Letters to the Editor

Electromagnetic evil

Editor, the Journal,

Thank you, Mr. Duenkel. The voters of Mason County can sleep easier now that you have insulated our vote counting machines in Faraday fabric [expensive, hope you got it on sale at Joann Fabric and Craft]. The chips are now safe from being flipped by those sinister electromagnetic forces. But how do we protect our vulnerable brain cells from being flipped by Elon Musk filling the skies with his satellites beaming down on us and filling the streets with his electric cars charging at us? Or our phones tweeting at us. Or Faux News lying to us. And then there’s those Chinese spy balloons. Do they make Faraday hats? I’ve heard lining your hat with aluminum foil helps.

P.S. Has the Voter Research Project dug up any anomalous dead people voting yet?

Craig Anderson, Shelton

About Biden

Editor, the Journal,

Old Joe recently announced he’s running for a second term. Evidently, Joe was pixilated with fairy dust while visiting the Emerald Isle. Joe is a wrecking ball aimed at middle America. He wants more tax money. Either we give him more or the USA goes into bankruptcy. Old Joe’s not worried; he won’t have to clean up the mess. Joe decided the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence are out of date and old stuff. Joe wants to pack the Supreme Court. That’s what cheaters do; when they can’t win, they change the rules. Let’s put Old Joe and Giggling Kamala out to pasture.

Joe and the Giggler have many screwups; the border is open even if his Homeland Security says otherwise. Every fentanyl death is a Democratic responsibility, for they alone refuse to close the border, increase the border patrol or build the wall. We became an international joke since Joe took office. It began with his cowardly retreat from Afghanistan. America is not respected by world leaders because Slow Joe has all the charm of a wounded banshee.

Ardean Anvik, Shelton

Shellfish farm

Editor, the Journal,

Taylor Shellfish has requested a permit to install a floating aquaponics farm for oysters and mussels in Oakland Bay. The proposed size of this farm is massive and will ruin the gorgeous views on the bay, eliminate opportunities for recreation, plummet property values, reduce tax revenue for Mason County, inhibit whale migration patterns and as a waterfront resident — it is not what we and our neighbors want for Oakland Bay.

Other communities, such as Penn Cove, who have allowed this to happen have then lost total control as the businesses continue to expand and take more space. Mason County residents already cannot crab in Oakland Bay as it’s been overfished, and the population has died out — we do not want to continue to pull from a natural resource that has already been tapped of its natural resource.

There are differing views of those who work in the shellfish industry quoting that “it would create more jobs.” At the time of this writing, Taylor Shellfish has stated that they would assign two to five existing workers to the farm – I imagine these would work as a more project assignment and not a full-time employment position. As evidence, Taylor Shellfish already has a mussel barge in Oakland Bay that seemingly has not created more jobs, nor is it actively tended.This massive project is a 50-acre lease with the state Department of Natural Resources. The large boundary is so that there is room for the lines and bags to move, without ever going outside the lease boundary. The surface water coverage is approximately 9 acres. The space between the project boundary and the shoreline is approximately 1,000 feet (or more) on every side. To put this in perspective, 9 acres is approximately seven football fields. What will be left of Oakland Bay?

I would also like to highlight that the residents who will be impacted by this eyesore have not been formally notified of this permit request. I personally only know of one person who received a letter and it was forwarded via text message and email. I asked the county commissioners for a contact person at the county where we could validate the notice process. As of this writing, I am waiting for the contact information, and I am confident it will be provided.

In summary, the citizens who pay waterfront taxes and live on the water are asking that Mason County decision-makers please deny the permit request set forth by Taylor Shellfish for this location. Our neighborhood strongly opposes the location of this floating aquaponics farm that will destroy the beauty of the only bay that faces downtown Shelton. If you would like to comment on this permit proposal, a public hearing is May 24 at 1 p.m. with the hearing examiner in the Commission Chambers at 411 North 5th St. in Shelton.

Dacia A. Dunbar, Shelton

We can’t allow it

Editor, the Journal,

The permit request submitted to the county by Taylor Shellfish for its floating oyster bag array will require an area of 50 acres right in the middle of Oakland Bay. A 50-acre area is equivalent in area to 37.81 football fields, 750 tennis courts, or 11.11 aircraft carriers. This permit request is woefully unacceptable and should be denied as expeditiously as possible.

