I was born in North Carolina in 1951.

The county in which I grew up was known as one of the most conservative. There were a lot of cloth mills. By the time I left they were owned by "yankees" who came down for non-union workers. Those mills produced synthetic cloth made from fossil fuels. The water in NC is full of PFAS. My family, such as it is, voted for Trump, motivated either by a determination to keep government from giving money to poor people or by a rabid need for self-righteousness and connection to far right Christo-fascism. (I honestly don't know what to call them.) I'm kinda the black sheep, the outsider. I am one of the poor people. I will probably live what's left of my life here.

I never really took the racists that seriously. It was so illogical and wrong and unnecessary. I didn't realize they had so much control.

There are many reasons for the fall. A lot of long-term scheming and manipulation, a lot of insane greed behind it.

It took some time, but I've more or less accepted that I live in a fascist country now, and that it happened on my watch, in my lifetime.

I blame corporate power and would like to see it destroyed, but you're right, it really comes down to the people. People driven by pride and greed who are essentially very, very stupid.

I hope I can stop obsessing over it. My health is such that I can't march or demonstrate. I feel powerless to change anything.

I hope you find peace and relative safety.