Getting out of the USA III

I think I’ve written two previous posts on getting out of the USA, but someone can correct me if I’ve chosen the wrong Roman numeral (my memory fails me in my dotage). I also wrote a post a couple of days ago mentioning Marie-Antoinette’s (supposed) infamous words, “Let them eat cake.” And now I’ve found an essay where both leaving the USA and Marie-Antoinette’s words are discussed:

But as a famous reptile once said: So? Our opinions matter not. Admittedly, ruling class trivialization of the desires of the great unwashed is nothing new. However, whereas Marie Antoinette took an entire four words to sum up her contempt for her benighted subjects, Dick Cheney named that ‘tude in but one.

Give the creature his due: His monosyllabic dismissal of what the American citizenry (now) thinks of his and his imperialism-loving buddies’ stinking war succinctly expresses the neocon mindset. Like any in-charge bunch, they’re wholly impressed with themselves: they’re the ones with the smarts, they’re the ones with the balls, they’re the forward thinkers before whom we rabble should gratefully prostrate ourselves for being saved from silly ideas like, say, giving peace a chance.

It’s almost too much for me to bear. Sorry: it is too much for me to bear. Thus, my decision in May 2005 to flee and now — finally — after a methodical three-year process, I bid good riddance to living under a fascistic government as surreally soulless as it is innately insane.

But the writer, like a competent quant, has hedged his bets by taking a one-year absence of leave, i.e., he’s bought a call option which he’ll exercise by returning if he likes the new administration.