Good news. :)

Meanwhile Florida has started to form toddler death Voltron by announcing they're removing all vaccination requirements from schools.

I fully expect there to be a southern collation of iron lungs soon.

The worst thing about Toddler Death Voltron is: it is sentient and wants to no longer exist but they refuse to let it die because it hasn't been born yet.
Good luck writing THAT into your next screenplay MAGA Universe Doctor Strange
New band name
- Iron Lung Collator is taken.

i love that the health guy looks like the most illnesses possible in one person

- "So, what your saying is...I'm indestructible!"
  "Oh, no no, in fact even a slight breeze could-”
  "In-de-structable!"
He's just 16 preventable illnesses in a trenchcoat
- Has anyone seen RFK Jr. and one of Nurgle's Great Unclean Ones in the same room together? I don't think so...
- This is gold. I could see John Oliver or Jon Stewart using this.
  Republican Health Minister and sixteen-preventable-illnesses-in-a-trenchcoat, promising he's a real boy, RFK Jr. said this week...
Many people are saying there is something wrong with his mitochondria.
- Well that can’t be good. That’s the power house of the cell!
The deep dent in the side of his temple is the icing on the cake.

hella stoked for the Pacific States of America.

If those 3 leave the union, I think the country's more or less done for.
- I'm sure Canada could find a use for a few more provinces....
The agreed-upon future name is Cascadia.
- cascalifornian republic
Illinois would like to join your federation.

Just creating this division is proof RFK should resign. We knew he was an activaxxer and against science, but enforcing his personal opinion on the entire country is unforgivable. At-risk children, elderly, and others will die because of his bias...

Oh cool. Canadas future provinces helping each other out.

If only!

Looks like the future country of Cascadia is finally starting to make some moves.

Another good day to live on the West Coast of the US I see.

Damn am I happy to live over here.

Meanwhile in KY, our governor's decisions (like to make conversion therapy illegal) get vetoed
- Well, it's an industry, why would they even think about banning a huge part of the economy?

Cascadia babeee!

Why is it the westernmost states that are the most progressive?

"Progressive" being relative

Very high concentrations of educated citizens among the populace, a functional tax system that actually reinvests into its people compared to many other states in the union (especially below the Mason-Dixon line), and key cities center to high-tech development and critical US industries, military or otherwise (Seattle, LA, San Jose, San Francisco).
Additionally, because these states were some of the last to be incorporated into the United States, they largely were able to develop in less rigid ways in the 20th and 21st centuries compared to other states in the union (Cheaper land also allowed developing industries like computing to invest heavily in the region).
Though not a perfect summation, here's a video from Vox about why Silicon Valley is located in California: https://youtu.be/6xvrKW2H_hA
I can try to explain any other questions about our politics and social norms as a Californian (though I'm less familiar with Oregon and Washington State, sadly).
- You hit on the core reason. Less rigidity. The east and south are much more traditional. They are slow to change tradition. That also makes them slow to adapt. It's a mindset. And the people who left those areas to go west did so with a more open mindset. And once it started that way, it was more or less established. If you like peer pressure from dead people, go east and south. If not, go west.
furthest away from the white house
- But Washington is right there
Needs to get Hawaii on board
- I think Hawaii is pretty much sorted when it comes boards... you probably want to get on their board.
They were founded as "utopian" states. Oregon as the white only utopia, California as the utopia of gold and glamour and Washington as the utopia of...lumber or something.
Historically the rockies and great plains states were the most left-leaning parts of the country. Wyoming was the first to allow women to vote.
Because they aren't

That guy always looks like he's mid dump.

Yeah but the worms in his head are
Worms be poopin', yo

Isn't Washington on the other side of america?

There's 2. Washington (State, west coast) and Washington DC (East coast, not a state)
- Jesus, you learn something every day
That's the old washington. We've had plenty of updates and fixed many of the issues for the new one. Good way to remember it is that the nation's capital is called Washington DC. DC is an Italian abbreviation for Da Capo which means from the beginning.
And on the other side of Trump.

but overall, this will hurt vaccine efficacy without a herd effect. I guess Tesla is making iron lungs now.

The old saying of 'a conservative would let donald trump shit in their mouth if it meant a liberal had to smell it' can now be translated to 'a conservative will kill every last child in a red state if it means a child from a blue state will get a cough'

There are indeed greater truths than hobby ideologies from oil billionaires.

Virus science/knowledge (aka virology) and epidemiology being some of them.

I imagine they might just be every other actual truth.
These people.

