This is so true! I don’t feel safe expressing my opinion that Trump and project 2025 are problems. When I moved here I didn’t realize how repressive it would be here!
My very devote Catholic sister, her retired AF Colonel husband, my mom, my other 5 siblings are trump loving morons. Only one of my brothers and I are voting Harris. It simply blows my mind to finally see how racist and homophonic my family is. It's heartbreaking
I grew up in Pocatello, lived in western Washington for over a decade and now I am in Idaho Falls. Took a nursing job where a cancer patient actually said he was considering taking Ivermectin for his pancreatic cancer because it worked so well when he had Covid. What???? Ok, you go ahead and do that buddy best of luck to ya.
There’s no shortage of small dick big trucks with stupid Let’s go Brandon stickers and my personal favorite - the outline of the state of Idaho turned sideways with a bullet shooting out of it like its an assault rifle. But! Saw lots of these trucks flying Trump flags and other such nonsense in western WA too…. these MAGATS are everywhere. Idaho is too red and too religiously conservative for me. It is too bad too because it is a beautiful state and there are pockets of sane, reasonable people like my small family here - we are just outnumbered.
I live in Flori-duh, America’s hellhole with palm trees. I was born in Sarasota - on the Gulf, 70 miles south of Tampa. I am in Central Florida now.
Florida is traditionally bigoted and I was a part of it even though I considered myself enlightened. In my junior high (middle) school, there were racist fights every day between Rednecks and Blacks. I’m embarrassed to look in my school yearbooks because it’s everywhere. My senior year (1981) book is a horrifying read. The difference is, racism and bigotry weren’t advertised except for Confederate Battle flags and even then I saw it as normal, everyday life. I didn’t like it but I thought we would progress as the 1960s/70s had done; slow change.
But now, we’ve gone backwards and worse, a mini-dictatorship. We’ve had Republican governors since 1998. The last decade or so it’s gotten really bad in every way. It’s not the state I grew up in. I’d move if I could but I’m doing the next best thing and advocating for changes.
I’m subscribed (as free) to nearly 35 Substack writers and often don’t get the chance to comment when it’s Paid Only. Believe me, I’m having a dilemma trying to decide how to afford all of them, Jason included. So thanks for the open comments section.
it would be nice if I felt safe enough to cross the border and visit the US again, but violence warnings since 2016 have removed your country as an option for mine, and many other family's vacation dollars.
I live in NC in a fairly wealthy town with quite a few large expensive houses and large pickup trucks parked outside. We are blue dots in a neighborhood of red and we don’t tell anyone just how liberal we are. We see the flags outside neighbors homes and it breaks my heart. This is my home town and I was so hopeful moving back, that I would find a few like minded neighbors. We attended our county Democratic meeting recently and I was the only person there who was actually born here. And my heart breaks. I have volunteered to work the polls outside on Election Day at the Church where we in this neighborhood vote. I think I will be safe as long as nobody tries to intimidate us at the Democratic table. I am 72 years old and will not be intimidated by them and I have the Police Chief’s cell number and not afraid to use it. I think we are headed into scary times that will begin post debate and could last until the next President is sworn in. I am concerned and hopeful at the same time. Please everyone stay safe and Write ON!!!
I feel sorry for anyone that encounters that person. Obviously miserable and simmering in hatred.
Now ain’t that the pot calling the kettle orange!
This is so true! I don’t feel safe expressing my opinion that Trump and project 2025 are problems. When I moved here I didn’t realize how repressive it would be here!
My very devote Catholic sister, her retired AF Colonel husband, my mom, my other 5 siblings are trump loving morons. Only one of my brothers and I are voting Harris. It simply blows my mind to finally see how racist and homophonic my family is. It's heartbreaking
I grew up in Pocatello, lived in western Washington for over a decade and now I am in Idaho Falls. Took a nursing job where a cancer patient actually said he was considering taking Ivermectin for his pancreatic cancer because it worked so well when he had Covid. What???? Ok, you go ahead and do that buddy best of luck to ya.
There’s no shortage of small dick big trucks with stupid Let’s go Brandon stickers and my personal favorite - the outline of the state of Idaho turned sideways with a bullet shooting out of it like its an assault rifle. But! Saw lots of these trucks flying Trump flags and other such nonsense in western WA too…. these MAGATS are everywhere. Idaho is too red and too religiously conservative for me. It is too bad too because it is a beautiful state and there are pockets of sane, reasonable people like my small family here - we are just outnumbered.
You can’t fix stupid. Please join the confederate states and secede.
I live in Flori-duh, America’s hellhole with palm trees. I was born in Sarasota - on the Gulf, 70 miles south of Tampa. I am in Central Florida now.
Florida is traditionally bigoted and I was a part of it even though I considered myself enlightened. In my junior high (middle) school, there were racist fights every day between Rednecks and Blacks. I’m embarrassed to look in my school yearbooks because it’s everywhere. My senior year (1981) book is a horrifying read. The difference is, racism and bigotry weren’t advertised except for Confederate Battle flags and even then I saw it as normal, everyday life. I didn’t like it but I thought we would progress as the 1960s/70s had done; slow change.
But now, we’ve gone backwards and worse, a mini-dictatorship. We’ve had Republican governors since 1998. The last decade or so it’s gotten really bad in every way. It’s not the state I grew up in. I’d move if I could but I’m doing the next best thing and advocating for changes.
I’m subscribed (as free) to nearly 35 Substack writers and often don’t get the chance to comment when it’s Paid Only. Believe me, I’m having a dilemma trying to decide how to afford all of them, Jason included. So thanks for the open comments section.
I live in one of those red states also. Oklahoma. Everything you wrote applies here too. Ugh!
Wow. One of the best reads ever. Thank you.
Idaho is a beautiful state, BUT its racist bigoted White Christian nation population keeps millions of people who would pay good money to visit don’t.
Ugh
I happen to be in Idaho right now for an art show and I want to thank you for this post. Thank you for keeping up the good fight…
it would be nice if I felt safe enough to cross the border and visit the US again, but violence warnings since 2016 have removed your country as an option for mine, and many other family's vacation dollars.
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Same thing in East TN. It’s hard to even be “purple” here sometimes.
I live in NC in a fairly wealthy town with quite a few large expensive houses and large pickup trucks parked outside. We are blue dots in a neighborhood of red and we don’t tell anyone just how liberal we are. We see the flags outside neighbors homes and it breaks my heart. This is my home town and I was so hopeful moving back, that I would find a few like minded neighbors. We attended our county Democratic meeting recently and I was the only person there who was actually born here. And my heart breaks. I have volunteered to work the polls outside on Election Day at the Church where we in this neighborhood vote. I think I will be safe as long as nobody tries to intimidate us at the Democratic table. I am 72 years old and will not be intimidated by them and I have the Police Chief’s cell number and not afraid to use it. I think we are headed into scary times that will begin post debate and could last until the next President is sworn in. I am concerned and hopeful at the same time. Please everyone stay safe and Write ON!!!