Heather, what is the path out of this nightmarish landscape? We can’t just give up to the suppression. Why aren’t there dozens of law suits challenging this takeover of our democracy? I am tearing my hair out. Thank you for your work on behalf of all of us. A million thanks.....
Heather, what is the path out of this nightmarish landscape? We can’t just give up to the suppression. Why aren’t there dozens of law suits challenging this takeover of our democracy? I am tearing my hair out. Thank you for your work on behalf of all of us. A million thanks.....
Elizabeth - This is like being sprayed in the face with pepper spray then having my head dunked in a bucket of ice - cold water or even liquid nitrogen after the peaceful message yesterday. I'm still processing it. No amount of " thoughts & prayers " can accomplish a damned thing. Canada is looking pretty good right now, except for the lack of relatives there.
Canada is looking very good to me right now, i have been checking out real estate ads there before i got on here. I don't have any relatives there either, but i don't care, most all of my relatives are in love with Donald TUMP and we aren't on speaking terms anyway. It appears to me that these Fascists are going to get their way here, it seems no one from our side is trying to stop the unlawful voting restrictions these traitors are installing.. I just don't get it, i am wondering too why there aren't numerous law suits being filed by our side??? It has gotten to the point where i am even afraid to go to a grocery store in fear of getting killed by some right wing extremist with an AR rifle. It's sad and frightening to see our nation has gotten this extreme. I for one am not going to live here if TUMP gets in, in 2024. I am not going to put up with an authoritarian type of government with TUMP being dictator.
John, you express my thoughts exactly about relatives being in love with Trump and Biden haters. One close relative let it slip the "Biden is corrupt." Where does this hate come from? Are they stupid? Can't they see all the good Briden has accomplished? Is this RWDS and the like movement going to take over the country? Scares me. I no longer talk politics and have lost touch on purpose with lifelong friends.
Linda, it scares me too. Haters are going to hate but now they can carry guns! I think one thing that Biden and us Democrats have done wrong is, that we don't talk about all the good things Biden and other Democrats have done. In my home state of Michigan, we are starting to talk about it but, honestly, we should be screaming from the top of every hill!
The ONLY reason that's true is that literally hundreds of people worked for several years to change the power of redistricting from the GOP-controlled legislature to a nonpartisan citizen commission and worked successfully to put voter expansion measures on the ballot--where they passed by large majorities.
My daughter is married to a Canadian living in Canada and I have spent a fair amount of time there. Yes, overall I find Canadian society more sane and empathic there than here, but a lot of the same issues, such as the anti-democratic power of mega-money, are in play there as well, and creepy Stephan Harper was prime minister for nine years. And if the US goes full fascist, I'm not sure how safe Canada will be.
I have read about that Stephan Harper creep. I didn't like what he stood for either very much. I just hope the full fascist thing doesn't happen here. If it does, i will probably be beat to death or some other bad things because i am NOT going along with their Christian Nationalist BS. My grown daughter has suggested going to Sweden, but i didn't much like that idea because of the language barrier. As deluded as the Rethuglican voters are, and now i hear that some Democratic voters don't want Biden for president. That seems to put us in a bad place right now. I was very disappointed to hear that news yesterday. And the polling is not good right now, but sometimes these polls are rigged and biased against Democrats, i don't believe that Nate Sliver jerk either, they always say he is accurate, but i have found out that he isn't very accurate and don't believe a thing he says. I just don't see how so many of the ignorant voters would want a lifelong criminal like TUMP as the leader of our nation. It just doesn't make sense. By the way, which province does your daughter live in? If i go to Canada, i would want to live in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. I have read that the western provinces had many more lunatics that like TUMP much more than the far eastern provinces.
Damn, I am depressed. Even if Dumbkopf Donny is too old, senile & infirm, the GQP will probably find yet another version of him who is slicker, smarter, less boorish, more competent, less of a pompous attention whore buffoon that the Cult of the Orange Antichrist would approve of ( I use the term " Antichrist " even though I'm not even nominally religious, not anymore ).
I don't trust the RepubliKlan party any further than I could toss Mt. Kilimanjaro or retrieve the Titanic with magnetized TWEEZERS. I need a drink then some sleep.
