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Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
November 22, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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November 22, 2007
 
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H ard homecoming for Vietnam vet • ra ? claims his brain 'went south' (Continued from page 3.) punishment and the possibility that Buddhist monks in Cambodia have put a curse on all American veterans of the conflict in Viet- nam. Of this he wrote: "No won- der my brain 'went south;' every- one has their own reality, and I'm being 'held responsible' for every damn one of them!" He makes the point that there was no mention of "guilt" in their divorce decree and laments the suggestion that he made an inde- pendent choice to become home- less. tie expresses that he owes Two injured in crash An Olympia woman and her passenger were injured in a one- vehicle crash in the early hours of" Saturday morning, according to the Washington State Patrol. Robin Paulina Bouvier, 21, was driving a 2003 Honda Civic east- bound on State Route 102 about three miles north of Shelton when the vehicle left the roadway to the right and struck an embankment near the intersection with Eeils Hill Road, Trooper C.F. Magallon reported. The vehicle rolled over and struck a utility pole. Bouvier was ejected from the vehicle. Her passenger, 21-year-old Ashley Kristina Rose Carr of Shelton, was trapped inside the vehicle which came to rest on its top off the eastbound lane. Bouvier, who was not wearing a seatbelt, sustained head inju- ries and Carr, who was wearing a seatbelt, had lacerations and contusions. The cause of the crash, report- ed at 2:52 a.m. November 17, was identified by the trooper as alco- hol-related. his gratuity to no one with the "profound exception" of the men who served in the Fifth Regiment of the First Marine Division be- tween November 1968 and August 1969. Next he describes his pur- chase of a run-down mobile home and describes at some length ad- ditional legal entanglements, his frustration with a leaking roof and efforts to communicate with his daughter. He wrote: "Has anyone considered the fact that I love my daughter, and she loves me?l!! When are we to be granted amnesty?!!!" On the last page of his letter he wrote: "I chal- lenge anyone to look me in the eye and judge me ..." His use of the words "nervous breakdown" and his reference to post-traumatic stress disorder in- vite an inquiry into the relation- ship of mental illness to homeless- ness. The National Coalition for the Homeless cites a 2005 study by the National Institute of Men- tal Health to tile effect that in that year one in live single adults who are bomeless suilred from some form of mental illness. This is not to say that any more than a small percentage of the 44 million Amerfcans who suflbr from men- tal illness are homeless at any one time. A census taken in January of this year tbund that 32 of" 266 homeless households in Mason County attributed their situation to mental illness. Census takers were told that 64 local people had a disability related to their men- tal health. IN REMARKS made to a re- porter when delivering his letter to this newspaper, Peterson stat- ed that he has "a perfectly clean police record, plus I have served my country with honor and merit and conscientiously." The legal struggles referred to in his letter have to do with the civil matter of the divorce, the leaky roof and dis- ability benefits. He also expressed (;hurch welcomes homeless (Continued from page 3.) campment have very high skills as far as keeping themselves alive in the woods," Hayes said. "The people we get in our shel- ters have no skills." If" her suggestion that there may be more than 2,000 homeless people in Mason County seems a little extreme, it is also the case that it is very hard to get a han- dle on the homeless population. A 1996 federal study estimated that the national count could be as low as 444,000 and could be as high as 842,000. The U.S. Department of Hous- ing and Urban Development de- livered its first annual Homeless Assessment Report to the Con- gress in February of this year. Officials estimate that there were 754,147 homeless people in the U:S. in January 2005 and that in the nmnths of Febrtmrv to April of that year there were 704,000 people in the U.S. who were homeless but staying in shelters. The report finds that nearly a quarter of the sheltered homeless were age 17 or younger, nearly a quarter were disabled and nearly a half were single men. Aiican-Americans consti- tuted 12 percent of the general population but 45 percent of the }tameless people. COUPLES WHO come into the emergency shelter at Saint David's are allowed to sleep next to one another on thin mats laid out on the floor. Supervisors of the shelter keep an eye on things, but they don't turn away persons who have been accused of domes- tic violence and they don't take names. "A lot