In the season of peace, in the city of peace, last week the Oregon State Capitol was awash in both amity and animosity. The local tourism agency, Travel Salem, promotes the region as âThe most Oregon part of Oregon.â That held true during the one-day special legislative session on Dec. 21. The dysfunction and violence that have bedeviled Portland for months, gaining national notoriety and splitting the state, moved south to Salem, where most of Oregonâs 90 legislators had gathered to approve coronavirus and wildfire relief legislation. There is irony that Salem, our state capital and where I live, is named for peace. Maybe it is a sign of the times that the city Peace Plaza, which connects city hall with the city library, is closed because the library is being renovated.