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Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
January 21, 1999     Shelton Mason County Journal
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January 21, 1999
 
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"9ournal of__O00 Readers' 9ournal: iI00E We have a dream t More than mone00K, We have a dream. The dream is that we will stop receiving Editor, The Journal: This year they ve started a n Edit°z letters to the editor like the one printed at the bottom of this This is in response to the let- math program at the prim: The page. At first we thought there must be some mistake, that it ters printed last Thursday re- building. It is fantastic! H :c°unu actually had been sent to The Macon County Journal 100 years ' • ue of garding the bond at Pioneer theyre teaching those kids wo: ago, lost in the dead-letter box at the post office until this week School. I think there's a whole lot I learned in ninth-grade alge who g and accidentally delivered to us 3,000 miles from its original more to it than just mo,ney And, their approach to troublserves destination. But it was written today, in Mason County. Pioneer s asking us to vote yes for a new high school. They are Its author has two problems. He has a problem with really excited about all the possi- paying government workers to relax on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday while he toils. That's fair enough. What's not fair is his having a problem with youth is superb. They have a: school lutions center in each school  r:S:g l teaches the kids to solve tl own problems. They've also g$ or program called "Second Stl our fir • , creed t that teaches our kids how to u . • - lic sct with their emotions ana ways: solve their problems be fo_,re prll public lems ever occur. Pioneer s b:ithese - --d never ing self-esteem from the morn people whose skin is black. He advises us that his remarks are not to be construed as racist. That's like saying the ocean should not be construed as salty. He starts with a cute remark about King's weight, in- sults the accomplishments of King's children, then tells us King was a womanizer and became an FBI surveil- lance target because he was so dangerous. Then he gets into the meat of what he's really trying to say - that blacks are prone to criminal activity, that one-third of them are on the public dole and that they produce scads of illegitimate children, and worst of all, he's got to pay for it. Lastly, he returns to the subject of King with the brilliant remark that King's dream was a nightmare. To make one point, he even misquotes King as saying, "Judge my children not by the color of their skin but by the content of their deeds," so he can insult their deeds. King said, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a na- tion where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." He thinks dry statistics prove his points. Dry statistics are fine to show that a social problem exists, but the his- torical facts of slavery, oppression and racism that have been a detriment to the black race are missing from his equation. It's amazing that the victims of historical op- pression can become the bad guys in his mind. They are no more responsible for living in poverty and having lit- tle opportunity than he is for oppressing their ances- tors. A white American today cannot be held responsible for his ancestors owning slaves or running Indians off their land. But he is responsible for how he treats those of other races today. Minorities really can't win when dealing with the mind of a racist. A black from a broken family with no hope, no education and no job is worthless. A black who succeeds in spite of the roadblocks put in his path must have been given preferential treatment. A Hispanic who comes to this country but can't find backbreaking or menial work is a drain on the system. A His- panic who comes to this country and finds backbreaking or me- nial work is taking a job away from a white person, even though employers say. they, can't get white people to do the work. An Indian who doesn t want to play by the white man s rat-race rules is lazy. An Indian who has the work ethic to earn a living fishing is taking fish from white fishermen and should be required to fish with a spear and a canoe. ' The racist white man always has to have it both ways. He accumulates material goods to provide for his chil- dren and grandchildren. He can't see that that's exactly what the Indians were doing when they signed a treaty - providing for their children and grandchildren. He wants the benefit of owning the 200 acres his great- great-grandfather settled in the 1800s and wants to en- joy the fruits of a business his grandfather started 50 years ago but wants to deny an Indian the fish a great- great-grandfather left the Indian in 1855. He