We will not accept the idea that one business can have an influence of such magnitude on the public and on public lands. Many residents of the area have invested heavily in their properties over the years and here comes Taylor with a grandiose idea that will net the company a profit while devaluing residents’ properties within a matter of minutes. This idea stinks and the community will not accept it.

Let’s not let Taylor trash the neighborhood. Traveling along state Route 3 will never be the same. I hope our county officials share the same respect for our environment as its community members. We cannot allow Taylor Shellfish to upset the peaceful and tranquil marine environment it so rightfully deserves.

Bill Lanning and Kathy Kent-Lanning, Shelton

Support for Taylor

Editor, the Journal,

In last week’s Journal, there was a letter expressing objection to the application of Taylor Shellfish Farms to place oyster pens in Oakland Bay as being unsightly. Well, if they are unsightly, so are cars and houses, and a whole lot of other things. Frankly, I think they are kind of cool. They are a sign of a healthy, vibrant economy. They reflect the character of this community as a leading shellfish producer in the world. They reflect the jobs they create and the money that gets brought into the community.

Taylor Shellfish has contributed a ton to this community, with very little thanks. Every time there is something going on to benefit the community, they are there. I have known a number of people associated with Taylor’s and they are great, ethical people. They conduct a business that is about as environmentally friendly as any.The letter also alluded to the idea that they are this big company that can afford to not do this. Do you have any idea of the impact on them of the implementation of tribal shellfish rights? Are you aware of the impact on them of the Trump trade war with China that shut down a huge percentage of their geoduck market? They aren’t complaining. They pivot, adapt and move on.

So, understand what those pens represent and be grateful we have companies like Taylor as a part of this community.

Steve Whitehouse, Shelton

Gun talk

Editor, the Journal,

So, libs want to control guns, it’s too late, the rednecks are locked and loaded. Let’s be real, gun control is a lost cause.

We know that the gun crowd has the Second Amendment and the Supreme Court. They have rights. They also have responsibilities. So, let’s control the shooter, not the guns. For example, if you shoot someone, and are found in court to be guilty (due process), you will do 20 years’ hard time. Three hots and a cot, no parole, no pardon, no TV, no mental illness get-out-of-jail free card. You will do every stinkin’ day.

The message might take some time to sink in. It will get some of the fools off the street.

This may sound harsh, but the person that had a 9-millimeter rip through their body might think it is not enough.

Paul L. Wilkins, Belfair

Sheer magnitude

Editor, the Journal,

I just read your very upbeat-sounding article about Taylor Shellfish’s application to install a floating oyster bag growing and production center in the middle of Oakland Bay. Please be aware it’s not the bags — it’s the sheer magnitude of this structure that, in fact, could be the beginning of a precedent-setting problem in our waterways.

Before issuing your praises, perhaps a bit more investigation would be valuable. It seems the noteworthy agencies whose job it is to report factually to the hearing examiner so he can make an educated decision about this project all appear to have a very comfortable relationship with Taylor Shellfish. It seems a bit of objectivity may be missing from this equation. Curious that most everyone I have reached out to about this proposal has all gleefully referred me to “Erin at Taylor.”

Your article states that an estimated 9.1 acres of surface water will be impacted. Please refer to the picture on page 256 of the filing to see the actual footprint. Also, of concern is the net and bag system that will take up miles down the middle, deep-water section of the bay — of course expanding to the sides. Water sports, especially boating and kayaking, will be severely impacted to say nothing of the mammals and sea life that are currently able to play and live in our bay. Crossing the bay will no longer be an option. I can’t comment on what will be happening under the water because I’m not a fisheries specialist, scientist or biologist but the installation of this monstrosity will make an impact.

Your article states there will be a “minimal visual impact.” That is not true.

Consider two aircraft carriers being parked in the middle of the bay ... or even easier to conceptualize is the footprint of the proposed structure will be greater than the combined land mass used for the Mariners and Seahawks stadiums in downtown Seattle. This is not minimal. The structure will be lit at night, which will also cause a disruption for the neighbors. And all these shenanigans will employ two to five people full time. Really? Doesn’t sound a whole lot of “quality jobs” being created ... just sounds like a lot of money going into the deep pockets of Taylor Shellfish.

