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Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
May 20, 1999     Shelton Mason County Journal
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9ournai of Opinion: Tune's awas00[n How long should the public be expected to abide a nuisance before the government forces its abatement? It's a recurring question here in stump-ranch country when crud piles up around ramshackle homes, a neighbor starts an informal wrecking yard or an entrepreneur establishes a tire dump on beautiful Harstine Island. It comes up again now because of another high-profile, old-as-the-hills case in Agate where the county has taken the unusual stance that a dilapidated mobile home; constitutes solid waste. It seems to us that six years is long enough for Bill Petty's neighbors to wait to have a beat-up mobile home removed from his property. Six months sounds more reasonable to us, although some would argue that's rushing it considering how many determinations and appeals are possible. The county's chronology of the mobile-home proceedings starts ill 1993, when the structure was moved onto property on Agate Loop Road. In June of that year, Petty was informed that the mobile home was illegal and not blocked properly, that a lean-to was not permitted and a woodstove was a hazard. In August:, Petty and the county met to go over the problems. In November, county officials asked him to inform them of his in- tentions to bring the mobile home into compliance. No enforce- ment action was taken until a year later, when a complaint was made that the structure was being occupied in December 1994. It was posted, "Do Not Occupy." Nothing was done for another three years, when the county decided it would start demolition proceedings af- ter an inspection revealed the chimney had fallen through a section of roof, flooring was caving in and windows were broken. The enforcement actions were taken by the county building department, which ran out of funding to proceed with demolition in 1997. The de- partment even concocted a plan to have Fire District 5 burn the place, but there were costs involved. In Octo- ber 1997 the county sent Petty a certified notice and or- der for abatement, and it was returned unclaimed. Finally in 1998 the case became the health department's baby, and that department has been trying to force removal us- ing the county's regulations against accumulation of unsatis- factory solid waste. The mobile home, six appliances, tires, two small trailers and furniture had piled up. When the depart- ment ruled Petty had to remove the solid waste, he appealed to the county health officer. When the health officer upheld the department, Petty appealed to the county health board. The health board just ruled against Petty last Friday. A story on page 14 in last week's Journal outlined the testimony at the latest appeals hearing, including that of frustrated neighbors. You can hardly blame them for wondering when the saga will end. And you couldn't blame them for scratching their heads at a story on page 15, in which the health officer laid out tips for avoiding the deadly hantavirus carried by deer,mice, ?Keep the, area surrounding the home clear of junk piles, debris and old cars," it said. Just how should they do that? Though we aren't the proper agency to handle grievances, The Jvurnal gets complaints all the time from citizens frustrat- ed with the pace of government enforcement. We think it's un- fbrtunate that the enforcement process moves so slowly that people lose their trust of government over it. And when the original problem isn't solved in a timely manner, frustrated neighbors sometimes start reporting other things about the property they believe are true to try to build a case, and they get even more dissatisfied when the county can't prove them. Mason County Health Services Director Brad Banner knows it takes a long time to deal with such problems, but there are several factors the public should remem- ber, he said. For one thing, the county bends over back- wards to work with people. If you were the one being disciplined, you wouldn't want the Gestapo after you. For another thing, many people go halfway with mitiga- tion to get the county off their backs but have no inten- tion of really changing. There's a little of the Wild West attitude in many people in rural areas, Banner said. In the case of the Harstine tire dump, it looked like a dump, quacked like a dump andacted like a dump, but Banner ex- plained that the county couldn't call the dumper a liar when he said it was a "vegetable farm." He planted a few vegetables in tires and after he'd made his money from hauling in thousands of tires, he abandoned the whole mess for someone else to clean up, Islanders sensed the ruse and screamed often (they are al- lowed to be biased), but the county felt it was going as far as it could under the rules. Banner said the county is limited by very specific regulations and must work with people who ap- pear to be making good-faith efforts to clean up a nuisance. A recent change in county policy, giving citation-writ- ing authority to the solid.waste division of the health department, has helped the county go after violators, the health services director said. It used to be that the health