On this day, November 27, 1941, Jefferson seceded from Oregon and California. Jefferson was the winning name for a new state made of California's northern Siskiyou, Del Norte and Trinity counties along with Oregon's southern Curray County. California's Gov. Culbert L. Olson was soon informed that until roads were repaired, Jefferson would be forced to rebel every Thursday. In 2008 calls for a Jefferson state gained steam and included an additional 5 counties in southern Oregon and 2 more in northern California.
Also on this day, November 27, 2009, in China Justin Franchi Solondz, an American man wanted in the US on terrorism charges, was sentenced in Dali city, Yunnan province, for making illegal drugs. The FBI office in Seattle listed Solondz among its "most wanted." Charges in 2006 related to his alleged role in 2001 with the Earth Liberation Front. Solondz was accused of having a role in the destruction of a horticulture center at the University of Washington, as well as the destruction of several buildings in Oregon.
Leaves an open Senate seat in Washington County, as well as a dark legacy of racism
Oregon State Senator Chuck Senator Riley (D-Hillsboro) was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2004 and served in the House from 2005 until 2011. In 2014, Senator Riley was elected to the Oregon Senate. He is retiring today after 15 years of total service. His legacy is marked by a statement he made during a town hall he held on April 25, 2015, in which he says that the US Supreme Court decision affirming slavery was "right for the time." The video below has his statement on slavery, as well as his emotional apology from the Senate floor.
Senator Riley's Democratic party has a strict standard for those on the other side of the aisle, but we're happy to apply it to them as well.
In a press release, by the Senate Democratic leadership pointed out that "Senator Riley focused on investing in Oregon schools." The investment has been made but the gain has yet to be realized. Oregon schools remain in a state of failure.
“Senator Chuck Riley has served as an invaluable member of the Senate Democratic team for many years,†said Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego), who has had his own struggles with the race issue. “He has shown leadership on many critical issues, ranging from expanding educational opportunities for Oregon students to providing better supports for small businesses and improving government accountability. I am grateful for the time he served with us in the Oregon Senate and wish him a rewarding and well-deserved retirement.â€
Rest assured, neither Riley nor Wagner will be called a white supremacist by other members of the media.
During his apology -- also featured in the video -- Senator Riley commits two further gaffes that, themselves, may beg an apology in this age. He says, "I hope that we can work together to make every citizen of the state treated equal under the law."
While in 2015, this would be seen as a statesmanlike concluding statement, today, one could call into question his use of the term "citizen" -- which by definition excludes illegal aliens -- and demand that he use the now preferred "resident," which is more inclusive. Further, the standard of "equal under the law" has since been abandoned by the Democratic party in favor of equity, in which some citizens -- er, uh, residents -- are more equal than others.
What a tangle web they've woven. It's a shame when they catch one of their own.
Rest assured, neither Riley nor Wagner will be called a white supremacist by other members of the media.
