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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 27, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 27, 2007
 
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00ournal of Opinion: Just the way it is That's just the way things are these days. There's nothing you can do about it. So why worry about it? A tinge of sadness overcame us as we read about the proposed new superbuilding at Shelton High School. A facilities task force has recommended replacing five buildings at SHS with one 57,000-square-foot building linking the administration and student union buildings. It wasn't the need for new or better or larger facilities that bothered us. It was the change in structural philosophy, apparently partially brought about by modern times. The change "would enhance student safety and staff supervision." Part of what made SHS such a unique and beautiful high school when it was built in the early '70s was its campus arrangement with multiple buildings. Students got to walk in the fresh air and elements - a brief encounter with nature - between classes. Now it seems that maniacs who walk into schools and start shooting, and children who are behavior problems, dictate a fundamental change in the sensory enjoyment students are allowed at school. More than once, Pioneer bond boosters have used student satty as one reason to construct a new school to replace a beat-up one with multiple ways for bad guys to enter. It's always disheartening to see the actions of a few dictate the freedom and beauty the majority is allowed to enjoy. Witness how the world has changed since the actions of 19 fanatics in four planes. Part of the beauty of the SHS campus was its tall and majestic firs, but many trees came down when some kids started smoking and doing "biological experiments" under them. When we first visited the new middle school in the 1990s, we were struck by how little natural light was let into classrooms, as if a conscious eflbrt was made to deprive students of sunshine and snowflakes, trees and hills, clouds and sky, the nature a soul longs for. The focus, it seemed, was on the math the kids have never learned. If you deprive them of the natural beauty around them, they'll master binomial equations. Perhaps the subtlety of the deprivationwas lost on 13- year-olds, only noticeable to an adult who had enjoyed sunlight streaming through his schools' windows and walked to a store at lunch. Give kids phones they stare at and punch six hours a day and computers they stare at five hours a day and televisions they stare at four hours a day and they'll be okay. And have the technonuts ride everywhere, not walk in nature. The same people who enjoyed nature and freedom are telling today's kids they can't have those things. But that's just the way things are these days. There's nothing you can do about it. In an age when Sheltonians lock their doors when they leave home and identity thieves go through garbage for information, The Journalcan't run a subscription campaign with young salespeople as it did for half a century because parents don't want their 10-year-old going door to door in today's dark world. In today's dark world, you must have policemen in schools. Little Mason County does. The adults who never had police in their schools have decided it's necessary. The City of Port Townsend just fired three people in its building department so it could have a "school resource officer," spend $100,000 more on maintenance and increase its cash on hand. Modern times are dark and financially tough. The taxpayers have spoken, There's nothing you can do about it. So in Shelton, the city with the ninth highest crime rate in the state, you don't replace a policeman who resigns. In a growing county with tens of thousands of structures, you propose axing the fire marshal. That's just the way things are these days. The death spiral is to cut government services and leave infrastructure upkeep unfunded ibr decades so citizens get even madder at government and send Tim Eyman even more money. In five years, when growth hasn't paid for itself, it will just be worse. In this atmosphere, for us to write our recent editorial begging citizens to act on the need for parks is a joke. As it does at school, nature will take a back seat. The touch of nature is being lost as is the human touch. The government must save money and turn off more citizens by setting up phone mazes. We call the city number to reach the administrator, reach an automaton, punch in a number to contact him but get the city front desk and have to tell the receptionist what we want, and she rings his office. We call another official insulated by a secretary and get the secretary's voice mail. Four days later she still hasn't called back. We call a fire district to have the automaton give us mary options and tell us to punch a number if no option fits. When we reach a human, she wants to know why we got her. We explain that the machine told us to punch her number. "No it didn't," she insists. It's a different world out there now. That's just the way things are these days. And the only thing more scary than the fact that's the way things are is that people believe nothing can be done about it. -CG ll ournal eounty usPs 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, RO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. 