makes smart remarks about blacks having illegitimate children and misses the headline in The Journal when lily- white Mason County has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the state. He makes judgments about an entire race based on the actions of some members of that race and would be the first to decry a city slicker making sweeping as- sumptions about his rural county being nothing but red- necks because of a bad experience in a local watering hole. Had our letter writer been born black, would he have stayed out of prison, never needed public assistance and not fathered any illegitimate children? His own statistics damn him. He would have stood a real good chance of having a tough life. In- stead, he was blessed. He never had to live a life in which peo- ple judged him by the color of his skin. This week's letter, which speaks for many, only proves how far we have to go in loving others despite who they are. We may be three generations removed from Japa- nese internment and two generations removed from Ne- groes riding in the back of the bus and one generation removed from American soldiers killing gooks, but we are also zero generations removed from someone drag- ging a black man behind a vehicle on a rope and zero generations from a gay man being beaten and left to die. King once said he'd been to the mountaintop and seen the promised land of racial equality. We like the view from that mountaintop better than what we see from the pit where this letter was written, - CG i"""l Ra HTC TC,IN' ?  Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, January 21, 1999 bilities! You know folks, Pioneer is a school of doers. And they've got the track record to prove it. Their reading program has been in place for three years. The kids who have been through it test out in the 60 to 90 percentile bracket nationwide. Do you remember last year when Pioneer kids went to the Capitol to read? Did you know legislators also toured at Pioneer? Did you go to their technology fair last Thursday? Weren't you im- pressed? the kids enter the school. The ever b, even got an award-winning r of the cle program! i and st Aren't you the least bit ested in seeing what they'll with a high school? I am. CharismaFest 2000 coming By DAVE BARRY As we, the American people, approach the new millennium, we face many troubling questions. One is: How can we, as a nation, be sure that we have spelled "millennium" correctly? The easi- est way is to remember the old poem that we were all taught back in elementary school: Two "n"s and two "r's You've spelled it quite well One 'T' or one "n" You're a big fat stupid hen. But an even bigger question facing us, as we approach the year 2000, is: Can we, as a na- tion, get past the divisiveness, the bitterness, the sliminess - in short, the Jerry-Springer-ness that plagued us throughout 19987 It will not be easy. The American public is still deeply divided, ac- cording to a recent Gallup Poll showing that: - 72 percent of the public agrees with the 'statement, "President Clinton has been pun- ished enough." - 71 percent of the public agrees with the statement, "President Clinton has not been punished enough." - 73 percent of the public agrees with the statement, "The Grand Canyon was created by a race of fierce, prune-eating ham- sters from space." These poll results remind us, as if we needed reminding, that the public cannot be trusted to decide any issue more complex than "eat in" vs. "take out." That is why we need leadership, de- fined, in the United States Con- stitution, as "white men in dark suits, and possibly Elizabeth Dole." Even as you read these words, such men are gearing up for the 2000 presidential cam- paign - a campaign that promises to deliver all the drama and high- voltage, spine-tingling excitement that is evoked by the phrase "Lamar Alexander." That's right: Lamar - a man who lights up a room the way a Zippo lights up Mammoth Cave - is one of the leading Republicans now "testing the waters." Other potential GOP timbers include George Herbert Walker Thurston Crumpet Bush Jr., Steve "51 Years Without Blinking" Forbes, somebody named "John" and the late Calvin Coolidge. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, the big news is the official formation of a campaign organi- zation for - get ready - Al Gore. This should come as a big sur- prise to anybody who has spent his or her entire life locked inside a meat freezer, because A1 has basically been running for presi- dent since he emerged from the womb, clutching, in his tiny hand, a position paper on breastfeeding. Al's biggest drawback is that he appears stiff in public, to the point where sometimes, when he's carrying out his primary constitu- tional duty as vice president - which is to stand behind the pres- ident and look earnest while the president issues his daily apology to the nation - A1 will look down and see beavers gnawing on his shins. Al's main rival for the Demo- cratic presidential nomination is former Senator Bill Bradley, a man who, in terms of his ability to fire up a crowd, makes Al look like K.C. and the Sunshine Band. Other leading Democrats testing the waters include Gary "Why Not?" Hart, somebody named "John," and Dick Gephardt, who has had over 600 gallons of Ro- gaine injected into his forehead in a so-far-unsuccessful attempt to grow eyebrows. So there you have the main contenders in the upcoming presi- dential race, aka CharismaFest 2000. Over the next year, each of these men will try to develop a Vision For The Future, defined as "around $40 million in cash." They will use some of this vision to pay for polls so they can find out what their views are; they will use the rest for TV commer- cials explaining these views in terms that are understandable to the average American voter or cocker spaniel ("Vote for John. You like John. John have same views as you. See John with fami- ly! See John wear dark suit! John very good. Other man very bad. Remember: John."). At this point, the question that is on your mind, if you care about the future of this nation, is: "Wouldn't 'The Fierce Prune-Eat- ing Hamsters from Space' be an excellent name for a rock band?" I think we can all agree that it  would. I think we can also agree that America desperately needs a new kind of presidential can- didate - not another droning, wingtipped, intern-groping, lip- biting, political clone who can't burp without putting out a press release; but a normal person, a regular guy, a plain-talking "Joe Sixpack" type of individual who has spent his life working in the REAL world, developing honest calluses on his hands and honest sweat stains in both of his arm- pits from toiling away at the harsh, sometimes brutal, but vitally necessary job of producing one humor column per week. Does such a person exist? To answer that question, in the next few months I will personally con- duct an intensive nationwide search, traveling, if necessary, to all four corners of my office. Let us hope, as Americans, that I find this unique individual; and let us further hope that, if I do find him, I can persuade him to run for president and accept our contri- butions, preferably in cash. I will keep you posted on my efforts, so you should monitor this space. Remember: Dave. Closer scrutiny of Dr. King Editor, Belfair Herald: With due respect to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his family on his birthday (January 15), we once again pay homage to the icon of civil rights. For the em- ployees of government and other state and local agencies, it means a day of pay while you lay. For the rest of us working peons, it means show up for work or it's two checks and a road map. Thus, it's this showing of inept at- titude and lack of solidarity be- hind this misgiving holiday that What did the sign on John Glenn's office door say when he took his re- cent out-of-this-world ex- cursion? "Out To Launch." warrants this letter and a closer scrutiny of Dr. King. The results may be surprising but not untrue. The damning stats are government and FBI. The ad libs are mine and not to be construed as racist, only to clear the air. So with a show and tell, question and answer forum of three we list them below. Q: Did not King say he has climbed the mountain? A: Yes, but impossible, being over weight, 10 stairs would be a major feat. Q: Did he not say, judge my children not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their deeds? A: Again right. But on a scale of 1 to 10, they rate a four. Q: Was Martin L. King, Jr. a racist? A: Certainly not. While mar- ried to a courageous black lady, on the very day he was shot, a snow driven white lady shared his bed. Q: Was not King an object of constant surveillance by the FBI? A: Yes. J. Edgar Hoover knew where he walked, riots could fol- low. Q: What percentage of blacks make up the total population? A: That's easy, 13 percent and 34 million strong. Q: Are black males prone to criminal activity? A: According to the FBI, one in four of all black males between the ages of 18 through 25 are either entering or leaving the penal system on any given day. This is called rotation or soul buddy system. Q: What percentage of the 34 million are on public dole? A: Interesting numbers as gov- errment statistics show, 34 per- cent, or a little more than 1 of 3. Q: Are blacks losing the race of producing illegitimate children? A: Never. They are the envy of automated production lines. Q: Who pays for all of this? A: Need I honor that question with a reply? Q: Did Martin L. King, Jr. really have a dream? A: Does ice freeze in hell? What he thought to be a dream was a terrible nightmare that forever we must pay for. Q: Then why must I abide to this holiday? A: Depends who you