of" homeless peo- ple don't use their real names," Hayes said. A case in point is a woman who went by Mary but is known by another name to the people in Mason County Superior Court. A jury found her husband not guilty in 2000 of slugging her during a family fracas that al- legedly involved threats with a kitchen knife and testimony that he was hit on the head with a fiTing pan. Two months later she was the principal member of an organization called "Justice for All" that wanted to change the way the courts deal with in- cidents involving alcohol. "We decided that we had to stop the cycle of violence and alcohol abuse," she said at the time. "The courts can aid us or the courts can trash us, and they have chosen to trash us, as far as I am concerned." Last summer her husband was sent to prison for stealing a Palm Pilot and last winter he was serving time for assaulting Sergeant Jeff Rhoades of the Shelton Police Department after he responded to a report that the man had struck Mary in the face . and taken her money away. This followed a 2005 conviction for possessing marijuana and resist- ing arrest 0nd a 2002 conviction ibr intmidating a public official at which time Mary said: "This man has fallen down. There's no doubt. He has to pick himself up and dust himself off." MARY MET HER husband in Walla Walla and talked about her situation one cold night last winter during an interview at the shelter. "Dealing with hard- ship has taught me a lot," she said. "I look at my situation as a blessing, rll make it, though. It is going to strengthen me. I have no blame fbr anybody. I'm just thankful God's with me." Mary and her grandson ibund themselves looking for shelter after a series of reversals on the home front. She said she and her husband tried to buy some prop- erty from people who were leaving the area, but the deal fell through when they ran short of money. After that they lived in a mobile home fbr a short time, but that didn't work out either. "I have always looked at things from an innocent perspective," she said. "I thought everybody thought the way I did, saw the good in everybody, the light at the end of the tunnel, that sort of thing. Unfortunately, some people I have found in these last months actually judge you by things that aren't under your control." Mary is supported by a month- ly grant of several hundred dol- lars in what she refers to as "dis- ability" funds, and the same goes for John Goodchild, who went to high school here in the late '60s. He says he has diabetes and lost his job at "the mill" in Shelton due to his disability. He lives in an old fifth-wheeler that doesn't have any electricity, stays at the shelter on cold nights and talked there about his situation on the night Mary did the same. "I live frugally," he said. "You have to." GOODCHILD HAS been seen driving around Shelton in a vintage Subaru flying two U.S. flags on the roof. He says he bought the car for $100 from a man he met at the Community Kitchen, a Christian ministry in downtown Shelton for people in need of food. "I like to work on cars," he said. "I like to read. I like to build models." WHOLE HOUSE Carpet Cleaning 199 Page 6 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, November 22, 2007 He also likes to watch mov- ies and has fitted his vehicle with a portable device that can show rented movies on a screen about the size of a hardcover book. Among his favorites is Up In Smoke, a 1978 film in which the stoner comics, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, drive around in a marijuana van. "I'm buying some land in Tex- as," Goodchild said. "I'm going to stay here until my morn passes away; then I'll go down there." Texas had an estimated 49,600 homeless people in 2005 and Washington had 23,970, ac- cording to a report by the Na- tional Alliance to End Home- lessness. "They sleep in alleys behind homes and toolsheds and near garbage cans so they can get food," Hayes told the Kiwan- ians. "People like to stay as close as they can where they can be safe because there's other people around and they like to be neat" services." VETERANS AFFAIRS re- ports that nearly 23 percent of homeless, adults are military veterans and states that: "The Puget Sound region has a grow- ing homeless population, esti- mated to be close to 6,000 on any given night; some 40 percent of all homeless adults in the region are veterans." The VA in Spokane provides services to nearly 3,500 camp- ers living in rural areas, and the VA in this part of the state has a "work therapy program" that helps veterans stay sober and employed. Hayes told the Kiwan- ians that "we need money" and Mayor John Tarrant, a member of the club, urged members to help out by making a donation to their church or to the United Way of Mason County. He also reminded the gathering that the City of Shelton and PUD 3 have programs that help people stay in their homes through tough fi. nancial times. Hayes made the point that it's hard to get a job when you're homeless, and