Letters to the Editor

Correction

A story in the Aug. 11 issue incorrectly stated that Sandy Kaiser, a candidate to represent District 35 Position 2 in the state House of Representatives, lives in Olympia. She lives in north Thurston County, near the Mason/Thurston border. The Journal regrets the error.

Jesus and votes

Editor, the Journal,

Why do political signs show up everywhere on public property, but not on private property? Are people afraid to admit their preferences or do they not know what their preferences are until they receive their ballots?

If I call (those candidates willing to post phone numbers) and ask them whether they will promise to obey Jesus’ commandments if elected and then offer to put their campaign signs on my private property, will I risk destructive reprisal from whomever?

Why don’t churches check the candidates, decide whether candidates will obey Jesus’ commandments when elected, and post the campaign signs of those who make that promise on church private property so their parishioners will know who to vote for and trust they are making the right choice?

If we don’t try, where are we going to end up?

Diane Eaton, Grapeview

Defending the bombs

Editor, the Journal,

Recently Michael Siptroth had a letter concerning the U.S. atomic bomb attack on Japan to end World War II. On Aug. 6, 1945, 77 years ago, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima after Japanese dictator General Tojo Hideki was told of this possibility and ignored the warning.

After the first bomb, Tojo was again told to surrender; again he ignored us, so on Aug. 9, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Japan surrendered.We should prevent future use of atomic weapons, but Siptroth’s letter suggested our use in WW II was wrong. It’s easy to criticize decisions after the fact. Yes, 129,000 died in Hiroshima and 226,000 died at Nagasaki; more died later of nuclear poisoning. What was our alternative?

A recent edition of the American Legion magazine had an article about this exact subject. Tojo and his government had no respect for anyone. Chinese women were given to Japanese troops as “comfort women.” The Burma Death March killed hundreds of American prisoners as they were marched from one POW camp to another. The people of Japan were as much the victims of Tojo as were American POWs and Chinese women. This was what President Franklin Roosevelt faced when he authorized the development of the bomb. This is what President Harry Truman faced as he approved dropping the bombs. A military analysis to attack Japan without using the bomb was horrific. The Japanese were expected to fight bitterly. We’re seeing that kind of defense of homeland now in Ukraine. Based on resistance put up by the Japanese army during the island-to-island battles in the Pacific, it was obvious Japan would greatly resist an attack on their homeland. The estimates were 1,000,000 American casualties and 6,000,000 Japanese casualties. This far surpasses the estimates of the number of deaths by dropping the bombs. A journalist interviewed his grandfather and grandmother about the war. The grandfather was an American soldier scheduled to attack Japan; the grandmother was a Japanese woman who survived the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima. Both agreed that Truman’s decision was the correct decision. An attack on Japan would’ve been worse for everyone.

Truman was a combat veteran in World War I so he knew the horrors of war. He also knew history would question his decision to drop the bomb, yet had the guts to do what he believed to be right. We must look at this situation with the facts at the time, not the wishes 77 years later. Attacking the Japanese homeland would have been more deadly for both Japan and America than dropping the bombs. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs likely saved lives, as incongruous as that sounds.

As one patriot said, “Freedom is never free!” Shelton history teachers: here’s the complete history, not the woke version, of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Ardean Anvik, Shelton

Thinking about orcas

Editor, the Journal,

Magically, a short church pew made of pine, no longer than 5 feet long, appears on the South Dock in front of Lucky’s boathouse; and now the presidium of the ad-hoc meeting venue of the Boat House Boys.

The agenda of the aforesaid “boys” includes, but is not limited by, dockside vents: peculiar theories of boat docking, maintenance, tidal exigencies, and, well mostly water and maritime stuff. We dockside boys tend to eschew political discussions as they lead to acrimony.

This last week’s topic of conversation regarded the rare visit of the orcas — a human contact with the violent and competitive essence of nature: predator and prey.