work for. But I'm on my way. Don Brighton Belfair Make inve Editor, The Journal: How many of us have gone to public schools, have had children in public schools and care about educating the future leaders and citizens of our community? The Hood Canal School levy is not a new tax. This levy is simply a renewal of operating funds for the school district's general budget. The money is used for the basic curriculum, maintenance needs, transportation and for al- lowing our students to have after- school transportation for acade- mic and athletic events just like other schools. Educating students wil the above is like t house without the certainly don't want to pay costs for citizens who can't jobs or end up in trouble of poor education. Think of the Hood Ca School levy as a small investmi that will pay big dividends. Spi just a few minutes and a few d!tl' lars for our kids. Vote "yes  $-: your absentee ballot or go to polls on February 2. The kids i worth it. ] Tammy Pie ' Hoodspi Signs vandalized I i l Editor, The Journal: a grave action and serious br¢ Somebody has been breaking of freedom of choice, and franl off the school signs advertising I personally feel that it is equa the upcoming Pioneer district as serious as assassinating a bond for the new high school, tician because a person is una Both sides of the road at Deer to achieve his or her own politi Creek were vandalized, or social agenda through a de cratic process. ']'.! This is not how we should do jeff Watil things in the USA. I consider this Shelt¢- G oppo " reat rtumty i ! Editor, The Journal: the 8 a.m. start time) and wh! Pioneer School District voters bus drivers can shave 20 to,$ have been receiving and hearing miles per day from their rout information about the great say- that's a transportation opport ings to the taxpayers for the Fe- ty! :' bruary 2 facilities bond which in- But, in my opinion, the gre t cludes a high school, additional est, most awesome opportuniti classrooms for the primary build- of all are: 1) the opportunity ing and renovation to the inter- create a high school curricul mediate/middle school buildings, program from conception to i The great news is that the per- plementation by interested stg thousand-dollar amount has students, parents and citizens dropped from $1.91 to $1.31. Pioneer - a program that mee What a financial opportunity! students' needs, that is inns€ When the bond passes, and tive and that is relevant to edu¢ Pioneer School District becomes tion's and society's needs in an independent high school dis- next millennium, and 2) to stafl trict; that will be both a commun- with the very best educators wit[ ity opportunity and a facilities op- can be recruited. When the bo portunityl Not only will the passes, it will require two to tl Pioneer students benefit from un- years before the high schoO crowded, modern, well-lighted, doors open. What a window structurally safe and new class- time for the advertising, scre rooms, but adults will be able to ing, interviewing, hiring and use the high school in the even- servicing of teachers, administr ings for continuing education tors and support staffi classes, adult improvement, The time is now! The opport and/or community meetings, nities are as many and as good When students don't have to they are ever going to get. Ho spend up to four hours daily fully, the voters in Pioneer Sch¢ transportation time (our earliest District will take advantage high school pickup time is 6:11 vote"yes"for this bond. a.m. in order for the student to Peg St0 arrive at Shelton High School for Shelt tiuiiiiitfttiitiiiiiti| ShMton OMk/ty F USPS 492-800 I Edit . ;! To POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason i voter County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.  ing F Published weekly by Shelton Publishing Inc. at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton Washingtii Febri Consi Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone (360) 426-4412 Second-class postage paid at Shelton, Washington Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $25.00 per year in-county address, $35.00 per year in state of Washington $45.00 per year out of st$| Chades Gay, editor and publisher. Nawsroom: Carolyn Maddux, managing editor; Ste¢ Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools; Mary Dunc$€ society editor, county government; Sean Hanlon, police, courts, Port of Shelton. Advertleln| Stephen Gay, advertising manager; Janet Daugherty and Dave Pledk, ad sales. Front offl Julie Orme, business manager; Vicld Kamin, circulation; Donna Dooms, bookkeeper; J Mahony, office assistant. Compoain 9 room: Diane Rtordan, supervisor; Margot Brand e# Jan Kallinen, paste-up; Koleen Wood, typesetter and computer system manager; Karl Fre computer ad layout and computer system manager; Cynthia Meyer, proofreader. Pressroo Robert Rodriguez, production