I was born at the UVa hospital while my dad got his Ph.D. there. We moved to the Boston area when I was about 15 months old so I have no memories of the place, and I've only been back once for a brief day trip (visited Monticello, saw the outside of the house my parents rented when they lived there, etc.). So while I jokingly call myself Southern By Birth, I really have no connection to it whatsoever beyond what's on my birth certificate.

And yet I feel sad and angry about what's happening in the town of my birth, because it's so far from my own personal beliefs, those of my family (nuclear and extended - even those who for one reason or another support the Toddler in the White House), and those who for the most part call Charlottesville their home (be it permanent or temporary). There's a little bit of Charlottesville in me to this day, and right now it feels tainted and dirty.

Here's hoping your friend is safe, along with everyone else who lives there, and that they (and we) are eventually able to clean up the stain left over by a bunch of assholes from elsewhere who decided to shit on their hometown.

Offsides

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #pi;
#include <stdsig.h>