Letters to the Editor

Terrorism

Editor, the Journal,

Just yesterday I learned the president of the United States believes I am a terrorist.

This is because I support finishing the border wall to keep illegal immigration, drugs and real terrorists from coming across the border; former President Donald Trump started this wall; President Joe Biden halted it.

I support our police forces and believe we need to restore law and order in this country and again hold those who commit crimes accountable for their actions. Only strong punishment will deter criminals and one only needs to look at recent sentencing to see how soft we have gone on crime.

I do not support taking dollars from other Americans to support those who have incurred student loans; you took the loan, pay it back. It is an insult to those of us who worked several jobs to put their children through college and managed their finances accordingly.

I do not believe we can jump to green energy quickly nor can every American afford an electric car at the current prices. To deny transportation for a goal that will barely make an impact on global warming is wrong. Gov. Jay Inslee wants Washington to stop selling fossil-fuel-powered vehicles by 2035, an act that will bring significant problems to commerce and farming.

I do not believe children under the age of 12 should be required to learn about sexual identities nor encouraged by schools to consider gender change, even moreover without parental knowledge and input.

I believe Americans have the right to question elections - the Democrats certainly have done it in past years. But I do believe rioting at the Capitol was wrong just as rioting and burning across America was wrong.

Yes. I guess President Biden has identified me, and I plead no contest.

George Harmer, Allyn

About 'great'

Editor, the Journal,

MAGA = Make America Great Again. According to whose statistics and in what categories and over what period of time? Check out the entry in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, "International rankings of the United States" for many examples.

Even by the Wall Street Journal and Heritage Foundation's "Index of Economic Freedom," (i.e., capitalism) out of 177 countries compared, the United States never ranked higher than No. 4 from 1995-2008, and from 2013-2020, it never rose above No. 10 and even sank to a low of No. 18 in 2018.

As of 2015, in the Maternal Mortality Ratio, the U.S. is 46th out of the countries ranked. Among wealthy nations, a study on 2016 data found the United States ranked first for child deaths by automobile accidents and firearms, with overall child mortality 57% higher in the U.S. than other high-income countries. Though traffic deaths were decreasing, they were five times the rate in England and Wales; firearms deaths were increasing from a rate 100 times that in England and Wales. (Ahh, but we have the right to bear arms.)

In the list of countries by inequality-adjusted HDI (Human Development Index), the U.S. ranked 25th out of 151 countries for 2018.

When did the United States lose this "greatness" that we need to "recapture "again?

Please note that these yearly comparisons encompass both Republican and Democratic administrations. So, just what does "Make America Great Again" mean other than an election slogan? It's meaningless, except if you're into nostalgia. Don't get me wrong, I am a native-born American. I am proud of my country despite its sordid history, but then again, so would a citizen of France or China, or a German, Brazilian or Russian. The only American citizens who I would say truly and really "love" the United States are the refugees and immigrants from other countries who choose to live here despite how we treat so many of them.

Bill Pfender, Shelton

No experience?

Editor, the Journal,

The recent letter criticizing Tiffany Smiley's lack of experience is worth a chuckle. The writer must have never heard of the "Mom in Tennis Shoes," aka Patty Murray, who had no experience when the Democrats elected her. The old Democrat double standard at work.

Barbara Harmer, Allyn

Lindsey Baum

Editor, the Journal,

Re: Lindsey Baum, the 10-year-old girl from McCleary. After over a dozen years, progress on solving this case has been painfully slow. With all the advancement in DNA and forensic science, has this case been shelved as a cold case? Should another investigator get involved?

All the clues and evidence point to one person, even though he is dead. Rose Winquist has been given the name. Could she at least say they have a person of interest they are looking into so as to give this grieving family some hope?

It's been too long. Put this to rest so the Baum family can have closure and peace.

Les Bevier, Shelton

Good, bad letters

Editor, the Journal,

Great edition of the Journal on Sept. 1. I was particularly taken with the letters to the editor.

Bill Pfender, Andrew Makar, and Roderic Whittaker spoke eloquently and made their points clearly.

Howard Ringoen's lengthy diatribe, however, was ... long. Mr. Ringoen lost me early, and often, in his letter to the editor.

Describing the government doing something to begin to finally address climate change as "their climate agenda" presupposes climate change does not affect Mr. Ringoen. To quote Mr. Ringoen:

"Our current president, his Cabinet and Congress support their climate agenda."