foreman; Roger Lawson, darkroom; Kelly Riordan, pressm$ ii (1) whet] for a we h the S or t[ bond. (2) us $1 of ev bond (due mark (3 "9ournal of__O00 Readers' 9ournal: iI00E We have a dream t More than mone00K, We have a dream. The dream is that we will stop receiving Editor, The Journal: This year they ve started a n Edit°z letters to the editor like the one printed at the bottom of this This is in response to the let- math program at the prim: The page. At first we thought there must be some mistake, that it ters printed last Thursday re- building. It is fantastic! H :c°unu actually had been sent to The Macon County Journal 100 years ' • ue of garding the bond at Pioneer theyre teaching those kids wo: ago, lost in the dead-letter box at the post office until this week School. I think there's a whole lot I learned in ninth-grade alge who g and accidentally delivered to us 3,000 miles from its original more to it than just mo,ney And, their approach to troublserves destination. But it was written today, in Mason County. Pioneer s asking us to vote yes for a new high school. They are Its author has two problems. He has a problem with really excited about all the possi- paying government workers to relax on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday while he toils. That's fair enough. What's not fair is his having a problem with youth is superb. They have a: school lutions center in each school  r:S:g l teaches the kids to solve tl own problems. They've also g$ or program called "Second Stl our fir • , creed t that teaches our kids how to u . • - lic sct with their emotions ana ways: solve their problems be fo_,re prll public lems ever occur. Pioneer s b:ithese - --d never ing self-esteem from the morn people whose skin is black. He advises us that his remarks are not to be construed as racist. That's like saying the ocean should not be construed as salty. He starts with a cute remark about King's weight, in- sults the accomplishments of King's children, then tells us King was a womanizer and became an FBI surveil- lance target because he was so dangerous. Then he gets into the meat of what he's really trying to say - that blacks are prone to criminal activity, that one-third of them are on the public dole and that they produce scads of illegitimate children, and worst of all, he's got to pay for it. Lastly, he returns to the subject of King with the brilliant remark that King's dream was a nightmare. To make one point, he even misquotes King as saying, "Judge my children not by the color of their skin but by the content of their deeds," so he can insult their deeds. King said, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a na- tion where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." He thinks dry statistics prove his points. Dry statistics are fine to show that a social problem exists, but the his- torical facts of slavery, oppression and racism that have been a detriment to the black race are missing from his equation. It's amazing that the victims of historical op- pression can become the bad guys in his mind. They are no more responsible for living in poverty and having lit- tle opportunity than he is for oppressing their ances- tors. A white American today cannot be held responsible for his ancestors owning slaves or running Indians off their land. But he is responsible for how he treats those of other races today. Minorities really can't win when dealing with the mind of a racist. A black from a broken family with no hope, no education and no job is worthless. A black who succeeds in spite of the roadblocks put in his path must have been given preferential treatment. A Hispanic who comes to this country but can't find backbreaking or menial work is a drain on the system. A His- panic who comes to this country and finds backbreaking or me- nial work is taking a job away from a white person, even though employers say. they, can't get white people to do the work. An Indian who doesn t want to play by the white man s rat-race rules is lazy. An Indian who has the work ethic to earn a living fishing is taking fish from white fishermen and should be required to fish with a spear and a canoe. ' The racist white man always has to have it both ways. He accumulates material goods to provide for his chil- dren and grandchildren. He can't see that that's exactly what the Indians were doing when they signed a treaty - providing for their children and grandchildren. He wants the benefit of owning the 200 acres his great- great-grandfather settled in the 1800s and wants to en- joy the fruits of a business his grandfather started 50 years ago but wants to deny an Indian the fish a great- great-grandfather left the Indian in 1855. He makes smart remarks about blacks having illegitimate children and misses the headline in The Journal when lily- white Mason County