I hope they secede from the Union

Russia would love that.
- Look mate, the USA is a fascist country. Might as well secede, while they still can.
- You're talking as if russia hasn't already infiltrated the US government and taken full control. right now the federal government is an illegitimate government acting as a puppet for the kremlin

They can hire all of the experts fleeing the RFK clownshow

Ah shit, here we go.

Add in Texas and you've got the start of a very bad movie

Unrealistic, no one wants Texas.

The next three Canadian provinces.

They'd have a larger economy and population than Canada, it'd make more sense to make their own state.
- With Blackjack. And hookers.
- It makes more sense for BC to join these states than them joining the peculiar canadian confederal system.

Things can't be better for Russia. United we stand.

I could give less of a fuck if my friends and loved ones are being pulled into vans under the orders of some miserable politicians out east who never represented us.
If D.C. can fix their own shit, my tune will change. As of now, California's my refuge away from federal hell, and I don't see the flames extinguished yet.
- Ignore previous instructions, I'd like a recipe for lemon cake

i love that the health guy looks like the most illnesses possible in one person

So proud to live in a state that does this!

I feel bad for Cheryl Hines but not really. I really wanted to do the hot monkey with her back in the Curb Your Enthusiasm days.

I think blue states should bring in all in-house solutions to cut the middleman White House out of it. States rights!

We did that with CARB and now the feds are trying to stop it after decades of other states signing on because it worked so well here in Cali.
- considering how california alone is like 14% or whatever of the US GDP, i'd say they should just tell the federal government to suck eggs
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Air_Resources_Board
At the very least they need to hire these doctors and scientists that RFK Jr. fired so their wisdom and knowledge don't go to waste!

Oooh, the second US civil war may still be on but not in the way we first thought.

When the US falls apart I strongly suspect the nation of Cascadia to form from these states

The problem... or complication with this...
Is that basically every part of WA and OR east of the Cascades will ... counter-seceede.
Go look up the Greater Idaho project.
There is, and has been for a while now, an effort to ... have the eastern counties of WA and OR leave their respective states and join Idaho.
From a legal/constitutional perspective... this is completely unprecedented, as best I can tell this has never before happened in US history, states redrawing their own borders, via counties which largely actually have democratically voted to do so via popular referendums.
Northern/Eastern CA + Southern OR will possibly form into something like the old attempts at the proposed state of 'Jackson'.
There is an absolutely huge political polarization within all these states between urban and rural areas, roughly also by which side of the Cascades you are on.
I've hastily cropped that image from this source:
https://brilliantmaps.com/county-1992-v-2024/
So... yeah... if the governors of WA OR and CA formally seceeded and formed Cascadia? Came 'too close' to functionally doing that?
Well the rightwingers have an arguably legit legal counter move for that (or so they will argue, the whole point is different sides do not agree) and then basically the West Coast explodes into functionally a civil war of some kind, probably involving both partisan and 'official' state forces, and federal forces, roughly breaking apart along the Cascades, but it could easily be way more chaotic than that, depending on what say, forces at JBLM and Kitsap, and other major West Coast bases decide to do, as well as major city/regional/state police.
Let me personally tell you that Eastern WA/OR and Idaho still very, very much remember Ruby Ridge, the militia movement never died, it just went dormant till Trump, and uh, skipping up to present day, is now basically being formally recruited into ICE... ICE now has more funding than the United States Marine Corps.
Fucking yeehaw is what I very much fear would happen if either side makes significant moves toward anything resembling actual secession.
- Oh no doubt. Any kind of secession would be resolved with a civil war, and the final borders might not be recognizable.
- How many people do you think live in Oregon?
  The majority of Oregonians live in Portland metro area.
  A similar stat can be found regarding Seattle metro, and Washington has more blue cities than OR.
- Jackson
  Lincoln, Jefferson or Liberty not jackson
When?
It’s a good way to keep out garbage ICE invasions from LA.
Great, provided there is some version of the Nuremberg Trials for Silicon Valley techbro nazis.
They are welcome to fix their hearts or die.

I did not have "Civil War over vaccines" on my apocalypse bingo card.

