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PAPERBOY
KOMENCOMMENT
'Patriarch' still a
theatrical force
he headline in The New York
Times called him a "Theatri-
cal Patriarch." And who can
disagree? James Earl Jones is one of
America's great actors.
To moviegoers, he's best known as
the doom-filled voice of Darth Vader.
Forthose of us who first saw him on
Broadway nearly a half-century ago, he
is Jack Johnson.
It was 1969 and Jones was starring
in "The Great White Hope." It was a
play about a heavyweight boxing cham-
By JOHN
KOMEN
pion whose color and
demeanor had enraged
much of white Amer-
ica.
He wasn't named
"Jack Johnson" in
the New York Broad-
way play, but it was
Johnson all right. And
Jones took to the role
of this charismatic
and hard-living black
heavyweight champion
LETTERSTOTHEEDIT()R
as if he were born into it.
Johnson had become heavyweight
champion of the world in 1908, the first
black heavyweight champion. White
men had always held the title, and so
the search was on for The Great White
Hope. Taking the title back became the
white ring world's obsession, and an all-
out effort was on to find a white heavy-
weight who would dethrone Johnson.
What made Johnson a fascinating
figure was his unabashed lifestyle.
Openly ignoring Jim Crow laws and
America's unwritten laws for "negroes,"
Johnson lived the way he wanted, and
he enraged much of America in doing it.
"He was the first black heavyweight
champion in history -- the most cel-
ebrated -- and most reviled African
American of his age," says the dust
jacket intro to "Unforgiveable Black-
ness," a 2004 biography by Geoffrey C.
Ward. The book was made into a televi-
sion documentary.
What particularly enraged racist
America was the black champion's
habit of openly consorting with white
women. In 1910, Johnson's arrogant
disregard of "accepted" custom led Con-
gress to pass the White Slave Traffic
Act. Better known as the Mann Act, it
purportedly was aimed at forbidding
the transportation of womLen in inter-
state commerce for prostitution. But
its intent was clearly aimed at getting
Johnson.
And it did. Johnson was arrested
and convicted when he traveled with a
white woman from Pittsburgh to Chi-
cago. He was convicted and sentenced
to a year in prison.
There's much more to the Johnson
story, and Jones told it superbly in that
1969 Broadway play. An arrestingly im-
posing physical figure at age 38, Jones
thoroughly filled the role of a man who
"took orders from no one and resolved
to live as if color did not exist."
At the time, we were working for
ABC-TV News in New York City. We
made our home in Mount Vernon,
just an easy ride on the New Haven
Railroad into Manhattan. And we fre-
quently took advantage of our proxim-
ity to take in plays on Broadway. As
longtime boxing fans, we especially
made an effort to see Jones. And we
weren't disappointed.
Jones won Broadway's Tony Award
for "The Great White Hope." He won
a second Tony in 1987, and he's been
nominated for another Tony for "The
Best Man" now closing its run on
Broadway. In it, he stars as the presi-
dent of the United States.
Jones, now 81 and white haired, re-
mains an imposing presence on stage.
He's no longer the lithe and muscular
athlete he portrayed 46 years ago. But
the image remains.
On that day 43 years ago, we wit-
nessed one of America's great acting
talents when we saw Jones in "The
Great White Hope".
• John Komen, who lives on Mason
Lake, was ,for 40 years a reporter and
editor, TV anchorman, national TV net-
work correspondent, producer, colum-
nist, editorial writer and commentator.
His column, Komen Comment, appears
each week in the Shelton-Mason County
Journal.
Postal service plan will hurt newspapers
//
By TOM
MULLEN
he U.S. Postal Service, a part
of the U.S. government is
picking favorites.
This newspaper, and others in
the nation, have not been chosen.
In an effort to generate more
mail volume, the postal service has
proposed offering an advertising
company (Valassis, Inc.) discounts
of more tha 30 percent for direct
mailing of what is bound to be junk
mail.
IfValassis and the postal ser-
vice get their way, the result will
What do you
want for the
county?
Editor, the Journal
Mason County has reached
a level of such poor leadership,
that it cannot be denied that a
radical change is needed. There
have been and still are so many
lawsuits against the county and
we the citizens pay for them.
Why are so many people and
entities suing us? Here are a
few that are documented: the
age discrimination suit, which
cost us $114,000; the land con-
demnation for the Belfair Sewer
Project the commissioners re-
fused to negotiate with the own-
er and he sued. We lost a total
of nearly $500,000. Another one
is in progress by Mark Core for
unfair firing from a job in the
Department of Community De-
velopment. Another is possible
with five union members unless
there are negotiations. There is
also the solid waste long-haul-
ing no-bid contract that was
taken to court in Grays Harbor.
The judge has ruled that there
has to be an open bidding pro-
cess. We are awainting the re-
sults on that one. These are the
known ones so far. There may
be more.