it gets harder with every night spent on the street or in the woods. "I don't think that any people choose to live that way, but I do believe that people stop trying. They give up," she said. "Your capacity to function diminishes every day you are cold and wet, and these people spend entire winters that are cold and wet." Editor's note: This report was gathered and written by Elizabeth Wells, Sean Hanlon and B. Allison Hanlon. We have fishi. supphes! Skokomish Indian Tribal Enterprises (S.1.TE.) Premis Carton + tax the view that the U.S. will from another surge of rustic stress when veterans war in Iraq return to "This country hasn't even gun to prepare tbr that aM by Blaine & Linda AN OLD FAVORITE If you are looking for a flooring material that is comfortable, and easy to consider linoleum. First patented 1863, linoleum was a choice until the advent of vinyl than a century later. Today, is back in favor as a nostalgic retro and vintage styles and of its environmentally friendly ties. Sheet linoleum is primarily of natural, renewable raw including oxidized linseed oil, dust, wood flour, resins, and mineral pigments that are on a jute backing. Because no synthetic chemicals, it able. The linseed oil continues to dize over time, increasing to bacterial growth. Care consists vacuuming and damp mopping. Area rugs or an expanse of peting, natural stone or a production, our purpose Is to your own personality and meaning through the and dLcor of your home or We listen to our clientele so we can help them select the decor to suit their lifestyle budget. It really can be clone SHELTON FLOOR COVERING it. Stop by soon at 1306 Hvvy So., neighbors in She/ton choose us the fun place to ShOl: ions for any room in their offices. PH: 360-427-2822. HINT. Linoleum is a good for people with respiratory ders because of its resistance bacteria and its anti-static ties, which repel dirt and dust. €( ns .... l urance-friendly repazrfacdzty....  assuring your peace of mind". sh,,l,,,.. WA 9.5.4 £,,j Fax 360-4,32-361¢ 19390 North U.S. Hwy. I01 Skokomish Nation, WA 98584 At the intersection of Hwy. 101 & Hwy. 106 minutes north of Shelton on the Skokomish Indian Reservation Located next to the Lucky Dog Casino • 427-9099 Joker or Ace Energy 16 oz. 2/*2 Bud & Bud Li 2-pack S949 ......... . varieti, Q S4z9 .... 12 12 oz. cans  ..... s.. Basic00 3 Chicken Strips 00 OFF Carton & 8 Jo Jo Rn, $34.75, $31.75 wi coupon. : Good through 11-28-07. Not valid with other offers. m m m  $1.59/BAG Comnl0000e A ,, .]/.j.,l i Grizzly Chew S999 Wintergreen 5 can rolls Reg. $10.85 Marlboro SURGEON Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide. H ard homecoming for Vietnam vet • ra ? claims his brain 'went south' (Continued from page 3.) punishment and the possibility that Buddhist monks in Cambodia have put a curse on all American veterans of the conflict in Viet- nam. Of this he wrote: "No won- der my brain 'went south;' every- one has their own reality, and I'm being 'held responsible' for every damn one of them!" He makes the point that there was no mention of "guilt" in their divorce decree and laments the suggestion that he made an inde- pendent choice to become home- less. tie expresses that he owes Two injured in crash An Olympia woman and her passenger were injured in a one- vehicle crash in the early hours of" Saturday morning, according to the Washington State Patrol. Robin Paulina Bouvier, 21, was driving a 2003 Honda Civic east- bound on State Route 102 about three miles north of Shelton when the vehicle left the roadway to the right and struck an embankment near the intersection with Eeils Hill Road, Trooper C.F. Magallon reported. The vehicle rolled over and struck a utility pole. Bouvier was ejected from the vehicle. Her passenger, 21-year-old Ashley Kristina Rose Carr of Shelton, was trapped inside the vehicle which came to rest on its top off the eastbound lane. Bouvier, who was not wearing a seatbelt, sustained head inju- ries and Carr, who was wearing a seatbelt, had lacerations and contusions. The cause of the crash, report- ed at 2:52 a.m. November 17, was identified by the trooper as alco- hol-related. his gratuity to no one with the "profound exception" of the men who served in the Fifth Regiment of the First Marine Division be- tween November 1968 and August 1969. Next he describes his pur- chase of a run-down mobile home and describes at some length ad- ditional legal entanglements, his frustration with a leaking roof and efforts to communicate with his daughter. He wrote: "Has anyone considered the fact that I love my daughter, and she loves me?l!! When are we to be granted amnesty?!!!" On the last page of his letter he wrote: "I chal- lenge anyone to look me in the eye and judge me ..." His use of the words "nervous breakdown" and his reference to post-traumatic stress disorder in- vite an inquiry into the relation- ship of mental illness to homeless- ness. The National Coalition for the Homeless cites a 2005 study by the National