It can never happen here. Until it does.

We are neither unique nor special

It’s 4 in the morning, on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. Last night America voted for an incompetent coup-attempting adjudicated rapist rather than a Black woman.

In 2016, my husband told me that Secretary Clinton had lost and I needed to go to bed.

In 2020, he told me we’d know more in the morning.

Last night, my eldest took on that role.

He’s interested in statistics and understands them in a way I do not. “It’s more likely that one candidate will sweep the swing states than they split,” he said a couple of days ago.

He might be right.

His father was.

In 2012, the Republic of Georgia elected Georgian Dream, throwing out the by then deeply unpopular administration of Mikheil Saakashvili.

David was livid.

“Georgians have voted for their own demise,” he said.

I don’t remember the entirety of my answer, but it was deeply condescending. Something about how he should be proud of a peaceful democratic transfer of power in a fledgling democracy.

“We will not have free elections again, for at least a generation. And they weren’t free this time either. There was so much Russian propaganda. The crazier it was, the more people believed it.”

I made some sort of comment about new democracies again.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We aren’t stupid. And we aren’t some sort of special unicorns. This will happen in the West too. We are – what’s that phrase – the bird in the mine?”

“Canary in the coalmine.”

“Yeah, that. Just wait and see.”

We waited, and I did see.

Brexit, covered in Russian fingerprints.

And then 2016.

But a part of me thought, “Ok, Hillary Clinton was hated for decades, making her a uniquely bad candidate. And Americans don’t vote for people because it’s their turn. Otherwise we would have elected Dole and McCain. It’s not just because she’s a woman, right?”

Now we know.

There is no excuse.

This time, we know what Trump will do.

What he did before.

What he says he’ll do now.

And people voted for him anyway.

David was right. Georgia was a canary in the coalmine then and again in their elections last week.

Democracies vote for their own demise.

And my country hates women.

The following is a post I originally wrote several years ago, when my eldest was in junior high. It may seem hysterical to post it now, but I’m a woman, I suppose that’s what you should expect from me.

His flat lay was much prettier than this, but this was the general idea

A few years ago, a well meaning but not particularly aware teacher of my eldest son designed a refugee awareness art assignment: a flat lay photograph of what someone would take with them when fleeing.

I told him to go talk to his dad, who had done just that. David told him take all your ids and cash and anything that could transform into cash, and he supposed in this day and age, a mobile phone with an end-to-end encryption app, but only if it wouldn’t endanger those left behind.

You travel light so you can run.
You travel light do you can hide in plain sight.

So my son arranged that beautifully and took a picture. He did not receive a good grade. His teacher had some Canadian fantasy of refugeeing looking like back country camping. She expected sleeping bags and canister stoves.

That’s not what it looks like.

It’s torture and rape and trafficking and bribes and organized crime. It’s political games and personal fear. It’s the kindness of strangers and sheer good luck.

People don’t refugee for funsies. They know the costs and weigh them against staying.

The US is in the midst of a refugee crisis. But that’s not all.

I’m hearing more and more about this fear from my politically involved American friends. We know there is a list. We’ve been directly told some of the names on it. And soon there’ll be another list of women who sought illegal health care. 

Those of us who are refugees, or their spouses, and their children and grandchildren, know that things can collapse very quickly.

Yes, it can happen here. Gradually, then all at once.

Yes, we should all work to prevent this collapse.

But it’s also helpful to calm your nervous system down with personal plans.

You know that box or file you keep your most important papers in case of fire? Have that where you can grab it. Make sure it has cash.

If you’re able, have some assets abroad.

Have a plan. If you know you’re on the list, have more than one.

If they shut down ports of transit, do you know who to call to cross the closest border? Now would be a good time to find out.

(Hint: from the US, it’s the same people who ran the Underground Railroad border crossings)

This might seem hysterical of me, especially because I’m safe in Canada.

And yet. It can never happen here. Until it does.

And this is the time of year to remind you: Jesus was a refugee.

In the space between one breath and another, you become them.

God bless you and keep you safe.