The reaction to the war in Iraq on the University of Oregon campus is exactly how one would expect it to be; the only full-fledged, flag flyin’ support for the war and our Commander-in-Chief comes from the College Republican crowd and their conservative brethren. The average University of Oregon student, if there can be such a thing, expresses solidarity with our troops but is left scratching his or her head as they ponder the merits of the war in Iraq.

For most of the year this is the political climate in which I exist. It’s easy to forget that the sentiments most seen on campus aren’t as prevalent in all areas of the state.

I was given a reality check as I returned home to eastern Oregon for winter break. As most of our readers in the valley probably know, the eastern half of our state is hardly as politically or culturally progressive as the perceived progressive heartland that is the Willamette Valley. It is a completely different world east of the Cascades.

Support for the war in my hometown seems almost compulsory. Or, at least if one has pro-invasion sentiments, patriotic expression is compulsory. On buildings, on the backs of cars, on reader boards, and around lampposts are the hallmarks of war-time in America. It almost seems like a time warp for an American my age; am I eight years old again? Is it 1991? Are there Desert Storm trading cards for me to collect? Can I hear “Wind Beneath My Wings” on the radio today? No, but the ubiquitous yellow ribbons and American flags are here again. Judging by the patriotic imagery around my hometown, there is little opposition to the war.

Crossing the Cascades is like traveling to another state. The land changes. The weather changes. Politics and current affairs change as well. Sometimes I consider the Cascades the metaphorical barrier that stopped the spread of political forward-ness that Oregon is always given credit for. The rain shadow cast by the Cascades has not only given the soil of eastern Oregon ideal qualities for various agricultural enterprises but also laid the groundwork for a rural society and the politics that usually come with it.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 2nd, 2006 at 5:55 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.