Oregon Country Fair
Thats right, country fair, not county fair. There is a difference. This weekend is the Hippie Meca event of all events. The Oregon Country Fair was started in 1969 by the large commune of hippies here. They had their own community, a "free" college and trade schools for their system of self sustainability, grew their own crops and considered themselves the counter culture of America. I read an article about this community of people and they made some bold and strange statements.

One thing which struck me was that they came to Oregon because they were free of the persecution they faced in other parts of the country and came here because they had more of an ability to be free here. Which to me means no one here stopped them from smoking lots of pot, doing other drugs of choice in the 60s, not sending their kids to "regular" school, not paying taxes (Oregon has no sales tax either), and got to walk around shirtless (as mentioned before it is legal for anyone to be shirtless here).

They compared their pilgrimage to Oregon to the Oregon Trail, and even to the Cherokee Trail of Tears. Hello... what? The men and women on the Oregon Trail went on a long journey, many died along the way, and they were poor people looking for a place to settle and raise families, to survive and make a life for themselves. Not to run from the government rules and hide their drug behavior and anti-American protests. The trail of tears... now this is just absurd! The native Americans were forced to leave THEIR lands... they were killed, hunted, poisoned, lied to, signed false contracts, and in many ways enslaved by the USA. How can hippies, who don't want to wear bras, think we should be communists, live in VW Vans, disagree with the government no matter what (I disagree as well at times, but not just for the sake of disagreeing with the "man") compare themselves to that? Are they seriously so disillusioned in their views or see themselves as such outcasts?

I really don't have a huge problem with hippie ideals. I know my comments don't sound like that, but I have no problem with people who don't bother me. Bother me... and we got a problem. So maybe I don't think Bush is the devil, that is my view. Yelling at me about it, or being mean to me for not thinking he is the devil pisses me off. Have your views, I have no trouble with that. Just let me have mine. Here is their hypocrisy...

They claim America is brainwashes and does what their leaders tell them (duly elected by the people leaders mind you). So they want me to believe what they tell me? So they want to brainwash me... so where is my choice here? So I should brainwashed by them cause they smell bad and are living a "herbal" holistic life? They want to FORCE their views on me, and call me ignorant for believing something else, and not believing what they tell me.

Next point. I also noticed on the information for the Oregon Country Fair that they are a 501(c)3 organization. Which means they have a certain government allowance from the IRS that they are a non-profit company (like any educational foundation for example). So they can take tax deductible donations and don't pay the taxes I am. Well now... self sustainability... anti-government... seems to me that they sustain themselves off of donations that people write off on their taxes, and that the government has granted them special privileges. Wow... the government does suck, and man if you really try to can live without them. Its like complaining about what McDonalds and corporate fast food giants have done to American culture while sitting in the drive threw lane talking on my cell phone asking my family what happy meal they want. Makes no sense. Hypocrisy.

I do not claim to be an idealist. I really don't care. But just don't make yourself out to be better because you believe certain things... just cause someone else told you to believe them. Here is one of the main hippie comments that makes me mad.

No War. War never solves anything. Alright now... I am not saying I believe war is the only solution. But sometimes force is what it takes. I mean anyone who says war never solved anything obviously never read a history book. Seems to me that the revolutionary war worked out pretty well for the USA... I mean the UK still occupies lands in other countries to this day. Civil war... I think there is a whole cultural portion of America's population that seems pretty happy we went to war on that one. Lets see... what's next... I think Jewish people are pretty happy about one of those World Wars... I mean that seemed to solve something for them. No war my butt... sometimes force is needed. (This is not a debate on the Iraq War, maybe in a later blog).

Please feel free to share your views, it is a free country (we fought for the right to free speech).