How About Secession From Oregon To Idaho?

by Al Benson Jr.

Member, Board of Directors, Confederate Society of America

Think the question of secession is dead? Think again. Contrary to the fond wishes of most leftists and even many who tell us they are “conservatives” this question is not going away anytime soon. I was laughed at back in the 1990s for writing about secession back then. Many so-called “conservatives” I knew snickered behind my back about what I wrote. I wonder if they are still doing that. I don’t hear from any of them anymore–not that I miss the lack of contact.

But, whether they still laugh or not, the secession question still continues to arise. Just yesterday, 5/19, I read an article on https://www.theepochtimes.com by Jack Phillips entitled Oregon Counties Vote to Secede Into Idaho.

Mr. Phillips observed that: “Several counties in Oregon on May 18 voted to consider joining the state of Idaho, which is part of a long-shot movement to break away from the state that has long been dominated by politicians in Portland. Voters in Malheur, Sherman, Grant, Baker, and Lake counties approved various measures that require county officials to take steps to look into moving the Idaho border west to incorporate the counties. The grassroots group Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho is aiming to have the eastern counties–which are mostly rural–join Idaho because they believe they would be better off with Idaho’s more conservative political leadership.”

It’s no secret that the leftist leadership in Portland has little use for the ranching and farming industry and culture in their state. When BLM and Antifa were torching their city back last year, what did they do to prevent that? From what I understand, not all that much. So who is naive enough to think they give a tinker’s damn about the ranchers and farmers in Oregon?

One of the petitioners in this effort is Mike McCarter and he said: “This election proves that rural Oregon wants out of Oregon. If Oregon really believes in liberal values such as self-determination, the legislature won’t hold our counties captive against our will…” McCarter noted last year that this bid to join Idaho is more of a “lifestyle values judgment” that accentuates the differences between rural and urban populations

Phillips noted in his article that “Oregon’s Jefferson and Union counties already approved measures last year to promote a move to Idaho.” With the Democratic controlled legislature in Oregon this appears to be a long-shot, as their ideas of “self-determination” only seem to operate when they favor the left. Phillips did note that there were precedents for this move but they were earlier in our history–such as Kentucky being created out of Virginia and Maine being created out of Massachusetts. So this is not unheard of in our history–although the way “history” is taught in our public schools today it is all but unknown.

Whether this move from Oregon to Idaho is successful or not, this sort of situation will continue to arise and at some point it will be dealt with in the way it should be because secession was not, and is not, treason as so many today continue to howl about. The day will come–and maybe we should pray for that, that it might be done peacefully this time.