I CAN'T bring myself to trust a Republican - especially an Evangelical " Christian " Republican one & I can't see why anyone with critical thinking & an IQ above the single digits would. My own Evangelical cousin thinks that they're saints & / or superheroes. Pretty damn PATHETIC.
I even sent her something about Jimmy Carter that was reasonably apolitical ( about hi work with Habitat for Humanity, among other things ) & she reacted like I was trying to persuade her to start worshiping Baal, Beelzebub, Moloch, Set or Satan. As I said, PATHETIC. & also STUPID.
I agree re Canada. My grandfather was born there many decades ago - I am ancient. He came here as a child and became a citizen when he gave up all allegiance to Queen Victoria! (I said I am ancient). Anyway, If I was younger I would be tempted to leave….
Don’t give up! I hope you’ll stay and keep fighting this onslaught with us. I see a lot of fatalistic comments here this morning. We can’t afford fatalism! If we give up, give in, and resign ourselves to the authoritarians rolling over us, THEN they will have won.
John T Phillips I have had same thoughts although what happens here affects the entire world so it is hard to escape. Granted on a daily basis Canada may provide peace. I am counting on huge backlash for everything the Republicans have done and will do before the next election. I also believe Democrat voters are now energized as never before and will put some effort into the next elections. Here I quote Robert Hubbell: "If you are looking for a place to join in common cause with other like-minded people defending democracy, Markers For Democracy is a welcoming, positive place to be. The Markers For Democracy newsletter link is here: The MFD Newsletter."
Daniel and John T, I agree Canada is looking good these days. In fact it was already looking pretty good back in 1972 when I was on the lam from basic training and considering every option that didn't involve having to shoot at anyone. But I think if the progressive part of our population somehow moves to Canada en masse, within a few years the victorious forces of USA Fascism will own Canada too and hunt us all down.
I'm basically a pacifist, but if I have to blow the arms & legs off of a " Proud Boy ( what are they so damn proud of ? What reason ? ) ", I can, although I'd prefer NOT to get embroiled in a civil war. Only as a last remaining option. My Evangelical cousin would probably blow away or eviscerate liberals without a second thought, then burn the bodies, while throwing textbooks on them.
Canada. Oh, Canada. Canada could have had French culture, British politics, and American know-how. Instead they have American culture (just at 1/10th scale), French politics, and British know-how. There is no place to run. We have to stay here and fix what we can.
I'm old and far from wealthy, so I don't think any other country on earth would have me, frankly. So do I stay and fight, or do I stay, put on my headphones, shut out the world and wait to die?
Michael. You have your own remedy. Clearly you stay and fight. The pathway to old age is fraught with peril. That pathway comes with winning in virtually every category wherein which we find successful endeavor, not to mention out right good luck. Against all odds we are still here. To fight the good fight. Each May we win the Kentucky Derby again. Hell yes we stand! What have we got to lose? I would be scared if I was thirty. Or 20. At 72 I am formidable.
At 78, I have lost all ability to fight. Haven't been able to run for years, can barely walk without falling (better with a brace for my foot drop), bad eyesight, can't aim a gun so well, just point & shoot at close range. So, Hell Yes, I sit! And squeeze off six rounds to whatever fascist comes to take me out. Srsly, haven't much more to lose after what age has already taken.
I agree with all of the above comments. I am 76 and too old to run away even if I wanted to and I don't want to, I want to stay and make the maga nuts miserable. Let them leave and make another country such as Hungary or possibly Russia great again.
As I have posted above (apologies for repetition) we can do this: please subscribe (free) to the SPANISH version of progressive Brian Tyler Cohen's Youtube channel and routinely run a few, if they algorithm catches fire, it will be seen by more and more Hispanics who are being successfully lured away by the GOP.
