The insurmountable difficulties in getting the Greater Idaho movement anywhere close to success, coupled with the power imbalance between eastern and western Oregon, raise some questions for local residents to think about.

I can see a case being made for more local control in some cases for sufficiently different circumstances and interests — for example the economic and environmental issues for farms and ranches are quite different from those of businesses in a large city. However it’s also the case that state and federal civil and constitutional rights should not be subject to the whim of county-level officials like clerks (e.g., Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis who refused marriage licenses only to same-sex couples) and sheriffs (e.g., Oregon state gun laws).

If we look in other states for examples of what the GOP does with state power when they get it, what do we see? Effectively total bans on abortions (and birth control is next on their list) without regard for the health of the women involved; hundreds of laws passed that sanction discrimination and deny civil rights and medical care for the LGBT community and racial minorities; policies and laws that violate the religious liberty rights of all the above groups (e.g., the Dobbs decision explicitly privileged one conservative Christian perspective over all others), systematic denial of voting rights and the results of elections. Both Oregon government GOP members and some irate local residents have made it clear that their goals are not significantly different from any actions listed above from other states.

To paraphrase one of the versions of the Golden Rule, they have done (and would continue to do) unto others, treating them badly in the process. Given that, on what grounds would Eastern Oregon conservatives ask that they be treated better? I’m reminded of a quote from President Reagan — “trust but verify” — what measurable, enforceable, and persistent concessions would Eastern Oregon conservatives be willing to make as a demonstration that they accept as their complete political and cultural equals people who aren’t white male heterosexual conservative Christians, and what would conservatives want in exchange?

Chris Esposito

La Grande