For proof of Emma Goldman's famous statement look to the on-going efforts of the humanist, non-racist, non-sexist, pro-woman, morally evolved members of the Democratic party to publicly lynching Ivanka Trump. I’m referring to the attempts by a number of morally advanced Americans to actively encourage and lead boycotts of Trump’s clothing line in the hope that the boycotts and general pressure and poor publicity will bring down her business, damage her financial stability, ruin her public standing, injure the well-being of her immediate family, and drive her into silence.  Because this is what good, moral people who care about fairness and justice do when they contest an election in America (the greatest democracy in the world let’s not forget) and they lose.

I've often been told by Americans that the greatest gift an American can have is their personal liberty, that the greatest expression of this liberty is to vote according to one’s own judgment and conscience without fear of intimidation or retribution, and that every American’s right to vote in enshrined in law.

I'm not a lawyer but I imagine the thoughts and wordings of this provision might go something like this.

Intimidation: No American should fear any manner of intimidation when deciding whom to cast their vote for, or be dissuaded or intimidated from casting their vote at the rightful place of their choosing by gun, rifle, club or any unlawful means.

Retribution: No American, having successfully cast their vote, will have cause to fear inviting any form of psychological, physical or emotional coercion, retribution or punishment for freely and independently casting their ballot. Nor will they ever have to experience anxiety when casting their vote even if they have publicly or privately expressed their disagreement with or objection to any person or party.

I’m sure the actual documents covering voter intimidation are much better written and more lucid but I’m a Brit who was born and raised in a functional, modern democracy. I’d just like to demonstrate how I and millions of non-Americans (who were not born into the greatest democracy ever) also have a working notion of this sort of thing; it’s not rocket science after all.

And yet in 2016 a free American woman who has rightfully exercised her hard-won right to vote (on August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote) is experiencing boycotts of her business and rabid character defamation. How can anyone, whatever their political beliefs, find this acceptable?

Simply put the boycott of Ivanka Trump amounts to the opponents of her father telling her: “Ivanka, you have the right to vote. We can’t stop you from voting. We wouldn’t stop you from voting if we could, but if you do and you cast your vote against us, we’re going to close your business down and hound you out of town.”

I recently checked out the Democratic Party 2016 platform and found the following:

“The right to vote is at the heart of our national vision. It is a core principle of the Democratic Party to maximize voter participation for all Americans.”

The party needs to insert “Unless you voted against Hilary Clinton, in which case we shall seek to terrorise you.” 

On the same website I also found:

“We believe the United States must continue to be a strong advocate for the rights and opportunities of women and girls around the world.” 

The web editors forgot to mention: “Unless you are an American woman or girl named Trump.”

Aren’t there enough men who backed Trump, who actually serve in his male dominated cabinet, to go after?

Why are the bullies picking on Ivanka, Melania, Tiffany, and KellyAnn Conway – all of them women?

There is something very strange and weak and quite despicable going on here.