Canada is off the list for me as a Native woman. I can't stand their policies and attitudes re: Native people. I have friends talking about Portugal, Ecuador, Belize. A relative has gone to Turkey where the politics are even more problematic than here, and there seem to be problems everywhere. I have a clear choice, stay and fight, or at least resist, or go hide someplace. I can just as easily hide here. The devil I know beats the one I don't know. I stayed when Nixon won. I stayed when Reagan won. I stayed when Trump won. Those were all hard years, culminating in the mess we have now. It seems we didn't fight hard enough, though fight we did. In the last decade, I'm down to resistance. Call me Mikinaak (Turtle).
A woman that I got to know through her website then via email left for Canada after GWB was " reelected ". I basically implied that she was a damned COWARD for deserting rather than staying & resisting. Dubbya was a LOT of things, but at least he wasn't an overgrown, narcissistic spoiled attention whore man - brat who demanded unearned RESPECT & unquestioning, blind, drone - like loyalty like the Orange Ogre did & still does, Mikinaak.
Lynell, come to Idaho. So much to do here in every category. The road is always uphill against impossible odds. Have you ever watched wild geese fight to hold their territory? Awesome, no really. I was thinking about putting together a wagon train in Michigan. Leading them to Idaho. Can you imagine what that many Michiganders might be capable of?
LOL, Pat. Our wild geese seem to prefer a more peaceful coexistence. However, it's not a bad idea to head to Idaho. I get my equine supplements from there, so would save on shipping costs, for sure! That said, I'd be willing to start a Go Fund Me account to send a team of Michiganders to Idaho. Those potato-pushing folks would get straightened out in short order, don't you think?
I've been curious about Japan & Korea, I had penfriends there back in the 70's & 80's. I used to know a little of the language, but that was back in the 70's & 80's as well. Then there's the little matter of MONEY..... Maybe I could become a Buddhist monk.
and Canada is colder than I like...I don't want to go any further north than MD, where I am now, but the politics going south from here suck....and Mexico doesn't feel like a safe option any longer.
Mt. Athos in Greece is full of history, but it's a large monastic community for Eastern Orthodox renunciates / hermits, & I wouldn't want to go there under false pretenses because I'm not religious. They even make deliveries using a basket elevator. I guess they couldn't smuggle a beautiful Greek or Eastern European model in a large sack using the basket.
Right now I'm thinking France or Portugal might be good...or Italy. It's like pick the food and wine you like and go for it. 30 years ago my office manager had a place in San Miguel in Mexico. She & her husband loved it...loved the people. As the years went on, they spent more & more time there. Sadly they have both passed on...or I'd go for an extended visit.
BUDGET. I'm on one. & to use an old phrase that probably dates back to pre - dynastic Egypt, " money doesn't grow on trees ". Actually the saying was " your camel will never crap gold nuggets ". 🐫😆
Mike, France is really expensive but I have heard that Portugal is very nice. We live in southern Spain for half of each year (without residencia we can only stay 90 days at a time). It costs us about half of what it costs to live in the midwest. The only thing more expensive is gas for the car (between $8-$9 a gallon). The people are lovely, the food is great and the wine is fabulous! If you haven't considered Spain, take a look.
Mike, I lived in Buffalo for 25 years. I left 20 years ago and came back to Georgia. I couldn’t take the cold any more. I left NY politics for Georgia politics, right before Crooked Deal was elected governor. It was a nicer place in the 70s.
I have been looking at real estate in Iceland and Googling countries where it might be easier for Americans to move to. I'm retired, so my options are now limited, but I keep doing job searches for my adult children - one of whom is also freaking out about what CHAT GPT is going to do to the world!!
CHAT GPT - Skynet Lite. My computer is proof that an AI uprising will simply consist of annoying the CRAP out of human users until our heads explode from rising blood pressure.
Places for Americans to move to - I exchanged Youtube comments a few hours ago with some guy stationed in Antarctica. I wonder how much a nice cozy condo on an ice floe would cost ? Amazon drone drops would provide supplies & one would have to really dress for sub - zero weather, basically.
Elisabeth - I have had several " snail - mail " relationships in the 70's - 80's with people in Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines to Guyana & Morocco, so if I had to / or felt compelled to leave, I think that I could live in 1 of those countries, although language would be a large problem at 1st.
