Congratulations and thank you, LIbby. This situation vis a vis the "neo confederates" is such a monumental cognitive failure that I was at a loss for words. But you found the words

I would like to offer a suffestion that may seem counter productive at first glance. That is, if you have friends who have been caught up in the madness and now follow the infamous insurrectionist, D. Trump, let me recommend that you hold back your anger and them and instead determine not to let this end your friendship.

I am in such a situation, a man whom I've known 70 years now talks about "rebelling against government overreach." Times change inevitably, all we have to go on is historical examples like our own Civil War. When my friend impulsively reacts with anger about the perceived government control, I start asking him questions about the probable outcome of another civil war. "But, uh, wouldn't that bring the same impovrishment that followed the Civil War?"

I don't tell him, I ask him and offer comments about his past reliability and intellectual ability. The average southerner experienced deeper poverty than they had ever known, plus more control by the post-Lincoln government. "You haven't taken that into account, yet." One of his former favorite phrases was "'government by fiat." - I ask him about the prospects for even more "government by fiat."

Of course this is done on my own, I already am part of the Medium community and part of the Facebook /Meta community as well. There are several Facebook "friends" with whom I've kept engaged with, using a similar respectful approach. My friend on the other hand refused to engage with Facebook and is now permanently blocked. I ask him how much good that has done for him.

I'm sure you get my point. I lose nothing, I keep a friend. I lose nothing, I keep my social media presence alive. I refuse to let my own anger steer me into isolation.