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00ournal of Opinion:
Don't do the meth
One out of every 350 people in Mason County went to court
last year to face methamphetamine charges. We uncovered
that sad statistic by digging through 52 weeks of Journals after
being astounded at the proliferation of meth stories. One
hundred and forty-six people ended up in Mason County
Superior Court in 2006 because of Lhat filthy drug.
We're not pretending that the 146 people are the
extent of the tragedy. Those are just the ones who had a
run-in with the law over possessing or dealing meth.
The figure doesn't include other users or dealers or any
of the juveniles the drug has ensnared. The 146 all went
through adult court for those age 18 and older.
The research shows nothing "young" about the characters
involved with this crud. It's much like the abuse of alcohol -
spanning all ages. More than half of the defendants were at
least 30 years old; 43 were in their 30s, 39 in their 40s and four
in their 50s. They included a 40-year-old woman charged with
selling meth from the caretaker's house at Sand Hill Park, a
41-year-old woman accused of driving under the influence of
meth and killing someone in another car and a 35-year-old man
up on his 14th felony charge.
The Journal has published a couple of series about
this scourge over the last several years, and the regional
press is full of the grim facts as well. The stories detail
the immediate addiction and the physical effects on the
body. Tweakers stay awake for days on end, develop
mental problems and scratch themselves bloody because
it feels like they have bugs under their skin. The prison
system is spending millions of dollars on dental care for
inmates because meth makes their teeth fall out.
The latest bad news indicates that, while Washington
apparently cut the number of local meth labs by restricting
sales of cold medicines used to manufacture the drug, Mexican
and Californian meth has picked up the slack in supply. And
now meth cooks are adding candy flavors to their product,
evidently to make it more attractive to kids.
Meth's criminal-justice costs to local taxpayers total
hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, and the
human toll is immeasurable as it destrc,ys individuals
and families. Since the supply continues unabated, the
community needs to work in people's lives to curtail de-
mand, offering hope for the despondent, inspiration for
the aimless, passionate parenting for children, strong
education for all and treatment for meth's victims.
Dream on, buddy
It was interesting to hear comments about the February 22
editorial, "2020 vision," sketching a wish list for Mason County.
"Too bad it will never happen" and "Unfortunately I think it's a
pipe dream" were typical. Human nature might prevent the
2020 vision om happeoing, but the list wasn't outlandish. All
it would take would be :itizens setting a fbw priorities.
For instance, a multi-million-dollar Mason County
Foundation endowment in 13 years isn't a stretch. Four
hundred people die here each year, many with nice
estates., Suppose 10 a year left $10,000 to the foundation
and it let the interest build at first. The pile would total
more than $2 million by 2020 if a few fund-raisers and
corporate donations sweetened the pot along the way.
You want outlandish? It's 2020 and a viaduct comes off the
Hillcrest hill, bypassing First Street and going over the rail-
road tracks to connect to Front Street. Everyone volunteers two
hours a week, even children learning to serve, so the county
benefits from more than five million volunteer hours per year.
A community school with volunteer instructors using
school buildings at night offers 200 classes and activities
attended by thousands 'of adults and children who have
turned off their TVs and eschewed constant electronic
communication and play for human contact. Education
is so emphasized that 95 percent, not 65 percent, of
children graduate from high school and students here
laugh in the face of state tests that are beneath their
ability. The University of Shelton has 2,000 students.
Shelton's post office has an attractive brick wall out back,
not early 21st Century prison architecture. Highway 3 north of
Shelton has passing lanes every two miles. The 1,000-seat
amphitheater at the fairgrounds hosts a summer bluegrass fes-
tival, the Festival of Hope, OystdrFest shucking, the Shelton
High School orchestra's June concert, a community passion
play and various concerts. Full express buses leave Shelton for
Olympia every 10 minutes between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m.
Shelton has a museum of fine arts. A local church
establishes a mission of free drug rehabilitation for any-
one who wants it. Intramural sports programs involve
half of each school's students, who are fit and trim.
Time for us to wake up and smell the coffee.