The information states the bags can be moved for the Squaxin Tribe during salmon season ... where will 50 acres of bags be moved? And, with respect, will Taylor move the bags for my grandkids and I when we want to fish or boat or enjoy the views from our nearby parks? I don’t think so.

There are so many reasons this precedent-setting oyster farm should not be permitted and most of them are other than cosmetic. I fear, if this proposal is passed, we will find these farms popping up and polluting all of our precious waterways.

Ginny Douglas, Shelton

The usual suspects

Editor, the Journal,

Most all of us have seen, and come to cherish, the 1942 melodrama “Casablanca” starring Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund. Though the movie was set in French North Africa, the final scene was filmed at the airport in Van Nuys, California.

It is here, in a tense scene with Ilsa looking on, where Rick shoots and kills the antagonist, Nazi Major Strasser (Conrad Veidt). Quickly, Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains), Vichy prefect of police, says to a nearby gendarme, “Round up the usual suspects.”

As one of two very funny lines spoken by Captain Louis (the other, “I’m shocked! Shocked! etc.) I’ve chosen this one to refer to certain hard-core lefties who contribute regularly to this letter section.

These people seldom attempt to debate, but simply make questionable claims and engage in crude name-calling. Today, I would introduce two of these “usual suspects,” and they are Ms. Donna Holliday and Mr. Bill Pfender, both of Shelton, who mentioned me in the May 4 Journal.

At issue here is a guest column in the April 13 Journal titled, “A call to action for our community” by a Mr. Billy Thomas. Mr. Thomas claims he has “witnessed and experienced instances of racism and discrimination in our community ...” (Examples? None. Other evidence? None. Adam Schiff, anyone?) He tells us in a full-half-page column that to absolve our sins, we must “embrace antiracism.” To make sure we get it, he tells us more than 10 times to do this.

Readers must first consider carefully what Mr. Thomas claimed in the previous paragraph. Next, enter Ms. Holliday who, in a state of happy oblivion, states, “Mr. Thomas knows his audience.” He most certainly does not. (I almost spilled my coffee here.)

This faux Pied Piper (Thomas) must genuinely believe our community is a cesspool of racism or else he wouldn’t have spent the last 95% of a 40-inch column telling us to (yet again) “embrace antiracism.” Ms. Holliday, we urge you to stop coddling this guy. Remember, we’ve heard Bud Light’s new motto is, “Go woke, go broke.”

The other suspect is Bill Pfender, who is really angry. He spent the first half of his letter sputtering about trade with China. The problem here is that I never mentioned China. You’re clearly someone with TDS (Trump derangement syndrome.) My academic background is in English, not psychiatry, so I’m afraid I can’t help you there.

You also seem to like playing political “whataboutism.” I’ll pass. The thing’s essentially pointless and you’d get tired of losing.

I’d be remiss here to not give a hearty thank you to the kind people who contacted me with words of appreciation and support for my “To the dump” letter in the April 27 Journal. I would truly like to meet each of you.

R.E. Graham, Union

No to oyster farm

Editor, the Journal,

Not exactly hard-hitting journalism or are you guys in bed with them too? Perhaps you’ve drunk the Kool-Aid. There are so many reasons why this is a bad idea however I’ll just name a bunch after doing my own research: (Matt, you should try it some time.)

1. It will be a huge disgusting eyesore, dimensionally massive and eventually covered in bird droppings.

2. Surface gear is extraordinarily dangerous to recreational boaters.

3. Aside from the visual destruction, when the bags break off, the oysters rot on beach creating stench.

4. The dioxins from the mill have not been dealt with and there is no egress of water in the bay without passing through the area banned for oyster farming. Dioxins build up in the oysters which then build up in the humans ingesting them and voila, cancer. I’m certain Camp LeJeune folks and women dying of cancer from talcum powder would love a redo.