department gave the prosecutor's office informa- tion and left it up to the prosecutor to file a ease, but in the overall realm of bad guys, solid.waste violators were not a high priority. The department's person in charge of citing solid-waste violators now has 10 cases in court. But more may be needed if the Wild West attitude continues while the population here explodes. It may be time for the county to hire an enforcement officer like the city has. Banner believes there's a lot of merit to sending an enforcement officer after violators, giving the officer some regulations with teeth in them and establishing a single appeals process to cut down on the time the government spends in abatement proceedings. The city's system works well, Banner said, adding that that's be- cause Shelton's enforcement officer is so good. Kathy Geist em- ploys a nice blend of a willingness to work with people and firmness about city regulations, he said. But are there enough cases to keep a county enforce- ment officer busy? We're afraid so. It sounds like an en- forcement officer is needed as badly as animal-control officers. Banner $aid his agency receives 900 complaints a year about nuisances. He admits his staff feels out- gunned sometimes. An enforcement officer could make a difference if the person were able to prlortttze cases and take care of some of those high-profile ones that are now being dragged out. -CG Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, May 20, 1999 tl tada supports troops By DAVE BARRY Whatever you are doing, drop it right now, unless it is a baby. Because I have obtained some shocking information regarding our National Security - informa- tion that I am going to reveal to you now, despite the chilling fact that, by revealing it, I am placing myself in direct, personal peril of winning a Pulitzer Prize. This information concerns some alarming military research currently being conducted by a foreign power that represents the greatest single security threat to the United States, as measured not only by the magnitude of the physical danger, but also by the number of Celine Dion records. That's right: I am referring to Canada. As you may recall, last year I urged the United States to declare war on Canada over the issue of toilet smuggling. In the United States, we have a federal law, enacted b" Congress, requir- ing that new, consumer toilets be limited to 1.6 gallons of water per flush. There is an excellent rea- son for this law: Congress has the brains of an eggplant. But that does not change the fact that it is a law. Canada, however, flagrantly disobeys this law, on the grounds that - get THIS for a legal techni- cality - it is a foreign country. In Canada, anybody, including con- victed felons and underage chil- dren, can walk into any toilet store, purchase a 3.5-gallon-per- flush toilet and openly flaunt it on the street, and the authorities do NOTHING. As I reported, some of these toilets are finding their way across the border into the United States. And what is our government doing? It is shooting cruise missiles at the Balkans, which do not even HAVE toilets. When are we, as a nation, go- ing to wake up and recognize the REAL threat to our security? No doubt you are aware that just re- cently, in our nation's capital (Washington, D.C.), a number of highly strategic cherry trees were deliberately chewed by saboteur beavers. Ask yourself this: "Where do beavers come from?" The Balkans? No! Beavers come from Canada, and they take their orders from Canada and nobody else, as you know if you have ever tried to get one to fetch a ball. And now, as if we did not al- ready have enough reasons to de- clare war on Canada, comes word of this chilling research being conducted by the Canadian mili- tary. I have here a news article from the Canadian Press, written by Dennis Bueckert and sent to me, at great personal risk, by an alert secret undercover agent in Canada named Lauren Leighton, M.D. This article, about a new Canadian armed-forces program, contains the following chilling sentence, which I swea I am not making up: "An elite unit at National De- fense headquarters is actively studying whether to proceed with development of the world's first combat bra." You read that correctly: The Canadian military is working on a combat brassiere. The article quotes Captain Frank Delanghe, an officer with the $184 million Clothe the Soldier Program, as saying: "No army that I know of has ever touched or even ap- proached this issue." How can we, the American public, remain sanguine in the face of this news? Especially when we do not really know what "sanguine" means? How can we sit back and do nothing when an increasingly hostile, beaver-in- fested, big-toilet nation spends $184 million (nearly $37.50 American) on a program to devel- op a high-tech futuristic assault undergarment? How would you feel if you were an American sol- dier guarding our northern bor- der, equipped with only a conven- tional brassiere - the basic design of which has not changed signifi- cantly since the Korean Conflict - knowing that at any moment, elite Canadian troops could come charging across No Person's Land toward you, and the first sight you would see - a sight that would strike terror into the heart of even the most hardened com- bat veteran - would be the Cones of Doom? And while we are asking the tough questions, I have one here that was sent in by concerned reader Margaret Wilson of Santa Barbara, California, who wants to know: How come we say "a pair of pants" and "a pair of slmrts," but NOT "a pair of bras"? I wish I could inform you that our so-ca!led "Defense Depart- ment" was trying to answer these questions, but I cannot. And that is why I am urging you to write your congressperson NOW and tell him or her that you want the United States to launch a mas- sive wasteful federal program to match Canada's military under- garment research. Please keep your letter dignified. Do NOT lower yourself to cheesy wordplay such as "support our troops," or "stay abreast of our enemies," or "check out the Balkans on that lieutenant." If we can get Con- gress to approve such a program, I have no doubt that the Presi- dent will take a personal interest, especially when he realizes that, once we have perfected the Tacti- cal Field Brassiere, we could adapt the same technology for even more advanced weapons. I am referring, of course, to the Stealth Thong. It's now okay to be moral? Editor, The Journal: What's all this stuff I'm read- ing about morality, codes for dress, and conduct, and stan- dards, parenting, responsibilities, freedoms, etc., etc.? Does that mean I don't have to be "cool" anymore? That I can get uptight once in awhile when things don't add? Like school kids with automatic weapons... That I don't have to "loosen up" when I get irate about all the violence and unnecessary sex on TV and in the movies7 That I don't have to excuse uncivility and unethical behavior because someone is "just doin' their thing?" That it's all right if I worry about a society that is more concerned about their credit card balance than where their kid is tonight? That luuu q'he ,,.,,. 00_.qournctl OI4nt P" USPS 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98564. 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 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 state Charles Gay, editor and publisher. Newsroom: Carolyn Maddux, managing editor; Steve Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city govemment, schools; Mary Duncan, society editor, county govemment; Sean Hanlon, police, courts, Port of Shelton. Advertising: Stephen Gay, advertising manager; Dave Piedk, ad sales. Front offloe: Julia Orme, business manager; Vlcki Kamin, circulation; Donna Dooms, bookkeeper; Jane Mahony, office assis- tant. Composing room: Diane Riordan, supervisor; Margot Brand and Jan Kalllnan, paste- up; Koleen Wood, typesetter and computer system manager; Kad Freer, computer sd layout and computer system manager; Cynthia Meyer, proofreader. Pressroom: Robert Roddguez, production foreman; Roger Lawson, darkroom; Kelly Rlordan, pressman. tiu it's okay if it bothers me to realize that the object of most of the TV and game-joint games is to kill everybody and everything in sight? That it's acceptable if I'm nonplused by people who tell me that buying politicians is free speech, that bomb-making in- structions for kids on the Internet is First Amendment-protected, yet they want to hang people for burning a flag? That it's now okay for me to express some anger that "Moses" lately seems to find his interpretation of the Second Amendment more important than the Fifth Commandment? That I can be upset by those whose an- swer to our lately discovered "juvenile violence problem" is to conduct yet another study, or build yet another prison? Where's Peter Finch when we need him? Hopefully, it's not too old-fash- ioned, nor too late, for me to real- ize that there are ought-tos in life, and that it would be a better world if we all tried to live up to what we ought to do. We can let the psycho-babblers throw out the shoulds, but the oughts have been around for a long time, and are the basis of an ethical, responsi- ble civilization. Maybe that's what we need to teach our kids... and our un-grown-up adults. I guess I ought to end this. Gordon Personius Union Y00eadersj 00ournal: "= In Indmns' shoes Editor, The Journal: How many of us are smitten with the Indian culture? Dream catchers dangle from car mirrors, Indian art adorns our walls, clas- sic pictures of buffalo and open plains awe us. Yet, there is con- tempt for the Indian people as we endure the changes upon us. A hundred and fifty years ago our "civilized" forefathers entered into agreements with "the savag- es" of this area. "The United States gave the solemn guarantee to the tribes that tribal homelands would be protected for all time, only to re- nege on that commitment over and over and enforce the breach of those promises by force of arms," according to BIA Capacity and Mission, April 1999. "It was in this era that the stereotype of the crooked Indian agent, who sold treaty goods on the black market for his own profit while giving the Indians inferior goods, was all too real. "The promise of permanent homelands did not last long, and by the turn of the 20th Century, the Bureau of Indian Affairs was busily allotting lands to individu- al Indians and selling 'excess' lands to non-Indian settlers, de- stroying traditional institutions of tribal governance, and ripping children from their families that they might be sent to boarding