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00ournal of___Opinion:
Violence hitting home
It s lurking there in the background as Matthes alsowill set a different tone in the
schools prepare to open next week, stealing "welcome back assembly on the first day of
children's innocence and serenity rightfully school, facing the student safety issue head-on
theirs, robb!ng educators of time and resourc- in her talk to the kids. She'll tell them there
es. America s epidemic of violence has reached will be no tolerance for harassment and intimi-
down into the smallest of communities, includ- dation at SHS and that all children should be
ing this one. Even though a school shooting accepted. Kids have always made threats, but
has not occurred here, authorities prepare as if
the unthinkable could happen and develop
strategies to try to prevent it.
School safety is a major concern these
days, a challenge that's been dumped in
the laps of educators and law-enforce-
ment personnel, who seem to inherit all
the problems that parents create with
their attitudes and neglect. Never mind
how small the chances of a shooting here
appear; school safety is addressed with
planning and training and changes in
emphasis because, as an assistant super-
intendent told the Shelton School Board
last month, "We have to specialize in
disaster." The hope is that no child slips
through the cracks to become an uncar-
ing, revengeful, berserk beast, but there
is a scary underlying realization that no
amount of precautionary measures could
stop a child who's just plain deranged.
Local school officials are working on dual
fronts, developing emergency response plans
at the same time they attempt to change the
climate in schools. Mary M. Knight Superin-
tendent Fred Yancey is realistic about plans.
"Offices are filled with plans for every contin-
gency, and you don't have the luxury of read-
ing a plan during a crisis," he said. "The reali-
ty is, when a disaster strikes, no one reacts the
way the plan implies they should." Nor does a
disaster follow a plan, he knows. "Our plan
only works if the disaster cooperates," he ad-
mitted. So, if a disaster strikes, the superin-
tendent is depending on his staff to use com-
mon sense to protect children.
The more critical issue in school safety,
in his mind, is ensuring that the climate
at a school doesn't foster alienated kids
who feel shunned, left out and picked on,
youngsters who have no rapport with fel-
low students and teachers. If you concen-
trate only on mechanistic aspects - armed
officers, random locker searches, metal
detectors and banning certain clothing -
you don't strike at the soul of the issue,
he said. Armed police in schools didn't
,prevent shootings, metal detectors
ouldn't have Stopped the shooters who
were outside buildings, and outlawing
clothing doesn't change the child inside.
Yancey was dismayed to see the kinds of
things bought with money the state set aside
for security measures in schools. The grants
were funding metal detectors and officers. He
wanted to bring in counselors.
Yancey advocates downsizing schools.
His entire career has been spent in small
districts. He loves the atmosphere, which
he characterizes as a family. "People
know when others are hurting and when
others are happy," he said. "For some, it's
the only sense of family they get. What
you do is create intimacy in the school
environment." The smaller the school, the
harder it is for cliques to form, he said.
Shelton Superintendent of Schools Bill
Hundley is well aware of the advantages of
smaller schools. He was rooting for Pioneer
School District's bond measure that would
have taken 400 students out of Shelton High
School, due to open next week with an estimat-
ed 1,600 kids. Part of the beauty of a Pioneer
high school was to be that it would make the
crowded SHS more tolerable at the same time
it created a small school for the Pioneer com-
munity. Opponents said the school would be
too expensive and offer inferior educational op-
portunities compared to SHS. Yancey argues
that a big school offers a great educational and
athletic experience for the cream of the crop
but not for the average kid, who is lost in the
crowd and can't make the basketball team.
Hundley said a key part of his district's
bond issue next year will be a proposal to
build a school to move the freshmen out
of SHS, reducing the high school's popu-
lation. The freshmen would be housed in
the current Shelton Middle School with
eighth-graders. Those in grades 6-7, now
in with eighth-graders at SMS, also would
see the benefits of a smaller school when
the new school was built for them.
That's all a few years off at least. Mean-
while, SHS Principal Mellody Matthes has to
deal with a burgeoning school that, even before
it grew to AAAA size, some called a "powder
keg." She's eager to develop a climate in which
every child feels a part of the school and its ac-
tivities The shootings at Columbine High
School in Colorado taught us that the boys in-
volved didn't feel a part of anything, she said.