When I brought this up at a
commissioner's meeting, I was
told by Commissioner Lynda
Ring Erickson that "lawsuits go
with running the government.
All the agencies have suits
brought against them. It is part
of doing business and most of
them are frivolous." But, appar-
ently the courts have not con-
sidered them all frivolous.
Commissioner Tim Sheldon
wears so many different hats
that it is a wonder he even
makes it to the county meet-
ings. When he is attending, he
appears bored and indifferent
to the people speaking in the
open forum. He is a part-time
commissioner, part-time sena-
tor, on the board of ORCCA, NW
Energy, an environmental com-
mittee, etc. He has interests in
timber, transportation, medical
insurance, construction, hotels,
car insurance, waste operations,
guns, phones, cigarettes, cars,
property insurance, car racing
and the pharmaceutical indus-
try, just to name some. Whose
interest do you think is given his
first consideration - the citi-
zens or special interests?
We need to get rid of the
"good ol' boy" mentality of do-
ing business. We need open
and transparent government.
No more backroom deals, the
wink, nod, clap on the back or
a handshake, that leaves the
public in the dark. The public
has the right to consider pro-
posals and give comments on
proposals that have such an
effect on the lives, health and
welfare of the community.
We all know about the Ad-
age incinerator horror. The
public knew nothing about
this scheme before most of
the agreements and deals had
been put in place. Something
like this being set up without
our knowledge was very, very
FI:: SheltoniMon, unty ........... ...... i
Shelton-Mason County Journal is a member of
usPs 492-800 Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
$37 per year for Mason County addresses,
$51 per year in state of Washington but outside
Mason County, $61 per year out of state.
haw a greater effect than more ad-
vertising fliers in your mailbox.
By offering those mailing dis-
counts the postal service will be
pulling away dollars from local
newspapers like this one, which
must pay a higher rate to circulate
such fliers.
Advertising is a highly competi-
tive industry. Locally, regionally
and nationally, newspapers com-
pete with a growing field of ad
media, from internet to television,
from door hangers to direct mail-
ers.
People like advertising when
it helps them find what they are
looking for in products and services
or when they learn about a deal
through it. When it's not of such
use, they don't like it as much.
But whether it is liked or dis-
liked, it drives our economy and
brings other benefits to communi-
ties.
See Postal on page A-5
Owned and published by
Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc
Published weekly by Shelton-Mason County doumal, Inc.
at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton, Washington
Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584
Telephone (360) 426-4412 • www.masoncounty.com
Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington
wrong. There should have
been an open, explanatory an-
nouncement followed by open
public hearings before any
action was taken. There were
none. The public only heard
about it by word-of-mouth. We
don't want commissioners to
support and participate in this
kind of policy.
Sheldon's opponent is Ro-
slynne Reed. She is extremely
competent, dedicated to the
community and knowledgeable
about many problems. We have
it in her own words: "I believe
in open government and will
avoid litigation and other un-
necessary costs suffered by
county taxpayers due to cur-
rent mismanagement practic-
es. Actions by the commission
are hurting our local economy
and reputation. I intend to
work toward restoring respon-
sible government and taking
actions that encourage envi-
ronmentally friendly growth m
our county. [ understand the
importance of health for our
citizens and our environment.
I have been endorsed by the
Mason County Democrats and
recently by our retiring U.S.
Rep. Norm Dicks. I have been'
supported by others who are
not Democrats, which is great.
People understand that politics
should not really be a factor at.
the local level."
Another candidate that will:
work for the benefit of the citi-
zens is Denny Hamilton. He has
a plan for the future. Three ma-
jor components of his plan are:
"Most important is partner-
ship for progress. It starts with
county agencies working more
closely together instead of (in)
competition with each other.
"Working with civic and
social organizations that are
already doing a great deal of
work individually.
"The third part of these
partnerships is the private sec-
tor. The absolute necessity of
open government is essential to
bring the public into decision-
making."
Denny has a long history of
evaluating a problem, creat-
ing a plan to deal with it and
implementing the plan step-by-
step. He had an international
career working in more than 80
countries for a variety of inter-
national organizations including
the World Bank, Peace Corps,
CARE and the United Nations.
Locally, the list goes on. A
bachelor's degree from Central
Washington University, mas-
ter's degree in counseling psy-
chology, county Medical Reserve
Corps Member, Department of
Emergency Management Plan-
ning team and more.
One of the things I think
that stand outs about Denny is
that he really listens when you
talk to him and responds to
public concerns. He is a person
who actually does what he says
he will do. No grandstanding.
He is the kind of commissioner
we need to help the county get
back on track and take care of
the residents.
We cannot be stuck in the
past and rely on what has
driven the local economy in the
past. We need new advanced
businesses. We need to revi-
talize our efforts to attract
technological companies and
small businesses. That is our
future prosperity and jobs. We
also need to protect and clean
up the environment for both
our health and well-being. We
want to make Mason County
an attractive place to live.
