Richard Cloutier, co-host of the News on 680 CJOB, 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays, shares his adventures of the road during the 2018 Cycle of Hope.
Astoria, Oregon. This is where Twin Peaks meets the Folk Festival.
Industry and tourism.
Millennials, many looking to get high on culture, coffee and cannabis hang at the many cafes and bistros.
Justin Haukikenziro, 32, works at a local restaurant. He has lived here most of his life.
“As a Christian I think the country is in disarray,” Haukikenziro says holding his prized skate board. He explains the local culture is more and more about cannabis as tourists flock to the region for the holiday. Politics does not prevail in his world adding the country was divided long before Trump arrived on the scene.
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Astoria is a postcard community of 10,000 situated near the mouth of the Columbia River where it meets the Pacific Ocean. Cargo ships, log trucks and fishing vessels remind you there is industry and trade here.
It’s famous for the being picturesque backdrop to the Free Willy films and The Goonies.
This July 4th tourists from across the region are here riding the trolly and drinking beer from the microbrew pubs or getting high.
This is not Donald Trump’s America.
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Criminal defence lawyer Sam Kaufman, 50, and his wife Ginny, 52, are up from nearby Portland.
“I risk going into a deep depression over this,” Sam starts; his wife finishes the sentence, “so we’re going camping with friends and drinking a lot of beer, playing games and being silly.”
The couple describe their city and state as a “bubble” of American politics.
“There are others that do not feel the way we do,” Ginny acknowledges. Both are keenly aware of the trade dispute between Canada and the U.S. They both see American power and prestige declining under a Trump Presidency,
“If I were Canadian I wouldn’t come to the United States and spend money,” Sam says.
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There are Trump supporters here. You just need to shout out at some of the local bars to find them.
Josh Pitts, 39, is from Vancouver, Washington. He’s an independent trucker who does sincerely believe Trump is making America great again.
“He disrupted the traditional political agenda that was good for them not us the people. I agree for jobs for people who want to work and fairer trade.”
Pitts has a couple of Canadian customers in British Columbia and hopes the trade issues between the two friends get resolved.
But Pitts has a warning for all who hope a new NAFTA will get signed after the mid-term elections this fall.
“It is the end of globalism and the re-start of localism.”
It’s a theme that plays well on this US Independence Day.