Page A-4 - Mason County Journal - Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Navy training
for electronic
warfare here?
Editor, the Journal
What the beck is going on?
A few months ago, many
people witnessed a military
helicopter circling uncomfort-
ably low between Sanderson
Field and the Fred Meyer
parking lot at least 25 times.
The aircraft flew so low that
as it circled behind Wal-Mart,
it disappeared from sight com-
pletely.
This month, during the
week before OysterFest, Sand-
erson Field was being used
as a drop zone for military
parachute practice. During
this time, my wife was parked
in the Hiawatha area talking
to a friend on her cell phone.
While witnessing a military
helicopter pass overhead, she
and her friend lost all use of
their phones.
When she tried to call me,
her call was cut short after
three words. Having 21 years
of experience in the military,
including the Army Counter
Intelligence Corps (active) and
Office of Navy Intelligence
(reserve), I surmised that
the cause of the cutout was
electronic, maybe electronic
warfare (EF) or electronic
countermeasures (EC).
In 2007, Col. Sam Sevier
was appointed to the Sand-
erson Field 10- to 20-year
planning commission. His
biography includes thorough
experience in electronic war-
fare (EW).
"Reminiscent of its navy
heritage, Sanderson Field is
currently operated under joint
use agreement with the mili-
tary, which composes a large
portion of its traffic," accord-
ing to Historylink.org.
The Navy plans to estab-
lish the western half of the
Olympic Peninsula as a per-
manent electronic warfare
training range and build an
$11 million transmitting
tower at naval property in
Pacific Beach. Plans call for
three mobile units broadcast-
ing electromagnetic beams
for nine hours per day (45
minutes out of each hour for
12 hours per day) 260 days
per year. If people or large
animals stop and stay nearby,
the transmissions will be
stopped.
The Navy has said that ex-
posure of 15 minutes or more
[
the editor of local
We will
not publish letters that are deemed libelous or scurrilous in
nature. All letters must be signed and include the writer's name,
address and daytime phone number, which will be used for
verification purposes only. All letters are subject to editing for
length, grammar and clarity. To submit a letter, email letters@
masoncounty.com, drop it Off at 227 W. Cota St., or mail it to
P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
could cause damage to the seem to be poverty?
liquid tissue of the eyes, but If the Chamber of
Navy personnel say measures Commerce seeks to eliminate
taken to protect the public the consequences of poverty,
and animals will make it safe, then perhaps it can support
according to a Peninsula Daily programs that will actually
News article, help the poor instead of penal-
Can the dots be connected? izing them.
I would appreciate anyone's The Rev. Joe Mikel's sug-
take on the above, gestion of an ambassador pro-
gram would seem to be a step
Jacob R. Rufer in the right direction.
Shelton
Phyllis De Friese
Harstine Island
Criminalizing
dumpster Packaged food
diving is wrong problem: The
Editor, the Journal air in there
Before the city of Shel-
ton decides to criminalizeEditor, the Journal
dumpster diving, I hope they I recently bought a box of
consider the root causes for O1' Roy dog cookies. When I
activity. Do we really want opened the box, I was sur-
to issue citations for garbage prised to find it half full. Be-
"riffling?" ing surprised since I don't buy
People who go through much packaged food, I opened
dumpsters are not going to be a box of Panko bread crumbs.
those who can afford to pay Lo and behold, it was three-
the citation fines. Then what? quarters full. So now I'm won-
Are the Chamber of dering whether all packaged
Commerce and/or city busi-goods are packaged in boxes
ness owners suggesting that too big for the product.
these violators, unable to pay Living in Washington, I
such fines, be jailed? know how conservation-mind-
Are taxpayers really readyed people are. So my question
to pay those costs? And how is: Why are companies pack-
will that combat the source aging so that products take
of the problem, which would up more room on the shelves
Mason County
USPS 492-800
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mason
County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
Published weekly by the Mason County Journal
at 227 W. Cota St., Shelton, Washington.
Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584
Telephone (360) 426-4412
Website: www.masoncounty.com
Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington -
The Mason County Journal is
a member of the Washington
Newspaper Publishers' Association.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
$37 per year for Mason County
addresses,
$51 per year in the state of
Washington lout outside Mason
County and $61 per year out of stats.
Owned and published by
Shelton-Jason County Journal, Inc.
