I love Jeff. Even if you struggle, it’s worth it.
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Oops! Thanks, @SuePJ
This should work
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Not by shooting and killing politicians and families you don’t agree with as happened in Minnesota last week at the hands of a “No Kings” fanatic. Yes I would say he is a fanatic.
And you may have noticed that I expressed my dislike for right wing extremists as well.
I hope that if you decide to move to France you leave your right wing media hype behind and develop some healthy critical thinking skills. That assertion you made of who Vance Boelter is was false based on a rumor started by Utah Sen. Mike Lee who later canceled his post.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/17/minnesota-lawmaker-killings-misinformation-rightwing
https://www.thedailybeast.com/mike-lee-quietly-deletes-assassin-tweets-but-still-wont-apologize/
Diana Bik Boeck
510/691-9325
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Well that explains a lot. My mother-in-law was Austrian 
Vorarlberg if I remember correctly.
Simples. You make two lists with two columns.
What I like here and what I think I’ll like there.
What dislike here and the issues I may encounter there.
You set yourself a deadline, say two weeks, seems a popular deadline in the US just now © DJT
You add and delete from that list over that period as thoughts eb and flow. Then based on that reflection you pull the trigger (no pun intended) or not.
The one thing not to do is spend months/years vacillating.
BTW, has the “FR” and the mention of the Catholic church any significance? The Church is strong in France, but kept in its place, as is only right. So Catholics would feel welcome.
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Thank you Diana, I probably shouldn’t have used examples, but my point was that I’m tired of the turmoil and rhetorical crossfire. The murder in Minnesota makes a good case in point. A prime example of the blame game gone awry. Based on my preliminary research, that kind of political division does not exist in France at this time. Believe me, I’ll be leaving that kind of baggage behind. I’m sure we have a lot to agree on so here’s to a budding friendship. Regards, Jim
Hi John, no the FR on my handle refers to the fact that I am already seeing myself in France.
Maybe I should change my username before people start calling me for last sacraments or hearing confessions etc.
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Amen Jimmy! We’re all in this together–looking forward to leaving that crazy baggage behind as well! 
Be careful - don’t assume it doesn’t exist in Europe and is getting worse - just that you probably aren’t aware of it because the reportage of it is not reaching your shores and it’s in German and French.
We have wonderful neighbours and live in a small farming community in France Profonde. Our commune had one of the highest percentage votes for the far right in France. We avoid talking politics with them if we wish to remain on good terms.
France too has considerable social problems because the Paris political elite is seen to have no understanding of what the issues are in the rest of the country. Things could get pretty uncomfortable here.
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The people killed were part of the ‘No Kings’ movement. The guy who killed them was seemingly a far right anti abortion anti gay anti democrat nutter and a fantasist. He had ‘No Kings’ flyers in his car on the day of the shooting but it’s thought they were there so he knew where to find more people to kill. Several Republican Senators in the aftermath of the attack made suggestions that the killer was a Democrat an/or a supporter of the No Kings movement. The statements were withdrawn and condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike.
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You are unlikely, at least in the sticks, to find the equivalent of the sort of church community you have in the US.
Church does not have the social role it has in the US and UK and although of course you will find groups of people for whom it is a focal point of their lives, they are definitely a minority and what most French people regard as a bit OTT.
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I decided to move because I was long disgusted not only with the politics in the US, but also with all of the trickle down effects upon daily life. The aggression; the yahoos wearing pistols to go shopping; the giant cars and car culture; the lack of public transportation; the insanely high (comparatively) violent crime rates; the ruinous healthcare costs; the poisonous and expensive food; the destruction of public spaces; the lack of civic pride; the hyper-individualism; the lack of cultural events/arts. I could continue. I’m only in my forties and I feel that the USA has so markedly regressed in so many ways from where it was in my adolescence or early adulthood. Sure, violent crime is actually down from where it was in the late 20th century, but it’s still ten times higher than most of Western Europe.
The first month I spent in Strasbourg two years ago was a real revelation. Despite, at the time, having little spoken French proficiency and almost no cultural awareness, it felt like home, more so than my hometown in which I was coming from and had lived two-thirds of my life.
Fast forward to today and between the beautiful life I’ve rapidly built here and the masked secret police abducting people in broad daylight in the USA, I’m very glad that I made the choice that I did.
Sure, it gets a little isolating sometimes when you only understand half of the conversations around you and can only participate with great effort, but it’s a nice excuse to really consider what is worth saying and how to most economically and accurately say it.
And there are the anxieties of being in a new culture and system. The little fears that you’re missing some detail of the rules, are doing something wrong, will be shown the door.
Mais, petit à petit, ça va, devient plus facile.
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It’s here, under the surface more, maybe. Just you wait until 2027.
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I could not speak as authoritatively as @vero about church in the US. Obviously there’s a back story yet to be revealed!
I know a little about the FR/UK comparison.
Churches in France are generally smaller than in the UK. In cities, especially cities where there is a university, you’ll find bigger ones. Many young people are rejecting the atheism of their parents’ generation. Because of the hostility some people show towards Christianity - though honestly, I haven’t encountered any in the real world - and the consumerist/humanist/atheist worldview which prevails, there is little point in being a nominal Christian. Which means people’s faith is often rather stronger. And no-one has ever declined my offer to pray for them 
What we found strange was that people were prepared to travel half an hour or more to a church. In the UK, in a university town, we had a substantial number of evangelical churches of various types. Ours was less than 2 miles away. In France, you generally need to travel more - unless, as we did, you buy in the same town your church is.
It depends whether it’s a French congregation or based in the English-speaking community. Certainly for those in Aquitaine there are places where the church community is quite strong.
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well said!
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Agree with this: [quote=“Ancient_Mariner, post:4, topic:53422”]
Knowing why you’re moving may not be so important depending on point of view.
[/quote]
Also, who cares if you are moving if you are bored? That’s a great reason to move IMO. I’ve lived all over the US and traveled the world and am completely bored with Montana where I have lived for the last 17 years. I can’t think of a better reason to do it. Sure we have a good quality of life here, a low interest rate on a home with low equity, lots of outdoor recreation but what I want out of my life had changed since we moved here, and this place no longer suits me.
Why is doubt a negative thing? It indicates you have a curious mind and are looking at the decision from all perspectives. As someone who has done a lot of things in my life (careers, moves, etc) and now work in selling real estate, the common theme of people not making the change they dream of is always fear.
Feel the fear and do it anyway I say!
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