schools to learn the language, cul- ture, values, habits and indus- tries of white Americans. "With the New Deal era came another wild swing in Indian poli- cy. Indian agents accustomed to dictating to tribal leaders sudden- ly were expected to defer to tribal governments even to help. create the institutions of t government they had only a, years earlier been instructS0  destroy. ..nt "As we enter into the ¢ur.. policy era of self-determ_In-'° and, more recently, self'g°\\; nance, tribal governing bodies; best to determine what is bes them. This is clearly the c0 policy." : The BIA has been resp°n.,: . .ll  0t for implementing the w ,. United States over the I$ people for 150 years. "",.. United States citizens are i. gent and have the abihty . pathize with the horror ,. atrocities that the Indian 1°, have suffered at the han ds 0-" United States Our forefathers selves "civilized" and ties with "savages," land, their religions, tage and their children. the Indians received a that they could not even Now we "hate" them are intelligent enough tc "contracts" their chiefs were forced to put their: It is ironic how to be. How does it their shoes? Now we are what we thought was our isn't. Maybe now, as we the new millennium, we call ourselves "cwflzed through this transition minds and reevaluate assumptions about the people. Suzi S;/ Home-rule facts Editor, The Journal: Ed Moats warns, "Beware Home-Rule Hype" (The Journal, May 13). Mr. Moats must have a crystal ball to know all the things he warns against, such as "an an, larged commission dominated by an unelected (sic) (ie., hired) chief executive officer," and "reduced citizen influence," and "a commis- sion of nine to 15 members," and a "full-time $100,000 professional CEO  and so on. The point is that none of the above predictions are grounded in fact. Nobody knows what a chart- er might call for because it hasn't been written yet. And it may very well never be written if the voters buy Mr. Moats' fantasy as fact! Let's set the record straight. The petitions being circulated to get 2,000 signatures are only to get on the November question of whether ty should write its own the majority vote "no,  end of it. But if the vo alen-minded enough "What harm can it do to ourselves can write rules ern this county better tha vention did in 1889?" we that chance. Then, will the rest of us be uate if the proposed . likely to be an improvemenotO f# I don't know how I will v o if) i the new charter when (an oo t¢ 0 oes on the ballot may, w .. g - u're - years from now. But if yo .^t 0 cerned ri ht now how g. . • eO,- that question, just gv a call in Shelton. ' J' Russell A. Ao Logging options felled and left to lie i tvi# World War I cut. At the s'!ittl early century there:s the demand for cedar: 75 Y. . €: it was much in demand siv in of man of the more etr$¢ g Y e €" homes in the West. Th tte 0d tor arranged with us t°tor e lane and adjoining P.,¢k $: temporary staging ana:'h]cb cess for the cedar boltS.W:l e° helicopter delivered at w .,t c$" the end of a quick "disc°w" Editor, The Journal.. Following up on the unfolding story of the current clearcut on Coffee Creek, several miles west of Shelton, in Shelton Valley (shorter letters, easier reading, yes?), some additional back- ground may be useful for those who may follow this sort of thing. First, it should be pointed out that there were at least two other options that could have been con- sidered by Simpson Timber Com- pany in this instance. One option would have been to establish the cutline some 500 to 800 feet to the west of where the cutline is. This would have spared much of the worst damage to the vulnerable streams, gullies, can- yons and hills that comprise the upper reaches of the watershed. To see the carnage on those slopes today is not encouraging for the future of the stream, the watershed and those who use and/or enjoy them. This part of the cut consisted of a number of conifers left standing from a pre-World War I cut, plus a mix of alder, broadleaf maple and undergrowth; much of these latter have been left as litter. Another option would have been to cut out selectively the sig- nificant timber and remove it with the use of helicopters. There are road accessible yarding areas, existing nearby from recent clear- cuts, that would have facilitated such an operation. The spring season would have been timely for weather. There is ample precedent for such a helicopter operation. In 1984 Simpson contracted out the harvest of numerous logs of old- growth cedar which had been ble. of  It was the observati°v d ey operation that conr¢b previous hunch that il lo;..g I we might do selective l°eliC°7 our woods, it would be vy ter. li¢opte In 1981 I observed,a,/:;rb.'.: logging operation by w,(w ff er of some of the blowa.., eel; Mount Saint H]oe:l': l handling three " -d v' 0 growth) to a sling'l°.'de r " turnaround time u" minutes. . ili. In the late '80s, whiel lli  Mount Rose, we obser^e to e Slut' ,lp" copter logging a ste .P °nd. o south on forest servxce " i ° contractor was S ips°u Company. • --d obSe 'ip These comments m,: ti d tions are offered al; m . t , the hope that they mY ;,id; in current and future,ti0'l/ tion of timbering °PV'..,nte r'- pecially where seri°Se;te.  habitat damage coum _^ts '- We expect to offer P;tit;e time to time as we .,¢'^gb monitor the effects t;.  