who ought to have been citizens of the United States, but were not. The legacy of slavery echoes through the ages. Why should that legacy go undisturbed? Historical mistakes can be corrected, if we choose to. American citizenship is your long denied birthright. I propose that the Liberian House and Senate vote for the United States to annex Liberia. Either as a territory first, or as a full state in the Union.

Obviously, this is a bold and extreme action. But I have difficulty imagining anyone not wanting citizenship in the United States.

In any ambitious plan, one needs allies. Not just allies, but friends. The Society of Friends, known as the Quakers, were helpful in creating the American Colonization Society. They are still around, and they have a lobbying group: fcnl.org . You can email them at lobby@fcnl.org . They have a weekly meeting that anyone can attend here: https://www.fcnl.org/events/witnesswednesday .

Other obvious allies are the NAACP and Bridgestone. Ye will know better than me who might be an effective advocate.

Another thing to consider is the likelihood of failure. The first attempts by Alaska and Hawaii to get full statehood were met with failure. Puerto Rico ought to be a full state today, only congressional inertia prevents it. But legislative action is often tried many times before success. And the additional tourism dollars brought in by citizens of The United States wishing to meet and understand their potential new neighbors is difficult to calculate, but it is my hope that it would be worthwhile to propose annexation even if it were certain to fail in Congress. Either our Congress or your own.

What are the negative consequences of success? Liberia would no longer enjoy being a sovereign Nation. It would be a sovereign State in the Union. Liberia currently makes some money as a “Flag of Convenience,” many shipping companies use Liberian registry. This money would likely dry up should Liberia join the Union. There are other sources of income that would also dry up if annexation happens. The increased wealth Liberians would enjoy as a full state (or even as a territory) likely eclipses the funds gained through exploiting sovereignty. Using the sovereignty of a State in the Union in order to make money is a very old game, Nevada has been playing it for as long as it has been a State.

In order to know if annexation would be a good thing and make sense for Liberians, we need wisdom. I can think of two obvious sources of wisdom. The first is Liberians themselves. I will send this essay to all the congresspeople in Liberia’s Congress. The second source of wisdom is that of The United States. I will send this essay to representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, representative Adam Smith, representative Marilyn Strickland, senator Patty Murray, and senator Maria Cantwell. I will also send this essay to a chosen set of media personalities.

Possible opposition:

Within the United States, racism still exists. However, it is not strong enough to prevent the election of Barack Obama, and I would like to think that the forces of hatred and segregation always grow weaker over time. More importantly, the group that shall judge if The United States is or is not incredibly racist is not me, or anybody else in The United States. That group is The House and Senate of the State of Liberia. Further study is needed.

Outside the United States, some other nations might be envious of a proposed annexation, and take steps to prevent it. A lot of further study is needed.

Other sources of wisdom: The full text of the bill that saw Hawaii annexed.

https://web.archive.org/web/20121215152944/http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/48C3.txt

I link to the Internet archive because it is unlikely to change, but the original link is included in the archive’s link.

This is where my speculation, sometimes wild, begins.

Donald Trump has a hidden weakness. Normally such a thing can be used for blackmail, but given what kind of man Trump is, he has so many folks blackmailing him that nobody profits by adding themselves to that list. Instead, we ought to ameliorate that weakness.

Donald Trump is blind. Or at least, has such poor vision that he can be considered blind. (Perhaps only farsighted, he has been known to use a teleprompter.) Some time ago, a woman accused Trump of sexual misconduct. He described her as “Not his type.” In court, her attorney showed Trump a photo of a woman. He identified the photo as one of his ex-wives. It was a photo of the woman accusing him. Nobody with decent eyesight would make this mistake. Not in a deposition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFXTE-Tk9VA

The idea that Donald Trump is blind is speculation, but reasonable speculation.

Donald Trump is also arrogant. Spend five minutes listening to the man talk and it is obvious. He is likely so arrogant that he does not bother to heed experts hired to help him. Lawyers hired by Trump can not manage to convince him that the things that he is trying to do will fail in court, he does things that will fail in court anyway. This arrogance likely extends to his ability to listen to his doctors. I imagine he has never listened to his optometrist, if he has even visited one.

Donald Trump’s arrogance is not speculation, it is obvious.

If ye can convince Donald Trump to visit and listen to an optometrist, his eyesight could improve greatly. He might even be grateful. This is a possible way to get his support. I would write him directly, but sadly, he could not read my letter. And the man deserves to be able to see.

Here is where my speculation is wild. Has Donald Trump ever reciprocated an act of kindness? I admit that I have not studied the man enough to know.

Arthur Francis Hampton Junior

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