From the publisher: Website parody triggers a laugh

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, June 21, 2023

The link came across my email and, at first, I hardly noticed. Later, though, I stopped and peered at it and then clicked and found myself looking at the “Lesser Idaho movement.”

“Do you feel like you don’t quite fit in with the rest of Idaho? Are you tired of being associated with conservative politics and potato farms? If so you are not alone,” read the intro paragraph.

The “Lesser Idaho movement” wants certain portions of the Gem State to “stop pretending to be something we’re not.”

In short, Western Idaho shares more with Eastern Oregon, with its “similar culture and lifestyle. Both areas have a strong appreciation for the arts, local food and drinks, and outdoor recreation. Boise is the hub of culture and innovation in recent years, attracting a young and diverse population akin to its Oregonian neighbors. In contrast to the more conservative, rural areas of Idaho, Western Idaho has a more progressive and urban population.”

Of course, the “Lesser Idaho movement” is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the better known, and quite serious, Greater Idaho movement. That group, as many readers probably already know, wants a large section of Eastern and Central Oregon to join Idaho because of a perceived cultural gap with the western part of the state.

The Greater Idaho movement has made steady progress in convincing voters in many Eastern Oregon counties to approve ballot measures that in some way support the notion of becoming part of Idaho.

The movement is touted, at times, as simply a way to send a signal to the Oregon Capitol in Salem that the perception of a wide gulf is very real in specific portions of the state. Eastern Oregon is seen as a deeply conservative section of Oregon, as opposed to its more liberal and urban neighbors in Western Oregon.

The “Lesser Idaho” website triggered a chuckle and I found it to be a welcome diversion from an issue that continues to linger and be misinterpreted. The Greater Idaho campaign’s measures approved in several rural Oregon counties did not, and will not, sanction moving any part of Oregon into Idaho. The measures require county governments to discuss the possibility, but that’s about it.

For Eastern Oregon — or any part of Oregon — to become part of another state would take approvals from the Idaho Legislature, the Oregon Legislature and, finally, the U.S. Congress.

Then there are all of the little details — like the differences between Idaho and Oregon’s Public Employee Retirement System — that no one seems to have any answers to.

The advocates of the Greater Idaho movement believe there is an uncrossable chasm between conservative and liberal Oregon. I get it. I also believe that slicing off a large section of the state to become part of Idaho is a near impossibility.

It would be refreshing if we could spend more time working within our political framework to bridge the cultural and political gaps instead of creating interesting-sounding but unworkable state succession blueprints.

Still, the “Lesser Idaho” parody was funny, and in this recent political environment, we could all use a laugh once in a while.