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Page A-6 Shelton-Mason County Journal — Thursday, June 11, 2020
LETTERS goat. from page A-5
Fewer words
make bigger
impact
Editor, the Journal
I have stopped reading the
letters to the editor.
Each week there are
too many of the same old
diatribes from the same old
people. Yes, they have a right
to express their views, but
I think by now we all know
how they feel.
Perhaps they could take
the time they use to write
their letters and, if not doing
so already, reach out in our
community to make it a bet-
ter place for all.
Many of these letters are
very lengthy. Perhaps fewer
words would make more of an
impact.
Daniel Frishman
Shelton
We are more
powerful than
we realize
Editor, the Journal
I haven’t said much on
this issue not because I don’t
care but largely because I am
not sure what to say or that
I might say the wrong thing
and be criticized. My heart
hurts, I am sick to my stom-
ach and I am losing sleep.
There is a systemic prob-
lem. I see and feel those
voices that continue to go ,
unheard. Leaders across the
nation need to step up and
change as well as change the
system that protects those in
a position of poWer.
I do believe that not all
cops are bad, I do believe
Black Lives Matter, that all
lives matter, that personal
property and business all
matter. For more than four.
decades I have had friends
of color and I love them, they
are kind and compassionate,
they are strong and passion-
ate. They have strengths and
weaknesses, they are beauti-
ful. I am heartbroken and
outraged.
So what can we do? This
has been my struggle. I am
not a protester, I do not feel
comfortable p03ting on social
.media because I feel that does
not affect policy change. I
have pondered that question
for over a Week. Here is my
conclusion.
Change starts with our
selves and in our homes. We
need to educate ourselves
with history. Not the history
that we get from the media,
they are part of the problem. V
They have filled our screens
with negativity and no hu—
manity thus creating a false
reality. There is so much good.
and humanity in the world
that we do not see. We talk
with our families, together we
discuss the accounts of dis-
crimination and how we, as
white people, don’t face those
problems. We bring human-
ity back into how we look at
strangers, they are someone’s
child, brother, sister, parent
and friend.
From there we shbuld
pressure our leaders at the
local and county level, at
the state and national level.
We pressure them with our
words. Not words of hatred,
but words of the need for
change and our insistence
that they lead the charge to
make that change. We call
them, we email them, we
stop them on the street and
talk (not fight or argue) with
them. We fill their voicemail,
email, and private messages
with so many voices that they
can not do their daily work.
They will need to pay atten-
tion to the injustice and de-
mand change. Change won’t
be easy, nothingworthwhile
ever is. We should demand
then work to support our
leaders in the effort to change
the system.
I fear, however, that if
we continue to act in anger
the message will be lost, the
divisions will grow deeper,
hatred will continue then no
progress or justice will occur.
I am certainly not saying that
we should not be angry. We
absolutely should! We should
. be so angry that we make our
voices heard in whatever ca-
pacity that we feel is best. We
should not let that anger die,
we also should not provoke
the hatred that causes the
division. ‘
We are more powerful
than we realize, our voices
together and our words chan-
neled and directed in a never-
ending onslaught will make
a change. Together, hand in
hand, we can affect a change
in the world with our words.
Our actions can be respectful
and powerful.
To my friends of color.
I hate the intolerance and
injustice that you face on a»
daily basis. I hope you will
see that I am here and ac-
cept my offer of help. Please
understand I am still learn-
ing and that I might say the
wrong thing at times, that
doesn’t change my love for
you. I promise to do What I
can to better understand the
oppression and to teach my
children to shed the things
society has taught them. I
promise to do what I can to
stop the gross and negligent
misuse of power that has
The Economy beginsio reund !
occurred for generations.
I promise to do my part to
help your voice be heard. I
will stand with you, I will
listen to you, I will fight with
you. I see you, I hear your
pain.
Jacquie MacAlevy
Shelton
Mass protest
and riots
Editor, the Journal
It is June 6, and D-Day
is now eclipsed by ongoing
nationwide protests. In fact,
there is protesting in other
nations too. This latest atroc-
ity, and that is all that you
can call it, has hit a nerve.
And, as usual, we have the
attendant finger-pointing. So,
who is responsible? Look in
the-mirror.
It is hard to imagine any-‘
one seriously disputing the
disparate treatment of mi-
norities in this nation. Chris
Rock once told his audience
that not a single white man
in the audience would trade
places with him, even know-
ing that he was rich. And
he was right. In any given
encounter with authorities,
would you rather be white or
black? You don’t have to an-
swer that out loud.
A few years back, ball
players in‘spired by Colin
Kaepernick, peacefully pro-
tested on this very issue.
