I remember when I was first aware of the Holocaust. I kept thinking, “Why didn’t people leave while they still could?” I thought the same about Afghanistan. They had plenty of notice the US was leaving. It’s true that some had no money and no where to go or loved ones unable to leave for whom they were responsible, but plenty had options they didn’t take when the writing was on the wall.

Mostly I think it’s a combination of magical thinking (“I’ll be fine!) and greed (“I can’t leave my stuff, business, etc.”) Those who forget the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them.

Trump’s presidency spurred me to action. I applied for dual citizenship, by benefit of my ancestry, with Ireland a year ago. (My grandmother was born there.) I began collecting the necessary documents (birth, marriage, death certificates, etc.) a year or so prior to applying. The backlog due to Brexit and COVID means I may have to wait another year before I’m approved, luckily before the election in 2024. It’s my plan B.

I love my country, but looking at what the old folks stuck in Ukraine are going through, I won’t think twice about leaving if Trump gets re-elected. This is not our parents’ America anymore.