Brenda Stardom [ America: Love It or LEAVE IT? ]

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11-11-2004 - America: Love It or LEAVE IT?

12:17 GMT

Dylan's lyrics come to mind each time I hear about all the people saying they want to leave America. They don't love it anymore. I've had email after email asking what it's like here, the writers desperate to get out. This song immediately comes to mind and plays in my head:

"There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief,
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief."

Just substitute American citizen for both joker and thief. I woke to this email this morning:

Hi there,

I'm sure you know what's happened here and I'm freaked out of my mind and don't want my kids to grow up in the new America. You have no idea what it's like here. Almost everyone I know wants to leave. I don't know anything about any other countries, but since you've been in Portugal for so long and still love it, I was wondering what it would take to move there. I can't believe it's come to this. I never dreamt Bush would win and in all seriousness, I think he stole this election, too.

I've lost a very good friend because of the election. There're no more early morning coffee/gab sessions at my house after the one the day after Bush took victory because it turned into a scream fest. My neighbor who I've been tight with for many years ripped into me for calling Bush an asshole and saying that everyone who voted for him was an asshole, too. She voted for him and started screaming, "so now I'm an idiot, huh? Well fuck, you, never speak to me again." With that, she stormed out and we haven't spoken since.

When the media says the nation is divided, they aren't kidding. Even at the market down the street heated confrontations go on. The mood is dark and blackening. I'm really serious about leaving, even if it means losing everything I have possession wise. I've already lost most of my freedoms and fear more will be taken away soon.

Get back to me ASAP. I gotta get out of this place if it's the last thing I ever do!!!

Susan

I was talking to g0d today, seriously, an IRC pal that I've known for at least 6 years. He lives in Florida and was serious, as serious as g0d can be, about getting out and that he couldn't take living with "old people" running around rabidly anti-Bush. He is too, but he believes the country is headed for some heavy infighting and that what little freedom he has left will be taken away.

He told me Canada was out because he doesn't have the resources required. Everyone's first thought is Canada. It must be because of Vietnam when it was the get the hell out of here place. Then it was to avoid the draft. Now it's to avoid the government, but I fear that soon it will be the draft again. So, with Canada iffy, friends turn to me, knowing how happy and safe I've felt here. After I told g0d this was a poor country and wages were extremely low, he said maybe Costa Rica. I told him that by now Costa Rica must be mostly Americans. I remember when I left the states 9 years ago, a whole lot of people had moved to Costa Rica. I told him I'd go down into Mexico if I had a choice. He hadn't thought of Mexico.

It's ironic, isn't it, that they're trying to get into the states, and the residents are trying to get out. Maybe they could have an exchange program. Trade citizenships. Ha, that'll be the day. I have friends who bailed to Mexico many years ago and wouldn't dream of leaving, but they don't live the hard life of most Mexican citizens. I see every shade of red when I read about border militias and the hatred of immigrants going on. Isn't Laura Bush of Mexican descent???

Interest is also being shown in New Zealand as a get-away country. I was reading CNS News and wasn't surprised to read this:

New Zealand immigration authorities report a continuing surge of interest among Americans wanting to move to the "progressive" Pacific Rim nation as a reaction to the conservative trend in U.S. politics.

Similar reports have come from Canada, a more traditional haven for disgruntled Americans.

Visits to the New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS) website, usually averaging 2,500 a day, peaked at 10,300 last Wednesday, the day President Bush's election victory was confirmed.

That alone should cement the fact that half the country hates it now. Further searching about an American Exodus led me to an Indian site, Telegraph India, where they, too, reported on the number of people seeking information about Canada, New Zealand and even Australia. I found a paragraph worthy of paste:

“We regard US migration as very desirable,” said Helen Clark, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, who was recently strip-searched on a visit to Los Angeles and dealt with by airport security in a way that would make the handling of defence minister George Fernandes by US security as red carpet treatment.

It's easy to see why she'd welcome Americans who want out. I also read a lot of Canadian sites writing about the Canada Or Bust mindset. They don't seem to mind. I also discovered I'm not the only one being hit with emails, as is described on Gulf Islands:

Buchwald said since the election, she has received numerous e-mails from friends asking how difficult it would be to immigrate to Canada.

“They’re all so disgusted, disappointed and afraid, really,” Buchwald said.

She said her American friends with young children want to move to Canada so the values they believe in can be instilled in their kids, she said.

There was another mention of emails from a guy in Alaska on Juneau Empire:

On Wednesday, it seems, many people woke up wanting out of George Bush's America. If you have access to e-mail and know anyone who's ever voted for a Democrat you know this to be true. Your mailbox was full of apocalyptic woe the day after Bush won re-election.

The first of these in my box concluded: "I wish I could move to France or Canada!"

I also read of people who had reacted with such sentiments, only to change their minds, deciding to stay and fight. That's right. Fight. Just how far is this going to go? As much as I sense it, I don't want it to happen, but unless the puppet and his string-pullers wake up to the fact that almost half of Americans are so against them, they're either going to take flight or fight, they'd better start appeasing them. I've already cinched the teens in my family coming to Portugal if the draft is reinstated.

Music slips in as if on cue-- Action Slacks with This Damn Nation.. Maybe the blue states could adopt this as their anthem. I'll bet the red have already chosen Onward Christian Soldiers.

I'm staying put. Of course, if he needs to reinstate the draft, I'll advise my son to go to Canada!
-- forum post

(Note: Yesterday I stated I was working on a very important report. I'm still waiting for more crucial information.)

Brenda Stardom
Portugal