I would think that, given the foundational importance of the right to vote to unalienable rights, that there would be a basis for citizens to sue if wrongly deprived of their right to vote or were unreasonably encumbered in their efforts to vote such as hours of waiting to cast a vote, that a responsible society could easily make readily accessible. I think there are equal justice issues here as well.
I used to have faith the SC would always be an obstacle for blatant disregard of rights. No more, and that causes despair. They’re MORE corrupt and untouchable than politicians.
You have a good point. However, Rs have stacked the courts so heavily and judges these days seem to have no consequences for poor ethics and corruption.
I figure that if the right to vote is worth going to jail to obtain, worth dying for, deprivation of it or interference with it is well worth a lawsuit.
Yes, I want to know a way out of the unpublished hellscape too. I live in voter-suppressed Ohio and saw the new bill here in action last week as I worked our local election.
Yes! I would love to hear HCR weigh in at the end of her wonderful letters with some historically informed solutions to this nightmare...! How can we disrupt this never ending cycle??
I started writing letters and post cards to voters at the suggestion of a frequent commenter to this forum.
I have already posted the below, it can't hurt and it doesn't cost us anything:
As I have posted above (apologies for repetition) we can do this: please subscribe (free) to the SPANISH version of progressive Brian Tyler Cohen's Youtube channel and routinely run a few, if they algorithm catches fire, it will be seen by more and more Hispanics who are being successfully lured away by the GOP.
I catch Brian Taylor Cohen's program on YouTube almost once per day. Beyond his own podcast, he often shares his channel with Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecuter, and they dissect the political and legal issues of the day, cover many pertinent points. And yes, he's been noting his new podcasts now offered in Spanish - to attract another demographic. Check them out.
I click on the list of his videos and choose one to play. There is an option to "play all" and I sometimes will click that and let them play. Each one of his videos are about 8 minutes in length.
I am also concerned about these issues. I'd like to know what Heather thinks about it and what ways she sees it. But even so, you can see how much she does for us. Thanks to her for that.
Heather, what is the path out of this nightmarish landscape? We can’t just give up to the suppression. Why aren’t there dozens of law suits challenging this takeover of our democracy? I am tearing my hair out. Thank you for your work on behalf of all of us. A million thanks.....
Elizabeth - This is like being sprayed in the face with pepper spray then having my head dunked in a bucket of ice - cold water or even liquid nitrogen after the peaceful message yesterday. I'm still processing it. No amount of " thoughts & prayers " can accomplish a damned thing. Canada is looking pretty good right now, except for the lack of relatives there.
Canada is looking very good to me right now, i have been checking out real estate ads there before i got on here. I don't have any relatives there either, but i don't care, most all of my relatives are in love with Donald TUMP and we aren't on speaking terms anyway. It appears to me that these Fascists are going to get their way here, it seems no one from our side is trying to stop the unlawful voting restrictions these traitors are installing.. I just don't get it, i am wondering too why there aren't numerous law suits being filed by our side??? It has gotten to the point where i am even afraid to go to a grocery store in fear of getting killed by some right wing extremist with an AR rifle. It's sad and frightening to see our nation has gotten this extreme. I for one am not going to live here if TUMP gets in, in 2024. I am not going to put up with an authoritarian type of government with TUMP being dictator.
John, you express my thoughts exactly about relatives being in love with Trump and Biden haters. One close relative let it slip the "Biden is corrupt." Where does this hate come from? Are they stupid? Can't they see all the good Briden has accomplished? Is this RWDS and the like movement going to take over the country? Scares me. I no longer talk politics and have lost touch on purpose with lifelong friends.
Linda, it scares me too. Haters are going to hate but now they can carry guns! I think one thing that Biden and us Democrats have done wrong is, that we don't talk about all the good things Biden and other Democrats have done. In my home state of Michigan, we are starting to talk about it but, honestly, we should be screaming from the top of every hill!
And you’re in a state with sane leaders and no political gerrymandering…
The ONLY reason that's true is that literally hundreds of people worked for several years to change the power of redistricting from the GOP-controlled legislature to a nonpartisan citizen commission and worked successfully to put voter expansion measures on the ballot--where they passed by large majorities.