SHS has dozens of activities, but they
haven't been promoted well enough, the
principal said. This year a vice principal
will be promoting activities, and students
from various clubs and programs will be
going into freshman Jump Start classes
to tell the newcomers about activities and
encourage participation.
many times in idle or boastful ways. Since the
school shootings began, we've seen how schools
and law enforcement have developed tough
policies on threats that give big-mouthed kids
as much slack as airports give jokesters talk-
ing about bombs at the boarding gate. A child
who 10 years ago might have been scolded or
ignored can today find himself facing a police
officer and criminal charges. With a new tip
line opened by Shelton police for students to
report incidents, it's going to be even easier for
a child to get in hot water for his threats.
Today Matthes will talk to her staffers
and tell them that improving the climate
means they have to be available to listen
to kids. School staffers have been at it
long enough to read students like a book;
they know which kids need special atten-
tion. Matthes also plans to ask staffers if
they'd be willing to wear an identification
badge. That would make it easier to iden.
tify unauthorized adults on campus.
The Shelton district's emergency response
plan is still in the works, explained Mark
Weston, the assistant superintendent heading
a safety committee meeting over the summer.
He hopes to complete a plan by this fall, after
key personnel attend a statewide summit on
school safety sponsored by the Washington
State Criminal Justice Training Commission
September 30. Some pieces of the plan are ac-
complished; other information remains to
come. Weston said planners don't even have a
reliable psychological profile for shooters to
use in prevention strategies. The planners do
have recently completed assessments of each
building by police officers to provide authori-
ties such information as escape routes, location
of window blinds and which doors lock. (The
police responding at Columbine didn't know
the layout of the school.)
Weston expects drills to be held once
the plan is completed, but he's not certain
children will be involved in the drills.
Adults in the schools and emergency re-
"spenders will participate, but there are
tough questions to answer about involv-
ing kids. In past incidents it's been kids
doing the shooting. If that's the case, is it
safe to tell potential shooters what the re-
sponse would be to an incident? Would
drills only heighten fear by making kids
live an imaginary nightmare? And Yancey
asks if there's another Catch-22. Do drills
plant a seed and give students ideas?
Weston said he wants some good answers
to those and other questions before the
district holds drills.
Weston and Matthes stress that different
emergencies merit different responses, and
while an earthquake, fire or bomb threat
would call for the immediate evacuation of
SHS, isolation would be important in a shoot-
ing. The emphasis would be on teachers keep-
ing students in their rooms, locking the doors,
closing the shades and using the rooms'
phones for communication.
Many parents and children have ex-
pressed concern about local schools' safe-
ty. We asked Weston what he'd tell kids
who are afraid. He said he would ac-
knowledge that terrible things have hap.
pened at other schools but that children
shouldn't let that ruin their lives; that if
they're anxious and fearful they should
"talk anti talk a whole lot" to work out
their feelings; that it's okay to talk to
adults about someone not doing what he's
supposed to, and that they should consid-
er nonviolence as a way of life.
He said kids need to understand that they
share the responsibility for stopping violence.
Noting that kids are most fearful when they
feel powerless, he said they need to be con-
vinced they're not powerless, that they need to
be told to take charge and stop the problem.
Weston believes the homogeneous na-
ture of the Shelton district's children and
the relative lack of cliques will help pre.
vent one of these horrible incidents. The
shootings have tended to happen in high.
ly stratified schools such as in the well.to.
do suburbs of Springfield, Oregon, and
Littleton, Colorado, he pointed out.
There's less class hatred in homogeneous
populations such as Shelton's, he said.
School safety is not something to be left to
the schools to accomplish alone. The communi-
ty's citizens have responsibilities. Parents
should never encourage violent behavior and
should provide good examples of love and ac-
ceptance for their children at home. Kids
should know they can foster a friendly climate
at school with more cordial, understanding
and empathetic behavior rather than hatred,
contempt, insults and anger. And the rest of
those in the community can treat kids the way
they'd like to be treated by tomorrow's citizens.
-CG
Page 4- Shelton-Mason County' Journal- Thursday, September 2, 1999
[] []
Making hay in straw poll
By DAVE BARRY
The U.S. presidential election
is a scant 14 months away, and
you can feel the excitement build-
ing across the nation, all the way
from Washington, D.C., to the im-
mediate suburbs of Washington,
D.C.
For the benefit of those of you
normal civilian humans who live
outside of Wingtip World and do
not plan to start caring about this
election for at least another year,
here's a rundown of recent devel-
opmeits:
On the Republican side, the big
summer news event was the Iowa
"Straw Poll," which gets its name
from the fact that anybody who
takes it seriously has the IQ of a
hay bale. Nevertheless, the news
media made a big deal about it,
and the leading GOP contenders
spent much of the summer tromp-
ing around Iowa feigning interest
in pigs.