seasons on our waterSJ j#.y GordO q" sheltO" 9ournai of Opinion: Tune's awas00[n How long should the public be expected to abide a nuisance before the government forces its abatement? It's a recurring question here in stump-ranch country when crud piles up around ramshackle homes, a neighbor starts an informal wrecking yard or an entrepreneur establishes a tire dump on beautiful Harstine Island. It comes up again now because of another high-profile, old-as-the-hills case in Agate where the county has taken the unusual stance that a dilapidated mobile home; constitutes solid waste. It seems to us that six years is long enough for Bill Petty's neighbors to wait to have a beat-up mobile home removed from his property. Six months sounds more reasonable to us, although some would argue that's rushing it considering how many determinations and appeals are possible. The county's chronology of the mobile-home proceedings starts ill 1993, when the structure was moved onto property on Agate Loop Road. In June of that year, Petty was informed that the mobile home was illegal and not blocked properly, that a lean-to was not permitted and a woodstove was a hazard. In August:, Petty and the county met to go over the problems. In November, county officials asked him to inform them of his in- tentions to bring the mobile home into compliance. No enforce- ment action was taken until a year later, when a complaint was made that the structure was being occupied in December 1994. It was posted, "Do Not Occupy." Nothing was done for another three years, when the county decided it would start demolition proceedings af- ter an inspection revealed the chimney had fallen through a section of roof, flooring was caving in and windows were broken. The enforcement actions were taken by the county building department, which ran out of funding to proceed with demolition in 1997. The de- partment even concocted a plan to have Fire District 5 burn the place, but there were costs involved. In Octo- ber 1997 the county sent Petty a certified notice and or- der for abatement, and it was returned unclaimed. Finally in 1998 the case became the health department's baby, and that department has been trying to force removal us- ing the county's regulations against accumulation of unsatis- factory solid waste. The mobile home, six appliances, tires, two small trailers and furniture had piled up. When the depart- ment ruled Petty had to remove the solid waste, he appealed to the county health officer. When the health officer upheld the department, Petty appealed to the county health board. The health board just ruled against Petty last Friday. A story on page 14 in last week's Journal outlined the testimony at the latest appeals hearing, including that of frustrated neighbors. You can hardly blame them for wondering when the saga will end. And you couldn't blame them for scratching their heads at a story on page 15, in which the health officer laid out tips for avoiding the deadly hantavirus carried by deer,mice, ?Keep the, area surrounding the home clear of junk piles, debris and old cars," it said. Just how should they do that? Though we aren't the proper agency to handle grievances, The Jvurnal gets complaints all the time from citizens frustrat- ed with the pace of government enforcement. We think it's un- fbrtunate that the enforcement process moves so slowly that people lose their trust of government over it. And when the original problem isn't solved in a timely manner, frustrated neighbors sometimes start reporting other things about the property they believe are true to try to build a case, and they get even more dissatisfied when the county can't prove them. Mason County Health Services Director Brad Banner knows it takes a long time to deal with such problems, but there are several factors the public should remem- ber, he said. For one thing, the county bends over back- wards to work with people. If you were the one being disciplined, you wouldn't want the Gestapo after you. For another thing, many people go halfway with mitiga- tion to get the county off their backs but have no inten- tion of really changing. There's a little of the Wild West attitude in many people in rural areas, Banner said. In the case of the Harstine tire dump, it looked like a dump, quacked like a dump andacted like a dump, but Banner ex- plained that the county couldn't call the dumper a liar when he said it was a "vegetable farm." He planted a few vegetables in tires and after he'd made his money from hauling in thousands of tires, he abandoned the whole mess for someone else to clean up, Islanders sensed the ruse and screamed often (they are al- lowed to be biased), but the county felt it was going as far as it could under the rules. Banner said the county is limited by very specific regulations and must work with people who ap- pear to be making good-faith efforts to clean up a nuisance. A recent change in county policy, giving citation-writ- ing authority to the solid.waste division of the health department, has helped the county go after violators, the health services director said. It used to be that the health department gave the prosecutor's office informa- tion and left it up to the prosecutor to file a ease, but