Letters to the Editor

‘Suspect’ responds

Editor, the Journal,

Since I was one of the subjects of Mr. Graham’s letter of May 11 “The Usual Suspects,” I would like to respond.

I’ll try to make my points quickly.

As I said in my letter of May 4, I will always defend Mr. Thomas’ right to be heard, just as I said the same for Mr. Graham.

Mr. Graham has said that I do not want to discuss or debate issues. Actually I have said before these letters are opinions and discussions of issues. Let’s learn how and why we think the way we do about the issues.

On May 4 I asked Mr. Graham and anyone who believes as he does to explain why so much fear of “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion?” I also asked, what exactly are the “red flags” these “buzzwords” raise?  What do we have to “beware” of? Another question was why do we have to be afraid of a transgender woman  on a can of beer ? (only one can was made for her. Her picture was not on “all cans”).

 But on May 11 Mr. Graham chose not to respond to those questions but rather to complain about me, Mr. Pfender and again Mr. Thomas.  Maybe Mr. Graham could educate us without the Trump show.

In that letter I also asked the Editor, Mr. Thomas, and anyone who has experienced racism, LBGTQ phobia, discrimination to share their stories. I did that because I knew it would continue to be a problem for some people.  Can’t exist if you don’t see it yourself.  Mr. Graham doesn’t believe these things happen in Mason County because  no proof was given. Yet he still believes Donald Trump won the 2020 election just because Trump and his mob said so. No proof has ever been given, quite the contrary.

Donna Holliday, Shelton

Timber to be logged

Editor, the Journal,

According to a recent article in the Journal of Mason County Climate Justice and Forest Defense Coalition (MCCJFDC my acronym), they are suing the Department of Natural Resources to stop two timber sales, one of them being a sale on our county trust land in North Mason County. Both of the timber sales are on lands that were logged before (second growth).

DNR has a habitat conservation plan. In a typical harvest, 50% of the forestland is not harvested because of stream and wetland buffers and saving the most structured and older trees for wildlife.

DNR lands are certified by Forest For All Over (FSC) and Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) as the lands are managed to meet and exceed these certifications. Next time you buy lumber, look and ask for FSC and SFI certifications.

From 2016 to 2022, county trust lands have provided millions of dollars of nontax revenue. In fact, one relatively small junior district, the Port of Allyn, received $90,000 in 2018.

If MCCJFDC succeeds in stopping timber sales on our trust lands, then Mason County will have to raise taxes or cut services. The services funded by the county trust lands include sheriff, fire departments, hospitals, roads, libraries, general services, ports and more.

MCCJFDC suggested that other forests could be bought to provide revenue. But whose forests would they buy? Green Diamond, Rayonier, Manke or someone’s backyard’s 5 acres?

Timber companies might not want to sell their forests, because they have invested in growing them for their own profit and for their mills that need logs, some of which are in Mason County. When would they be ready to harvest? Very doubtful a company such as Green Diamond would sell valuable timber they have invested some years in growing to sell them to the government?

Is the Legislature willing to cough up millions of dollars of the taxes we pay to purchase replacement timber lands in Mason County?  

This idea of taking away our productive county trust lands to buy other forests makes no sense. Mason County cannot afford MCCJFDC’s climate justice.

Please stand up for county trust lands. They are not for the taking.

Phil Wolff, Grapeview

9-cent bill

Editor, the Journal,

Imagine my surprise when I received a bill for 9 cents from Mason County Garbage. I laughed that they would mail a 9-cent bill with a 63-cent stamp! I quit laughing when I saw that they would discontinue my service if they didn’t receive payment by the end of the month. As I had just mailed my check for my monthly bill, I couldn’t just add it on there. So I wrote a check for 9 cents and I placed a 63-cent stamp on the envelope and mailed it. Just seems like a lot of expense to me for a 9-cent bill.

Connie Moffatt, Shelton

Please help

Editor, the Journal,

I am writing to you today to share a devastating situation that has left me in dire need of assistance. I am a 54-year-old paraplegic man who recently had his vehicle stolen in the Larson Lake area in Belfair.

The car theft was already a traumatic experience for me, but the loss became even more significant when I discovered that my wheelchair, as well as all of my personal belongings, were still inside the car when it was stolen. Although the car was eventually recovered, my wheelchair and personal effects were nowhere to be found.

As a paraplegic, my wheelchair is an essential piece of equipment that I rely on every single day. Its loss has been incredibly difficult for me, limiting my mobility and independence. This situation is especially challenging at a time when the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made it even more difficult to access the help and support that I need.

I am humbly reaching out to my community for help. I have set up a GoFundMe page to help me cover the costs of purchasing a replacement wheelchair and other essential equipment that I have had to replace. Any contribution, no matter how small, would be greatly appreciated.