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 • www.masoncounty.com Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $32.00 per year in-county address, $46.00 per year in state of Washington $56.00 per year out of state Charles Gay, editor and publisher. Newsroom: Sean Hanlon, managing editor; Steve Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools, Port of Shelton; Rebecca Wells, society editor, county government; Mary Duncan, police, courts. Advertising: Stephen Gay, advertising manager; Dave Piertk and Harvey Morris, ad sales. Front office: Julie Orme, business manager; Kathy Lester, circulation; Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper; Cricket Carter, maUroom supervisor. Composing room: Diane Riordan, supervisor; Margot Brand, Jan Kalllnen, pagination; Frank Isaec, pagination, photo technician; Koleen Wood, typesetter, computer system manager; William Adams, ad builder, computer system manager; Clinton Kendall, proofreader. Pressroom: Wally Thaanum, pressman; Jon Hughes, pressman's assistant. u Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, December 27, 2007 M E MOR00E00 I LI A SHOw I00e. gders" Kids commit Capital o Editor, The Journal: I commend Shelton High School students who attended the basketball game at Capital on Tuesday. They sat corralled in a corner of the gym, sur- rounded by Shelton School Dis- trict employees, like convicts on a field trip. Meanwhile, Capital students hurled insults at them with seemingly little or no conse- quence. Aside from breaking league rules concerning audi- ence sportsmanship, three full lister, Hollister" and "You shop at Wal-Mart." Apparently their school district employees didn't think this was offensive enough to warrant removal of all stu- dents involved in the chant. Our students showed great self-control and behaved in the manner expected of them. That's real class. In contrast, Capital students proved that class is something that can't be purchased, even at Hollister. However, I am astounded at how ineffective SHS staff was and protectors of our kids, c as guards to keep the allege naughty, volatile Shelton Higl School students in line? If thel are not operating on the pren ise that our kids are good, thel they have no business beinl involved in any aspect of the education. Does SHS staff think the policing efforts were a success' Probably, after all, no fightl broke out, and no one went homl scarred, right? Well, at least na visibly. rows of Capital students were al- at stopping the insults. Were Ione K. Vrabe lowed to chant things like "Hol- they in attendance as advocates Sheltol Applause for combined choirsll Editor, The JournaL" back, we did not have the op ..... A sincere "well-done" to Eliza I .I am sure that I speak for those portunity to attend anything of beth Berndt and Matthew Melen dez Blegen ibr showing Us' Sha[ by cooperative effort, you trnlt fortunate citizens who attended the joint Harstine Island/Annas Bay choral concert December 16 at Shelton High School when I applaud the choirs for their out- standing performance of holiday music. The quality of performance was extremely high. A few years this caliber, for no such musical groups existed. Should a similar program be offered next year, it might be hoped that two performances could be scheduled so that more people would have the opportu- nity to hear what is a community treasure. can attain something which il greater than the sum of its parts I am looking forward eagerly t future ventures by their organi zations. Myron SkubinnS Unio 'Prevented genius' idea flawed States as were present in Thomas Jefferson's lifetime. Does anyone see 100 statesmen of Jefferson's stature in modern U.S. govern- ment? Madison's? Washington's? I sure don't. I don't even see one. Advocates of the "prevented genius" idea never, ever men- tion the flip side of the same coin, namely that population stabili- zation could prevent the births of new Stalins, Torquemadas, Josef Mengeles, Genghis Khans, Jack the Rippers, Vlad the Impalers and their ilk. Unfortunately, I do see rather more characters like these on the modern scene than people like Jefferson, Lincoln or Shakespeare. Good people and even ex- ceptional people develop from educational opportunities and worthwhile challenges, not from random genetic recombinations. Overpopulation interferes with education - think expanded clas sizes for a close-to-home exam' ple. By driving shortages of fuel, ibod, housing, fertile land, wate and other resources, populatio growth produces more desperate, violent people than ones likely to improve our human condition. In terms of the kinds of people likely to be created by it, popu" lation growth actually tips the balance in the negative direction. Birth control and educational op" portunities for real people who are here now are our best bets for a