Yes, that's true BUT we were horribly gerrymandered for 40 years until this last census and the subsequent redrawing of our districts.
And how do we get the media to amplify it? They respond to $$. Perhaps we need to aggregate our funds and start buying up media???
That's the $64,000 question! I don't know.
I think progressives should make use of billboards. Everyone sees them....
Personally, I don't do FB or social media, but for those who do, they should post this link whenever they can!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrTjoj4-I0Q
I feel the same as you. Losing touch with family and lifelong friends is really hard.
My daughter is married to a Canadian living in Canada and I have spent a fair amount of time there. Yes, overall I find Canadian society more sane and empathic there than here, but a lot of the same issues, such as the anti-democratic power of mega-money, are in play there as well, and creepy Stephan Harper was prime minister for nine years. And if the US goes full fascist, I'm not sure how safe Canada will be.
If the USA were to go full fascist, pull out and destroy NATO, and ally with China and Russia, the rest of the world would be sitting ducks.
Sitting ducks like Vietnam? Afghanistan?
Iraq?
I have read about that Stephan Harper creep. I didn't like what he stood for either very much. I just hope the full fascist thing doesn't happen here. If it does, i will probably be beat to death or some other bad things because i am NOT going along with their Christian Nationalist BS. My grown daughter has suggested going to Sweden, but i didn't much like that idea because of the language barrier. As deluded as the Rethuglican voters are, and now i hear that some Democratic voters don't want Biden for president. That seems to put us in a bad place right now. I was very disappointed to hear that news yesterday. And the polling is not good right now, but sometimes these polls are rigged and biased against Democrats, i don't believe that Nate Sliver jerk either, they always say he is accurate, but i have found out that he isn't very accurate and don't believe a thing he says. I just don't see how so many of the ignorant voters would want a lifelong criminal like TUMP as the leader of our nation. It just doesn't make sense. By the way, which province does your daughter live in? If i go to Canada, i would want to live in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. I have read that the western provinces had many more lunatics that like TUMP much more than the far eastern provinces.
Damn, I am depressed. Even if Dumbkopf Donny is too old, senile & infirm, the GQP will probably find yet another version of him who is slicker, smarter, less boorish, more competent, less of a pompous attention whore buffoon that the Cult of the Orange Antichrist would approve of ( I use the term " Antichrist " even though I'm not even nominally religious, not anymore ).
I don't trust the RepubliKlan party any further than I could toss Mt. Kilimanjaro or retrieve the Titanic with magnetized TWEEZERS. I need a drink then some sleep.
“another version of him who is slicker, smarter, less boorish, more competent, less of a pompous attention whore buffoon”
Add to that a lying president-wannabe and you have our current republican governor of Virginia.
I CAN'T bring myself to trust a Republican - especially an Evangelical " Christian " Republican one & I can't see why anyone with critical thinking & an IQ above the single digits would. My own Evangelical cousin thinks that they're saints & / or superheroes. Pretty damn PATHETIC.
I even sent her something about Jimmy Carter that was reasonably apolitical ( about hi work with Habitat for Humanity, among other things ) & she reacted like I was trying to persuade her to start worshiping Baal, Beelzebub, Moloch, Set or Satan. As I said, PATHETIC. & also STUPID.
Daniel, the crazy just keeps coming. Now it’s the Democrat Mayor of NYC! Mind boggling.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/nyregion/adams-religion-prayer.html?unlocked_article_code=IneS1OExf0uyN332x_luZU1lwmNFxygUQFmzGWesyhLge1iK5QDhuTp0Dz5Vt3imnf7TEQwYZeZ93_Er6lOY4RItXLWz3TWlqEysSfHuR_B57Y5e0Ok_bb7GflEm8GL-v0KA31H_RczeKPOeo0AENJhbVrU4zIjZHO0ZsxRiO54xmJi-PcPli6dqt7eA7MTllY7zzaLgNjtYOKpzI-42AnVU1VVjI4lwAAzlOUKI5s4ESRlEjABWTpihqUVEbeh81H6o26pjPVKB0zk9s7UwAk4EkxyJMhAKUCklqwBaDuxnLenk_maBUpjTGBo0BQeacO2qiIHYGD-5p7ffhrMyfg&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Thank you. I've essentially been up since before 2 : 00 & I need a break from this crazier - than - a shithouse - rat news.
