Hey, Hi Calikid! I'm glad you decided to post here, as there are some really special people that you will meet - probably already knowing them by heart by now, reading since January!
An interesting post you have written, to boot! Oregon. Land of the Empire Builders, home of the brave and free! Yes, it seems that we should be way beyond this, being able after all this time as a state to inspire people to be fair and lawful. The real estate code of ethics in Oregon is do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Golden Rule. And yet we have our fair share of henious crimes, as every other state must have.
What is it? I don't think it is our particular environment and collection of people that is responsible for these crimes. Are you a Cali Kid transplanted in Oregon? It might be that you hear more about local crimes if you live here. I think every state has more than its share of murder, and everything pretty well equals out.
But there is another factor too. For some reason the public picks up on certain crimes and follows them faithfully, feeling some unknown affiliation with the crime, taking justice for the victim/s to heart. It is probably because in some way, there go but I, or my niece who resembles her so much, or this ape of a man who looks just like my next door neighbor - whatever the reason. The All-American gal, like Laci, who we would all love to know.
And Cali, we might have an exceptional press force in our state with outstanding connections to the media. Everyone hears routinely across the nation what happens in our state. A pretty evenly balanced state - not too much to the left or the right, but rather a gentle mix of both, depending what time frame you are talking about.
Because of this, we are heard loudly. And our problems are known to many. And some of our crimes have been illustrious and horrible. Burying 2 bodies in your backyard who were the friends of his daughter, raping them in her presence, and now fallen victim himself to mental disease, although I could believe in a quick second that faking insanity is a far better out, living in a state hospital than on death row in a 6 x 8 cell 23 hours a day, forever until you walk down that last stretch to the table. But there is Manson in Califas, and as many more like this in every state. We just don't hear about these crimes as much. We are concentrating on our own little corner of the world, just like they are in theirs.
Scandi