Letters to the Editor

Opaque omission

Editor, the Journal,

Auditor Steven Duenkel's recent report detailing his efforts to secure our elections does conform with his pledge of transparency.

But he has one big opaque omission. He campaigned that our elections were not only vulnerable to fraud but victim to it. After multiple audits of the last election, and multiple inquiries, he has not reported any fraud. And that conforms with the false Republican narrative claiming election fraud without evidence. If his suspicions about ballot security are satisfied by more election observers, fine. Collecting ballot boxes at 8 p.m., fine. [When were they previously collected?] Just don't try to suppress the vote like many of your elected Republican colleagues nationwide. Or deny the vote like the insurrection-inciting former president and 40 million of your fellow Republicans deluded by ex-President Donald Trump's lies and knowingly propagated by Fox.

The voters of Mason County look forward to your election fraud report.

Craig Anderson, Shelton

Spring predictions

Editor, the Journal,

For the months of March/April/May, I am going to make three predictions.

First - I predict that Gonzaga University men's basketball team will get to the Final Four in the March Madness playoffs. The Zags are powerful!

Second - I predict lots of people will make payments on their real estate taxes. Taxes are due.

Third - I predict that Dominion Voting Systems will lose its defamation lawsuit against Fox News. The odds are really stacked against Dominion. You see, Fox only needs one juror to vote "no" against Dominion to win its case while Dominion needs all 12 jurors to vote "yes" to win their case. It will be really easy for the Foxy lawyers to find that one single "the election was stolen" Trumpster supporter from the jury pool. And when they do that, Fox will win and will not have to pay Dominion anything. So essentially the real trial is over even before it even starts. However, the sidebar trial of public opinion will be in favor of Dominion and against Fox. I wonder if public opinion really matters.

Earl W. Burt, Bremerton

Murder's the word

Editor, the Journal,

Visit the Faith and Freedom website at faithandfreedom.us and read the article on "infanticide."

My husband weighed only 3 pounds at birth and was placed in a shoebox on the open lid of a wooden cook stove and when he got whooping cough was thrown up and down to keep him breathing, his life was precious then, and still is at "93 going on 94" after being "rescued" from Capitol Medical Center and the Vista Oncologist preparing "skilled nursing care" paperwork for transfer to a nursing care facility and refusing to let me (his wife who they said I wasn't able to take care of him) bring him home. However, he did come home with his son by a former marriage (first wife died of kidney failure), brought him to me.

My 93-year-old husband wakes me every morning with breakfast, makes all our homemade bread and cranberry sauce, does all the driving to this very day.

So much for abortion and infanticide. The correct word is "murder."

Diane Eaton, Grapeview

Amateur hour

Editor, the Journal,

Two thousand, 400 years ago, a brilliant man said the following:

"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." I would modify what Plato said to say, "evil and stupid men."

Our standard of living is declining. Our safety and security are eroding. Common-sense decisions by government have evaporated. The problems we face require our brightest, experienced leaders to get us back on track. Amateur hour is over in this country.

Bill Zeigler, Shelton

Love is the goal

Editor, the Journal,

A March 9 letter titled "Learn from animals" is an example of exactly why gender identities and issues should be discussed in schools.

It is 2023 and we need to be raising educated, open-minded empathetic human beings.

The writer says, "animals reproduce as configured by God without questioning their gender." Actually, animals can show homosexual and bisexual behaviors. But reproduction is not the issue. Loving someone is the issue.

What is always missing from these discussions is the difference between reproduction and love. Every time a heterosexual couple has sex, reproducing is not the goal. Not every heterosexual couple want to have children, yet they still have sex. Not every heterosexual couple can become pregnant. If these couples want a child, they can adopt or use a variety of 21st-century methods for having a child. And older couples still have sex. LBGTQ people have sex knowing reproduction is not going to be the outcome. It is love, same as heterosexual couples.

If God created all of us, he certainly created LBGTQ human beings. Yes, he created people whose bodies do not match who they are. This would be a good place to read books instead of banning them. Read books about people who are different from yourself. Books, movies, discussions can educate. Human stories can help people open their minds and hearts to human beings who are simply trying to live their true lives.

Would there be so much hate if we didn't have politicians vilifying groups; people of color, immigrants, LBGTQ, for the sole purpose of dividing us? They use fear of the "other" and tell us they alone can save us with their Orwellian laws.

Oh, how I wish we could pick and choose what our own tax dollars fund. Defunding education is as dangerous as what Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans are doing to education.

Donna Holliday, Shelton

A judge's view

Editor, the Journal,

I read with interest Pam Berger's letter to the editor captioned, "Remember the judge" in the March 9 edition. I served as a superior court judge in Island County for 32 years and in San Juan County for 19 of those years. I am keenly interested in the enforcement of the criminal and civil law of our state, and in the integrity of the judiciary.

I can certainly understand Ms. Berger's feelings about the shocking incident involving defendant Chantel Dawn Peterson. But I think it is important for us as citizens to understand that judges take an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of our state. In making decisions on bail and the release of defendants facing criminal charges, judges are bound by Criminal Rule 3.2. This court rule states that at their preliminary appearances, criminal defendants shall be released on their personal recognizance (promise to appear) unless the judge determines that their recognizance will not reasonably assure their appearance when required, or there is shown a likely danger that the accused will commit (not has committed) a violent crime or will seek to intimidate witnesses or otherwise unlawfully interfere with the administration of justice.

If the judge determines that the accused is not likely to appear if released on personal recognizance, the judge must impose the least restrictive conditions that will reasonably assure the accused's future appearances. If the judge determines that there exists a substantial danger that the accused will commit a violent crime or seek to intimidate witnesses or unlawfully interfere with the administration of justice, the judge may impose appropriate conditions. Among the conditions that can be imposed are no-contact orders and bail.

It goes without saying that the court rule was enacted because of the constitutional requirement that criminal defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

When I served as a superior court judge, Judge Ferguson-Brown appeared before me many times as an attorney. She represented persons from all walks of life in an exemplary manner, including many victims of crime or other injustice. I have no doubt that she is continuing in the same exemplary manner by adhering to the laws and court rules by which she is bound and protecting the constitutional rights of each person who appears before her. It is also important to note that judges are bound by the Code of Judicial Conduct, which provides among other things that judges shall not be swayed by public clamor or fear of criticism.

Ms. Peterson's preliminary appearance before Judge Ferguson-Brown was just the first of many steps in the process of the case. Ultimately, she will likely either plead guilty or face a jury of her peers. If she is found guilty, that will be the time for the judge to impose punitive sanctions.

Alan R. Hancock, Island County Superior Court Judge (Ret.), Coupeville