in the overall realm of bad guys, solid.waste violators were not a high priority. The department's person in charge of citing solid-waste violators now has 10 cases in court. But more may be needed if the Wild West attitude continues while the population here explodes. It may be time for the county to hire an enforcement officer like the city has. Banner believes there's a lot of merit to sending an enforcement officer after violators, giving the officer some regulations with teeth in them and establishing a single appeals process to cut down on the time the government spends in abatement proceedings. The city's system works well, Banner said, adding that that's be- cause Shelton's enforcement officer is so good. Kathy Geist em- ploys a nice blend of a willingness to work with people and firmness about city regulations, he said. But are there enough cases to keep a county enforce- ment officer busy? We're afraid so. It sounds like an en- forcement officer is needed as badly as animal-control officers. Banner $aid his agency receives 900 complaints a year about nuisances. He admits his staff feels out- gunned sometimes. An enforcement officer could make a difference if the person were able to prlortttze cases and take care of some of those high-profile ones that are now being dragged out. -CG Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, May 20, 1999 tl tada supports troops By DAVE BARRY Whatever you are doing, drop it right now, unless it is a baby. Because I have obtained some shocking information regarding our National Security - informa- tion that I am going to reveal to you now, despite the chilling fact that, by revealing it, I am placing myself in direct, personal peril of winning a Pulitzer Prize. This information concerns some alarming military research currently being conducted by a foreign power that represents the greatest single security threat to the United States, as measured not only by the magnitude of the physical danger, but also by the number of Celine Dion records. That's right: I am referring to Canada. As you may recall, last year I urged the United States to declare war on Canada over the issue of toilet smuggling. In the United States, we have a federal law, enacted b" Congress, requir- ing that new, consumer toilets be limited to 1.6 gallons of water per flush. There is an excellent rea- son for this law: Congress has the brains of an eggplant. But that does not change the fact that it is a law. Canada, however, flagrantly disobeys this law, on the grounds that - get THIS for a legal techni- cality - it is a foreign country. In Canada, anybody, including con- victed felons and underage chil- dren, can walk into any toilet store, purchase a 3.5-gallon-per- flush toilet and openly flaunt it on the street, and the authorities do NOTHING. As I reported, some of these toilets are finding their way across the border into the United States. And what is our government doing? It is shooting cruise missiles at the Balkans, which do not even HAVE toilets. When are we, as a nation, go- ing to wake up and recognize the REAL threat to our security? No doubt you are aware that just re- cently, in our nation's capital (Washington, D.C.), a number of highly strategic cherry trees were deliberately chewed by saboteur beavers. Ask yourself this: "Where do beavers come from?" The Balkans? No! Beavers come from Canada, and they take their orders from Canada and nobody else, as you know if you have ever tried to get one to fetch a ball. And now, as if we did not al- ready have enough reasons to de- clare war on Canada, comes word of this chilling research being conducted by the Canadian mili- tary. I have here a news article from the Canadian Press, written by Dennis Bueckert and sent to me, at great personal risk, by an alert secret undercover agent in Canada named Lauren Leighton, M.D. This article, about a new Canadian armed-forces program, contains the following chilling sentence, which I swea I am not making up: "An elite unit at National De- fense headquarters is actively studying whether to proceed with development of the world's first combat bra." You read that correctly: The Canadian military is working on a combat brassiere. The article quotes Captain Frank Delanghe, an officer with the $184 million Clothe the Soldier Program, as saying: "No army that I know of has ever touched or even ap- proached this issue." How can we, the American public, remain sanguine in the face of this news? Especially when we do not really know what "sanguine" means? How can we sit back and do nothing when an increasingly hostile, beaver-in- fested, big-toilet nation spends $184 million (nearly $37.50 American) on a program to devel- op a high-tech futuristic assault undergarment? How would you feel if you were an American sol- dier guarding our northern bor- der, equipped with only a conven- tional brassiere - the basic design of which has not changed signifi- cantly since the Korean Conflict - knowing that at any moment, elite Canadian troops could come charging across No Person's Land toward you, and the first sight you would see - a sight that would strike terror into the heart of even the most hardened com- bat veteran - would be the Cones of Doom? And while we are asking the tough questions, I have one here that was