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Terror
August 12th, 2017
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Today there was a Nazi rally in Charlottesberg, Virginia. During the
protests and counter-protests an angry driver plowed through the crowd
killing at least one person. The story is still developing.
I was born in Virginia, though I don't think of myself as a native of that
place. It really only comes up when questioned at border-crossings about
my passport. It may not be home to me, but the United States of America
still is. In the past year, since the election of Trump, I've seen the few
bits of America that I valued and appreciated shattered to dust. The
overwhelming movement of anti-intellectualism and bigotry disgusts me
daily. I am swimming in a cesspool of hate and there is no recourse.
My family has been trying to leave this country for years. I've applied
for citizenship with Italy, and the moment that is approved I will give
notice at my company and we will travel one-way away from this land.
America is not the home of the brave or the free. If it ever was, it has
long since become a moldy stain on top of that vision. I don't want any
part of it. I don't want my son raised in this.
People like to say things like, "if you don't like it, then get out." But
there is no option to get out. Just like how we make the process of
immigration to the United States impossibily difficult, the rest of the
world does the same in reciprocity. I don't have the freedom to pack up my
family and move to Canada. I can try to find a job that will sponsor
a visa. Then I'll be an American citizen working abroad, and that is not
the same. We'll do it if we have to, but I'm still hopeful that Italy will
come through for me. My application has been in review for two years now,
and I hope it doesn't take much longer.
I want to live my life, and raise my family, in a land that celebrates
individual freedom. I want a place where my family will be safe, not only
from crime but also from hate groups and from its own police. I want
a country that understands and embraces a world-wide vision, where you can
celebrate your individual culture and heritage and still accept others.
This should not be a fairy-tale. This should be accessible to us in this
modern world.
