Washington State

i am, in may ways, a product of Portland. Portland was my home during those defining years of 4th grade through high school. i experienced many of the great "firsts" in Portland and navigated the streets of the city as i simultaneously navigated the streets of adolescence and young adulthood. despite these formative experiences, however, a large part of me is still a washingtonian and an eastern washingtonian to be specific. it takes a lot of courage to say something like that given the stigma that goes along with Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho and Western Montana. these places are home to some of the remaining vestiges that could be considered "the wild west." this region--the Inland Empire to those who know it--is home to radical isolationists, some of the most stunning territory in the united states, but also a more subtle culture--a culture that is the bombdotcom.com.

recently for work i read through the opinion pages of most newspapers with a daily circulation over 20,000 in the Western United States. while looking through these i came upon an interesting article in the Tacoma News Tribune. now, maybe to all of you this is not such a big deal, but to me it is. granted, this is but a single tree in the forest, but this particular tree is very indicative of the forest in question. things are, for the most part, different "out west" than they are "back east" (which we actually say) and i think this woman's experiences and the attention they received in the local press is a sign of that. the comments section is also fascinating (but i warn you, it takes a wild and unpredictable turn circa comment #4).

now, some of you may say, "but colin, you're talking about the Inland Empire but you're including an article from Tacoma which is just south of Seattle in the west. what gives?" you have a good point, but this perfectly illustrates just how the culture is different. things are slowed down, a little more old fashioned, and a little closer to, well, nature. the entire state hasn't yet boarded the train for the 21st century and that article is a sign of just how far the "modernized" areas have to go.