-CG
un ¸
ournal
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason
County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
Published weekly by Shelton Publishing Inc. at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton, Washington
Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584
Telephone (360) 426-4412 • www.masoncounty.com
Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington
Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $31.00 per year in-county address,
$45.00 per year in state of Washington $55.00 per year out of state
Charles Gay, editor and publisher. Newsroom: Seen Hanlon, managing editor, Port of Shelton;
Steve Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools; Rebecca
Wells, society editor, county government; Mary Duncan, police, courts. Advertising: Stephen
Gay, advertising manager; Dave Pierik and Harvey Morris, ad sales. Front office: Julie Orme,
business manager; Kathy Lester, circulation; Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper; Cricket Carter, mailroom
supervisor. Composing room: Diane Rtordan, supervisor; Margot Brand, Jan Kallinen, pagination;
Monica Carvajel-Beben, pagination, darkroom; Koleen Wood, typesetter, computer system manager;
Colleen Scott, ad builder, computer system manager; Clinton Kendall, proofreader. Pressroom: Kelly
Riordan, pressman; Nick Cart, pressman's assistant.
u
Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, March 8, 2007
i00eaders" 00ournal:
NASCAR fans deserve respect
Editor, The Journal:
Today on Fox News it was re-
ported that Democrat Larry Sea-
quist, when being interviewed
about NASCAR, stated, "We don't
want people of" his kind coming
into our state." Then another offi-
cial also from Washington added
his comments about "toothless
rednecks with beer bellies."
Being a resident of the state of
Washington and a NASCAR fan I
am highly incensed by this pious
person who thinks he is so high
and mighty and can say such de-
meaning remarks about the peo-
ple from NASCAR and the NAS-
CAR fans.
Yet these same political figures
cave in to every little whim of the
Sonics and Seahawks. I don't see
people going to NASCAR with
their faces painted and wearing
all kinds of wigs and acting like a
bunch of morons and carrying on
like I've seen the fans do at the
tbotball games.
Has this pious bunch of politi-
cians ever watched the NASCAR
races? Do they know NASCAR
has a prayer before the races?
Then the national anthem is sung
by a celebrity. When our military
has a flyover at a NASCAR race
the fans cheer for our service peo-
ple. This is a show of patriotism
of the fans. This doesn't sound to
me like we are a bunch of "white
trash with tattoos," as one person
who was interviewed by the press
stated.
Regular folks - taxpaying citi-
zens (who happen to pay the sala-
ries of the IMPORTANT POLITI-
CIANS) - enjoy getting oat '
fresh air and watching tt
vorite drivers compete in
es. Two of these drivers,
Kahne from Enumclaw and
Biffle from Vancouver, are
racers and a credit to the
NASCAR racing is the
and fastest growing sport
U.S. and has some of the
company sponsors behind the
ing teams.
It is such a shame that the
ple who enjoy auto racing
treated like second-class
Where is tolerance tbr all the
ple? Not everyone likes
and football, yet the
be" think our tax money
go to finance these sports,
no, not NASCAR."
Nancy
Tired of illegal immigration
Editor, The Journal:
I can tell you that the mood out
here in the "real world" amongst
Republican Party faithful is this:
If some real Republican candi-
dates with real Republican values
are not nominated to run in this
coming election, we are all going
to go third party!
We are sick and tired of beg-
ging for our borders to be secured!
We are sick and tired of seeing
honest, hard-working, patriotic
Border Patrol agents and other
law-enforcement officials in-
carcerated or otherwise punished
for trying to protect our nation to
the best of their ability!
We will not stand for the ero-
sion of our sovereignty through
the Security and Prosperity part-
nership that George Bush is try-
ing to sneak by Congress and the
American people!
We will not stand for AMNES-
TY, in any disguise, for illegal
aliens who have no respect for our
laws, our flag, our heritage or our
nation!
We will have no part of a North
American Union putting the
United States on the same level
as one of the most corrupt coun-
tries in our hemisphere! We cher-
ish our Constitution and our sov-
ereignty and will give up neither
while still able to breathe the
fresh air of freedom!
We don't want a North Ameri-
ca Free Trade Agreement super-
highway jam-packed with Mexi-
can truck drivers driving unsafe
Mexican trucks full of contra-
band!
You folks want to give our So-
cial Security benefits to illegal
aliens! We want our jobs back
our nation emptied of the
millions of illegal aliens
our streets, taking up our
tal beds, our prison cells
hard-earned tax dollars! I1
aliens are responsible for
deaths of 25 Americans every
through violent crime and
accidents!
We may not be amon
that can aflbrd to donate
to the GOP, but we are manY,
we are livid!
Either get the message
"powers that be" or you
scratching your head in
wondering how Tom
Duncan Hunter got so
votes!
Andrea
Lake
City's sidewalks are
Editor, The Journal."
