A lot of us are struggling with the reality that a voting majority just voted for a fascist to run the country. This time everyone knew exactly what and who they were voting for and did it anyway. It boggles the mind and torments the soul.
Raises the question: How do those of us who have not lost our minds continue to live in a country where over half the voters have voted for fascism, for climate apocalypse, against women’s control of their own bodies, against LGBTQ+ rights, against immigrants, against the future & all basic common sense?
The good news is that in many places, that’s not what we voted for. I live in Martin Luther King county of Washington state, where only 22% voted for the fascist. In Seattle, it’s likely closer to 10%. In the entire state of Washington only 39% voted for the con-man, and he also got less than 40% in California and Hawaii. Oregon was the only Pacific coast state to top 40%, but just barely.
Point is, the Left Coast is not like the rest of the country. Maybe we should explore a trial separation, if not a permanent divorce.
This doesn’t necessarily mean secession, which would be a long and difficult process (though maybe something to start considering). But that process begins with resisting the tyrannical orders of the new regime. Here in Washington state, Attorney General Bob Ferguson set a good example during Hair Furor’s first reign. And now Bob Ferguson is our governor, with a new AG to back him up. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom is already preparing the resistance as well.
The Pacific states have a history of some inter-state collective action around climate. It’s time to explore more cooperation to chart a new way forward that doesn’t give in to the retrograde forces. A combination of resistance and renewal is needed. We can set an example of a better way. A Pacific way.
Non-cooperation is an essential strategy for dealing with authoritarian governments. We need to pair non-cooperation with the new regime with cooperation among regional pockets of resistance. We can and must do it.
freelansing in Seattle 
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