Letters to the Editor

A message to a candidate

Editor, the Journal,

My response to Richard Beckman's announcement that he is running for the District 2 commissioner seat. First, Kevin Shutty has been present at many of our Mason County Fire District 12 meetings and Matlock community meetings. As one of the leaders of our community, I invite you to attend the next community meeting. I am not sure that Kevin did everything that he could do, but he did more than most of the elected officials. Thank you, Kevin, for giving the Matlock community your support.

Richard, if you do not know about the situation at MCFD 12, I suggest you get up to speed quickly. It is not a difficult task; you only need to visit our website matlockcommunity.com. There you can spend a few hours looking into what some voters in the Matlock community have uncovered about the misappropriation and possible outright theft of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. This fraud is at the hands of mostly one family dynasty and a few other incompetent dipsticks.

I've been told I have a loud voice on the west end of the county. Maybe, maybe not, but my signs on the hill outside of Dayton do raise awareness to taxpayer dollars being flushed down a family dynasty toilet.

Richard, if you want my vote and hundreds of voters behind me, you will look to do as much or more than Kevin Shutty did for the Matlock community. I hope you become informed on the ongoing theft and fraud occurring at MCFD No. 12. You say you support "equal respect" between residents and government. At MCFD No. 12, in Matlock, there is no "equal respect" between residents and government. The suspected perpetrators are in charge of the fire department. All other levels of government are saying it's not "our jurisdiction."

Dave Persell, Matlock

Please support West Mason Fire

Editor, the Journal,

As we all know, Mason County Fire District 12 has been under investigation for fraud. Unfortunately, the fire district to the east of Matlock has suffered greatly from this mistake. West Mason Fire, formerly District 16, is an all-volunteer fire department serving the citizens of Dayton, Shelton Valley, part of Union and the Skokomish Valley. They have been confused with Matlock several times and have been unable to gain support for their last two levy measures since the neighboring agencies' fraud was discovered.

I ask for your support to right this wrong and consider voting in the upcoming levy to be run by West Mason Fire in April. As you know, the fire department is essential to our community, providing vital services that keep us safe and protected. Even if you have never called 911, your neighbors and family benefit significantly from a well-funded fire department.

The reality is that West Mason Fire is facing budgetary constrictions without an EMS levy to support staffing and equipment maintenance. Without this funding, we risk losing essential services and putting our community at risk. The department is asking for an initial EMS levy of $.50 per $1,000 assessed value of your property. To make this easier, for a property assessed at $400,000, you would pay an additional $16.67 per month or $0.56 per day for full-time EMS response coverage.

I understand that no one likes to pay more taxes, but the cost of not supporting this levy would be far greater. A small investment in this fire department will pay dividends in improved safety and peace of mind for years to come.

Thank you for your support.

Sam Glover, Shelton

Trump's main man

Editor, the Journal,

Trump's "brains" come from someone little known to most of us - Stephen Miller, born in 1985, conservative Republican, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim extremist. After he read NRA Wayne LaPierre's book, "Guns, Crime and Freedom," opposing gun control of any type, and Rush Limbaugh's book, "The Way Things Ought to Be" while he was in high school, he became committed to belittling blue-collar workers such as janitors and others he believed were of lesser value than himself. After graduating from college, he worked for Tea Party Republican senators. In 2011, he joined the Trump team as top policy adviser and speech writer.

In September 2017, he stopped the Trump administration from showing the public a study of the positive effect on government revenues generated by immigrants. He advocated white identity politics and the removal of Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of Homeland Security, and others to advance his white nationalist agenda. In 2020's COVID-19 pandemic, Miller wanted to extend border restrictions long term with one-quarter million troops to be brought along to seal the entire border with Mexico. This is only one man and he is still top adviser to Trump. Wake up America. The time is now.

Edward H. Nelson, Union

Dems can't brag

Editor, the Journal,

After three weeks of Democrat attacks, I must respond. Democrats can't brag about President Joe Biden so ridicule former President Donald Trump and Trump supporters. Trump's political successes, such as closing the border, shines in contrast to Biden's failures. Ridiculing us is proof of their panic.