Institute of Men- tal Health to tile effect that in that year one in live single adults who are bomeless suilred from some form of mental illness. This is not to say that any more than a small percentage of the 44 million Amerfcans who suflbr from men- tal illness are homeless at any one time. A census taken in January of this year tbund that 32 of" 266 homeless households in Mason County attributed their situation to mental illness. Census takers were told that 64 local people had a disability related to their men- tal health. IN REMARKS made to a re- porter when delivering his letter to this newspaper, Peterson stat- ed that he has "a perfectly clean police record, plus I have served my country with honor and merit and conscientiously." The legal struggles referred to in his letter have to do with the civil matter of the divorce, the leaky roof and dis- ability benefits. He also expressed (;hurch welcomes homeless (Continued from page 3.) campment have very high skills as far as keeping themselves alive in the woods," Hayes said. "The people we get in our shel- ters have no skills." If" her suggestion that there may be more than 2,000 homeless people in Mason County seems a little extreme, it is also the case that it is very hard to get a han- dle on the homeless population. A 1996 federal study estimated that the national count could be as low as 444,000 and could be as high as 842,000. The U.S. Department of Hous- ing and Urban Development de- livered its first annual Homeless Assessment Report to the Con- gress in February of this year. Officials estimate that there were 754,147 homeless people in the U:S. in January 2005 and that in the nmnths of Febrtmrv to April of that year there were 704,000 people in the U.S. who were homeless but staying in shelters. The report finds that nearly a quarter of the sheltered homeless were age 17 or younger, nearly a quarter were disabled and nearly a half were single men. Aiican-Americans consti- tuted 12 percent of the general population but 45 percent of the }tameless people. COUPLES WHO come into the emergency shelter at Saint David's are allowed to sleep next to one another on thin mats laid out on the floor. Supervisors of the shelter keep an eye on things, but they don't turn away persons who have been accused of domes- tic violence and they don't take names. "A lot of" homeless peo- ple don't use their real names," Hayes said. A case in point is a woman who went by Mary but is known by another name to the people in Mason County Superior Court. A jury found her husband not guilty in 2000 of slugging her during a family fracas that al- legedly involved threats with a kitchen knife and testimony that he was hit on the head with a fiTing pan. Two months later she was the principal member of an organization called "Justice for All" that wanted to change the way the courts deal with in- cidents involving alcohol. "We decided that we had to stop the cycle of violence and alcohol abuse," she said at the time. "The courts can aid us or the courts can trash us, and they have chosen to trash us, as far as I am concerned." Last summer her husband was sent to prison for stealing a Palm Pilot and last winter he was serving time for assaulting Sergeant Jeff Rhoades of the Shelton Police Department after he responded to a report that the man had struck Mary in the face . and taken her money away. This followed a 2005 conviction for possessing marijuana and resist- ing arrest 0nd a 2002 conviction ibr intmidating a public official at which time Mary said: "This man has fallen down. There's no doubt. He has to pick himself up and dust himself off." MARY MET HER husband in Walla Walla and talked about her situation one cold night last winter during an interview at the shelter. "Dealing with hard- ship has taught me a lot," she said. "I look at my situation as a blessing, rll make it, though. It is going to strengthen me. I have no blame fbr anybody. I'm just thankful God's with me." Mary and her grandson ibund themselves looking for shelter after a series of reversals on the home front. She said she and her husband tried to buy some prop- erty from people who were leaving the area, but the deal fell through when they ran short of money. After that they lived in a mobile home fbr a short time, but that didn't work out either. "I have always looked at things from an innocent perspective," she said. "I thought everybody thought the way I did, saw the good in everybody, the light at the end of the tunnel, that sort of thing. Unfortunately, some people I have found in these last months actually judge you by things that aren't under your control." Mary is supported by a month- ly grant of several hundred dol- lars in what she refers to as "dis- ability" funds, and the same goes for John Goodchild, who went to high school here in the late '60s. He says he has diabetes and lost his job at "the mill" in Shelton due to his disability. He lives in an old fifth-wheeler that doesn't have any