sent in by concerned reader Margaret Wilson of Santa Barbara, California, who wants to know: How come we say "a pair of pants" and "a pair of slmrts," but NOT "a pair of bras"? I wish I could inform you that our so-ca!led "Defense Depart- ment" was trying to answer these questions, but I cannot. And that is why I am urging you to write your congressperson NOW and tell him or her that you want the United States to launch a mas- sive wasteful federal program to match Canada's military under- garment research. Please keep your letter dignified. Do NOT lower yourself to cheesy wordplay such as "support our troops," or "stay abreast of our enemies," or "check out the Balkans on that lieutenant." If we can get Con- gress to approve such a program, I have no doubt that the Presi- dent will take a personal interest, especially when he realizes that, once we have perfected the Tacti- cal Field Brassiere, we could adapt the same technology for even more advanced weapons. I am referring, of course, to the Stealth Thong. It's now okay to be moral? Editor, The Journal: What's all this stuff I'm read- ing about morality, codes for dress, and conduct, and stan- dards, parenting, responsibilities, freedoms, etc., etc.? Does that mean I don't have to be "cool" anymore? That I can get uptight once in awhile when things don't add? Like school kids with automatic weapons... That I don't have to "loosen up" when I get irate about all the violence and unnecessary sex on TV and in the movies7 That I don't have to excuse uncivility and unethical behavior because someone is "just doin' their thing?" That it's all right if I worry about a society that is more concerned about their credit card balance than where their kid is tonight? That luuu q'he ,,.,,. 00_.qournctl OI4nt P" USPS 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98564. 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 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 state Charles Gay, editor and publisher. Newsroom: Carolyn Maddux, managing editor; Steve Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city govemment, schools; Mary Duncan, society editor, county govemment; Sean Hanlon, police, courts, Port of Shelton. Advertising: Stephen Gay, advertising manager; Dave Piedk, ad sales. Front offloe: Julia Orme, business manager; Vlcki Kamin, circulation; Donna Dooms, bookkeeper; Jane Mahony, office assis- tant. Composing room: Diane Riordan, supervisor; Margot Brand and Jan Kalllnan, paste- up; Koleen Wood, typesetter and computer system manager; Kad Freer, computer sd layout and computer system manager; Cynthia Meyer, proofreader. Pressroom: Robert Roddguez, production foreman; Roger Lawson, darkroom; Kelly Rlordan, pressman. tiu it's okay if it bothers me to realize that the object of most of the TV and game-joint games is to kill everybody and everything in sight? That it's acceptable if I'm nonplused by people who tell me that buying politicians is free speech, that bomb-making in- structions for kids on the Internet is First Amendment-protected, yet they want to hang people for burning a flag? That it's now okay for me to express some anger that "Moses" lately seems to find his interpretation of the Second Amendment more important than the Fifth Commandment? That I can be upset by those whose an- swer to our lately discovered "juvenile violence problem" is to conduct yet another study, or build yet another prison? Where's Peter Finch when we need him? Hopefully, it's not too old-fash- ioned, nor too late, for me to real- ize that there are ought-tos in life, and that it would be a better world if we all tried to live up to what we ought to do. We can let the psycho-babblers throw out the shoulds, but the oughts have been around for a long time, and are the basis of an ethical, responsi- ble civilization. Maybe that's what we need to teach our kids... and our un-grown-up adults. I guess I ought to end this. Gordon Personius Union Y00eadersj 00ournal: "= In Indmns' shoes Editor, The Journal: How many of us are smitten with the Indian culture? Dream catchers dangle from car mirrors, Indian art adorns our walls, clas- sic pictures of buffalo and open plains awe us. Yet, there is con- tempt for the Indian people as we endure the changes upon us. A hundred and fifty years ago our "civilized" forefathers entered into agreements with "the savag- es" of this area. "The United States gave the solemn guarantee to the tribes that tribal homelands would be protected for all time, only to re- nege on that commitment over and over and enforce the breach of those promises by force of arms," according to BIA Capacity and Mission, April 1999. "It was in this era that the stereotype of the crooked Indian agent, who sold treaty goods on the black market for his own profit while giving the Indians inferior goods, was all too real. "The promise of permanent homelands did not last long, and by the turn of the 20th Century, the Bureau of Indian Affairs was busily allotting lands to individu- al Indians and selling 'excess' lands to non-Indian settlers, de- stroying traditional institutions of tribal governance, and ripping children from their families that they might be sent to boarding schools to learn the language, cul- ture, values, habits and indus- tries of white Americans. "With