This effort paid off big for
George W. "W." Bush, who won
the Iowa Straw Poll with three
vc;les, hidh ost him"$14.3 mil-
lion ace. He was followed by
Steve Forbes, Elizabeth Dole,
Ricky Martin and Ulysses S.
Grant, all of whom received votes,
which were cast by Mrs. Earline
A. Plankton; an older Iowan
whose memory is not what it once
was. Dan Quayle did not receive
any votes but he did develop a
strong rapport with a prominent
Iowa Labrador retriever named
Rex. After the Straw Poll, Lamar
Alexander dropped out of the
race, in response to polls showing
that nobody, including his imme-
diate family, was aware that he
was running. And speaking of
people who have the same
mathematical chance of getting
elected president as Shamu the
Whale: Sen. Orrin Hatch has en-
tered the GOP race, apparently
unaware of the constitutional re-
quirement that the president
must legally have originated on
the planet Earth.
But for now, George "W." Bush
is the Republican front runner,
which makes sense, because he
combines the two essential quali-
ties that the American political
system demands of any candidate
who hopes to be elected to the
most important job in the world:
1. Height.
2. Money.
You need height to prove that
you have Leadership; you need
money to communicate your
views to the voters by means of
TV commercials that have the
subtlety of a "Teletubbies" epi-
sode, but less intellectual content.
These commercials are very ex-
pensive to produce, so candidates
with limited budgets sometimes
buy used ones from earlier cam,
paigns CLiddy Dole: She has a
plan to get us out of Vietnam.").
Meanwhile, on the Democratic
side, it's a close two-man race,
with Vice President Al Gore lead-
ing on money, and Bill Bradley
currently ahead on height, So far,
both of these savvy political veter-
ans have managed to avoid com-
mitting any strategic blunders,
such as making any statement
that anybody would remember 30
seconds later.
In case you were wondering, I,
too, am still running for presi-
dent. My current platform is that
if I am elected, I will invest the
entire federal budget surplus -
currently estimated at $3 trillion
- in my inauguration party. You
may argue that this is not a good
way to provide for the nation's fu-
ture, but trust me, if you attend
my party, you won't CARE about
the nation's future.
Also, as president, I will make
it my highest priority to track
down and punish whoever is re-
sponsible for putting Mr. Whipple
back on the air - I have seen him
TWICE now - in commercials for
Charmin brand bathroom tissue.
Like most Americans, I had
thought that Mr. Whipple had
been locked away forever, like
Charles Manson, and suddenly
he's BACK. If we let the advertis-
ing people get away with this, it's
only a matter of time before they
bring back "Ring around the
collar." I pledge to you that, as
your president, I will use what-
ever means are necessary to pre-
vent this, including a nuclear
strike against Procter & Gamble
headquarters.
For the record, I am also still
running for the U.S. Senate seat
from New York State. I am even
willing to buy a house in New
York if wealthy contributors pay
for it and I don't actually have to
live in it. I care so much about
New York that, right now, I am
going to conduct a "listening
tour." I want you New York read-
ers to hold this column up in front
of your mouth and express your
concerns to the area in parenthe-
ses below in a loud and clear
voice, while I listen in a sincere
manner. OK? Go a headl , ......
(EXPRESS YOUR CON-
CERNS HERE)
OK! Thank you! Really!
Thanks! OK! SHUT UP NOW.
Whew! You New Yorkers really
have a lot of concerns! Some of
you should be more concerned
about oral hygiene, if you catch
my drift! But I definitely agree
with you about everything.
So anyway, I hope that every-
body votes for me for every avail-
able office. I may not be the tall-
est candidate, and I may not have
the most money, and I may have
done some bad things in my life,
but I can tell you, in all honesty
and frankness, that these things
were not my fault. As a child, I
was traumatized by the conflict
between Bill Clinton's mother
and grandmother. In closing,.I
want to make the following ap-
peal to you undecided voters out
there: Here boy! C'mon, Rex!
Buechel a trusted builder
Editor, The Journal:
The election is just "around the
corner" and many are vying for a
city office. My remarks and rec-
ommendation is in no way to be
considered as derogatory toward
the other people seeking the office
of finance commissioner for Shel-
ton.
Kelly Buechel is my choice for
the position, and my reasons for
making this choice are:
1. As a former construction
person and administrator that
handled both private and tax-sup-
ported organizations' finances
and budgets, I feel qualified to
make this recommendation.
