Oregon has been enormously jealous and upset ever since we Californians decided to turn our entire State into an elaborate performance art project by electing an Austrian body-builder to our highest office.

So Oregon has recently stepped up the competition with a series of political/entertainment crossover stunts. First there was Portlandia, where an SNL performer and a former member of Sleater-Kinney drafted the actual mayor of Portland to be one of their little acting monkeys.

And today, through (yes) a viral video, Oregon has taken another step towards challenging California as the most absurd state in the Union. From the Portland Progressive Examiner:

As of Friday a video of a wonderful and elaborate April fools prank played in the Oregon state house by state lawmakers has gone viral. The video is a bi-partisan collection of state lawmakers reading lyrics from Rick Astley's “Never Gonna Give You Up” while speaking on the house floor. When the words are edited together, they make the greatest political Rick Roll ever.

The 'Rick Roll' was the brain child of Portland based Oregon representative, Jefferson Smith. The elaborate operation was carried out during a special session of the Oregon legislature in February 2010, when each lawmaker was allotted time to speak on the House floor.

Ok, enough sarcasm. Wanna see it?:

More from the Portland Progressive Examiner:

According to reports, Smith, who developed the concept with his wife, a few colleagues and several friends, one of whom is a video editor, had a few rules about the joke. The lines had to be delivered on the House floor during a lawmaker's regular floor speech, which is, under Oregon law, videotaped for public records purposes. And the lines of the lyrics had to be spread out, so as not to tip off the state House clerk or other observers to what lawmakers were up to.

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