If at first you don't secede...

January 29, 2005 8:54 PM

Those OLD states are totally 2004. I should wait until Thursday, but: If you're fed up with the idea of living in America OR Canada, consider moving to The State of Jefferson, a county on the Cali/Oregon border with big dreams and a kickass flag. Of course, they haven't seceded yet, but when they do, it's only going to be a matter of time before we can all live in the utopian Republic of Cascadia, where, as Jefferson residents, we'll run on Metric Time and help strengthen Cascadia's southern border against Californian incursions.
And hey! Public radio!
posted by dougunderscorenelso (20 comments total)

We talked about Cascadia a few years ago, but it's still an interesting subject. In Europe and Asia they shift countries around from time to time, why not in North America?

Joel Garreau thought N.A. should be nine nations; C. Etzel Pearcy thought the U.S. would work much better as 38 states.
posted by LeLiLo at 9:10 PM on January 29, 2005

Watch out for these folks.
posted by arse_hat at 9:39 PM on January 29, 2005

Having grown up in the State of Jefferson I can tell you that there are definitely some nutcases out there that are 110% behind the idea.

Unfortunately most of the nutcases that I met were anti-tax racists who typified Steven Dietz's God's Country more than the progressive utopia one might envision.

A more entertaining thought--if we're going to entertain thoughts on secession--is to invite the folks from Ashland, Bend, and Eugene to move to Southern Washington and have Washington and the greater Portland Metro area join BC in a Northwesternland...
posted by togdon at 9:44 PM on January 29, 2005

This all goes back to the 'oh no we're blue states in a red country'. But really when you look at the maps (as has been said a hundred times) it's just the urban/rural divide. For some reason most people seem to forget that.

I think it's time to go back to city-states.

I would be all about the citystate of Vancouver.
posted by blacklite at 10:05 PM on January 29, 2005

Not a secessionist movement, but the State of Sequoyah still gets brought up every few years as part of the Tulsa-Oklahoma City feud.
posted by dw at 10:09 PM on January 29, 2005

I'm amused by the waving American flag in the top left corner. They're almost proclaiming, "We're still patriotic Americans!"
posted by nalihasan at 10:45 PM on January 29, 2005

Heh, great title. Seems like it won't even get as far as the [actual] state of Franklin.
posted by ontic at 10:57 PM on January 29, 2005

invite the folks from Ashland, Bend, and Eugene to move

What's wrong with Ashland, Bend and Eugene?
posted by homunculus at 1:31 AM on January 30, 2005

The 38-state plan would go over well here in southern New Jersey, which as a region isn't fond of being connected to northern New Jersey. I'd say that it's much more connected to Philadelphia & area than to the northern part of the state.
posted by graymouser at 5:25 AM on January 30, 2005

What's wrong with Ashland, Bend and Eugene?

Unless I'm missing any sarcasm, nothing. I think his point is to pull the geographically-small blue areas of Oregon into Multnomah County (Portland) and away from the great swath of red that is the majority of the state.

(When I was at U of O, there was a ballot measure to declare homosexuality akin to bestiality and pedophilia. It was defeated 60% to 40% overall but passed in every Oregon county except Multnomah and Lane (Eugene)).
posted by jalexei at 5:35 AM on January 30, 2005

Hey, this State of Jefferson thing seems to be catching on. There's a Math Congress attended by several local universities. I went last year.

You know an idea is really coming into its own when a small band of mathematicians latches on to it.
posted by A dead Quaker at 6:34 AM on January 30, 2005

What about the States of Platha or Accadia?
posted by Captaintripps at 8:18 AM on January 30, 2005

And what about the great state of Superior (Michigan's UP, and part of northern Wisconsin, iirc)?
posted by jlkr at 9:26 AM on January 30, 2005

Look at that herd of Buffalo. They're ready.
posted by tommasz at 9:27 AM on January 30, 2005

Them 38 States is pretty cool. Looking at the way Texas is partitioned, it makes a certain amount of sense. The east sliver, which is pretty much bayou Louisiana types goes to them. The panhandle is pretty empty, more Oklahomaish than the main part of the state. And El Paso in the east goes over to New Mexico, to which it is much more culturally akin. I could even see another split right down the middle of "Alamo", separating the major cities of East-Central Texas (Austin, Texas, San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth) and the emptiness of West Texas.
posted by papakwanz at 11:18 AM on January 30, 2005

I've been waiting for Ecotopia to happen for a while now. Someone needs to get off their ass and invent the cheap, effective solar panels that will make it all happen.

Ernest Callenbach had some good ideas. For those who only remember the first book, please check out the prequel, Ecotopia Emerging (written much later, in the '90's, I think). A great read, and more fleshed-out pre-history for us "process geeks".
posted by Aquaman at 11:51 AM on January 30, 2005

The panhandle is pretty empty, more Oklahomaish than the main part of the state.

Uh, you really think all of Oklahoma is just like the panhandle? Eastern Oklahoma is far from empty, since it's part of the Ozarks and has TREES and PEOPLE. I mean, I grew up there. It looks more like Jackson and much less like Amarillo. They grow a lot of pot in the hills because, like Humboldt County, you have a lot of cover.

Why do you think Oklahoma gets broken into three other state on that map? It's not because it's just "free land."
posted by dw at 12:05 PM on January 30, 2005

At one SeaMeFi dealie this past year there was some beer-glass table banging accompanied by loud cries of "Cascadia!"

Then the fuzz showed up and dragged dat ol' Guy Fawkes clean out the door.
posted by mwhybark at 12:22 PM on January 30, 2005

Unless I'm missing any sarcasm, nothing. I think his point is to pull the geographically-small blue areas of Oregon into Multnomah County (Portland) and away from the great swath of red that is the majority of the state.

Exactly. Other than PDX, Ashland, Bend, Eugene, and maybe a really small town or two on the coast or out near the Wallowas Oregon is a very red state. If we're going to start combining things we need to think more about the urban/rural divide (hence the suggestion that they displace the folks in southern Washington which is currently fairly conservative on its own).

Breaking down the urban/rural divide by finding common ground is the only thing that I see as being able to salvage progressive politics in America. The neo-cons have the church goers brainwashed into thinking that they're what Jesus would do. In reality FDR's compassion and policies during the Depression more closely match what any modern day savior would support. The current administration looks a lot more like the Romans than they're willing to pay reporters to publicize...
posted by togdon at 3:24 PM on January 30, 2005

JimmyBuffetLand
posted by Human Stain at 8:04 AM on January 31, 2005