With the Canadian and American elections close on our heels, the time is right for the call for Cascadia to move to the forefront and be known amongst the masses of the Pacific Northwest. Very few times have two North American nations had their elections so close to one another, such that this phenomenon has brought with it a renewed interest in “Cascadia.” The time is now and we, the people, now have a choice to make. This choice would be, as Barack Obama would say, “a change we can all believe in.”

For most people, North America is only made up of four nations: Canada, United States, Mexico and Alaska—at least if the trappers and dog mushers ever have their way. “Cascadia” is likely an unfamiliar term. So here is a brief and much called for education in the concept of Cascadia.

Cascadia, or the Republic of Cascadia, is an independence movement that originated with Thomas Jefferson’s expedition to explore the regions of the Pacific Northwest. He envisioned a nation comprising sections of land, which would be dubbed the “Republic of the Pacific.” Several grassroots movements who would like to see freedom and prosperity reemerge within the continent of North America have taken up the mantra of this movement. It is not a flash-in-the-pan or utopian ideal, but has been an underground movement for nearly 200 years.

Cascadia would include British Columbia, Oregon and Washington. An expanded form would include parts of northern California, Idaho and parts of Alaska. These boundaries would allow for Cascadia to be an economic power while simultaneously weakening the hedonism of Canada and the United States. The economic power of the Republic of Cascadia could possibly exceed $450 billion. Most of this would likely come from the first act that this burgeoning nation would enact: the legalization and exportation of high-quality marijuana.

To further distance itself from being simply considered a state or province, the language would need an overhaul as well. This language, called Cascadese, would be a dialect of English and be required for citizenship. Also, the use of the metric system would enable the government and people to enter the global community as an equal. With a population of nearly 14 million, this fledgling nation would have the manpower and the resources to become a power rivaled only by the military strength of France and the economies of Canada and the US.

Cascadia, a nation to be, is ready for secession. The only thing missing is a legitimate government head and the will of the people; with these in place very little could stand in the way of this nation becoming one of the greatest on the planet. With a flag design having already been created, there is little that the naysayers could argue against. Life is now, the elections are here: make a stand for something that all of us in the Pacific Northwest can hold dear to our hearts. Thus, the day approaches when we can all, in our native Cascadese, wave our banners, cheer wildly and hold our heads high as we approach the dawn of a new era.