Rural Oregon counties have launched Move Oregon’s Borders for a Greater Idaho, a movement to make themselves part of Idaho by moving Oregon’s borders. Fifteen counties are circulating petitions for the general election. On July 18, Wallowa County reached their first goals to put their initiative on the Wallowa County ballot in November 2020 elections.

Mike McCarter, President and Chief Petitioner of Move Oregon’s Borders for a Greater Idaho, appeared on Fox & Friends first on July 21 said “a large number of decisions are made in the Willamette Valley including Portland and rural Oregon would like to align itself with a state that is used to dealing with rural counties and rural concerns… We would like to choose who governors us.” In a setback, U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShane, ruled against Move Oregon’s Border’s request for more time and a reduction in the number of signatures due to the COVID pandemic. He determined that the group had not made much of an effort to obtain signatures. But McCarter says the group is more than halfway to its goal in Jefferson, Union and Douglas counties and believes it’ll secure a ballot spot in Sherman County. (That county only requires 60 signatures.)

Move Oregon’s Border wants to make its case on the ballot of each of the counties the group would like to see as part of a Greater Idaho. Most of the counties petitioning have double the number of registered Republican than Democrats, but non-affiliated voters are growing to significant numbers in all counties. If all or any of the 22 targeted counties vote to move themselves into Idaho, the Oregon and Idaho legislatures, and ultimately the U.S. Congress, would have to give their approval.

It doesn’t help Oregon’s case that Governor Kate Brown had a different understanding when speaking with Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on jurisdiction in Portland. Governor Brown agreed to address the violence in Portland by sending in State and local police in a phone call with Secretary Wolf, and that federal agents would leave after streets are secured. Blithely, the Governor tweeted that “federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland.” Wolf retorted, "As I told the Governor yesterday, federal law enforcement will remain in Portland until the violent activity toward our federal facilities ends. We are not removing any law enforcement while our facilities and law enforcement remain under attack."

Who really wants to live in an Oregon that doesn’t put the safety of citizens and property in perspective? Even if you’re not Christian, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you” is universal when it comes to infringing on someone’s rights. It’s difficult to accomplish change within the rule of law when leadership is non-existent. But isn’t that the challenge that Ben Franklin gave all Americans when he said, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-07-29 19:02:41

Last Update: 2020-07-29 19:03:17