I'm actually going to Scotland (I don't like England that much either)There are a lot of reasons. As a citizen I am entitled to free medical care ( a huge expense for me here, I have Fibromyalgia and a long list of other problems) I can finish my education for close to free. I just left UNM where I was studying History. With the political climate as it is at the moment it was very difficult to raise any criticism of the US govt. New Mexico has all of it's National Guard over in Iraq. Another big reason is the involvement of the Bush clan with the Semblers et al. One other thing is that I have always felt that there is a much great expectation of personal freedom in the UK than here. Prison is seen as a last resort there, not as a growth industry. Children are rarely locked up for any reason in the UK. Ideally I would prefer to stay here, but, the direction that this country barreling towards frightens me. The separation of church and state is becoming less well defined and there are torturers running the government. If I were a citizen of America I would stay to fight for the values that this country stands for. As it is however I can be arrested and held by the military without trial, defense, or just cause. Thanks to the patriot act, I can simply be 'disappeared', my family doesn't even need to be informed. We've all done that before and the results weren't exactly favorable for most of us. I don't think that it's at all likely that I would be locked up after all Scotland isn't exactly known for it's terrorists, but I never thought that a place like Straight could exist either. I'm a writer and a historian and as such I want to write about my experience in Straight and after. I don't want to censor myself out of fear of recrimination. I can do more for the kids who are still in those places if I am elsewhere. I am partially running away with my tail between my legs, but only so that I can get to a safe distance to run my mouth. I would not suggest that this would be the right thing to do if I were an American, after all dissent is one of the basic necessities of any democracy, especially America's. This is just what I must do. I don't think that Britain is so far removed from America in a lot of political areas, but there is more of a public forum on political issues. Words like feminist, liberal, socialist or union are not dirty words there. My personal standard of living will improve by my move there to, although in the long run I will make less money, fortunately for me money is a low priority. I hope someday that I will feel better about the American future. My husband is American and I would love to raise children here if the political climate were different. Speaking of climate, I'd much rather be hot as hell, sitting out on my porch in the middle of nowhere Texas, than freezing my ass of in the wet and dark of Glasgow. Bet you didn't expect a ten page thesis!!! It's just a complex issue for me. BTW you have to pay to park at Mass General too!! Let's see if I get blasted as being 'un-American' which I'm not, the gov sucks though
