O.K. B Knotts sounds like you have some unresolved issues. Everyone knows that the great "kook" migration from California to Oregon has made it ultra liberal especially when it's compared to Montana, Colorado, Utah, and other Western States, even Washington. I commend the good people of Oregon for a close race in 2000 but add the Nader vote to Gore's; it's not even close. In 2004, Kerry won handily.
Now, what reasons do I have for making my statement?
LET'S START WITH THIS ONE: Oregon is one of only two states in the U.S. that does not allow their convicted pedophiles to be viewd online. (http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/pedophile.html)
HERES MORE:
Almost 1/3 of births in Oregon are from unwed mothers and Oregon, per capita has one of the highest percentage rates of abortion in the nation. http://www.abortionfacts.com/statistics/states/oregon.asp
In 1987 the Supreme Court of Oregon held that obscenity is protected by the state constitution’s freedom of speech provision. The impact of that court decision made it much more difficult to zone “sexually oriented businesses." Oregonian 5/7/95: "Portland, a city of 500,000, now has 20 times the number of nude entertainment businesses as Los Angeles, a city of 3 million...People fear Oregon is being overrun by a pornography industry gone wild.
GAY RIGHTS AND GAY MARRIAGE: A mere 55% of Oregonians opposed Gay Marriage Amendment whereas other states in the west and soutwest went 70-80% against Gay Marriage.
From "The Bro Blog": Oregon has built a diverse and powerful team of non-GLBT and GLBT activists, business and labor leaders, religious and civic leaders, and coalition partners that is a model to others in the movement.
From State Line.org: Portland issued marriage licenses to 3,000 same-sex couples. A trial court judge ruled in April 2004 that the marriages were valid and banning same-sex marriage violates the state's constitution.
I could also mention Oregon being the first to fight for Euthanasia (Right-to-Die)legislation and leads the nation in drug legalization drive.
Out of time and running out of space.
I don't have time to respond to every item on your laundry list of anti-Oregon propaganda, but just for example:
Oregon is the only West Coast state that has a same-sex "marriage" ban in the state Constitution. The ban was upheld by the state Supreme Court (you left that inconvenient fact out of your rant).
Oregon (along with Washington) was also one of the early "shall-issue" CCW states.
Oregon also has the only GOP senator and only GOP-controlled legislative body (the state House) on the West Coast.
And there is a good chance we'll have a GOP governor come November.
About the only legitimate point you made is on euthansia. It's tragic that Oregon was the first state to embrace this, but expect others like California to follow. That is one bad thing about the individualist streak that runs through Westerners...they will fall for the kinds of arguments that are pushed by the purveyors of the culture of death.
You cannot judge Oregon by what goes on in Portland, anymore than you can judge California by what goes on in San Francisco. The parts of Oregon, California and Washington outside of the major cities/tourist areas are very conservative, often moreso than in the Midwest.
As far as this issue goes, it is sad, but not surprising, to see bureaucrats discriminating against Americans. But this is happening all over the country...not just in Oregon. Similar things have been going on in California for decades.