2. I have had business dealings
with Kelly since 1993 as a client
and as a consultant in regard to
buying and selling real estate and
the construction of houses. A a
builder of my home, I feel I can
speak with confidence, in regard
to Kelly's ability to effectively and
efficiently execute the duties as
Shelton finance commissioner.
3. In building my home, he
completed the contract without
hesitation even though he en-
countered some unexpected ex-
penses.
4. The roofing subcontractor
failed to adequately secure a roof
vent, causing a leak and damage
to the ceiling. Kelly made satis-
factory repairs without cost to
me.
5. As a construction contractor
and business owner that works
with people of varying levels of
income, Kelly understands their
needs and diligently strives to
provide a home that is within
their income.
6. As a business person and
builder, Kelly knows and under-
stands the financial procedures
and necessary plans that a pros-
pective homeowner must face in
erecting a new home for his fami-
ly.
I have faith and confidence
that, if elected, Kelly will watch
with a critical eye that your tax
dollars are spent in an efficient
and effective manner to give the
citizens of Shelton satisfaction
that tax dollars were well spent
with as little "red tape" as possi-
ble
Ballots are in the mail. Make a
mark for Kelly and mail it. Kelly
will work for you.
Lenno Johnston
Shelton
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason
County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
Publishecl weekly by Shelton Publishing Inc. at 227 West Cote Street, Shelton, Washington
Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584
Telephone (360) 426-4412
Second-class postage paicl 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 $45.00 per year out of state
Chadas Gay, editor and publisher. Neweroom: Carolyn Maddux, managing editor; Steve
Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools; Mary Duncan,
society editor, county government; Sean Hanlon, police, courts, Port of Shelton. Advertising:
Stephen Gay, advertising manager; Dave Plerlk, ad sales. Front office: Julie Orme, business
manager; Vicki Kamin, circulation; Donna Dooms, bookkeeper; Krista Carter, office assistant.
Composing room: Diane Rtordan, supervisor; Margot Brand and Jan Kallinen, paste-up;
Koleen Wood, typesetter and computer system manager; Karl Freer, computer ad layout and
computer system manager; Cynthia Meyer, proofreader. Pressroom: Robert Rodriguez, pro-
duction foreman; Roger Lawson, darkroom; Kelly RIordan, pressman.
lIBBIlliu
F00eader$'
Dmtnct
concer
Edi tT:='eTh: J::rna "
facing Mason County
trict 5 voters in the
September election. In
ballot measure, the voters
asked to double the
medical services (EMS)
make it permanent.
proposed in spite of a
percent increase
three years ago. The
cation offered seems to
proved living quarters
bulance replacement.
requirements should
a surprise to the
and should have been
the general budget over
few years. You can
how medical services
rate and we will all die
approve this
don't believe it. I urge you
"no" on this poorly
cessive increase.
The second issue will
elect a fire commissioner.t
slate of four. The two
highest number of votes
pear in the November
election. I strongly urge
to vote for Tom BrokaW.
over 12 years experience
district commissioner,
served from 1976 to 1988,
as prior experience as a
firefighter and emer
cal technician. Since
Tom has regularly
trict meetings and
lessly to try to make
sioners and the
to the taxpayers. As a
sioner, Tom will have a
ter chance of
and returning fiscal
to District 5.
Even though Fire
spending has more than
over the past 5 years,
ly is still not enough.
is fortunate to have
trained and dedicated
that can be found
deserve better
for Tom Brokaw.
George
Give c
plan "
Editor, The JournaL"
On September 1, the
gan a series of public
tended to take input
to the Mason
sive Plan. Revision
was necessitated
Washington
Hearings Board
ary that found us
pliance with the
ment Act. That status
pliance resulted in a
new commercial building
for the first half of the
then, commercial
ty has been allowed
ban Growth Areas
restricted throughout
the county.