5. Oh great. More plastic in the Puget Sound. Our orcas, fish, etc., are going to love that.

6. Destroyed bird habitat. We have observed (regularly) a bald eagle pair and at least one chick. They are familial and territorial and this will impact their ability to hunt fish. There’s a great blue heron that walks by every evening. What about him or her?

7. 2,000 shellfish licenses are issued yearly for the Oakland Bay area and while the revenue is chump change compared to the tourist dollars that those represent. If happens it will affect tourism.

8. Oyster farming (while) characterized as “neutral” by the industry, has not been determined to be neutral by the scientific community. It raises fecal coliform.

9. They have a “small” footprint in the same area. That was their proverbial inch, now they literally want a half mile. Will that be the end of it? No way. If they get that far they establish a foothold and the rest of the bay will be up for grabs.

The responsibility of good journalism is to present both sides of the equation. The spin from Taylor Shellfish’s public relations guy is very skewed to their way of seeing things. Here’s the basic math: They received $75 million last year. Their payroll and allowing for fat-cat salaries, lawsuits and attorneys at $5 million puts their net revenue at about $52.5 million. They certainly have a lot of dough to spread around and get their way.

No one experiencing food insecurity in this country or any other has oysters on their menu. This is only about the Benjamins.So, is Oakland Bay on the auction block for one and only one party? How much money do these people need at the expense of everyone and everything else? If they come over to my house, I can teach them about living within their means and budgeting. I’m really happy to help.

Sincerely, a friend of Oakland Bay,

Christin Herinckx, Shelton

Sign the petition

Editor, the Journal,

This week, a Mason County nonprofit submitted a letter to Mason County commissioners on behalf of more than 500 locals. Here’s an excerpt:

Dear county commissioners,

Recently, you received a letter from the Port of Allyn commissioners requesting your help in protecting economic development. We ask that you listen to that request, as well as to the hundreds of Mason County residents represented by this letter.

Please write a letter to the Board of Natural Resources before May 22, requesting that the Department of Natural Resources purchase alternative working forest as replacement for canceling the Sure Wood Timber Sale, using money from the recently passed capital budget (Section 3130 of Engrossed Senate Bill 5200) set aside by the state legislature for situations exactly like this.

To date, more than 500 Mason County residents have signed a petition opposing DNR’s planned Sure Wood Timber Sale, which would remove 99% of all trees in 154 acres in Sherwood Forest between Trails End Lake and LakeLand Village in Allyn, WA.

Residents’ concerns about this timber sale include:

■ Lowered property values

■ Disregard of homeowner interests

■ Undemocratic process at the Board of Natural Resources

■ Increased noise pollution during/after harvest

■ Loss of public recreation area and wildlife habitat

■ Negative impacts on air quality, water quality, and salmon recovery

■ Loss of traditional cultural harvest areas for Squaxin Island Tribal Members

■ Increased flooding, erosion, and run-off

■ Negative impacts on health and safety

■ Economic unfairness for rural, forested counties*

As county commissioners, you have the power to help bring in millions of state dollars to Mason County, champion the voices of our community, and ensure that Sherwood Forest thrives for the benefit of generations to come.

With respect for your leadership and hope for your wise action,

Mason County Climate Justice, on behalf of 535 residents of Mason County and Squaxin Island Tribal & Community Members

* Note: The Sure Wood Timber Sale is located on Commons Schools trust land. Revenue from such land goes into a statewide fund called School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP). SCAP funding comes from many sources, mostly not timber revenue. In 2015-2021, timber revenue made up only 8% of SCAP and less than 2% of school construction funding overall. SCAP funding from timber harvest is inequitable to rural, forested counties like ours. As Board of Natural Resources member Chris Reykdahl admitted to the Seattle Times: “the money is disproportionately going to urban communities even though the revenue and the timber is generated in rural communities.” For example, in 2015-2021, DNR clearcut 597 acres in Mason County to generate $9.2 million in timber revenue for SCAP. Of that, only $2.3 million made it back into Mason County school districts. In other words, timber harvest on school trust lands provided a negative return on investment for Mason County. For details, watch: http://www.youtube.com/live/wbp1IFaPn7Q?feature=share&t=91.

To sign the petition to save Sherwood Forest, visit: http://www.wlfdc.org/sure-wood.

Julianne Gale, Shelton