Thanks, Amanda. I like your analogy of the bully and the schoolyard. Why should I leave? I've heard "Get out of Dodge," too. Not me. This blue marble floating around in space is my home, ALL of it. The bullies and fearmongers can rant and rave all they want and they'll never scare me. I recognize no authorities. No one tells me what to do. The imaginary lines drawn as borders do not exist to me. Besides, government is inept and inefficient, and we "citizens" overwhelmingly outnumber the bullies. There's a great book by Harry Browne: "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World." I recommend it highly.
Lastly, and YES...we live in a beautiful world. I work to capture that beauty everyday in my art. Arizona is one of my favorite places!