Although not all
comprehensive plan
revision, property
particular busineSS
should be aware that
regulations are a
These meetings are
ty for citizens to
concern and influence
tion of rules that
impact on all of us.
opinions one way or
how and where
lowed to develop
have opinions on
regulations, you
the meetings and
All but the last
at 7 p.m., on the dates
and at the following
September 7,
Community Hall,
Road; September
Knight School, 2987
lock-Brady Road, M!
tember 9, Theler L
Center, 22871
Belfair; and
Allyn Office,
Route 3,
p.m.).
will be published too
courage attendance at
port meeting which
September 1 at the fire
00ournal of___Opinion:
Violence hitting home
It s lurking there in the background as Matthes alsowill set a different tone in the
schools prepare to open next week, stealing "welcome back assembly on the first day of
children's innocence and serenity rightfully school, facing the student safety issue head-on
theirs, robb!ng educators of time and resourc- in her talk to the kids. She'll tell them there
es. America s epidemic of violence has reached will be no tolerance for harassment and intimi-
down into the smallest of communities, includ- dation at SHS and that all children should be
ing this one. Even though a school shooting accepted. Kids have always made threats, but
has not occurred here, authorities prepare as if
the unthinkable could happen and develop
strategies to try to prevent it.
School safety is a major concern these
days, a challenge that's been dumped in
the laps of educators and law-enforce-
ment personnel, who seem to inherit all
the problems that parents create with
their attitudes and neglect. Never mind
how small the chances of a shooting here
appear; school safety is addressed with
planning and training and changes in
emphasis because, as an assistant super-
intendent told the Shelton School Board
last month, "We have to specialize in
disaster." The hope is that no child slips
through the cracks to become an uncar-
ing, revengeful, berserk beast, but there
is a scary underlying realization that no
amount of precautionary measures could
stop a child who's just plain deranged.
Local school officials are working on dual
fronts, developing emergency response plans
at the same time they attempt to change the
climate in schools. Mary M. Knight Superin-
tendent Fred Yancey is realistic about plans.
"Offices are filled with plans for every contin-
gency, and you don't have the luxury of read-
ing a plan during a crisis," he said. "The reali-
ty is, when a disaster strikes, no one reacts the
way the plan implies they should." Nor does a
disaster follow a plan, he knows. "Our plan
only works if the disaster cooperates," he ad-
mitted. So, if a disaster strikes, the superin-
tendent is depending on his staff to use com-
mon sense to protect children.
The more critical issue in school safety,
in his mind, is ensuring that the climate
at a school doesn't foster alienated kids
who feel shunned, left out and picked on,
youngsters who have no rapport with fel-
low students and teachers. If you concen-
trate only on mechanistic aspects - armed
officers, random locker searches, metal
detectors and banning certain clothing -
you don't strike at the soul of the issue,
he said. Armed police in schools didn't
,prevent shootings, metal detectors
ouldn't have Stopped the shooters who
were outside buildings, and outlawing
clothing doesn't change the child inside.
Yancey was dismayed to see the kinds of
things bought with money the state set aside
for security measures in schools. The grants
were funding metal detectors and officers. He
wanted to bring in counselors.
Yancey advocates downsizing schools.
His entire career has been spent in small
districts. He loves the atmosphere, which
he characterizes as a family. "People
know when others are hurting and when
others are happy," he said. "For some, it's
the only sense of family they get. What
you do is create intimacy in the school
environment." The smaller the school, the
harder it is for cliques to form, he said.
Shelton Superintendent of Schools Bill
Hundley is well aware of the advantages of
smaller schools. He was rooting for Pioneer
School District's bond measure that would
have taken 400 students out of Shelton High
School, due to open next week with an estimat-
ed 1,600 kids. Part of the beauty of a Pioneer
high school was to be that it would make the
crowded SHS more tolerable at the same time
it created a small school for the Pioneer com-
munity. Opponents said the school would be
too expensive and offer inferior educational op-
portunities compared to SHS. Yancey argues
that a big school offers a great educational and
athletic experience for the cream of the crop
but not for the average kid, who is lost in the
crowd and can't make the basketball team.
Hundley said a key part of his district's
bond issue next year will be a proposal to
build a school to move the freshmen out
of SHS, reducing the high school's popu-
lation. The freshmen would be housed in
the current Shelton Middle School with
eighth-graders. Those in grades 6-7, now
in with eighth-graders at SMS, also would
see the benefits of a smaller school when
the new school was built for them.
That's all a few years off at least. Mean-
while, SHS Principal Mellody Matthes has to
deal with a burgeoning school that, even before
it grew to AAAA size, some called a "powder
keg." She's eager to develop a climate in which
every child feels a part of the school and its ac-
tivities The shootings at Columbine High
School in Colorado taught us that the boys in-
volved didn't feel a part of anything, she said.