has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the state. He makes judgments about an entire race based on the actions of some members of that race and would be the first to decry a city slicker making sweeping as- sumptions about his rural county being nothing but red- necks because of a bad experience in a local watering hole. Had our letter writer been born black, would he have stayed out of prison, never needed public assistance and not fathered any illegitimate children? His own statistics damn him. He would have stood a real good chance of having a tough life. In- stead, he was blessed. He never had to live a life in which peo- ple judged him by the color of his skin. This week's letter, which speaks for many, only proves how far we have to go in loving others despite who they are. We may be three generations removed from Japa- nese internment and two generations removed from Ne- groes riding in the back of the bus and one generation removed from American soldiers killing gooks, but we are also zero generations removed from someone drag- ging a black man behind a vehicle on a rope and zero generations from a gay man being beaten and left to die. King once said he'd been to the mountaintop and seen the promised land of racial equality. We like the view from that mountaintop better than what we see from the pit where this letter was written, - CG i"""l Ra HTC TC,IN' ? HHH Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, January 21, 1999 bilities! You know folks, Pioneer is a school of doers. And they've got the track record to prove it. Their reading program has been in place for three years. The kids who have been through it test out in the 60 to 90 percentile bracket nationwide. Do you remember last year when Pioneer kids went to the Capitol to read? Did you know legislators also toured at Pioneer? Did you go to their technology fair last Thursday? Weren't you im- pressed? the kids enter the school. The ever b, even got an award-winning r of the cle program! i and st Aren't you the least bit ested in seeing what they'll with a high school? I am. CharismaFest 2000 coming By DAVE BARRY As we, the American people, approach the new millennium, we face many troubling questions. One is: How can we, as a nation, be sure that we have spelled "millennium" correctly? The easi- est way is to remember the old poem that we were all taught back in elementary school: Two "n"s and two "r's You've spelled it quite well One 'T' or one "n" You're a big fat stupid hen. But an even bigger question facing us, as we approach the year 2000, is: Can we, as a na- tion, get past the divisiveness, the bitterness, the sliminess - in short, the Jerry-Springer-ness that plagued us throughout 19987 It will not be easy. The American public is still deeply divided, ac- cording to a recent Gallup Poll showing that: - 72 percent of the public agrees with the 'statement, "President Clinton has been pun- ished enough." - 71 percent of the public agrees with the statement, "President Clinton has not been punished enough." - 73 percent of the public agrees with the statement, "The Grand Canyon was created by a race of fierce, prune-eating ham- sters from space." These poll results remind us, as if we needed reminding, that the public cannot be trusted to decide any issue more complex than "eat in" vs. "take out." That is why we need leadership, de- fined, in the United States Con- stitution, as "white men in dark suits, and possibly Elizabeth Dole." Even as you read these words, such men are gearing up for the 2000 presidential cam- paign - a campaign that promises to deliver all the drama and high- voltage, spine-tingling excitement that is evoked by the phrase "Lamar Alexander." That's right: Lamar - a man who lights up a room the way a Zippo lights up Mammoth Cave - is one of the leading Republicans now "testing the waters." Other potential GOP timbers include George Herbert Walker Thurston Crumpet Bush Jr., Steve "51 Years Without Blinking" Forbes, somebody named "John" and the late Calvin Coolidge. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, the big news is the official formation of a campaign organi- zation for - get ready - Al Gore. This should come as a big sur- prise to anybody who has spent his or her entire life locked inside a meat freezer, because A1 has basically been running for presi- dent since he emerged from the womb, clutching, in his tiny hand, a position paper on breastfeeding. Al's biggest drawback is that he appears stiff in public, to the point where sometimes, when he's carrying out his primary constitu- tional duty as vice president - which is to stand behind the pres- ident and look earnest while the president issues his daily apology to the nation - A1 will look down and see beavers gnawing on his shins. Al's main rival for the Demo- cratic presidential nomination is former Senator