Stories
Update of Culture of Peace Corporation
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Already in 2016, there were intimations of death, two little deaths: one from Margarita; and one from my knee.
Two years later, as I write this in April 2018, I begin to take seriously the idea of emigration. The USA is crashing and it is going to be ugly. Where to go? France may well crash along with the USA, but Kiki and I don't really have any other potential destination.
I find myself more and more detached from this country. Last week at the conference in New York on Peace Stories, War Stories, I felt detached from the American peace movement. Then at the Amistad panel on the Black Panthers, I felt detached from Al Marder, Henry Lowendorf, Bill Morico, Marty Simon. So Paul Bass wrote a whitewashed history about the Panther Party. What can I do?
I went to the the New Haven Peace Commission. Seth has resigned and Aaron doesn't care. I have no motivation to step in. I have no motivation to continue my annual reports. I skipped it last year and see no need for it this year. I'll just hang on in case the Nobel comes through which would enable city work.
Next was the annual meeting of Promoting Enduring Peace. It was pitiful: Stan Heller, James Van Pelt and four visitors including me. Stan presented an excellent video of their year's work, but the organization is empty!
I don't speak to Lindsay any more, and Nina seems to have disappeared. Memories of Margarita are fading.
Yesterday, I sent half of my savings to France with the help of the Haitian counselor at the Chase bank. And already in the last few months, I lost $2000 of the $9000 as the dollar has already lost value against the euro!
I suppose that the UN pension should be no problem, but the TIAA and social security are a bit more complicated. Here is the info from the social security website: "Your right to Social Security payments when you are outside the United States If you are a U.S. citizen, you may continue to receive payments outside the United States as long as you are eligible for payment and you are in a country where we can send payments." As for TIAA, they say it is possible and are sending me the forms.
Most of my papers have been transferred to Wesleyan. But there are still things here I would like to keep with me in France.
(first) My flower paintings and book of mobiles
My novels
A few books like bible and Shakespeare
Art works, Ribera, African head, mother's stained glass, my mobiles? A few early family scrapbooks that have not been photographed
(later) The IYCP sets, both hard and soft cover
Some clothes
A few paintings, posters and the Pacific map rolled into a tube
(last) bank and other statements
Copies of my published books
The few most recent diaries and notebooks that were not sent to Wesleyan
All external drives, some with passwords
There are still a couple of things that keep me tied down here:
Running. Road races are just not the same in France. However, I don't know how long my joints will hold up!
Medical care. Medicare does not cover abroad. Even if I could get onto Kiki's insurance, I still would not have access to specialists in dentistry, ophthamology, dermatology, urology, cardiology, etc. And I would lose the Wesleyan subsidy for meds.
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Stages
1986-1992
Fall of Soviet Empire
1992-1997
UNESCO Culture of Peace Programme