SHS has dozens of activities, but they
haven't been promoted well enough, the
principal said. This year a vice principal
will be promoting activities, and students
from various clubs and programs will be
going into freshman Jump Start classes
to tell the newcomers about activities and
encourage participation.
many times in idle or boastful ways. Since the
school shootings began, we've seen how schools
and law enforcement have developed tough
policies on threats that give big-mouthed kids
as much slack as airports give jokesters talk-
ing about bombs at the boarding gate. A child
who 10 years ago might have been scolded or
ignored can today find himself facing a police
officer and criminal charges. With a new tip
line opened by Shelton police for students to
report incidents, it's going to be even easier for
a child to get in hot water for his threats.
Today Matthes will talk to her staffers
and tell them that improving the climate
means they have to be available to listen
to kids. School staffers have been at it
long enough to read students like a book;
they know which kids need special atten-
tion. Matthes also plans to ask staffers if
they'd be willing to wear an identification
badge. That would make it easier to iden.
tify unauthorized adults on campus.
The Shelton district's emergency response
plan is still in the works, explained Mark
Weston, the assistant superintendent heading
a safety committee meeting over the summer.
He hopes to complete a plan by this fall, after
key personnel attend a statewide summit on
school safety sponsored by the Washington
State Criminal Justice Training Commission
September 30. Some pieces of the plan are ac-
complished; other information remains to
come. Weston said planners don't even have a
reliable psychological profile for shooters to
use in prevention strategies. The planners do
have recently completed assessments of each
building by police officers to provide authori-
ties such information as escape routes, location
of window blinds and which doors lock. (The
police responding at Columbine didn't know
the layout of the school.)
Weston expects drills to be held once
the plan is completed, but he's not certain
children will be involved in the drills.
Adults in the schools and emergency re-
"spenders will participate, but there are
tough questions to answer about involv-
ing kids. In past incidents it's been kids
doing the shooting. If that's the case, is it
safe to tell potential shooters what the re-
sponse would be to an incident? Would
drills only heighten fear by making kids
live an imaginary nightmare? And Yancey
asks if there's another Catch-22. Do drills
plant a seed and give students ideas?
Weston said he wants some good answers
to those and other questions before the
district holds drills.
Weston and Matthes stress that different
emergencies merit different responses, and
while an earthquake, fire or bomb threat
would call for the immediate evacuation of
SHS, isolation would be important in a shoot-
ing. The emphasis would be on teachers keep-
ing students in their rooms, locking the doors,
closing the shades and using the rooms'
phones for communication.
Many parents and children have ex-
pressed concern about local schools' safe-
ty. We asked Weston what he'd tell kids
who are afraid. He said he would ac-
knowledge that terrible things have hap.
pened at other schools but that children
shouldn't let that ruin their lives; that if
they're anxious and fearful they should
"talk anti talk a whole lot" to work out
their feelings; that it's okay to talk to
adults about someone not doing what he's
supposed to, and that they should consid-
er nonviolence as a way of life.
He said kids need to understand that they
share the responsibility for stopping violence.
Noting that kids are most fearful when they
feel powerless, he said they need to be con-
vinced they're not powerless, that they need to
be told to take charge and stop the problem.
Weston believes the homogeneous na-
ture of the Shelton district's children and
the relative lack of cliques will help pre.
vent one of these horrible incidents. The
shootings have tended to happen in high.
ly stratified schools such as in the well.to.
do suburbs of Springfield, Oregon, and
Littleton, Colorado, he pointed out.
There's less class hatred in homogeneous
populations such as Shelton's, he said.
School safety is not something to be left to
the schools to accomplish alone. The communi-
ty's citizens have responsibilities. Parents
should never encourage violent behavior and
should provide good examples of love and ac-
ceptance for their children at home. Kids
should know they can foster a friendly climate
at school with more cordial, understanding
and empathetic behavior rather than hatred,
contempt, insults and anger. And the rest of
those in the community can treat kids the way
they'd like to be treated by tomorrow's citizens.
-CG
Page 4- Shelton-Mason County' Journal- Thursday, September 2, 1999
[] []
Making hay in straw poll
By DAVE BARRY
The U.S. presidential election
is a scant 14 months away, and
you can feel the excitement build-
ing across the nation, all the way
from Washington, D.C., to the im-
mediate suburbs of Washington,
D.C.
For the benefit of those of you
normal civilian humans who live
outside of Wingtip World and do
not plan to start caring about this
election for at least another year,
here's a rundown of recent devel-
opmeits:
On the Republican side, the big
summer news event was the Iowa
"Straw Poll," which gets its name
from the fact that anybody who
takes it seriously has the IQ of a
hay bale. Nevertheless, the news
media made a big deal about it,
and the leading GOP contenders
spent much of the summer tromp-
ing around Iowa feigning interest
in pigs.
