Cascadia today: OR votes down gas tax + Trump is racist so Cascadia must burn + a play about Freud & cocaine

Good morning! Thanks to all who came out to the Cascadia Day Poetry Explosion in Seattle, and the Gathering Cascadia event in Portland. We had a packed house at Vermillion, and more than 100 people showed up at Taborspace in Portland to celebrate the resilience of our bioregion. Clearly, people in Cascadia hungry to learn what we can do to push back against authoritarianism and take pride in what's good about the Pacific Northwest.

My friend and longtime Seattle activist, Laura Loe, had this to say about the poetry reading in Seattle:

"The poetry explosion was gentle and subtle and playful. The poets were attuned to this particular perilous moment in our history. Host Andrew Engelson’s remarks made the idea of Cascadia seem obvious - organizing people like plants and animals in natural ecosystems instead of arbitrary lines on a map. The night seemed intentionally rooted in Indigenous sovereignty and experiences of people with multiple, marginalized perspectives. When so many organizations’ events seem to have given up on diversity, it was refreshing to see the breadth of identities there recognizing Cascadia Day."

We're looking at doing more poetry readings rooted in Cascadia. We want these events to be playful but not resigned, and to push back against entrenched systems. We want to encourage resistance at all volumes – soft or noisy! And we insist on boldly asserting our right to free speech and dissent. We will not censor ourselves nor become complicit in US fascism.

Please take a moment of visit Cascadia Democratic Action's website and learn more about our campaign for Oregon and Washington autonomy.

OR rejects gas tax, picks Drazan to face Kotek

Well, that was predictable. Oregon voters resoundingly rejected an increase in the gas tax, with more than 80% of voters saying no. Even the green bastion of Multnomah county was 72% against the measure, which was passed by the legislature earlier this year to address a backlog of road and bridge repairs.

Oregon said loudly: life is too expensive. Gas prices have climbed because of Trump's stupid Iran war, rent is too damn high because we've failed to build more apartments, and health care is expensive because we don't have universal care. What the legislature missed is that we need to tax the wealthy to fund priorities like transit, education, and health care.

In other news, state senator Christine Drazan, a member of Trump's party who represents Hood River county, will have a re-match against incumbent Tina Kotek for governor in the fall, after winning the primary with 43% of the vote.

Trial of Spokane protesters begins

RANGE Media has everything you need to know about the felony conspiracy trial of three protesters against ICE in Spokane. Carl Oreskovich, attorney for protester Justice Forral, said the defense will provide evidence they acted "peacefully, nonviolently and disobediently." Read RANGE's detailed coverage here.

Trump is racist, so Cascadia must burn

An article at Oregon Capital Chronicle reports on all the new restrictions the Trump regime has placed on wildfire prevention and firefighting grants, forcing states to eliminate policies that encourage the hiring of non-white people or not receive funds. KUOW also reports on how the Washington state has been unable to issue local fire prevention grants, because it refuses to agree to the the feds' racist conditions.

Canada totally okay with species going extinct

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has put forward a proposal to fast-track major infrastructure and energy projects, even if wildlife become extinct as a result, the Tyee reports. Environmentalists note that even former PM Stephen Harper, of the Conservative party, didn't go this far.

BC is waking up to the fact that Ottawa doesn't care about Cascadia's environment, aggressively pushing LNG terminals, proposing to build a new climate-killing oil pipeline from Alberta to Cascadia, and reversing a ban on fish farms in British Columbia.

Freud on cocaine!

Oregon Arts Watch reviews the OUTWright production of Freud on Cocaine, a madcap comedy by Los Angeles playwright Howard Skora. Based on the true story of Sigmund Freud's avid support for and use of cocaine, the play is a playful look at the founder of psychoanalysis' one-gram a day habit and its impact on his patients. The production runs at Portland's Fuse Theater through June 7.

Thanks for reading. Keep fighting and keep loving. --Andy