The City of Shelton has spent a
lotof time entertaining the desire
of local developers in an attempt
to define areas of the city that
"require" sidewalks. Both the city
and developers have now started
to refer to the city's relatively
new requirement for all new de-
velopments to install sidewalks
along their street frontages as a
requirement for "Sidewalks to
Nowhere."
I would like to point out that,
largely, sidewalks are nowhere! If
we don't start putting sidewalks
somewhere they will always be
and will always lead "nowhere." If
any of your readers have spent
much time trying, and I mean
trying, to walk in a majority of
neighborhoods in our town, I
think most would agree that
there are few areas in this town
that do not need sidewalks.
In most neighborhoods, pedes-
trians are required to either walk
along the shoulder of the roads
dodging trash, parked vehicles,
mud and puddles or they must
take their chances walking on the
side of the street hoping that they
don't get hit by a vehicle.
With the amount of new devel-
opment this town will likely see
in the coming years there will be
an increase in traffic on almost
all of our city streets. Quiet, local
streets that have little to no traf-
fic now will have much more traf-
fic in the coming years, only com-
pounding the issue of safe areas
to walk. Walking in the puddles
or fearing for your life as cars
race by inches away is no way for
anyone to have to walk, let alone
our children!
I hope the community takes
the time to let the city's decision-
makers know that the residents
of this community need sidewalks
everywhere, not just on a few
streets. By allowing developers to
continue to add residents and
traffic to our city and streets by
constructing more houses without
requiring these basic improve-
ments, we are only continuing to
defer the cost of eventually in-
stalling the improvements to fu-
ture taxpayers (us!).
I would support, and I hope the
residents of Shelton would sup-
port, local improvement districts
(LIDs) for the installation of side-
walks in all of our neighborhoods
that are already developed. The
LIDs would have to be carefully
crafted to address the income lim-
itations of many of the city's resi-
dents (i.e., the fees would have to
be equitable and affordable to a
resident's budget).
The money invested is well
worth the safety,
creased exercise opport
aesthetic values,
erty value and benefits of
ter control that appropriate
improvements, including
walks, provide to the r
an urbanized area.
I would not support thi.'
practice to install sidewa
newly constructed nei
houses that should hay
them installed at the tivae
neighborhood was built.
Sharon
So if Britney SF
came to Shelton
the streets to walk to
hair stylist, what
the developers €
pavement?
A sidewalk to no hair.
00ournal of Opinion:
Don't do the meth
One out of every 350 people in Mason County went to court
last year to face methamphetamine charges. We uncovered
that sad statistic by digging through 52 weeks of Journals after
being astounded at the proliferation of meth stories. One
hundred and forty-six people ended up in Mason County
Superior Court in 2006 because of Lhat filthy drug.
We're not pretending that the 146 people are the
extent of the tragedy. Those are just the ones who had a
run-in with the law over possessing or dealing meth.
The figure doesn't include other users or dealers or any
of the juveniles the drug has ensnared. The 146 all went
through adult court for those age 18 and older.
The research shows nothing "young" about the characters
involved with this crud. It's much like the abuse of alcohol -
spanning all ages. More than half of the defendants were at
least 30 years old; 43 were in their 30s, 39 in their 40s and four
in their 50s. They included a 40-year-old woman charged with
selling meth from the caretaker's house at Sand Hill Park, a
41-year-old woman accused of driving under the influence of
meth and killing someone in another car and a 35-year-old man
up on his 14th felony charge.
The Journal has published a couple of series about
this scourge over the last several years, and the regional
press is full of the grim facts as well. The stories detail
the immediate addiction and the physical effects on the
body. Tweakers stay awake for days on end, develop
mental problems and scratch themselves bloody because
it feels like they have bugs under their skin. The prison
system is spending millions of dollars on dental care for
inmates because meth makes their teeth fall out.
The latest bad news indicates that, while Washington
apparently cut the number of local meth labs by restricting
sales of cold medicines used to manufacture the drug, Mexican
and Californian meth has picked up the slack in supply. And
now meth cooks are adding candy flavors to their product,
evidently to make it more attractive to kids.
Meth's criminal-justice costs to local taxpayers total
hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, and the
human toll is immeasurable as it destrc,ys individuals
and families. Since the supply continues unabated, the
community needs to work in people's lives to curtail de-
mand, offering hope for the despondent, inspiration for
the aimless, passionate parenting for children, strong
education for all and treatment for meth's victims.
Dream on, buddy
It was interesting to hear comments about the February 22
editorial, "2020 vision," sketching a wish list for Mason County.
