These two stories today are infuriating and scary...

On one hand, your moving to NC can help NC change. When I moved to southern VA 19 years ago, it was SOLID red. Little by little we are changing what it looks like. OTOH, I am escaping from here as soon as humanly possible

Yes. I agree with you. I find it flabbergasting what is going on around the country. Terrified people enacting homophobic, racist and misogynist laws. I wish I knew what to say to make them same (the people, not the laws - they should not even be there).

It is depressing. I understand; I live in Ohio. Funny thing is, Ohio wants to attract young people and I think that they are planning a PR campaign. 👀
If I were younger, I would probably move.

I hear you. We live in Texas. All the places we’d ideally retire are in red states - because we like the climate, culture, scenery, music scene, etc. But then they have this nasty undercurrent of suppression of women’s and minorities’ rights.

We shouldn’t have to move to Massachusetts or Washington State to have our rights protected. I don’t want to live in those places, even though they’re quite lovely. Things like “it’s not OK to rape a drunk woman” and “it’s not OK to deny service to someone because of their sexuality,” and “it’s not OK to place an undue burden on poor or disabled voters to cast their votes” should be written into federal law.

Moving and getting politically active is great for some people and families, and I felt good on that axis about moving to SC years ago. I now have at least one LGBTQ kid, however, and I will tell you, as a current WA resident, I am not moving to a state that is passing legislation to limit their rights.

Yes, there are many states I could not live in because of their political slant.   I just couldn’t be surrounded by people who think that being gay is wrong, or who were so hell bent on patrolling a woman’s body, or who were so  blatantly racist.  I will be politically active here to make sure the backwards thinking assholes who are more brazen with their beliefs of late don’t gain any power here.  They need to know there is no room here for their racism, misogyny and flat out ignorance.  

I so agree with you. It horrifies me to see so many people agreeing with such archaic and drastic thinking. I truly didn't know there were so many people out there that thought like this until the last presidency brought them all out.

My son wants to move to Idaho. He wants me to move there as well. I commented that it is a red state. He said that is one of the reasons he wants to move there. It just saddens me so much. He was so not like this growing up. He was logical and empathetic. Then, after meeting his fiance, he started changing. I can only assume it is because of her thinking. I have never talked to her about her political and world views, but her mother just moved to North Carolina and she talked my son into registering as a Republican who voted for Trump the first time. I like her, but I have never gotten into any deep discussions with her.

I asked him why he has changed his beliefs so drastically. Does he hate gay people and feel they should have limited rights? He said, well, no, of course not. Does he no longer believe in science? Well, I do. How about the environment? Yeah, I care about that deeply. So what is so Republican about him? I swear this girl has got him thinking differently than he ever has before. And when I pointed out all of the things that I am pretty sure to be conflicts, he said yeah, you're right. I guess I am not fully a Republican. Not fully? But just enough to vote for Trump? Sigh. I do not understand it. I told him that he will not be that far from me in Oregon and that we can just agree to visit each other and never discuss politics. Or vaccinations. He knows that I just had my second vaccination and I'm very relieved. He says he doesn't want to get one. Again, sigh.

I so hope you're right!
WE DO NEED TO BE POLITICALLY ACTIVE and to figure out ways to combat these horrors.

This is actually a very detailed and very well worded and easily understood reasoning of why they granted him a new trial. It wanted motivated by recent politics, etc. I think Legislatures when writing laws try to be so careful of their wording it opens up multiple and conflicting interpretations. Khalil is a pathetic asshole and doesn’t deserve anymore acknowledgement and all but admits guilt to the crime, but at least they didn’t acquit. The next trial he should be convicted an hopefully there won’t be a chance for this to happen again!

I was just about to post the same thing.  

Even though my sense of calm has been restored, I realize that now is not a time for complacency. The speed at which restrictive legislation is being introduced in many states is alarming. We must continue to be engaged and informed.