Happy 146th Birthday, Oregon

Rachael Vorberg-Rugh

Don't want to recognize today's Hallmark-sponsored holiday?  Celebrate Oregon Statehood Day instead!  On this day in 1859, President Buchanan signed the bill that brought Oregon into the union as a free state.  Slavery wasn't allowed, but the state constitution prevented African-Americans from owning property, among other things, so "free" was a relative term.  (FYI, Measure 14 finally removed the last remnants of the racist language from the constitution, after a mere 143 years.)

If you absolutely must celebrate that other holiday, I recommend listening to "Love Cuts: A Valentine from John Hegley", listed as Sunday's "Choice of the Day" on BBC Radio 4.