I am grateful for the time you have taken to read my story, and I hope that the Mason County community can rally behind me during this challenging time.

http://www.gofund.me/81fcaba0.

Charles Maier, Belfair

Believe in miracles

Editor, the Journal,

We live in such a beautiful area. Views of Mount Rainier, many nice lakes, the saltwater sound and the beautiful trees. Now that the sun has been coming out, wow! Such beauty and the spectacular blue sky adds to it. It makes life so interesting that I want to go exploring all those lakes, mountains, the sound, etc. Life is more fun with all this Mason County beauty.

Something has come into my life very recently, like last night, that makes this all the more sweet. For you see, I have pancreatic cancer with 90 days left, says my prognosis. The pain since August 2022 has been tough. Pain pills do not do a thing really. Friends yesterday said try a charcoal poultice. They even sent us all the things needed. My wife applied this charcoal last night and I could feel the pain leaving within the half hour and I had an excellent night of sleep. I think I'll be a charcoal salesman and go door to door bragging about what a beautiful county we have - especially when you have no pain. Yes, I do believe in miracles of healing. Things are prettier when you feel good.

Allen Radke, Shelton

So many troubles

Editor, the Journal,

How can we explain why the law-abiding tax-paying average citizen can expect to work hard to support themselves and their family, pay more taxes the more they earn, struggle to buy gas and food and pay rent or a mortgage, try to save some money for the future, pay exorbitantly for health care, and have personal freedoms more limited by the day. They can't expect peace or safety from local or state governments. They can't expect the police department (not their fault) to provide safety from lawbreakers. They can't expect home, family or belongings to be safe. They can't expect anymore that town sidewalks will be clean enough to walk on or that they can visit downtown stores in safety. They can expect local and state government to restrict them, tax them to support the above-mentioned social services, and grossly inconvenience them because it takes no backbone or political will to control a law-abiding citizen as opposed to catching, confining and punishing criminals and violent persons. A business owner can expect to be used by the city, state, and federal government as an ATM to support social policies and a bloated bureaucracy against their will. They can expect to be weighed down with fees, taxes and regulations that limit the business' ability to innovate and thrive. They can expect to be robbed at will with no recourse - and arrested if they try to defend the business themselves. On top of all that they can expect to be vilified by the public for being successful; as if it is immoral to keep the results of their hard work and distribute it as they see fit. There is a common saying: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Current state and local leadership may have meant well, but now it is plain for all to see how badly their policies and priorities serve the public - even harming those they meant to help.

The U.S. Constitution says "... all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

If you are unhappy with what you see around you, do what you can to make a real difference in your neighborhood, city, county and state. And use your vote and your voice to elect leadership that will put the safety, health, and happiness of law-abiding citizens before anything else. 

Brenda Windom, Shelton

What are they thinking?

Editor, the Journal,

Why do so many Republicans seem to favor their leadership as bullies instead of thoughtful?

Why has the Republican Party become the very type of culture-cancel organization that it pretends to rail against?

Why does the Republican leadership say so much to demonize hundreds of thousands of potential or newly minted residents? Don't they realize that does not make them seem presidential? It makes them look more like tyrants in training.Why do conservative leaders and justices believe our culture should live up to the intentions of constitutional framers? Don't they see those framers had no concept of such a progressive culture we have become that require rules and norms that reflect a different definition for how our societal order must be governed? Why did we provide for "amendments" to the Constitution that clarify or change words and concepts of the Constitution and Bill of Rights unless we have thoughtfully been able to see the errors or omissions of our original documents? Why is "democracy" claimed and bandied about so much by politicians? The word is not even mentioned in the Constitution and, it was the framers intent to avoid its "mob" style rule of government where the majority was able to control and dictate how things would be run. We are a "republic." A single sovereign state that belongs to the people and their elected representatives. And yet, the political party that calls itself Republican, seems taken by those with an intent on democracy control, not governance of a sovereign state. Yet Republicans have no monopoly on our elected governance's ills.Why does all the elected refuse to openly debate before those who elected them? Instead, the issues of governance have become insistent on having it "their" way and instead of hearing discussion and debate results we have surprise legislation or announced deals that were formulated in "back rooms." Hardly an example of representative government when the electorate must depend on findings given by staged press conference monologues, news source quotes, and interview shows that require an up-front payment from the electorate to even observe or hear. That does not seem to provide accountability or transparency the electorate's entitled to learn how its governance is being handled, right? So, that is my take on current governmental problems, and I really dislike this feeling of being entertained by my elected officials instead of fully informed, what say you?

