Letters to the Editor

Editor's note: The following letter appeared in last week's Journal with an incorrect headline. The Journal regrets the error and is re-running the letter with the correct headline.

Belfair Masons say thanks

Editor, the Journal,

The Belfair Masons who meet at the hall of Hood Canal Lodge hosted the 71st annual Easter dinner on Sunday, March 31. They have held this annual dinner every year since 1951 and it's open to the public. The only years this dinner has not been held were the periods not allowed by COVID. They would like to thank the North Mason businesses and families who donated money which was converted to dinner tickets. These tickets were passed on to North Mason Food Bank. Tickets were then given to people in need to attend the dinner.

The donors are as follows: 

Cascade Floral Products; North Mason Fiber; Les Schwab Tire; Belfair Bob's Locksmith; Scott McLendon's Hardware; Olympia Federal Savings; Edward Jones Financial; Barbara Huson (Reid Realty); Peggy Huson; Andy and Pam Withers; Dan and Vicki Voorhees; Jimmy and Kaylene Johnson; and Bill Crockett.

Peninsula Topsoil & Landscape, Belfair Landing and Reid Realty were kind enough to provide advertising on their digital signs to promote the dinner.

Darold Ison, Shelton

In honor of Mother's Day

Editor, the Journal,

On Memorial Day, we honor the military, especially our combat veterans, living and dead. They are our heroes who kept us safe from military invaders and dictatorial warlords of the world.

But we need to honor one other individual on her day as she sends her best and brightest into harm's way. I offer this to mothers who sent her children to war and mothers of children currently serving in our military. They are keeping America safe from harm.

"The Mother on the Sidewalk"

By Edgar A. Guest, 1881-1959

Written in 1942, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

"The mother on the sidewalk as the troops are marching by

Is the mother of Old Glory that is waving in the sky.

Men have fought to keep it splendid, men have died to keep it bright,

But that flag was born of woman and her sufferings day and night;

'Tis her sacrifice has made it, and once more we ought to pray

For the brave and loyal mother of the boy that goes away.

There are days of grief before her, there are hours that she will weep,

There are nights of anxious waiting when her fear will banish sleep;

She has heard her country calling and has risen to the test,

And has placed upon the altar of the nation's need, her best.

And no man shall ever suffer in the turmoil of the fray

The anguish of the mother of the boy who goes away.

You may boast men's deeds of glory, you may tell their courage great,

But to die is easier service than alone to sit and wait,

And I hail the little mother, with the tearstained face and grave,

Who has given the flag a soldier - she's the bravest of the brave.

And that banner we are proud of, with its red and blue and white

Is a lasting tribute holy to all mothers' love of right."

Ardean Anvik, Shelton

About plastic

Editor, the Journal,

A recent letter to the editor commented that it seemed illogical to ban plastic bags in grocery stores when the bulk of grocery products the author purchased were in plastic containers. I don't know if he was advocating for a complete ban on plastics - an impractical action given the ubiquity of plastics - but a significant reduction in plastics use is a critical need for Mason County and the entire planet.

Plastic pollution is a massive problem. As much as 23 million metric tons of plastic waste is estimated to have entered the ocean in 2016. A more recent study estimated over 170 trillion plastic particles are floating in the Earth's oceans. Plastic waste kills wildlife, degrades the environment, and after decaying into microparticles, enters human bodies. Tests on laboratory mice suggest negative impacts of microplastics on human health. A study published last March found new cardiac patients with microplastics in their arteries were 4.5 times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or die within three years.

So why start with a ban on single-use plastic shopping bags? One good reason is that such bans are effective in reducing the plastics entering the environment. For example, New Jersey's ban is estimated to annually reduce the number of plastic bags by 5.51 billion. There is, however, a more personal reason I applaud the plastic bag ban. As the Legislature recognized when enacting the ban, lightweight and flimsy plastic bags are one of the most commonly found litter on state roads, beaches and other public places. I regularly pick up trash on our access to a state highway. So, I wholeheartedly appreciate the reduction of this blight on our community.

Janis Snoey, Shelton