Cascadia the Gem on the Ocean
The recently deceased journalist/pundit/Greenpeace founder, and great old hippie dude, Bob Hunter died far too prematurely, but his passing put me in mind of an evening many years ago; probably about 1969 or 1970, back when he was still a columnist for the Vancouver Sun, and had theretofore just been a mug shot with his column. But, for reasons I cannot remember, he showed up at a house-party in the Comox Valley, at which I too was in attendance. This was all pre-Rainbow Warrior days, and international fame/infamy days, when he was still basically a counterculture scribe who it seemed would have been more at home at the Georgia Straight, than the stolid and staid Sun.
That notwithstanding, I was a reader of his musings in those days -- and actually throughout his career, he rarely turned out a bad column -- so I was quite delighted to meet him, and we ended up in beer-fueled conversation throughout the course of the evening. We talked about virtually everything, and I found myself disagreeing about much of what he believed in, but it was nonetheless one of those dynamic sessions that sticks in the mind. It was nothing to do with so-called 'greatness'. In the first place, he wasn't hugely noteworthy in those days, and in the second place, I have never been star-fucker. I worked as a journalist for long enough to recognize the flaws in most noteworthies I met. The only exception I'll make in that regard is for Jean Vanier, who proved, in his whimsical, monklike mien to be as honest and serene as his image conveyed. But, I digress.
One idea of Bob Hunter's that we looked at on that lager-laced evening was his view of 'Cascadia' -- a geopolitical entity that he firmly believed would work, and should work, and should be embraced by all of us in the western part of the continent. There, whales notwithstanding, I found myself in complete accord with Hunter.
Cascadia was his vision of a new nation that would consist -- in varying degrees, and I am not longer certain of what his boundaries would be -- of western Canada. BC the Yukon, and Alberta would be one version. Those with larger views of Cascadia, as a truly economically viable unit, would see BC, the Yukon, Alaska, Washington and Oregon.
I liked the idea then, and I like it now, and I am amazed that more people in the west don't embrace it. Economically, with Pacific-rim positioning, it would be powerfully dynamic. It would also reflect the attitudes of the people of the West. I have far more in common with a Washingtonian, or even a Hawaiian than I have with an Ontarian. Indeed, I have nothing in common with Ontarians other than the fact I pay my taxes to the bastards. Ontarians and Ottawa are one, by the way. I pay taxes so the Liberal Party (hence Ontarians) can prop up their shaky, sleazy blackmail bargains with Quebec, so that the Liberal Party/Ottawa/Ontario can prevail. Prevail, regardless of thee and me in western Canada. The western part of this nation is regarded by Ontario/Ottawa/the Liberals, in much the manner Westminster regarded the 13 Colonies in the days before 1776. And, you know what, it is never going to get any better, and it is never going to get any different. The structure of Canada is fatally flawed in terms of those outside the central mass, and we are only needed for whatever resources we can offer.
So, as a little token of remembrance to Bob, I can only say: "Long Live Cascadia, and May She Sometime Prosper!"
That notwithstanding, I was a reader of his musings in those days -- and actually throughout his career, he rarely turned out a bad column -- so I was quite delighted to meet him, and we ended up in beer-fueled conversation throughout the course of the evening. We talked about virtually everything, and I found myself disagreeing about much of what he believed in, but it was nonetheless one of those dynamic sessions that sticks in the mind. It was nothing to do with so-called 'greatness'. In the first place, he wasn't hugely noteworthy in those days, and in the second place, I have never been star-fucker. I worked as a journalist for long enough to recognize the flaws in most noteworthies I met. The only exception I'll make in that regard is for Jean Vanier, who proved, in his whimsical, monklike mien to be as honest and serene as his image conveyed. But, I digress.
One idea of Bob Hunter's that we looked at on that lager-laced evening was his view of 'Cascadia' -- a geopolitical entity that he firmly believed would work, and should work, and should be embraced by all of us in the western part of the continent. There, whales notwithstanding, I found myself in complete accord with Hunter.
Cascadia was his vision of a new nation that would consist -- in varying degrees, and I am not longer certain of what his boundaries would be -- of western Canada. BC the Yukon, and Alberta would be one version. Those with larger views of Cascadia, as a truly economically viable unit, would see BC, the Yukon, Alaska, Washington and Oregon.
I liked the idea then, and I like it now, and I am amazed that more people in the west don't embrace it. Economically, with Pacific-rim positioning, it would be powerfully dynamic. It would also reflect the attitudes of the people of the West. I have far more in common with a Washingtonian, or even a Hawaiian than I have with an Ontarian. Indeed, I have nothing in common with Ontarians other than the fact I pay my taxes to the bastards. Ontarians and Ottawa are one, by the way. I pay taxes so the Liberal Party (hence Ontarians) can prop up their shaky, sleazy blackmail bargains with Quebec, so that the Liberal Party/Ottawa/Ontario can prevail. Prevail, regardless of thee and me in western Canada. The western part of this nation is regarded by Ontario/Ottawa/the Liberals, in much the manner Westminster regarded the 13 Colonies in the days before 1776. And, you know what, it is never going to get any better, and it is never going to get any different. The structure of Canada is fatally flawed in terms of those outside the central mass, and we are only needed for whatever resources we can offer.
So, as a little token of remembrance to Bob, I can only say: "Long Live Cascadia, and May She Sometime Prosper!"
1 Comments:
Amen. I for one am in total agreement.
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