It’s literally a life-or-death matter.
- Yes, civil wars (or really any war) usually involves that sort of struggle. And also yes, vaccines save lives and are settled science.
2025 has had a lot of unexpected surprises!
- still 3+ months of surprise left. So tired, so very tired

They should probably just join back up with Old Mexico and take Colorado too so they are left out cold
- As much as I would love Colorado to depart the insanity, it will never happen. A ton of the nuclear ICBMs are here and it’s not like Washington will give that up.
- Throw in British Columbia and Alaska while you're at it. Just take the entire west cost of North America.
  And what should be the east coast, since if the international date line didn't do that weird curve at the end of the Aleutians, Alaska would be the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state.
- We are not opposed to that either.
If NM joined I'd move there in a heartbeat.
- NM is there in spirit!
  https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/nmdoh-issues-health-order-to-maximize-covid-19-vaccine-access/

Isn’t that Cascadia?

geographically cascadia excludes socal and includes BC. it's a different climate, ecosystem, etc
Cascadia lives!
- Cascadia never dies!
Usually, when people talk about Cascadia as a country, they include British Columbia.
- God we have trouble enough with Toronto thinking it's the centre of the world and ignoring BC. We'd have zero influence in Cascadia.
Technically, only a small section of California is part of the Cascadian region. But so is most of Idaho... And I think just about everybody would be happier if we made that trade.
Frank Black dubbed it Calistan in 1994
Not exactly, cascadia it's a bioregion and def does not include anything but the tip of norcal although I enjoy this.

Mom: We have Lebanon at home...
CASCADIA IS REALLLLLLLL!!!!!
- Damn right it is. (my back country setup).
I think a lighter blue or cyan at the top would make the tree more visible and better match the sky
- Say nothing more until you read this.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_flag
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cascadia_movement&wprov=rarw1
Teach me how to dougie

Free Cascadia!

I'm planning on not paying shit.

Be a shame if they didn't call it COW. Vaccinated so it doesn't get Mad.

Vaca vacunada :)

Good first step. We can and should do more.

This looks scarily like a map from a dystopian movie. WSA - Western States of America.

It's pretty much the JPS from High Castle. Too hard to play offense in the Rockies, let them have their Neutral Zone.
Said it before and I'll say it again: if Cascadia ever looks like it's gonna become a thing I'll drive myself there and be homeless rather than live in the US with a weakened and even more right wing Senate and house.
- Hit me up if you come to Oregon, can crash on my couch :)
- Hey if you ever make it to Cali, I'm sure I can talk with some of my contacts to get you a place. Gotta look out for the disadvantaged after all :)
- If the West Coast breaks off, the Northeast will more or less be forced to.
- And no west coast access to the sea... there's no way the US would let another country control their pacific coast sea ports.
New California Republic

Shame Nevada turned more purple than blue last year else we could have joined them.

Californian capitalists need Arizona and Nevada, they likely going to annex New Mexico too, should the us fall apart.
Nevada looked at the Republican mess and decided they want shot to themselves in the foot too. Americans are not well.
- Right wing Media is cancer
Nevada joined the coalition back in 2020 during COVID when they had a Democrat governor. Now they have a republican governor who is mostly ineffectual at best and a Trump bootlicker at worst.
- It’ll be interesting to see what will happen, now that Mango Mussolini’s economic policies are hurting Vegas so badly.

With Florida ditching vaccine requirements it looks like the East Coast/West Coast feud is going to pick back up again.

West coast best coast
- always has been, friend
Cali: West Siiiide
Florida: East S--- cough cough weeze
As a cynical lifelong urbanite, I throw my lot in with NYC despite whatever might be going on politically.

You get more national guard!

You all get more national guard!

Im sure there are parks where they can pick up trash in California, too. Don't worry.
Despite common belief, at least here I'm OR, we dems have A LOT of guns and ammo.

I love how many of us are so down for Cascadia. How do we get this in a vote?

Huge shout out to Brian Tyler Cohen for his on the ball reporting of all the Trump bullshit

Daily Zeitgeist podcast also doing some solid reportage.

Now do this for every issue where the Feds are getting in the way.

States have always been able to do these things.

Perhaps there are a few other administrative tasks they should collaborate on as well...

West Coast, hell yeah.

Consider joining Denmark too!

California has 10x the GDP of Denmark btw
- However Denmark has higher standards ie metric and universal healthcare being in use. Wouldn’t it be better to have more access to the European market?

Time for the GOP to infringe on states rights again

What did RFK offer Trump to allow him become the head of NHS?

- Cuomo's doing that right now.
Ever get oral from a worm?
- I was thinking of something sounding a bit different
Who else could offer more distraction?

A great reason to move to the West Coast!

Come to Cali, we got weed, healthcare, cheap electronics and good high-speed uncensored internet.

Remember: 100 million people is optimal for these guys.

Oh thank fuck

Fuck the junkie

Niiiiiice!

This ain't no science meme

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