Don't let the door hit ya

Who among us hasn't, at one point or another, had at least a flash fantasy of upping stakes and becoming an ex-pat. 

I mean, if things get bad enough here - and who's to say they won't - I can imagine throwing myself on the mercy of the Irish government and seeking asylum. 

This fear factor works both ways, of course. 

My idea of nirvana - separation of church and state, reproductive rights for women, common sense gun laws, unbanned books, respect for science, letting schoolkids learn why it was a big deal that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community - might well be someone else's hellscape. 

And while I might want to immigrate to the relatively progressive Erin Isle (Ireland! Progressive! Imagine that!), or to relatively progressive Germany (Germany! Progressive! Imagine that!), where I can also make an ancestral claim (which would likely not mean anything, given that I don't speak German), someone on the other side of the political spectrum might want to land in Orban's Hungary, or Erdogan's Turkey. Or even Putin's Russia.

Who'd want to go to Russia? 

No free press. Regular defenestration of political "enemies." A poor, sanctioned economy. Insane war with Ukraine. Twenty-percent of the population lacks indoor plumbing. Worse weather than New England.

While Russia may not seem all that inviting a place, I guess it's all a matter of perspective, and Russia may be preparing the way for some disgruntled North Americans.

Plans are underway in Russia to build a settlement for conservative American and Canadian immigrants seeking to leave the West “for ideological reasons,” at least according to a Moscow-based immigration lawyer.

Timur Beslangurov, a partner in the law firm VISTA Immigration, claimed that construction would begin next year on a village in the Moscow region for about 200 families from North America, financed by the immigrants themselves.

“The reason is propaganda of radical values: Today they have 70 genders, and who knows what will come next,” he said in comments at a legal forum in St Petersburg, which were reported by Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency Thursday. No evidence has been provided publicly for the claims, and it’s not 100 percent clear what Beslangurov’s role in the reported project is. (Source: Vice)

First off, I find it amazing that Russia has immigration lawyers. 

But I suppose there are worse places to live, direly impoverished, violent, war torn countries, like Yemen and Sudan. Or Haiti and Venezuela, sources of so many of the refugees knocking a our door. 

It's just that I don't imagine there are a ton of Americans or Canadians who'd be happy in Russia. 

Sure, there's Edward Snowden, but other than that... Aren't so many of the best and brightest Russia has to offer trying to get to the West? But I suppose if you're all caught up in the culture wars, and truly worried about the possibility of 70 genders, Russia might look like a good deal.

But how reliable is this Timur Beslangurov? Sounds like he might be cooking up this scheme - to be financed by the immigrants themselves who, presumably, would at least be able to afford indoor plumbing - so that he can make a few bucks. (As in: "it’s not 100 percent clear what Beslangurov’s role in the reported project is." Hmmmmm. This sounds pretty darned American to me.) 

Vice News tried to get Beslangurov to pony up some of the hundreds of potential immigrants he claims are other there, but he brushed them off. The time to reveal these would-be Russians is not quite ripe. 

But it's certainly no secret that the Russians are pro-right wing, stirring up crap in Western democracies by promoting misinformation. 

They certainly tried to help get Trump elected, and they go all out promoting their devotion to Christian European identity - the Russian version of white nationalism. 

And the Russians love, love, love them some Tucker Carlson. Perhaps Tucker could be the pioneer immigrant, the vanguard of the waves of prospective Americans who're mad as hell and who aren't going to take it anymore. 

Sure, I piss and moan, but I don't imagine that I'll be fleeing the US anytime soon. Warts and all, it's my country and I don't want to give "them" the satisfaction of driving me out. Not yet, anyway.

And I suspect that most of the disgruntled folks eying Russia feel the same way.

But if they do decide to leave, well, don't let the door hit ya on the way out. And please do take Tucker Carlson with you.