G. Owen Ray, Allyn

Toxic sludge in bay

Editor, the Journal,

I am grateful for the beautiful patch of Mother Earth where I make my home, have raised my family, worked at Mason General Hospital and support my community. Having been lucky enough to travel a bit, I recall the pristine fjords of Norway, and the forested coasts of Sweden and Scotland which so remind me of home: Mason County.

So much bounty here, and so much need. I am proud of Taylor Shellfish and grateful for the occasional good they do for our area. I must disagree with letter-writer S. Whitehouse's assumptions and conclusion about a "cool" shellfish farm in Oakland Bay. We already have a "cool" mill to look through and around, not to mention "cool" log truck traffic and "cool" air pollution. Now a business giant in our community wants to add to the list of negatives: increased water pollution, possibly contaminated food products and disruption of a peaceful and beautiful vista. Since I learned, many years ago while attempting to rebuff The Adage incinerator project, of the multitude of harmful, lethal chemicals Rayonier dumped in Oakland Bay I have advised against eating any seafood originating there. These are not kind of bad chemicals, they are long-lived, cancer-causing dioxins. There is no safe limit of ingested dioxin. Rayonier stopped dumping their nasties in Oakland Bay when the shellfish all died off and many small-holding shellfish growers lost their livelihoods. The research I did was a few years back, but I recall it took four to five years and a big push from the community to support these small growers through a very hard time. The dioxin is still there, too difficult, too expensive to remove, I imagine. After that shellfish die off, which lasted several years, Rayonier started dumping in Goose Lake. You've heard of the three-headed frogs found up there? It also comes up as a possible site for housing or building but who wants to chance cancer for digging in the earth or using the water? Rayonier moved north, and as far as my memory serves, has shirked its responsibility to clean up - as much as can be done - either site. I suppose, and I'd like to know more, that modern shellfish growing doesn't allow the oysters to burrow in the lethal sludge that estimates have said were 10-plus feet thick. But if barges and anchors roil the sludge, won't that contaminate the crop? And cause the contaminants to move - perhaps threatening other fish and fowl? 

While Gig Harbor, for example, shines up its marina, has walks along the waterfront and encourages tourist visits with a museum, restaurants, antique shops and more - we contemplate adding an eyesore that serves one lucrative company to the detriment of thousands of residents and discourages tourism. I'm surprised Taylor would contemplate defiling the waterfront of the town and county that has supported them. Maybe they don't live or shop in Shelton? Maybe this "water grab" is just too profitable for them to leave the damaged, but beautiful Oakland Bay out of their acquisitive portfolio?

Maybe they don't eat oysters? 

It's going to take a lot of us, using our time and treasure to convince the Department of Ecology and Taylor Shellfish to look elsewhere. With a very business-oriented commission, and our politicians all firmly in that "business first" column (you voted them in folks) I see a disaster in the making.Have we learned nothing from Hanford? Still no way of safely stabilizing radioactive waste. Same with dioxins. I wouldn't take a chance buying or eating anything caught or raised in Oakland Bay. Be careful about the Department of Ecology saying "probably OK" or words to that effect. Standards change, science gains knowledge and proof, and cancer doesn't stop affecting us while we learn more. 

And then there's Sherwood Forest, another tree-grab ecological disaster.

At a time when sequestered carbon is a watchword, a bulwark against dangerous weather patterns that help drive migrants north from the equator, we are selling off our protection, our buffer which is bad for forest neighbors, bad for the wildlife that live there and bad for the planet.

Constance Simpson, Shelton

High horse

Editor, the Journal,

In the May 4 issue of the Journal, Mr. Graham challenged me to a substitution word game and suggested I start with the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022." OK. How about renaming it the "Infrastructure Rebuilding Act," like the wonderful infrastructure rebuilding plan that DJT promised but which never materialized because he was either too busy building his wall, banning Muslims, starting a tariff war with China or revamping the tax structure to permanently lower business taxes but only temporarily lower individual income taxes. Yes, yes, you can whine all you want about the cost of living because of Biden policies but it's not strictly an American phenomenon. It's worldwide. Most economists I read appear to still consider it a residual effect of the COVID pandemic yet none of these pundits have a solution. However, I'm sure you have a solution, Mr. Graham. So what is it? Another business tax reduction? I remember you really cheered DJT's tax reduction that drove the U.S. further into debt to the tune of $5.5 trillion. Could it be that your taxes are sheltered and are minimal as they're tied to the outrageous profits being reaped by big businesses, like banks, oil companies, etc.? Get off your high horse, Mr. Graham and join the rest of us groveling to make ends meet. At least the monies from the IRA of 2022 are going to states to pay for something rather than going directly into the pockets of the wealthiest 1%.

Bill Pfender, Shelton