"Too bad it will never happen" and "Unfortunately I think it's a
pipe dream" were typical. Human nature might prevent the
2020 vision om happeoing, but the list wasn't outlandish. All
it would take would be :itizens setting a fbw priorities.
For instance, a multi-million-dollar Mason County
Foundation endowment in 13 years isn't a stretch. Four
hundred people die here each year, many with nice
estates., Suppose 10 a year left $10,000 to the foundation
and it let the interest build at first. The pile would total
more than $2 million by 2020 if a few fund-raisers and
corporate donations sweetened the pot along the way.
You want outlandish? It's 2020 and a viaduct comes off the
Hillcrest hill, bypassing First Street and going over the rail-
road tracks to connect to Front Street. Everyone volunteers two
hours a week, even children learning to serve, so the county
benefits from more than five million volunteer hours per year.
A community school with volunteer instructors using
school buildings at night offers 200 classes and activities
attended by thousands 'of adults and children who have
turned off their TVs and eschewed constant electronic
communication and play for human contact. Education
is so emphasized that 95 percent, not 65 percent, of
children graduate from high school and students here
laugh in the face of state tests that are beneath their
ability. The University of Shelton has 2,000 students.
Shelton's post office has an attractive brick wall out back,
not early 21st Century prison architecture. Highway 3 north of
Shelton has passing lanes every two miles. The 1,000-seat
amphitheater at the fairgrounds hosts a summer bluegrass fes-
tival, the Festival of Hope, OystdrFest shucking, the Shelton
High School orchestra's June concert, a community passion
play and various concerts. Full express buses leave Shelton for
Olympia every 10 minutes between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m.
Shelton has a museum of fine arts. A local church
establishes a mission of free drug rehabilitation for any-
one who wants it. Intramural sports programs involve
half of each school's students, who are fit and trim.
Time for us to wake up and smell the coffee.
-CG
uunuu ¸
ournal
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason
County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
Published weekly by Shelton Publishing Inc. at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton, Washington
Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584
Telephone (360) 426-4412 • www.masoncounty.com
Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington
Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $31.00 per year in-county address,
$45.00 per year in state of Washington $55.00 per year out of state
Charles Gay, editor and publisher. Newsroom: Seen Hanlon, managing editor, Port of Shelton;
Steve Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools; Rebecca
Wells, society editor, county government; Mary Duncan, police, courts. Advertising: Stephen
Gay, advertising manager; Dave Pierik and Harvey Morris, ad sales. Front office: Julie Orme,
business manager; Kathy Lester, circulation; Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper; Cricket Carter, mailroom
supervisor. Composing room: Diane Rtordan, supervisor; Margot Brand, Jan Kallinen, pagination;
Monica Carvajel-Beben, pagination, darkroom; Koleen Wood, typesetter, computer system manager;
Colleen Scott, ad builder, computer system manager; Clinton Kendall, proofreader. Pressroom: Kelly
Riordan, pressman; Nick Cart, pressman's assistant.
uuu
Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, March 8, 2007
i00eaders" 00ournal:
NASCAR fans deserve respect
Editor, The Journal:
Today on Fox News it was re-
ported that Democrat Larry Sea-
quist, when being interviewed
about NASCAR, stated, "We don't
want people of his kind coming
into our state." Then another offi-
cial also from Washington added
his comments about "toothless
rednecks with beer bellies."
Being a resident of the state of
Washington and a NASCAR fan I
am highly incensed by this pious
person who thinks he is so high
and mighty and can say such de-
meaning remarks about the peo-
ple from NASCAR and the NAS-
CAR fans.
Yet these same political figures
cave in to every little whim of the
Sonics and Seahawks. I don't see
people going to NASCAR with
their faces painted and wearing
all kinds of wigs and acting like a
bunch of morons and carrying on
like I've seen the fans do at the
tbotball games.
Has this pious bunch of politi-
cians ever watched the NASCAR
races? Do they know NASCAR
has a prayer before the races?
Then the national anthem is sung
by a celebrity. When our military
has a flyover at a NASCAR race
the fans cheer for our service peo-
ple. This is a show of patriotism
of the fans. This doesn't sound to
me like we are a bunch of "white
trash with tattoos," as one person
who was interviewed by the press
stated.
Regular folks - taxpaying citi-
zens (who happen to pay the sala-
ries of the IMPORTANT POLITI-
CIANS) - enjoy getting oat '
fresh air and watching tt
vorite drivers compete in
es. Two of these drivers,
Kahne from Enumclaw and
Biffle from Vancouver, are
racers and a credit to the
NASCAR racing is the
and fastest growing sport
U.S. and has some of the
company sponsors behind the
ing teams.