Tom Hyde, publisher
both in stores and homes, plus pr,,minent. We had aerospace
wasting our natural resourc- coz apanies and ITT Rayonier.
es? I know it has nothing to do Th ose things are gone, and
with deceiving, defrauding or th= Lt's not the EDC's fault, nor
just plain tricking the public. Ti] n's or Jay's.
No, it must be that they have However, because of career
a lot of leftover boxes they chq)ices they have made, they
need to use up before resizing, arvthe subjects of good and
criticism. Has Mason
Val Reineman Cgunty developed economi-
Shelton ca ly based on those templates
laid in 19857 What did I hear
at nding those meetings in
Template won't
bring surge in
local economy
Editor, the Journal
I graduated from Shelten
High School in 1985. That fall,
I enrolled in Society & the
Computer at The Evergreen
State College in Olympia.
Part of the program had us
writing MS-DOS programs
and the other part was study-
ing how humans search for
and react to change. As part
of my fulfillment of the course,
I was asked to study a group.
Lucky us.
I just happened to pick the
Mason County Economic De-
velopment Council. I don't re-
member their exact titles, but
Tim Sheldon led the meetings
and Jay Hupp was a promi-
nent participant.
EDC meetings were held
in the Aronson Building in
downtown Shelton. You en-
tered on West Cota Street
and zig-zagged your way into
a meeting room. The room
was decorated lavishly in
the 1970s with dark wooden
walls, brown shag carpet, TV,
stereo, poker table, full bar
and low, smoky lighting. It
kind of looked like the back
room at Nita's where the mer-
chants and managers would
chart the future in plain day-
light. I thought Ken Aronson's
room was a bit more private
and a lot more "man cave." It
was my introduction to busi-
ness in Shelton and Mason
County in 1985.
The players all congre-
gated in this space to plan in
semi-secrecy. My father was
a member, so I was in. I sat
there and observed perhaps
10 meetings during the school
year.
It's been 30 years. That's a
career's worth of time. Their
mission was to develop Mason
County's economy.
The EDC brought in the
players to make those goals a
reality. In 1985, timber was
Advertising:
Dave Pierik, Sr. Acct. Executive
Kathy Brooks, ad representative
Lloyd Mullen, ad representative
Newsroom:
Adam Rudnick, editor Front office:
Natalie Johnson, reporter Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper
Gordon Weeks, reporter Amanda Strand, circulation
Emily Hanson, sports reporter
Dawn Geluso, proofreader
19 5-86? What did Tim and
Jay say? I don't know; I lost
mynotes about 30 years ago.
IThe EDC and Chambers
of ommerce are designed to
bring businesses together. In
re,ent weeks, the Journal has
published articles about the
Sl elton chamber and the EDC
soliciting for talent and ideas.
Forterra has been asked to
gi?e Shelton an identity. Tax-
able sales are up about
30[ percent in the past two
years. Tourism is prosper-
ing in Mason County, and
it'S bringing a hip, educated
cr(,wd that's interested in our
cu: ture. You need a lot oftal-
en ;ed individuals to create a
m(,vement that is this notice-
ab e. How do we box it? We
do: ]'t. It can't be boxed.
Have any of the templates
w( rked? Templates come from
im lividuals who have specific
needs, and they are generally
mgney-related. Creativity is
driven by money. If it is,
it'S doomed to failure. In 2014,
talent is developed through
science, study, need and rep-
etltion. Public venues have
prbvided spaces and patrons.
In,
CU
ne
an
lie
SO
N(
an
be
tividuals connect through
ltural circles. They sponta-
msly influence one another
d refine the movement.
Each performance must be
Lged properly and fulfill an
expected need. That's why
much talent comes from the
rthwest.
Creating templates to
Lass talent is diffficult
.'ause culture is always
ch raging. It becomes gentri-
find when brought together by
individuals who want to capi-
ta] ize monetarily.
People will always be left
col ffused about why certain
pa ctnerships don't work. Tal-
en doesn't like to partner
im properly.
We protect it like a mama
be It's an ego thing.
Howard Leggett
Union
see LETTERS, page A-5
Composing room:
William Adams, graphics
Linda Frizzell, graphics
All editorial, advertising and 'legal
deadlines are 5 p.m. the Monday
prior to publication.
To submit a letter to the editor,
i email letters@masoncounty.com.
