Good morning, friends! I'm leaving Portland this morning and headed south to Eugene as my train + transit tour of western Cascadia continues. Know anything I shouldn't miss while I'm in town? Comment on this post or send me a tip at andyengelson@pm.me.
The ICE facility in Portland is a surreal place. Tucked in a gentrified neighborhood full of apartment towers, a bike trail along the Willamette River, and on Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant, the graffiti-tagged building feels like an enemy outpost in an otherwise peaceful, vibrant city. The site is generally quiet
Greetings from Portland! I'm here on a rail + transit trip across Cascadia promoting Cascadia Journal and Cascadia Democratic Action – and spreading the word about the movement for bioregional autonomy. Yesterday, I had a chance to view the ICE facility here for myself and it was a surreal experience:
As the April 15 federal tax deadline approaches, it's worth taking a moment to consider how a tax strike could help Oregon and Washington assert fiscal independence and send a message to Congress that it needs to work harder to halt fascism in the US. To learn more
One of the most common questions I'm asked when talking about Cascadia independence is: what exactly is included in Cascadia? I find there are two answers to that question. The first involves what we mean when we're talking about the Cascadia bioregion. This vast, interconnected web
As Washington and Oregon face numerous economic threats, including the real possibility of recession, disastrous flooding, continued wildfires, and massive cuts to the federal budget by the Trump administration, it's time to consider an idea that's been gaining traction in blue states hit hard by Trump&
Those who've been reading Cascadia Journal know that I support discussions about independence for Oregon and Washington as an escape plan from the US descent into fascism. Is this the best solution? I don't know. Would it be easy? Certainly not. Support Cascadia Journal But with
Sign up for the free newsletter One day after a crowd of protesters defied a raid by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in a Latino neighborhood of Minneapolis, and several days after another crowd shouting "Shame!" surrounded ICE agents attempting to detain people at two restaurants
Sign up for the free Cascadia Journal e-newsletter by Andrew Engelson, Drew Alcosser, and Brandon Letsinger Earlier this month, there was a pivotal moment in Donald Trump’s four-month attack on democracy and the rule of law in the United States. When asked by Meet The Press interviewer Kristen Welker
Observations on news, politics, and the arts in the Pacific Northwest.
Trial of Spokane 9 protesters moves forward RANGE Media reports that judge Rebecca Pennell refused to dismiss charges against three of the nine protesters who are being charged with felony conspiracy charges for protests against ICE in Spokane last June. Defense attorneys claim the charges amount to criminalizing First Amendment
Good afternoon from Olympia, the city where you can't be discriminated against in housing or employment if you're polyamorous! (I talked about this recently on the CityCast Seattle podast this week – have a listen.) War Tax Resistance Grows, Legal Protection for Polyamory, and Your Hiking Trails
Good morning from the Amtrak Cascades train from Bellingham to Olympia! I'm traveling around western Cascadia this week, meeting folks and spreading the word about Cascadia Journal and Cascadia Democratic Action. I love taking the train – it allows me to sit back and work, drink a coffee and
Good morning! It's Cascadia Journal's birthday! 🎉 One year ago today, I started publishing this email newsletter so readers could find out what's happening in news, politics, environmental issues, and the arts across the Pacific Northwest – in a daily, quick read. In addition, I write
Trump's attack on Forest Service includes 64% cut to trails Yesterday at Cascadia Journal, I wrote about the Trump regime's destruction of the US Forest Service and argued Oregon and Washington need to shift management of federal lands in Cascadia to the states to prevent a
Lost in recent news of violence by ICE goons, an apocalyptic war in Iran, and a refusal to make public the Epstein files, the Trump regime last week quietly killed the US Forest Service. As Jim Pattiz wrote in a scathing article at Hatch magazine, Late Tuesday afternoon, with the
Good morning, friends. US ruler Donald Trump decided not to annihilate Iran's civilization and likely will agree to let Iran charge up to $2 million for every oil tanker sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. Art of the deal or something. As I posted yesterday on Bluesky during
Good morning, friends. The world situation is perhaps as dire as it has ever been since the Trump regime took power last year. After the ruler of the United States issued a social media message today threatening "that a whole civilization will die tonight" if a deal isn&
Low snowpack means drought for Cascadia Oregon Capital Chronicle reports that Oregon is preparing for extreme drought conditions this summer after a record low snowfall in the Cascades this past winter. Washington, even though it got a late boost of snow in March, is also facing drought conditions, with less
Good morning to your daily newsletter about fighting fascism in the Pacific Northwest! In case you missed it, this week I wrote about the National Tax Strike, and whether Cascadians should consider protesting Trump and help establish fiscal autonomy by refusing to pay federal taxes: Should Cascadia join the tax
As the April 15 federal tax deadline approaches, it's worth taking a moment to consider how a tax strike could help Oregon and Washington assert fiscal independence and send a message to Congress that it needs to work harder to halt fascism in the US. To learn more
Cascadia sues Trump over voting restrictions Donald Trump this week stepped up his war on voting by issuing an executive order that would place extreme limits on vote-by-mail, including creating a giant registry of voters that the US Postal Service would need to vet before allowing votes to be counted.