This effort paid off big for
George W. "W." Bush, who won
the Iowa Straw Poll with three
vc;les, hidh ost him"$14.3 mil-
lion ace. He was followed by
Steve Forbes, Elizabeth Dole,
Ricky Martin and Ulysses S.
Grant, all of whom received votes,
which were cast by Mrs. Earline
A. Plankton; an older Iowan
whose memory is not what it once
was. Dan Quayle did not receive
any votes but he did develop a
strong rapport with a prominent
Iowa Labrador retriever named
Rex. After the Straw Poll, Lamar
Alexander dropped out of the
race, in response to polls showing
that nobody, including his imme-
diate family, was aware that he
was running. And speaking of
people who have the same
mathematical chance of getting
elected president as Shamu the
Whale: Sen. Orrin Hatch has en-
tered the GOP race, apparently
unaware of the constitutional re-
quirement that the president
must legally have originated on
the planet Earth.
But for now, George "W." Bush
is the Republican front runner,
which makes sense, because he
combines the two essential quali-
ties that the American political
system demands of any candidate
who hopes to be elected to the
most important job in the world:
1. Height.
2. Money.
You need height to prove that
you have Leadership; you need
money to communicate your
views to the voters by means of
TV commercials that have the
subtlety of a "Teletubbies" epi-
sode, but less intellectual content.
These commercials are very ex-
pensive to produce, so candidates
with limited budgets sometimes
buy used ones from earlier cam,
paigns CLiddy Dole: She has a
plan to get us out of Vietnam.").
Meanwhile, on the Democratic
side, it's a close two-man race,
with Vice President Al Gore lead-
ing on money, and Bill Bradley
currently ahead on height, So far,
both of these savvy political veter-
ans have managed to avoid com-
mitting any strategic blunders,
such as making any statement
that anybody would remember 30
seconds later.
In case you were wondering, I,
too, am still running for presi-
dent. My current platform is that
if I am elected, I will invest the
entire federal budget surplus -
currently estimated at $3 trillion
- in my inauguration party. You
may argue that this is not a good
way to provide for the nation's fu-
ture, but trust me, if you attend
my party, you won't CARE about
the nation's future.
Also, as president, I will make
it my highest priority to track
down and punish whoever is re-
sponsible for putting Mr. Whipple
back on the air - I have seen him
TWICE now - in commercials for
Charmin brand bathroom tissue.
Like most Americans, I had
thought that Mr. Whipple had
been locked away forever, like
Charles Manson, and suddenly
he's BACK. If we let the advertis-
ing people get away with this, it's
only a matter of time before they
bring back "Ring around the
collar." I pledge to you that, as
your president, I will use what-
ever means are necessary to pre-
vent this, including a nuclear
strike against Procter & Gamble
headquarters.
For the record, I am also still
running for the U.S. Senate seat
from New York State. I am even
willing to buy a house in New
York if wealthy contributors pay
for it and I don't actually have to
live in it. I care so much about
New York that, right now, I am
going to conduct a "listening
tour." I want you New York read-
ers to hold this column up in front
of your mouth and express your
concerns to the area in parenthe-
ses below in a loud and clear
voice, while I listen in a sincere
manner. OK? Go a headl , ......
(EXPRESS YOUR CON-
CERNS HERE)
OK! Thank you! Really!
Thanks! OK! SHUT UP NOW.
Whew! You New Yorkers really
have a lot of concerns! Some of
you should be more concerned
about oral hygiene, if you catch
my drift! But I definitely agree
with you about everything.
So anyway, I hope that every-
body votes for me for every avail-
able office. I may not be the tall-
est candidate, and I may not have
the most money, and I may have
done some bad things in my life,
but I can tell you, in all honesty
and frankness, that these things
were not my fault. As a child, I
was traumatized by the conflict
between Bill Clinton's mother
and grandmother. In closing,.I
want to make the following ap-
peal to you undecided voters out
there: Here boy! C'mon, Rex!
Buechel a trusted builder
Editor, The Journal:
The election is just "around the
corner" and many are vying for a
city office. My remarks and rec-
ommendation is in no way to be
considered as derogatory toward
the other people seeking the office
of finance commissioner for Shel-
ton.
Kelly Buechel is my choice for
the position, and my reasons for
making this choice are:
1. As a former construction
person and administrator that
handled both private and tax-sup-
ported organizations' finances
and budgets, I feel qualified to
make this recommendation.