&I have a sinus headache, too. Auf weidersehn, Leslie.
OMGosh, you know it’s bad when they are hearing voices in their heads.
I agree re Canada. My grandfather was born there many decades ago - I am ancient. He came here as a child and became a citizen when he gave up all allegiance to Queen Victoria! (I said I am ancient). Anyway, If I was younger I would be tempted to leave….
Don’t give up! I hope you’ll stay and keep fighting this onslaught with us. I see a lot of fatalistic comments here this morning. We can’t afford fatalism! If we give up, give in, and resign ourselves to the authoritarians rolling over us, THEN they will have won.
TY Elizabeth! Waiting for another to show up here with some grit!
John T Phillips I have had same thoughts although what happens here affects the entire world so it is hard to escape. Granted on a daily basis Canada may provide peace. I am counting on huge backlash for everything the Republicans have done and will do before the next election. I also believe Democrat voters are now energized as never before and will put some effort into the next elections. Here I quote Robert Hubbell: "If you are looking for a place to join in common cause with other like-minded people defending democracy, Markers For Democracy is a welcoming, positive place to be. The Markers For Democracy newsletter link is here: The MFD Newsletter."
There are so many different democratic organizations I wish they would all come together and pool resources
At least unite in their goals. Confusing to the point I cannot keep straight which I have supported or their central purpose.
Daniel and John T, I agree Canada is looking good these days. In fact it was already looking pretty good back in 1972 when I was on the lam from basic training and considering every option that didn't involve having to shoot at anyone. But I think if the progressive part of our population somehow moves to Canada en masse, within a few years the victorious forces of USA Fascism will own Canada too and hunt us all down.
Better to make a last stand on home turf.
I'm basically a pacifist, but if I have to blow the arms & legs off of a " Proud Boy ( what are they so damn proud of ? What reason ? ) ", I can, although I'd prefer NOT to get embroiled in a civil war. Only as a last remaining option. My Evangelical cousin would probably blow away or eviscerate liberals without a second thought, then burn the bodies, while throwing textbooks on them.
Yes, civil wars happen
😒
Look before you leap, Daniel. All is not what it seems in Canada:
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/01/25/proud-boys-terrorist-designation-alt-right-wing-groups-canada/
Canada. Oh, Canada. Canada could have had French culture, British politics, and American know-how. Instead they have American culture (just at 1/10th scale), French politics, and British know-how. There is no place to run. We have to stay here and fix what we can.
I'm old and far from wealthy, so I don't think any other country on earth would have me, frankly. So do I stay and fight, or do I stay, put on my headphones, shut out the world and wait to die?
Michael. You have your own remedy. Clearly you stay and fight. The pathway to old age is fraught with peril. That pathway comes with winning in virtually every category wherein which we find successful endeavor, not to mention out right good luck. Against all odds we are still here. To fight the good fight. Each May we win the Kentucky Derby again. Hell yes we stand! What have we got to lose? I would be scared if I was thirty. Or 20. At 72 I am formidable.
At 78, I have lost all ability to fight. Haven't been able to run for years, can barely walk without falling (better with a brace for my foot drop), bad eyesight, can't aim a gun so well, just point & shoot at close range. So, Hell Yes, I sit! And squeeze off six rounds to whatever fascist comes to take me out. Srsly, haven't much more to lose after what age has already taken.
You are my hero! As seniors, we should be the first on the front lines of this good vs evil war ... for the sake of our grandchildren.
I am the same as you. I think we must stay and fight and do whatever we can.
I agree with all of the above comments. I am 76 and too old to run away even if I wanted to and I don't want to, I want to stay and make the maga nuts miserable. Let them leave and make another country such as Hungary or possibly Russia great again.