I happened to be on Hammersley Inlet piloting the Classic Yacht M/V El Mistico as we passed through this pod of orcas J? K? I’m not the expert — I see them maybe once every couple of years, and then — way in the distance. My guests were occupied with taking pictures with their cameras whilst I was diligent avoiding all and any contact with these powerful beasts.

The majority of the other water spectators were equally diligent respecting the privacy of the orcas, although a pair of personal watercraft (the water’s answer to winter’s Ski-Doo’s) violated their space.

Days later, the aforementioned Boat House Boys adduced their opinion of the orcas’ visit. My take was to encourage, if not facilitate, the public onto our Oakland Bay Marina docks which extend into Oakland Bay. Other dock boys believed we shouldn’t encourage this observation of nature as reality.

Speaking as a Shelton Yacht Club Board member, our primary goal is to make Oakland Bay (and all its wonders) accessible to the public. Accept the fact: We’re living in paradise here — and to my mind the best way to preserve it is to encourage appreciation of same.

James Poirson, Shelton

Campaign signs

Editor, the Journal,

I would say people are more aware than ever about waste, about upcycling, about reusing. I believe the campaign of Patti Case should take a note from the conscious people of Mason County: More is not better.

The best signs this political season are (once again), Miguel Gutierrez’s signs: The picket fence signs. They are interesting, eye-catching, and not stuck in the ground every 5 feet coming into and leaving town. Miguel’s signs make their point without using every picket fence in Mason County to do so.

Julianne Gale’s campaign is similarly into reusing, upcycling and making signs.

These signs are so well-made, by campaign volunteers, using previously used signs from prior elections, and painting Julianne’s message on canvas or cloth, and applying it to already once or twice used signs, you can’t even tell they are “handmade.” There is an old-school feel to these candidates, who take the time to make signs rather than purchasing thousands of plastic signs and sticking them everywhere imaginable.

The motto of those who will lead us out of this quagmire, moving forward, will be:

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

Campaigns that don’t understand, and who plant thousands of plastic signs (which are still up even after the candidate has lost the primary), are not endearing themselves to the citizens of Mason, Thurston and Kitsap counties.

Candidates like Julianne Gale and Miguel Gutierrez will lead us in the right direction. Check out their campaigns, join their campaigns, donate to their campaigns, get a handmade sign, and proudly declare that the future of our community is regenerative and renewable.

The future is not disposable, and neither are these thousands of nonrecyclable plastic signs leftover after the primary. Dispose of them how you may, they are plastic and they will be in the landfill long after the candidate has turned to dust.

Investigate the candidates; find the ones that resonate with your hopes for a future; and work to elect those candidates.

This message is from Julianne Gale’s campaign:

“Our campaign is doing it differently. Instead of putting hundreds of new pieces of nonrecyclable plastic into the world, volunteers are upcycling 150-yard signs and stakes, and diverting 94 pounds of fabric from landfills.”

We only have this one Earth. Acting like we are simply here to suck the life from Mother Earth, and then leave a dead husk for our children and grandchildren, is too short-sighted. Saving the planet for the next seven generations, now that is priceless.

Katherine A. Price, Angleside

Our troubles, etc.

Editor, the Journal,

Government trust and confidence, the recent polls confirm what we each know, new lows for trust. New lows for confidence that our current government-elected officials are doing a good job. It doesn’t matter if the official is in the executive office (president and his Cabinet members), Congress, your state government, including our Gov. Jay Inslee, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, his administration and currently controlled Legislature. Some would also include our judicial system, and leadership of counties and cities.

The list of crises that they created and is supported by members of Congress and the current executive branch continues to grow: gas prices, inflation, economy, border, immigration, crime, education, supply chain, labor crisis, fentanyl, baby formula, etc. All at record highs, not on the good side. Now add recession to list, impact to consumers/retirees with losses in 401(k)s, IRAs, retirement accounts and investment accounts, ongoing impact from COVID lockdowns, government lying to us with support of media and social media, and lastly foreign policy (Afghanistan, Ukraine, China, Iran and other countries.)