Most of the Cabinet, Congress, and certainly President Joe Biden, have all been concerned with climate change for a long time. It is safe to say they have felt this concern since then-President Ronald Reagan took the solar panels off the White House in 1980. Then the "Great Communicator" told Americans, and here I will paraphrase:

This is America. We don't need to conserve. Turn on all your lights; turn your thermostats up; drive as fast as you like, as often as you like.

These are not his exact words but represent the message he gave to Americans. The message that we, being exceptional and very special in all the world, did not need to conserve. He took the solar panels off the White House as proof. Some folks took his message to heart and refuse, to this day, to conserve because "this is Marika."

Then there is Shelton attorney Bruce Finlay's letter, wherein he shares his support of the public-school systems in Shelton, Mason County and Marika with this fine statement:

"Take your children out of public schools and put them in a good private school or home-school them."

Wow. "Take your children out of public schools and put them in a good private school or home-school them."

Shelton's children, Mason County's children, America's children, whose families cannot generally afford a "good private school."

Shelton's children, Mason County's children, America's children, many of whose parents already work two low-wage jobs to make ends meet while trying to keep up with their children's ever-growing feet. The parents of our children are being told they should fit home-schooling their children into their ridiculously busy schedules.

MAGA Minds © Finding solutions that work for no one.

Robert Graham, in his letter, is a bit late to the party with his statement that President Biden established "MAGA as a pejorative, or something bad."

Memo to Bob: Donald Trump and the Jan. 6 rioters, together with the loud, ill-informed MAGA Republican supporters, did that for us. President Biden simply weighed in by calling it what it is. No, Bob Graham, President Biden did not make MAGA Republicans bad; they did that on their own.

The angrier, the louder and the more threatening MAGA Republicans become only serves to help America wake up. Keep up the good work.

Katherine A. Price, Shelton

The real 45

Editor, the Journal,

The 45th president of the United States was not born here, has never lived here, never worked here, never paid taxes here, but he votes here and has a political party, and had an office in the White House where he directed a puppet government led by then-President Donald Trump.

Doing Vladimir Putin's bidding to cause political chaos, he staged and led a deadly assault on our democracy on Jan. 6, 2021 - the gift that keeps on giving. He was to weaken NATO and deny defensive weapons to Ukraine because Putin was going to invade. Putin plays the long game. He has been blackmailing Trump for years!

This summer, my family had a long overdue reunion due to COVID. As we were sitting around the campfire, a cousin who has been in law enforcement for 40-plus years told of an FBI briefing he attended about Russian spies. The FBI had identified people who has been recruited by the Russians. One who stood out in the briefing was a prominent New York businessman who dealt in real estate. It was Donald Trump. He was a perfect sucker for Putin.

He is an insane sociopath, has lost hundreds of millions of dollars, has had multiple bankruptcies, hundreds of lawsuits. Everything is fake lies. No banks would lend him money. In an interview on national news, Trump's idiot son was asked about how the Trumps were going to get money, and he said we don't care about American banks, we get all our money from the Russians. Hello, useful idiot.

It's who counts the votes that matter. Trump is and has been conspiring with Putin for years. He has stolen secret documents. Where are they? These truths are self-evident. Trump is the only communist, socialist, fascist, Republican president.

Remember he gave the billionaires $2 trillion of our tax dollars. That's socialism free and clear. Then when Biden wants to rebuild and modernize our infrastructure, bring down inflation, reduce medical costs, and help with student loans, climate change and energy for all of us, they scream about the debt: "There is no money." Of course not. They gave it to the billionaires who do not pay taxes anyway.

Vote no on everything. Deny everything. Then he calls the fascist Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers out to conspire and stage a deadly assault on Jan. 6, 2021, on our democratic republic and on all of us Republicans, Democrats and independents, the very soul of America. Trump at rally "Do not believe what you see and hear." The fools clap and cheer to take away our rights, and will vote to deny their own vote. One man no vote.

The Trump/Putin/Stalin way: It's who counts the votes that matters. "Give me 11,760 votes." Trump's lawyer on FOX: "The truth is not the truth." So, to be a Republican you must publicly deny reality and the truth, and not believe what you see and hear, and never believe the truth. The bigger the lie the better it will become the truth for the Republican cult base that can be fooled all the time. Trump and Sen. Lindsey Graham are threatening political violence again. Remember the party of law and order, family values, small government? Well, that curtain has been pulled aside.

Roderic Whittaker, Shelton