the New Deal era came another wild swing in Indian poli- cy. Indian agents accustomed to dictating to tribal leaders sudden- ly were expected to defer to tribal governments even to help. create the institutions of t government they had only a, years earlier been instructS0  destroy. ..nt "As we enter into the ¢ur.. policy era of self-determ_In-'° and, more recently, self'g°\\; nance, tribal governing bodies; best to determine what is bes them. This is clearly the c0 policy." : The BIA has been resp°n.,: . .ll  0t for implementing the w ,. United States over the I$ people for 150 years. "",.. United States citizens are i. gent and have the abihty . pathize with the horror ,. atrocities that the Indian 1°, have suffered at the han ds 0-" United States Our forefathers selves "civilized" and ties with "savages," land, their religions, tage and their children. the Indians received a that they could not even Now we "hate" them are intelligent enough tc "contracts" their chiefs were forced to put their: It is ironic how to be. How does it their shoes? Now we are what we thought was our isn't. Maybe now, as we the new millennium, we call ourselves "cwflzed through this transition minds and reevaluate assumptions about the people. Suzi S;/ Home-rule facts Editor, The Journal: Ed Moats warns, "Beware Home-Rule Hype" (The Journal, May 13). Mr. Moats must have a crystal ball to know all the things he warns against, such as "an an, larged commission dominated by an unelected (sic) (ie., hired) chief executive officer," and "reduced citizen influence," and "a commis- sion of nine to 15 members," and a "full-time $100,000 professional CEO  and so on. The point is that none of the above predictions are grounded in fact. Nobody knows what a chart- er might call for because it hasn't been written yet. And it may very well never be written if the voters buy Mr. Moats' fantasy as fact! Let's set the record straight. The petitions being circulated to get 2,000 signatures are only to get on the November question of whether ty should write its own the majority vote "no,  end of it. But if the vo alen-minded enough "What harm can it do to ourselves can write rules ern this county better tha vention did in 1889?" we that chance. Then, will the rest of us be uate if the proposed . likely to be an improvemenotO f# I don't know how I will v o if) i the new charter when (an oo t¢ 0 oes on the ballot may, w .. g - u're - years from now. But if yo .^t 0 cerned ri ht now how g. . • eO,- that question, just gv a call in Shelton. ' J' Russell A. Ao Logging options felled and left to lie i tvi# World War I cut. At the s'!ittl early century there:s the demand for cedar: 75 Y. . €: it was much in demand siv in of man of the more etr$¢ g Y e €" homes in the West. Th tte 0d tor arranged with us t°tor e lane and adjoining P.,¢k $: temporary staging ana:'h]cb cess for the cedar boltS.W:l e° helicopter delivered at w .,t c$" the end of a quick "disc°w" Editor, The Journal.. Following up on the unfolding story of the current clearcut on Coffee Creek, several miles west of Shelton, in Shelton Valley (shorter letters, easier reading, yes?), some additional back- ground may be useful for those who may follow this sort of thing. First, it should be pointed out that there were at least two other options that could have been con- sidered by Simpson Timber Com- pany in this instance. One option would have been to establish the cutline some 500 to 800 feet to the west of where the cutline is. This would have spared much of the worst damage to the vulnerable streams, gullies, can- yons and hills that comprise the upper reaches of the watershed. To see the carnage on those slopes today is not encouraging for the future of the stream, the watershed and those who use and/or enjoy them. This part of the cut consisted of a number of conifers left standing from a pre-World War I cut, plus a mix of alder, broadleaf maple and undergrowth; much of these latter have been left as litter. Another option would have been to cut out selectively the sig- nificant timber and remove it with the use of helicopters. There are road accessible yarding areas, existing nearby from recent clear- cuts, that would have facilitated such an operation. The spring season would have been timely for weather. There is ample precedent for such a helicopter operation. In 1984 Simpson contracted out the harvest of numerous logs of old- growth cedar which had been ble. of  It was the observati°v d ey operation that conr¢b previous hunch that il lo;..g I we might do selective l°eliC°7 our woods, it would be vy ter. li¢opte In 1981 I observed,a,/:;rb.'.: logging operation by w,(w ff er of some of the blowa.., eel; Mount Saint H]oe:l': l handling three " -d v' 0 growth) to a sling'l°.'de r " turnaround time u" minutes. . ili. In the late '80s, whiel lli  Mount Rose, we obser^e to e Slut' ,lp" copter logging a ste .P °nd. o south on forest servxce " i ° contractor was S ips°u Company. • --d obSe 'ip These comments m,: ti d tions are offered al; m . t , the hope that they mY ;,id; in current and future,ti0'l/ tion of timbering °PV'..,nte r'- pecially where seri°Se;te.  habitat damage coum _^ts '- We expect to offer P;tit;e time to time as we .,¢'^gb monitor the effects t;.  seasons on our waterSJ j#.y GordO q" sheltO"