Each of us needs to take a hard look at our current elected officials who are running for re-election and determine whether you want them still in office or not. Are the new candidates running for office going to continue down the wrong path with current policies and plans? Will they continue to not address the many crises impacting our daily lives today and into the future?

You should be considering, what have they done to better our lives? Are they out of touch? Do they show any common sense? Do they listen to you? Do they represent you? What policies and plans do they support? Why are they focused on climate control, when people say this is lower priority than addressing the crises listed above? Are they reactive or proactive? What messaging do they tell us? Do they lie to us? Do they deflect what is really going on? Do they promote fear? Do they promote bigger government and more regulations? Do they promote more spending? Do they have a plan or no plan? What policies do they support? Do they promote and follow-through with what they say? Are they elitist?

Let us start with current political advertising for our next election.

The Washington Constitution supports abortion. To change this, two-thirds of the state Legislature would have to vote for change, then there would be a referendum that we would need to vote “yes” on. There is zero chance of this happening. Also, nine out 10 people support birth control, no chance of this changing.

Let’s focus on what our current elected politicians have done to the citizens of this state and our country. In order to keep my article shorter, I will only discuss one crisis today, gas prices.

Our government messaging and plan to reduce gas prices:

Blame it on Putin (no — high prices started before the war).

Blame it on energy companies and gas station greed (no — just like they blamed prices on meat producers, etc.)

Blame it on you, you should be buying electric cars and this is good for our climate (no — most people cannot afford one, no battery recycling when they expire, an electric grid that can’t support charging, and if you live in another state, it is likely the electricity to charge them is from coal or other fossil fuels, etc.)

Their plan — climate control and war on fossil fuels (do everything they can to discourage investments in more refineries, oil production, use of natural gas, etc.)

Their plan — releasing oil from strategic reserve (no or little impact, replacing it will cost us taxpayer more than $40 per barrel more than the cost of what was in the ground, what happens if we have a national emergency now).

Their plan — ask for help from Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, Iran, others (no — why are we buying oil from dirty producers in other countries, why are our dollars going to these countries?)

Their plan — price protections (didn’t work in the past and won’t work in the future).

Their plan — Inflation Reduction Act (common sense is not to increase taxes and more spending during high inflation, doesn’t address high gas prices).

Our governor and his Legislature don’t talk about any of the crisis above (ex. Price of gas, inflation, border, crime, etc.) because our tax money and their focus are on their climate control agenda instead of addressing all of crisis listed at the beginning. Follow the money spent and messaging. Have they helped with reducing the price of gas or diesel? The answer is “no” with one example related to gas prices is the recent increase in gasoline taxes in Washington state starting July 1. Don’t get me started on crime, border, education, etc.

What happened to energy independence? We are short over 1 million barrels of oil per day before COVID. The reason is their climate-control agenda including “war on fossil fuels.” What happened to keeping our dollars in USA, not relying on other countries to supply our energy needs, driving down inflation and cost of gas by increasing our supply of oil and gas to meet demand today and for the conceivable future, and meeting our critical national security needs (ex. ask Europe about impact as Vladimir Putin cuts their energy). How much of the inflation is due from high gas prices and high diesel prices for trucking and ships, fuel for planes, etc.?

Currently the price of gas is slightly down due to decrease in demand, but still over $2 more at gallon since the war on fossil fuels started, still at record high levels since 2008. Oil will continue to cost around $100 barrel and prices will remain high. There is no plan to reduce gas prices down from record highs other than drive us into a recession with higher taxes, more spending, more regulations and higher interest rates to lower demand. Unemployment is coming down the road. Gas prices around $5 a gallon will continue to drain your monthly budget, savings and increase your credit card balances. Just trying to get by month to month is hard, with hard choices on spending. People are struggling to put food on their table. Inflation is eating us alive with a major contributor being gas prices.

Bottom line — gas prices above is only one crisis and example of the job our elected officials and government employees have been doing for us. Hold those current elected and those running for office accountable. Please consider and educate yourself on all of crises taking place. Do you want it to continue, get worse or get better? Careful who you vote for. It does count.

Howard Ringoen, Shelton