livable future, not vague hopes that an endlessly growing popu" lation will somehow produce Jef" fersons and Einsteins. David H. Milne Shelto Editor, The Journal: One of the standard objections to the idea of stopping population growth and stabilizing human numbers is always "... but just think of all the geniuses whose births would be prevented if we do that!" A recent writer men- tions this idea (December 13, "Don't be pessimist on growth"), invoking Lincoln, Einstein and Mother Teresa. Unfortunately, this claim is totally bogus. If larger populations are sup- posed to guarantee more excep- tional people, then why hasn't it happened? Britain now has about 13 times as many people as during Shakespeare's day. So, where are the 13 modern Shake- speares? There are now about 100 times as many people in the United Gratifying to read The Journall:l Editor, The Journal." I have a real fondness for our weekly newspaper. Last Thurs- day's Journal pleasantly brought more evidence for my respect and admiration. Good reading and good writ- ing spread throughout its pag- es. From the wonderfully warm front-page piece by Sean Hanlon (a 91-year-old makes violins and cares for his 90-year-old wife) to The Belfair Herald's reportage of an unusual effort to clean up Highway 3 eyesores (Brian and Jacquie Petersen's unique mon- etary contributions for signboard destruction), The Journal was replete with reader satisfactions. The paper was heftier than usual. And that was because of the many delightful Christmas posters submitted by grade- school artists and wonderfully reproduced by The Journal. I pc- rused them all (and by so doing of course took notice of the local merchants who thoughtfully un- derwrote them with their spon- sorships). There was the usual detailed coverage of hard news. These reports ranged from the latest assessment of storm damage in Mason County to the in-depth re- portage of court trials. One may not read every word of court- house happenings, but it is there for you if you want it. I know of no other weekly in the state that provides its readers such de- tailed accounts of criminal trials. In fact, I know of no other weekly newspaper whose coverage of lo- cal issues is so comprehensive. Is there any newspaper in the state, weekly or daily, that cov- ers local school sports like The Journal? The sports section is a gem. From Charlie Gay's delightful "Christmas list" editorial(his ed" itorials and the letters to the edi- tor are always must-reads) to the newsy weekly report from Har- stine Island (in which I was pleased to see mention of Rod Hammett, the famous KJR disc jockey of days gone by), The Jour" nal as always informs and enter" tains its readers. I am truly grateful we have The Journal. I applaud its staff" ers. As a retired newsman, mY appreciation is huge for their ef'i ibrts producing The Journal. It iS truly gratifying to receive in mY mailbox every Thursday the re" suit of all the hard work they've done that week. I wish them all, and all their readers, a Happy New Year for 2008. John Kome Mason Lake 00ournal of Opinion: Just the way it is That's just the way things are these days. There's nothing you can do about it. So why worry about it? A tinge of sadness overcame us as we read about the proposed new superbuilding at Shelton High School. A facilities task force has recommended replacing five buildings at SHS with one 57,000-square-foot building linking the administration and student union buildings. It wasn't the need for new or better or larger facilities that bothered us. It was the change in structural philosophy, apparently partially brought about by modern times. The change "would enhance student safety and staff supervision." Part of what made SHS such a unique and beautiful high school when it was built in the early '70s was its campus arrangement with multiple buildings. Students got to walk in the fresh air and elements - a brief encounter with nature - between classes. Now it seems that maniacs who walk into schools and start shooting, and children who are behavior problems, dictate a fundamental change in the sensory enjoyment students are allowed at school. More than once, Pioneer bond boosters have used student satty as one reason to construct a new school to replace a beat-up one with multiple ways for bad guys to enter. It's always disheartening to see the actions of a few dictate the freedom and beauty the majority is allowed to enjoy. Witness how the world has changed since the actions of 19 fanatics in four planes. Part of the beauty of the SHS campus was its tall and majestic firs, but many trees came down when some kids started smoking and doing "biological experiments" under them. When we first visited the new middle school in the 1990s, we were struck by how little natural light was let into classrooms, as if a conscious eflbrt was made to deprive students of sunshine and snowflakes, trees and hills, clouds and sky, the nature a soul longs for. The focus, it seemed, was on the math the kids have never learned. If you deprive them of the natural beauty around them, they'll master binomial equations. Perhaps