Letters from Pfender, Whittaker, Price, Bouton and others are written to drag us into their cesspool of politics. They have no pride in Biden but do have hatred toward Trump and contempt for Trump supporters. Bouton claims she supports law and order. I saw no letters from her condemning the destruction and deaths in the 2020 "Summer of Love" yet she's very outspoken about the Jan. 6 riots.

Democrats ignore Biden's continued failures like his cowardly retreat from Afghanistan leaving behind billions of dollars of military equipment with 13 U.S. deaths and abandonment of Afghan supporters. Democrats ignore Biden's open-border policy that's killing thousands of Americans who overdose on the smuggled drug fentanyl including the 26 fentanyl deaths in Mason County in 2023, according to the Mason County coroner.

Some Democrats proudly claim they never listen to biased news reporting. Others won't read Journal letters authored by conservative writers. I always listen to liberal news stations and read opposing letters. I want to know as much as possible about our political opponents. Trump haters and other Democrats evidently prefer ignorance to knowledge. Current insults are just a rehash of Hillary's 2016 "basket of deplorables." Democrats used the same strategy in 2020 and are doing it again in 2024. I'll let Democrats use personal insults in lieu of debate. They have nothing else!

Ardean Anvik, Shelton

Political weapons

Editor, the Journal,

Since my name was used in the Feb. 8 letter "To Democrats everything is political," I'd like to respond.

Let's look at a few issues that have become political weapons.

Which political party used COVID itself as well as vaccines, masks and shutdowns as political fodder?

Who is still using the secure 2020 election as a fear weapon? How about the 50-year settled law protecting women's and family rights?

This same party is destroying the very private lives of transgender people.

Banning drag shows, banning books, banning CRT (which isn't a thing in schools). Whitewashing and banning the uncomfortable history of this country.

Which party is afraid of giving people a chance with diversity, equity and inclusion? Which party is denying what we all saw, and have since learned, about Jan. 6?

Now they have crazy conspiracies about Taylor Swift.

Right now they could do something about our Southern border, but they won't simply because they do whatever their overlord tells them to do.

We all know which political party this is.

Mr. Graham, too bad you didn't use your time off from letter-writing to do some research on Christian nationalism, especially since you claim to be interested and think it's all made up.

Mr. Graham, I don't have a "fan club." I am glad more people are expressing their views. We are independent thinkers who are no longer going to let misinformation and right-out lies go unanswered.

Donna Holliday, Shelton

Democratic scribblers

Editor, the Journal,

Last year, in the May 11 Journal, I wrote a letter to the editor titled, "The usual suspects" in which I cornered and took to task the large number of Democratic scribblers contributing (the "usual suspects.") Well, here we go again.

In the Feb. 1, issue, a large beetle could have easily crawled across over half the letters page and stepped on entries by Katherine Price, Roderic Whittaker, Bill Pfender and Donna Holliday, all of Shelton. Most entries were party talking points.

I have only a few words each for our FWA (Future Writers of America):

Katherine Price, "What's Trump's appeal?" Ms. Price, what Democratic legal team/s came up with 91 felony charges - precisely? Real ones, please, and you said that Trump was twice impeached (You said this two times.) Well, no Katherine, he wasn't. He was put on trial twice for impeachment and found innocent twice. The truth works, if you care to use it. P.S. Jan. 6 was not an insurrection.

Roderic Whittaker "Emigrate to Russia." After an incoherent round of nasty name-calling, Mr. Whittaker (all by himself, we think) came up with, for Jan. 6, "MAGA Treason Day." Let's all stand and clap for an early April Fool's Day! Please Roderic, move to Russia.

Bill Pfender "Leapin' Lizards." Life is too short, Bill, to wade through all the events and curious websites you list, like "tinyurl.com/4hwddayz." I quit reading K. Harris' braying. By the way, you railed about logical fallacies yet committed one in your last sentence. ZZZZZZZ.

Donna Holliday "An innocent man?" Have you met Katherine Price? Same question to you as to Ms. Price on the 91 felony charges against Trump. And you do have some nerve, I would say, about having "evidence" on this. Your letters suggest you know nothing about "evidence."

R.E. Graham, Union