Bill Bradley, a man who, in terms of his ability to fire up a crowd, makes Al look like K.C. and the Sunshine Band. Other leading Democrats testing the waters include Gary "Why Not?" Hart, somebody named "John," and Dick Gephardt, who has had over 600 gallons of Ro- gaine injected into his forehead in a so-far-unsuccessful attempt to grow eyebrows. So there you have the main contenders in the upcoming presi- dential race, aka CharismaFest 2000. Over the next year, each of these men will try to develop a Vision For The Future, defined as "around $40 million in cash." They will use some of this vision to pay for polls so they can find out what their views are; they will use the rest for TV commer- cials explaining these views in terms that are understandable to the average American voter or cocker spaniel ("Vote for John. You like John. John have same views as you. See John with fami- ly! See John wear dark suit! John very good. Other man very bad. Remember: John."). At this point, the question that is on your mind, if you care about the future of this nation, is: "Wouldn't 'The Fierce Prune-Eat- ing Hamsters from Space' be an excellent name for a rock band?" I think we can all agree that it  would. I think we can also agree that America desperately needs a new kind of presidential can- didate - not another droning, wingtipped, intern-groping, lip- biting, political clone who can't burp without putting out a press release; but a normal person, a regular guy, a plain-talking "Joe Sixpack" type of individual who has spent his life working in the REAL world, developing honest calluses on his hands and honest sweat stains in both of his arm- pits from toiling away at the harsh, sometimes brutal, but vitally necessary job of producing one humor column per week. Does such a person exist? To answer that question, in the next few months I will personally con- duct an intensive nationwide search, traveling, if necessary, to all four corners of my office. Let us hope, as Americans, that I find this unique individual; and let us further hope that, if I do find him, I can persuade him to run for president and accept our contri- butions, preferably in cash. I will keep you posted on my efforts, so you should monitor this space. Remember: Dave. Closer scrutiny of Dr. King Editor, Belfair Herald: With due respect to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his family on his birthday (January 15), we once again pay homage to the icon of civil rights. For the em- ployees of government and other state and local agencies, it means a day of pay while you lay. For the rest of us working peons, it means show up for work or it's two checks and a road map. Thus, it's this showing of inept at- titude and lack of solidarity be- hind this misgiving holiday that What did the sign on John Glenn's office door say when he took his re- cent out-of-this-world ex- cursion? "Out To Launch." warrants this letter and a closer scrutiny of Dr. King. The results may be surprising but not untrue. The damning stats are government and FBI. The ad libs are mine and not to be construed as racist, only to clear the air. So with a show and tell, question and answer forum of three we list them below. Q: Did not King say he has climbed the mountain? A: Yes, but impossible, being over weight, 10 stairs would be a major feat. Q: Did he not say, judge my children not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their deeds? A: Again right. But on a scale of 1 to 10, they rate a four. Q: Was Martin L. King, Jr. a racist? A: Certainly not. While mar- ried to a courageous black lady, on the very day he was shot, a snow driven white lady shared his bed. Q: Was not King an object of constant surveillance by the FBI? A: Yes. J. Edgar Hoover knew where he walked, riots could fol- low. Q: What percentage of blacks make up the total population? A: That's easy, 13 percent and 34 million strong. Q: Are black males prone to criminal activity? A: According to the FBI, one in four of all black males between the ages of 18 through 25 are either entering or leaving the penal system on any given day. This is called rotation or soul buddy system. Q: What percentage of the 34 million are on public dole? A: Interesting numbers as gov- errment statistics show, 34 per- cent, or a little more than 1 of 3. Q: Are blacks losing the race of producing illegitimate children? A: Never. They are the envy of automated production lines. Q: Who pays for all of this? A: Need I honor that question with a reply? Q: Did Martin L. King, Jr. really have a dream? A: Does ice freeze in hell? What he thought to be a dream was a terrible nightmare that forever we must pay for. Q: Then why must I abide to this holiday? A: Depends who you work for. But I'm on my way. Don Brighton Belfair Make inve Editor, The Journal: How many of us have gone to public schools, have had