the subtlety of the deprivationwas lost on 13- year-olds, only noticeable to an adult who had enjoyed sunlight streaming through his schools' windows and walked to a store at lunch. Give kids phones they stare at and punch six hours a day and computers they stare at five hours a day and televisions they stare at four hours a day and they'll be okay. And have the technonuts ride everywhere, not walk in nature. The same people who enjoyed nature and freedom are telling today's kids they can't have those things. But that's just the way things are these days. There's nothing you can do about it. In an age when Sheltonians lock their doors when they leave home and identity thieves go through garbage for information, The Journalcan't run a subscription campaign with young salespeople as it did for half a century because parents don't want their 10-year-old going door to door in today's dark world. In today's dark world, you must have policemen in schools. Little Mason County does. The adults who never had police in their schools have decided it's necessary. The City of Port Townsend just fired three people in its building department so it could have a "school resource officer," spend $100,000 more on maintenance and increase its cash on hand. Modern times are dark and financially tough. The taxpayers have spoken, There's nothing you can do about it. So in Shelton, the city with the ninth highest crime rate in the state, you don't replace a policeman who resigns. In a growing county with tens of thousands of structures, you propose axing the fire marshal. That's just the way things are these days. The death spiral is to cut government services and leave infrastructure upkeep unfunded ibr decades so citizens get even madder at government and send Tim Eyman even more money. In five years, when growth hasn't paid for itself, it will just be worse. In this atmosphere, for us to write our recent editorial begging citizens to act on the need for parks is a joke. As it does at school, nature will take a back seat. The touch of nature is being lost as is the human touch. The government must save money and turn off more citizens by setting up phone mazes. We call the city number to reach the administrator, reach an automaton, punch in a number to contact him but get the city front desk and have to tell the receptionist what we want, and she rings his office. We call another official insulated by a secretary and get the secretary's voice mail. Four days later she still hasn't called back. We call a fire district to have the automaton give us mary options and tell us to punch a number if no option fits. When we reach a human, she wants to know why we got her. We explain that the machine told us to punch her number. "No it didn't," she insists. It's a different world out there now. That's just the way things are these days. And the only thing more scary than the fact that's the way things are is that people believe nothing can be done about it. -CG ll ournal eounty usPs 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, RO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. 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 • www.masoncounty.com Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $32.00 per year in-county address, $46.00 per year in state of Washington $56.00 per year out of state Charles Gay, editor and publisher. Newsroom: Sean Hanlon, managing editor; Steve Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools, Port of Shelton; Rebecca Wells, society editor, county government; Mary Duncan, police, courts. Advertising: Stephen Gay, advertising manager; Dave Piertk and Harvey Morris, ad sales. Front office: Julie Orme, business manager; Kathy Lester, circulation; Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper; Cricket Carter, maUroom supervisor. Composing room: Diane Riordan, supervisor; Margot Brand, Jan Kalllnen, pagination; Frank Isaec, pagination, photo technician; Koleen Wood, typesetter, computer system manager; William Adams, ad builder, computer system manager; Clinton Kendall, proofreader. Pressroom: Wally Thaanum, pressman; Jon Hughes, pressman's assistant. u Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, December 27, 2007 M E MOR00E00 I LI A SHOw I00e. gders" Kids commit Capital o Editor, The Journal: I commend Shelton High School students who attended the basketball game at Capital on Tuesday. They sat corralled in a corner of the gym, sur- rounded by Shelton School Dis- trict employees, like convicts on a field trip. Meanwhile, Capital students hurled insults at them with seemingly little or no conse- quence. Aside from breaking league rules concerning audi- ence sportsmanship, three full lister, Hollister" and "You shop at Wal-Mart." Apparently their school district employees didn't think this was offensive enough to warrant removal of all stu- dents involved in the chant. Our students showed great self-control and behaved in the manner expected of them. That's real class. In contrast, Capital students proved that class is something that can't be purchased, even at Hollister. However, I am astounded at