The result was a discussion
about respect for the flag. It
apparently never occurred to
anyone that treating a class
of people as second-class
citizens was an even greater
disrespect for the flag than
during the anthem.
So why are we surprised
we are here? It’s not like this
issue hasn’t gotten us here
before. It’s at the point that
you have to sit down and
count them because the list
of American riots is shock-
ingly long. Despite the hys-
teria in some quarters, the
sheer magnitude of people in
the streets resulted in less
mayhem than I would have
predicted. We know criminal
opportunists are always at-
tracted to these events. This
isn’t our first rodeo. One
would think that we would
want to avoid the practices
that routinely get us in this
position. But apparently, one
would be wrong.
As a society, we knew we
had a ticking time bomb. We
ignored what we knew was
there. We squandered op-
portunities to address it. We
knew what the consequences
would be based on past expe-
rience. We still'did nothing.
And then we act shocked by
the results. Really?
If you want to know whose
hands the property damage
and blood is on, it is on the
hands of every single citizen
of voting age. Because col-
lectively, we tolerated every—
thing that led up to it and in
the process betrayed the Con-
stitution, the flag and our re-
sponsibilities as citizens. No
outside power is responsible
for this. Just pure dereliction
of duty and morality by citi--
zens. The problem and results
will not change until we ac-
cept that proposition. Ignore
it, and we can just have abet:
ting pool as to when, where,
and how it takes place the
next time.
Andrew Makar
Hoodsport
Force from
police is
unnecessary
Editor, the Journal
CharEll Johnston, wow,
what a novel letter you wrote
in the June 4 edition. I do
mean literally a novel. It had
a beginning and an end with
no‘ substance in the middle so
I will consider it fiction. You
said, CharEll, that you want
more print space for conser-
vative writers. Yours took up
a half a page.
Of the four political letters
published that day, three of
them were from your version
of conservatism. All were
full of hate for anybody who
disagreed with any of you. I
quote you (“All of us should
have a voice. Amendment 1
gives everyone the right to
free speech”). So what I am
hearing you say is everyone
only includes your party?
, You hammer the free press
' when it is a known fact that
they gave Trump over a bil—
lion dollars in free coverage
that probably won him the
election. Now moving on to
the protests, I again quote
you, (“Do Democrats allow
this behavior in their cities”)
Democrats have their own
cities? How can you expect
anybody to take you seriously
when you make stupid Alex
Jones statements like that?
Well here is one for you, If ,
you can’t stand the heat, get
out of the kitchen. Ifthis let-
ter keeps you from submit-
ting any more FOX News dia-
tribe then I am doing my part
to save our world as we know
it. FOX News, that’s the one
that is owned by the family of
immigrants, right? Right.
We can now move on to the
weekly A.A. meeting. Ardean
still thinks a one-room school
house with all grades being
taught by the same and only
teacher in town is the way
we should be teaching today.
Thank heavens that at least
most of us have progressed
fiirther than the 1800s in
keeping our kids up to date in
a progressive school system.
It was you, A.A., who brought
up the idea that you needed
more conservative writers.
Maybe if you didn’t take up
so much space every week
there would be more writers
favoring ydur conservative
positions.
Last but not least is
Mr. Sparks of Shelton. No
sugar-coating his racism is
there. Calling a movement.
like Black Lives Matter a
terrorist group. That’s pure
pecker-wood all day long.
Once again, I put 21 years , 4
working in a level 4/5 prison
with 5 being Super Max. I
know one when I see one. I
saw one on TV kill a black
man just the other day. He
and his lawyers will say he
was just following training.
Well I would like to meet the
instructor that taught him to
subdue a perp with his hands
in his pocket. Any defensive
tactic instructor worth any-.
thing would make you pay a
price in his or her class for
doing so. It could cost you or
your partner your life. He
was also trained to use only
enough force to remedy the
situation. Eight minutes and
43 seconds with your knee
on a guy’s neck and your
hands in your pockets, that is
straight up police brutality.
Twenty-one years wearing
a badge behind the walls of
prison, I have been in more
uses of force than I care to
remember, from one-on-one
to responding to a 100 guys
going at it in the big yard.
We would never treat a non—
resisting convicted felon that
way. Whatever that cop gets
he deserves. Once again,
smile for the camera, Mr. Po-
liceman. Stupid is as stupid
does. . ,
I remain Bert Mullen, the l
Blue Dog Democrat on the
I right side of the road today,
peeing on conservative shrub-
bery and pooping on their
lawns. Watch your step. You
wouldn’t want anyof that to
get on you, it might stick.
' Shelton