children in public schools and care about educating the future leaders and citizens of our community? The Hood Canal School levy is not a new tax. This levy is simply a renewal of operating funds for the school district's general budget. The money is used for the basic curriculum, maintenance needs, transportation and for al- lowing our students to have after- school transportation for acade- mic and athletic events just like other schools. Educating students wil the above is like t house without the certainly don't want to pay costs for citizens who can't jobs or end up in trouble of poor education. Think of the Hood Ca School levy as a small investmi that will pay big dividends. Spi just a few minutes and a few d!tl' lars for our kids. Vote "yes  $-: your absentee ballot or go to polls on February 2. The kids i worth it. ] Tammy Pie ' Hoodspi Signs vandalized I i l Editor, The Journal: a grave action and serious br¢ Somebody has been breaking of freedom of choice, and franl off the school signs advertising I personally feel that it is equa the upcoming Pioneer district as serious as assassinating a bond for the new high school, tician because a person is una Both sides of the road at Deer to achieve his or her own politi Creek were vandalized, or social agenda through a de cratic process. ']'.! This is not how we should do jeff Watil things in the USA. I consider this Shelt¢- G oppo " reat rtumty i ! Editor, The Journal: the 8 a.m. start time) and wh! Pioneer School District voters bus drivers can shave 20 to,$ have been receiving and hearing miles per day from their rout information about the great say- that's a transportation opport ings to the taxpayers for the Fe- ty! :' bruary 2 facilities bond which in- But, in my opinion, the gre t cludes a high school, additional est, most awesome opportuniti classrooms for the primary build- of all are: 1) the opportunity ing and renovation to the inter- create a high school curricul mediate/middle school buildings, program from conception to i The great news is that the per- plementation by interested stg thousand-dollar amount has students, parents and citizens dropped from $1.91 to $1.31. Pioneer - a program that mee What a financial opportunity! students' needs, that is inns€ When the bond passes, and tive and that is relevant to edu¢ Pioneer School District becomes tion's and society's needs in an independent high school dis- next millennium, and 2) to stafl trict; that will be both a commun- with the very best educators wit[ ity opportunity and a facilities op- can be recruited. When the bo portunityl Not only will the passes, it will require two to tl Pioneer students benefit from un- years before the high schoO crowded, modern, well-lighted, doors open. What a window structurally safe and new class- time for the advertising, scre rooms, but adults will be able to ing, interviewing, hiring and use the high school in the even- servicing of teachers, administr ings for continuing education tors and support staffi classes, adult improvement, The time is now! The opport and/or community meetings, nities are as many and as good When students don't have to they are ever going to get. Ho spend up to four hours daily fully, the voters in Pioneer Sch¢ transportation time (our earliest District will take advantage high school pickup time is 6:11 vote"yes"for this bond. a.m. in order for the student to Peg St0 arrive at Shelton High School for Shelt tiuiiiiitfttiitiiiiiti| ShMton OMk/ty F USPS 492-800 I Edit . ;! To POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason i voter County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.  ing F Published weekly by Shelton Publishing Inc. at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton Washingtii Febri Consi Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone (360) 426-4412 Second-class postage paid at Shelton, Washington Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $25.00 per year in-county address, $35.00 per year in state of Washington $45.00 per year out of st$| Chades Gay, editor and publisher. Nawsroom: Carolyn Maddux, managing editor; Ste¢ Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools; Mary Dunc$€ society editor, county government; Sean Hanlon, police, courts, Port of Shelton. Advertleln| Stephen Gay, advertising manager; Janet Daugherty and Dave Pledk, ad sales. Front offl Julie Orme, business manager; Vicld Kamin, circulation; Donna Dooms, bookkeeper; J Mahony, office assistant. Compoain 9 room: Diane Rtordan, supervisor; Margot Brand e# Jan Kallinen, paste-up; Koleen Wood, typesetter and computer system manager; Karl Fre computer ad layout and computer system manager; Cynthia Meyer, proofreader. Pressroo Robert Rodriguez, production foreman; Roger Lawson, darkroom; Kelly Riordan, pressm$ ii (1) whet] for a we h the S or t[ bond. (2) us $1 of ev bond (due mark (3