As I have posted above (apologies for repetition) we can do this: please subscribe (free) to the SPANISH version of progressive Brian Tyler Cohen's Youtube channel and routinely run a few, if they algorithm catches fire, it will be seen by more and more Hispanics who are being successfully lured away by the GOP.
https://www.youtube.com/@briantylercohenespanol
At night, I run a few on my computer with the sound off since I do not speak Spanish.
Yes, thank you.
Stay and fight. Sometimes we have to.
Great comment, Steve. I plan on staying in "the good ol' USA" through thick and thin.
It's rather academic, anyway I'm pretty much retired & on disability & one has to have kin to be considered for citizenship in the Great White North.
Living as a nomad in the Gobi or doing archeology in the Atacama desert, maybe ?
Canada is off the list for me as a Native woman. I can't stand their policies and attitudes re: Native people. I have friends talking about Portugal, Ecuador, Belize. A relative has gone to Turkey where the politics are even more problematic than here, and there seem to be problems everywhere. I have a clear choice, stay and fight, or at least resist, or go hide someplace. I can just as easily hide here. The devil I know beats the one I don't know. I stayed when Nixon won. I stayed when Reagan won. I stayed when Trump won. Those were all hard years, culminating in the mess we have now. It seems we didn't fight hard enough, though fight we did. In the last decade, I'm down to resistance. Call me Mikinaak (Turtle).
A woman that I got to know through her website then via email left for Canada after GWB was " reelected ". I basically implied that she was a damned COWARD for deserting rather than staying & resisting. Dubbya was a LOT of things, but at least he wasn't an overgrown, narcissistic spoiled attention whore man - brat who demanded unearned RESPECT & unquestioning, blind, drone - like loyalty like the Orange Ogre did & still does, Mikinaak.
As my husband says, GWB (who I never liked as president) looks like a saint compared to the Orange Ogre.
No worries, Daniel. I had thought about Canada a time or two until I discovered their copycat ways in the right wing arena!
As for Gobi or Atacama, I'd first want to look into New Zealand or Tahiti maybe?
If you think Canada is difficult to get into, New Zealand is far worse. The only more difficult place to move to is the Galapagos.
Not leaving my country (USA). I'm needed to fix too many things!
Lynell, come to Idaho. So much to do here in every category. The road is always uphill against impossible odds. Have you ever watched wild geese fight to hold their territory? Awesome, no really. I was thinking about putting together a wagon train in Michigan. Leading them to Idaho. Can you imagine what that many Michiganders might be capable of?
LOL, Pat. Our wild geese seem to prefer a more peaceful coexistence. However, it's not a bad idea to head to Idaho. I get my equine supplements from there, so would save on shipping costs, for sure! That said, I'd be willing to start a Go Fund Me account to send a team of Michiganders to Idaho. Those potato-pushing folks would get straightened out in short order, don't you think?
I've been curious about Japan & Korea, I had penfriends there back in the 70's & 80's. I used to know a little of the language, but that was back in the 70's & 80's as well. Then there's the little matter of MONEY..... Maybe I could become a Buddhist monk.
and Canada is colder than I like...I don't want to go any further north than MD, where I am now, but the politics going south from here suck....and Mexico doesn't feel like a safe option any longer.
Mt. Athos in Greece is full of history, but it's a large monastic community for Eastern Orthodox renunciates / hermits, & I wouldn't want to go there under false pretenses because I'm not religious. They even make deliveries using a basket elevator. I guess they couldn't smuggle a beautiful Greek or Eastern European model in a large sack using the basket.
Right now I'm thinking France or Portugal might be good...or Italy. It's like pick the food and wine you like and go for it. 30 years ago my office manager had a place in San Miguel in Mexico. She & her husband loved it...loved the people. As the years went on, they spent more & more time there. Sadly they have both passed on...or I'd go for an extended visit.
BUDGET. I'm on one. & to use an old phrase that probably dates back to pre - dynastic Egypt, " money doesn't grow on trees ". Actually the saying was " your camel will never crap gold nuggets ". 🐫😆
Spain and Portugal are both affordable.
Mike, France is really expensive but I have heard that Portugal is very nice. We live in southern Spain for half of each year (without residencia we can only stay 90 days at a time). It costs us about half of what it costs to live in the midwest. The only thing more expensive is gas for the car (between $8-$9 a gallon). The people are lovely, the food is great and the wine is fabulous! If you haven't considered Spain, take a look.