It is such a shame that the
ple who enjoy auto racing
treated like second-class
Where is tolerance tbr all the
ple? Not everyone likes
and football, yet the
be" think our tax money
go to finance these sports,
no, not NASCAR."
Nancy
Tired of illegal immigration
Editor, The Journal:
I can tell you that the mood out
here in the "real world" amongst
Republican Party faithful is this:
If some real Republican candi-
dates with real Republican values
are not nominated to run in this
coming election, we are all going
to go third party!
We are sick and tired of beg-
ging for our borders to be secured!
We are sick and tired of seeing
honest, hard-working, patriotic
Border Patrol agents and other
law-enforcement officials in-
carcerated or otherwise punished
for trying to protect our nation to
the best of their ability!
We will not stand for the ero-
sion of our sovereignty through
the Security and Prosperity part-
nership that George Bush is try-
ing to sneak by Congress and the
American people!
We will not stand for AMNES-
TY, in any disguise, for illegal
aliens who have no respect for our
laws, our flag, our heritage or our
nation!
We will have no part of a North
American Union putting the
United States on the same level
as one of the most corrupt coun-
tries in our hemisphere! We cher-
ish our Constitution and our sov-
ereignty and will give up neither
while still able to breathe the
fresh air of freedom!
We don't want a North Ameri-
ca Free Trade Agreement super-
highway jam-packed with Mexi-
can truck drivers driving unsafe
Mexican trucks full of contra-
band!
You folks want to give our So-
cial Security benefits to illegal
aliens! We want our jobs back
our nation emptied of the
millions of illegal aliens
our streets, taking up our
tal beds, our prison cells
hard-earned tax dollars! I1
aliens are responsible for
deaths of 25 Americans every
through violent crime and
accidents!
We may not be amon
that can aflbrd to donate
to the GOP, but we are manY,
we are livid!
Either get the message
"powers that be" or you
scratching your head in
wondering how Tom
Duncan Hunter got so
votes!
Andrea
Lake
City's sidewalks are
Editor, The Journal."
The City of Shelton has spent a
lotof time entertaining the desire
of local developers in an attempt
to define areas of the city that
"require" sidewalks. Both the city
and developers have now started
to refer to the city's relatively
new requirement for all new de-
velopments to install sidewalks
along their street frontages as a
requirement for "Sidewalks to
Nowhere."
I would like to point out that,
largely, sidewalks are nowhere! If
we don't start putting sidewalks
somewhere they will always be
and will always lead "nowhere." If
any of your readers have spent
much time trying, and I mean
trying, to walk in a majority of
neighborhoods in our town, I
think most would agree that
there are few areas in this town
that do not need sidewalks.
In most neighborhoods, pedes-
trians are required to either walk
along the shoulder of the roads
dodging trash, parked vehicles,
mud and puddles or they must
take their chances walking on the
side of the street hoping that they
don't get hit by a vehicle.
With the amount of new devel-
opment this town will likely see
in the coming years there will be
an increase in traffic on almost
all of our city streets. Quiet, local
streets that have little to no traf-
fic now will have much more traf-
fic in the coming years, only com-
pounding the issue of safe areas
to walk. Walking in the puddles
or fearing for your life as cars
race by inches away is no way for
anyone to have to walk, let alone
our children!
I hope the community takes
the time to let the city's decision-
makers know that the residents
of this community need sidewalks
everywhere, not just on a few
streets. By allowing developers to
continue to add residents and
traffic to our city and streets by
constructing more houses without
requiring these basic improve-
ments, we are only continuing to
defer the cost of eventually in-
stalling the improvements to fu-
ture taxpayers (us!).
I would support, and I hope the
residents of Shelton would sup-
port, local improvement districts
(LIDs) for the installation of side-
walks in all of our neighborhoods
that are already developed. The
LIDs would have to be carefully
crafted to address the income lim-
itations of many of the city's resi-
dents (i.e., the fees would have to
be equitable and affordable to a
resident's budget).
The money invested is well
worth the safety,
creased exercise opport
aesthetic values,
erty value and benefits of
ter control that appropriate
improvements, including
walks, provide to the r
an urbanized area.
I would not support thi.'
practice to install sidewa
newly constructed nei
houses that should hay
them installed at the tivae
neighborhood was built.
Sharon
So if Britney SI
came to Shelton
the streets to walk to
hair stylist, what
the developers €
pavement?
A sidewalk to no hair.