2. I have had business dealings
with Kelly since 1993 as a client
and as a consultant in regard to
buying and selling real estate and
the construction of houses. A a
builder of my home, I feel I can
speak with confidence, in regard
to Kelly's ability to effectively and
efficiently execute the duties as
Shelton finance commissioner.
3. In building my home, he
completed the contract without
hesitation even though he en-
countered some unexpected ex-
penses.
4. The roofing subcontractor
failed to adequately secure a roof
vent, causing a leak and damage
to the ceiling. Kelly made satis-
factory repairs without cost to
me.
5. As a construction contractor
and business owner that works
with people of varying levels of
income, Kelly understands their
needs and diligently strives to
provide a home that is within
their income.
6. As a business person and
builder, Kelly knows and under-
stands the financial procedures
and necessary plans that a pros-
pective homeowner must face in
erecting a new home for his fami-
ly.
I have faith and confidence
that, if elected, Kelly will watch
with a critical eye that your tax
dollars are spent in an efficient
and effective manner to give the
citizens of Shelton satisfaction
that tax dollars were well spent
with as little "red tape" as possi-
ble
Ballots are in the mail. Make a
mark for Kelly and mail it. Kelly
will work for you.
Lenno Johnston
Shelton
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason
County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
Publishecl weekly by Shelton Publishing Inc. at 227 West Cote Street, Shelton, Washington
Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584
Telephone (360) 426-4412
Second-class postage paicl 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 $45.00 per year out of state
Chadas Gay, editor and publisher. Neweroom: Carolyn Maddux, managing editor; Steve
Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools; Mary Duncan,
society editor, county government; Sean Hanlon, police, courts, Port of Shelton. Advertising:
Stephen Gay, advertising manager; Dave Plerlk, ad sales. Front office: Julie Orme, business
manager; Vicki Kamin, circulation; Donna Dooms, bookkeeper; Krista Carter, office assistant.
Composing room: Diane Rtordan, supervisor; Margot Brand and Jan Kallinen, paste-up;
Koleen Wood, typesetter and computer system manager; Karl Freer, computer ad layout and
computer system manager; Cynthia Meyer, proofreader. Pressroom: Robert Rodriguez, pro-
duction foreman; Roger Lawson, darkroom; Kelly RIordan, pressman.
lIBBIlliu
F00eader$'
Dmtnct
concer
Edi tT:='eTh: J::rna "
facing Mason County
trict 5 voters in the
September election. In
ballot measure, the voters
asked to double the
medical services (EMS)
make it permanent.
proposed in spite of a
percent increase
three years ago. The
cation offered seems to
proved living quarters
bulance replacement.
requirements should
a surprise to the
and should have been
the general budget over
few years. You can
how medical services
rate and we will all die
approve this
don't believe it. I urge you
"no" on this poorly
cessive increase.
The second issue will
elect a fire commissioner.t
slate of four. The two
highest number of votes
pear in the November
election. I strongly urge
to vote for Tom BrokaW.
over 12 years experience
district commissioner,
served from 1976 to 1988,
as prior experience as a
firefighter and emer
cal technician. Since
Tom has regularly
trict meetings and
lessly to try to make
sioners and the
to the taxpayers. As a
sioner, Tom will have a
ter chance of
and returning fiscal
to District 5.
Even though Fire
spending has more than
over the past 5 years,
ly is still not enough.
is fortunate to have
trained and dedicated
that can be found
deserve better
for Tom Brokaw.
George
Give c
plan "
Editor, The JournaL"
On September 1, the
gan a series of public
tended to take input
to the Mason
sive Plan. Revision
was necessitated
Washington
Hearings Board
ary that found us
pliance with the
ment Act. That status
pliance resulted in a
new commercial building
for the first half of the
then, commercial
ty has been allowed
ban Growth Areas
restricted throughout
the county.
Although not all
comprehensive plan
revision, property
particular busineSS
should be aware that
regulations are a
These meetings are
ty for citizens to
concern and influence
tion of rules that
impact on all of us.
opinions one way or
how and where
lowed to develop
have opinions on
regulations, you
the meetings and
All but the last
at 7 p.m., on the dates
and at the following
September 7,
Community Hall,
Road; September
Knight School, 2987
lock-Brady Road, M!
tember 9, Theler L
Center, 22871
Belfair; and
Allyn Office,
Route 3,
p.m.).
will be published too
courage attendance at
port meeting which
September 1 at the fire