electricity, stays at the shelter on cold nights and talked there about his situation on the night Mary did the same. "I live frugally," he said. "You have to." GOODCHILD HAS been seen driving around Shelton in a vintage Subaru flying two U.S. flags on the roof. He says he bought the car for $100 from a man he met at the Community Kitchen, a Christian ministry in downtown Shelton for people in need of food. "I like to work on cars," he said. "I like to read. I like to build models." WHOLE HOUSE Carpet Cleaning 199 Page 6 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, November 22, 2007 He also likes to watch mov- ies and has fitted his vehicle with a portable device that can show rented movies on a screen about the size of a hardcover book. Among his favorites is Up In Smoke, a 1978 film in which the stoner comics, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, drive around in a marijuana van. "I'm buying some land in Tex- as," Goodchild said. "I'm going to stay here until my morn passes away; then I'll go down there." Texas had an estimated 49,600 homeless people in 2005 and Washington had 23,970, ac- cording to a report by the Na- tional Alliance to End Home- lessness. "They sleep in alleys behind homes and toolsheds and near garbage cans so they can get food," Hayes told the Kiwan- ians. "People like to stay as close as they can where they can be safe because there's other people around and they like to be neat" services." VETERANS AFFAIRS re- ports that nearly 23 percent of homeless, adults are military veterans and states that: "The Puget Sound region has a grow- ing homeless population, esti- mated to be close to 6,000 on any given night; some 40 percent of all homeless adults in the region are veterans." The VA in Spokane provides services to nearly 3,500 camp- ers living in rural areas, and the VA in this part of the state has a "work therapy program" that helps veterans stay sober and employed. Hayes told the Kiwan- ians that "we need money" and Mayor John Tarrant, a member of the club, urged members to help out by making a donation to their church or to the United Way of Mason County. He also reminded the gathering that the City of Shelton and PUD 3 have programs that help people stay in their homes through tough fi. nancial times. Hayes made the point that it's hard to get a job when you're homeless, and it gets harder with every night spent on the street or in the woods. "I don't think that any people choose to live that way, but I do believe that people stop trying. They give up," she said. "Your capacity to function diminishes every day you are cold and wet, and these people spend entire winters that are cold and wet." Editor's note: This report was gathered and written by Elizabeth Wells, Sean Hanlon and B. Allison Hanlon. We have fishi. supphes! Skokomish Indian Tribal Enterprises (S.1.TE.) Premis Carton + tax the view that the U.S. will from another surge of rustic stress when veterans war in Iraq return to "This country hasn't even gun to prepare tbr that aM by Blaine & Linda AN OLD FAVORITE If you are looking for a flooring material that is comfortable, and easy to consider linoleum. First patented 1863, linoleum was a choice until the advent of vinyl than a century later. Today, is back in favor as a nostalgic retro and vintage styles and of its environmentally friendly ties. Sheet linoleum is primarily of natural, renewable raw including oxidized linseed oil, dust, wood flour, resins, and mineral pigments that are on a jute backing. Because no synthetic chemicals, it able. The linseed oil continues to dize over time, increasing to bacterial growth. Care consists vacuuming and damp mopping. Area rugs or an expanse of peting, natural stone or a production, our purpose Is to your own personality and meaning through the and dLcor of your home or We listen to our clientele so we can help them select the decor to suit their lifestyle budget. It really can be clone SHELTON FLOOR COVERING it. Stop by soon at 1306 Hvvy So., neighbors in She/ton choose us the fun place to ShOl: ions for any room in their offices. PH: 360-427-2822. HINT. Linoleum is a good for people with respiratory ders because of its resistance bacteria and its anti-static ties, which repel dirt and dust. €( ns .... l urance-friendly repazrfacdzty....  assuring your peace of mind". sh,,l,,,.. WA 9.5.4 £,,j Fax 360-4,32-361¢ 19390 North U.S. Hwy. I01 Skokomish Nation, WA 98584 At the intersection of Hwy. 101 & Hwy. 106 minutes north of Shelton on the Skokomish Indian Reservation Located next to the Lucky Dog Casino • 427-9099 Joker or Ace Energy 16 oz. 2/*2 Bud & Bud Li 2-pack S949 ......... . varieti, Q S4z9 .... 12 12 oz. cans  ..... s.. Basic00 3 Chicken Strips 00 OFF Carton & 8 Jo Jo Rn, $34.75, $31.75 wi coupon. : Good through 11-28-07. Not valid with other offers. m m m  $1.59/BAG Comnl0000e A ,, .]/.j.,l i Grizzly Chew S999 Wintergreen 5 can rolls Reg. $10.85 Marlboro SURGEON Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.