We need to become the model
county of the state, known for
our concern and care of our air,
water and soil. How wonder-
ful it would be if counties and
cities from all over the country
come to us for advice about
healing our wounded environ-
ment and placing the health
and welfare of its citizens
above that of special interests.
Why do we tolerate the term
MCL [maximum contamina-
tion levels)? This concept is
sanctioned by the Department
of Ecology and the EPA. There
should be no contamination
allowed.
We the people are the true
governing power in this coun-
try. not the county commission-
ers, the state or even the feder-
al governement. All governing
bodies get their power from us.
We do not renounce that power.
No matter what the supreme
court says, a company is not
an individual. Let us take our
rights back and elect Roslynne
Reed and Denny Hamilton for
county commissioners.
Patricia Vandehey
Shelton
It's raining
lawsuits
Editor, the Journal
It's raining lawsuits in
Mason County again, and the
most recent downpour could
wind up soaking taxpayers for
as much as $2 million.
Legal clouds started gath-
ering back in 2009, when the
county suddenly ducked out
of a labor contract with Team-
sters Local 252, after it had
been ratified by union member-
ship. Ironically, the conditions
from which commissioners
were trying to escape were
largely of their own making.
So the union filed a com-
plaint, and Hearings Examiner
Joel Green ruled that the county
had failed to bargain in good
faith. The matter then went be-
fore PERC (Public Employment
Relations Commission), which
affirmed the examiner's findings.
Meanwhile, money that
should have gone toward
salaries and benefits of county
employees were accruing in-
terest at an alarming rate (12
percent). Regardless, the com-
missioners chose to enter into
a lengthy appeal process. And
on July 11, three years and two
months after walking away
from the agreement, Thurston
County Court of Appeals up-
held PERC's decision, and put
an end to the county's round-
robin attempt to thwart the
original ruling.., maybe.
With a boatload of money
and an election on the line, the
county has but two options:
negotiate a settlement with the
Teamsters, or file an appeal
with a higher court and hope
for the best.
But if the commissioners
choose to gamble against the
odds, they will be doing it
with public money. And if the
county loses again, costs to tax-
payers will be in the how high
is up' category.
Now, I know what you're
thinking, commissioners: Do
we roll the dice or cut our
losses? Well, that depends on if
you're feeling lucky.
So how about it, commis-
sioners, are you feeling lucky?
Well, are you?
Because we're not.
Tom Davis
Shelton
Haigh
supports
wrong cause
Editor, the Journal
Kathy Haigh, 35th District
State Representative, is also a
veterinarian and saved the life
of our prolapsed mare a num-
ber of years ago.
She also is the sponsor/co-
sponsor of a number of"gay"
bills that have passed our
legislature beginning in 2006.
le I:a.mg,teful for the life
of our mare, I am not grateful
that I have had to volunteer
my time to circumvent these
bills by gathering signatures
to place them on the statewide
ballot for the general elections.
R-71 was approved by
the voters making same-sex
couples equal in all respects to
the legal benefits granted to
married couples. Now SB 6239
extending the meaning of the
word, "marriage," to same sex-
couples will be on the ballot in
November, as R-74, so voters
statewide have an opportunity
to vote "approve" or "disap-
prove" on redefining the mean-
ing of the word "marriage" to
include same-sex couples.
Marriage to me is a sa-
cred lifetime commitment on
the part of one man plus one
woman to be joined together as
"one" to produce families that
are the bulwark of our society.
You may avoid this respon-
sibility, but it still is truth, like
gravity is truth. It doesn't go
away becauseyou pass laws say-
ing it no longer exists, or that you
can add or subtract to it, at will.
I strongly recommend vot-
ing for Kathy's opposition, Dan
Griffey, who is both pro-life
from conception, and pro-
traditional marriage between
one man plus one woman, in
the coming election, to help put
an end to the advance of the
"Gay Agenda," which seems to
be foremost in the minds of the
Democrat majority.
A not-yetrealized goal stated
on the "gay agenda" is changing
the "age of consent" and in 2007
a bill was introduced to "study
the age of consent" but it died
in committee.
Diane Eaton
Grapeview
See Letters on page A-5
Kari Sleight, publisher
Newsroom:
Adam Rudnick, editor
Natalie Johnson, reporter
Gordon Weeks, reporter
Emily Hanson, sports reporter
Advertising: Composing room:
Dave Pierik, Sr. Acct. Executive William Adams, graphics
Sharee Miller, ad representative
Maggie Burdick, ad representative Pressroom:
Kelli Alexander, ad representative Kelly Riordan, production manager
Travis Miller, press operator
Front office: Mary Northover, press assistant
Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper
Margot Brand, circulation
Cricket Carter, mailroom
supervisor
Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012