Mike, I lived in Buffalo for 25 years. I left 20 years ago and came back to Georgia. I couldn’t take the cold any more. I left NY politics for Georgia politics, right before Crooked Deal was elected governor. It was a nicer place in the 70s.
I have been looking at real estate in Iceland and Googling countries where it might be easier for Americans to move to. I'm retired, so my options are now limited, but I keep doing job searches for my adult children - one of whom is also freaking out about what CHAT GPT is going to do to the world!!
CHAT GPT - Skynet Lite. My computer is proof that an AI uprising will simply consist of annoying the CRAP out of human users until our heads explode from rising blood pressure.
Places for Americans to move to - I exchanged Youtube comments a few hours ago with some guy stationed in Antarctica. I wonder how much a nice cozy condo on an ice floe would cost ? Amazon drone drops would provide supplies & one would have to really dress for sub - zero weather, basically.
Australia is pretty nice - and safely far away.
Daniel, I’ve moved to India (long story) but it is a peaceful choice for me.
Elisabeth - I have had several " snail - mail " relationships in the 70's - 80's with people in Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines to Guyana & Morocco, so if I had to / or felt compelled to leave, I think that I could live in 1 of those countries, although language would be a large problem at 1st.
Daniel, I felt about the same as you did when I read this article after that nice letter posted yesterday.
I would think that, given the foundational importance of the right to vote to unalienable rights, that there would be a basis for citizens to sue if wrongly deprived of their right to vote or were unreasonably encumbered in their efforts to vote such as hours of waiting to cast a vote, that a responsible society could easily make readily accessible. I think there are equal justice issues here as well.
I used to have faith the SC would always be an obstacle for blatant disregard of rights. No more, and that causes despair. They’re MORE corrupt and untouchable than politicians.
You have a good point. However, Rs have stacked the courts so heavily and judges these days seem to have no consequences for poor ethics and corruption.
I've thought about it too, we need a good reason for the lawsuit.
I figure that if the right to vote is worth going to jail to obtain, worth dying for, deprivation of it or interference with it is well worth a lawsuit.
Yes, I want to know a way out of the unpublished hellscape too. I live in voter-suppressed Ohio and saw the new bill here in action last week as I worked our local election.
Marc Elias of DemocracyDocket.com is doing this. We need to support him in his efforts.
Yes! I would love to hear HCR weigh in at the end of her wonderful letters with some historically informed solutions to this nightmare...! How can we disrupt this never ending cycle??
I started writing letters and post cards to voters at the suggestion of a frequent commenter to this forum.
I have already posted the below, it can't hurt and it doesn't cost us anything:
As I have posted above (apologies for repetition) we can do this: please subscribe (free) to the SPANISH version of progressive Brian Tyler Cohen's Youtube channel and routinely run a few, if they algorithm catches fire, it will be seen by more and more Hispanics who are being successfully lured away by the GOP.
https://www.youtube.com/@briantylercohenespanol
At night, I run a few on my computer with the sound off since I do not speak Spanish.
I catch Brian Taylor Cohen's program on YouTube almost once per day. Beyond his own podcast, he often shares his channel with Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecuter, and they dissect the political and legal issues of the day, cover many pertinent points. And yes, he's been noting his new podcasts now offered in Spanish - to attract another demographic. Check them out.
I absolutely love their shared "Legal Breakdown"! Thanks for mentioning it!
What is meant by “run a few?”
I click on the list of his videos and choose one to play. There is an option to "play all" and I sometimes will click that and let them play. Each one of his videos are about 8 minutes in length.
I am also concerned about these issues. I'd like to know what Heather thinks about it and what ways she sees it. But even so, you can see how much she does for us. Thanks to her for that.
Soooo grateful for Heather.
Morning Elizabeth. What to do? Robert Hubbell offers realistic suggestion. I practice it every day with every person I speak with regarding democracy.
https://open.substack.com/pub/roberthubbell/p/why-joe-biden-will-win-in-2024?
Salud!
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