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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
May 11, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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May 11, 2020
 
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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