Last week I shared a delightful conversation I had when my younger brother reached out from the depths of Trump world in Idaho. This past week, I decided to touch base with my conservative older brother to ask him what his thoughts were about Project 2025 and the recent SCOTUS ruling on presidential immunity. In my email i noted that the prospect of a Trump presidency had me thinking about leaving the United States.
He wrote back immediately saying he wasn’t that familiar with Project 2025 but that he would definitely look into it. He wrote:
I must confess political matters do not carry the same voltage they did.
I shy from strong opinions about issues. I’m too old to think there is a correct view and an incorrect view. Things just move along. Please do not leave your home because of what might happen.
I respond to politics as I do baseball and football. A rooting interest for a team, but certainly not worth attending a game in person.
Yesterday, I received a longer email from him entitled “Why Not?” making the case for me taking the huge step and moving to Ireland.
Who moves in their mid-70’s? Not me. But you have always been brave, adventurous, and a pioneer in my eyes. How many years do either of us have? Why not spend them with a whole new experience? Why not move?
I've moved 4 times since marriage. I never wanted to. Each time ended up bringing whole new experiences - a new start. There is something very reassuring finding that new roots form quickly and bring new strength and refreshing experiences.
I haven’t responded yet, although since returning from my trip last month, I have spent time searching for properties for sale in the Dublin area. There’s no doubt that I would have to make one or two more trips over to find a place. I would want to settle somewhere where shopping and opportunities for community building were within walking distance and there was excellent access to public transportation. And I have worries about health care which I have to look into. Just a lot of questions. And, in all honesty, being a senior citizen, I just don’t know if I have the ‘pioneering’ sense for adventure I once possessed.
I didn’t plan to watch any of the RNC but found myself hooked last night when I heard Rachel was hosting special coverage. The only speech I saw was JD Vance but what may have frightened me the most was the in-depth reporting on how ultra right billionaire Peter Thiel was the force behind his rapid rise to power.
In 2009, Thiel famously declared that he "no longer believe[d] that freedom and democracy are compatible", because government benefits and the enfranchising of women had created a massive constituency who would always vote against capitalism and economic liberty. www.independent.co.uk/...
Then we hear that Elon Musk will be padding Trump’s campaign with $45 a month.
In an article written by a couple who chose to leave the US following the 2016 election, Should Trump win, how easy is it for Americans to move to another country? the authors point to three channels open to Americans who might decide to leave America.
(1) Emigrate to another country on a long-term visa with a path toward permanent residency or citizenship.
(2) Emigrate via a “golden visa.”
(3) Become a digital nomad and travel to different countries on “tourist visas.”
The authors chose number three and write:
Most countries allow Americans to stay for up to ninety days with no visa or with something often referred to as a “tourist visa” — and these visas are often issued on arrival, with little or no fee or application process. Some countries allow even longer tourist visas: for example, in Mexico and the UK you can stay up to six months, and in the Republic of Georgia, you can stay as long as a year.
And some countries, like Mexico and Thailand, also allow tourists to make “visa runs,” exiting the country and then immediately returning, resetting the tourist visa (though some countries, including Thailand, are making this more difficult).
Many countries also offer longer visas that are almost as easy as tourist ones: the UK has something called a “standard visa,” which allows multiple visits of up to six months or longer. And more and more countries are offering “digital nomad visas” where, if you can prove a certain level of income, countries will allow you to stay for a year or more.
Fight or flight: Fearful Trump critics weigh the risk of retribution if he's re-elected
Alexander Vindman’s wife, Rachel, turns 50 next month. But rather than spend money on a party, she wants to save it in case Trump returns to the White House and tries to retaliate against her husband for being a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment, Alexander Vindman said in an interview. The family might need the money in case they have to flee the country.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” said Vindman, a national security official in Trump’s White House who was ousted in 2020 after Trump’s acquittal, but “that’s an indicator of the level of concern that she’s had.”
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