how ineffective SHS staff was and protectors of our kids, c as guards to keep the allege naughty, volatile Shelton Higl School students in line? If thel are not operating on the pren ise that our kids are good, thel they have no business beinl involved in any aspect of the education. Does SHS staff think the policing efforts were a success' Probably, after all, no fightl broke out, and no one went homl scarred, right? Well, at least na visibly. rows of Capital students were al- at stopping the insults. Were Ione K. Vrabe lowed to chant things like "Hol- they in attendance as advocates Sheltol Applause for combined choirsll Editor, The JournaL" back, we did not have the op ..... A sincere "well-done" to Eliza I .I am sure that I speak for those portunity to attend anything of beth Berndt and Matthew Melen dez Blegen ibr showing Us' Sha[ by cooperative effort, you trnlt fortunate citizens who attended the joint Harstine Island/Annas Bay choral concert December 16 at Shelton High School when I applaud the choirs for their out- standing performance of holiday music. The quality of performance was extremely high. A few years this caliber, for no such musical groups existed. Should a similar program be offered next year, it might be hoped that two performances could be scheduled so that more people would have the opportu- nity to hear what is a community treasure. can attain something which il greater than the sum of its parts I am looking forward eagerly t future ventures by their organi zations. Myron SkubinnS Unio 'Prevented genius' idea flawed States as were present in Thomas Jefferson's lifetime. Does anyone see 100 statesmen of Jefferson's stature in modern U.S. govern- ment? Madison's? Washington's? I sure don't. I don't even see one. Advocates of the "prevented genius" idea never, ever men- tion the flip side of the same coin, namely that population stabili- zation could prevent the births of new Stalins, Torquemadas, Josef Mengeles, Genghis Khans, Jack the Rippers, Vlad the Impalers and their ilk. Unfortunately, I do see rather more characters like these on the modern scene than people like Jefferson, Lincoln or Shakespeare. Good people and even ex- ceptional people develop from educational opportunities and worthwhile challenges, not from random genetic recombinations. Overpopulation interferes with education - think expanded clas sizes for a close-to-home exam' ple. By driving shortages of fuel, ibod, housing, fertile land, wate and other resources, populatio growth produces more desperate, violent people than ones likely to improve our human condition. In terms of the kinds of people likely to be created by it, popu" lation growth actually tips the balance in the negative direction. Birth control and educational op" portunities for real people who are here now are our best bets for a livable future, not vague hopes that an endlessly growing popu" lation will somehow produce Jef" fersons and Einsteins. David H. Milne Shelto Editor, The Journal: One of the standard objections to the idea of stopping population growth and stabilizing human numbers is always "... but just think of all the geniuses whose births would be prevented if we do that!" A recent writer men- tions this idea (December 13, "Don't be pessimist on growth"), invoking Lincoln, Einstein and Mother Teresa. Unfortunately, this claim is totally bogus. If larger populations are sup- posed to guarantee more excep- tional people, then why hasn't it happened? Britain now has about 13 times as many people as during Shakespeare's day. So, where are the 13 modern Shake- speares? There are now about 100 times as many people in the United Gratifying to read The Journall:l Editor, The Journal." I have a real fondness for our weekly newspaper. Last Thurs- day's Journal pleasantly brought more evidence for my respect and admiration. Good reading and good writ- ing spread throughout its pag- es. From the wonderfully warm front-page piece by Sean Hanlon (a 91-year-old makes violins and cares for his 90-year-old wife) to The Belfair Herald's reportage of an unusual effort to clean up Highway 3 eyesores (Brian and Jacquie Petersen's unique mon- etary contributions for signboard destruction), The Journal was replete with reader satisfactions. The paper was heftier than usual. And that was because of the many delightful Christmas posters submitted by grade- school artists and wonderfully reproduced by The Journal. I pc- rused them all (and by so doing of course took notice of the local merchants who thoughtfully un- derwrote them with their spon- sorships). There was the usual detailed coverage of hard news. These reports ranged from the latest assessment of storm damage in Mason County to the in-depth re- portage of court trials. One may not read every word of court- house happenings, but it is there for you if you want it. I know of no other weekly in the state that provides its readers such de- tailed accounts of criminal trials. In fact, I know of no other weekly newspaper whose coverage of lo- cal issues is so comprehensive. Is there any newspaper in the state, weekly or daily, that cov- ers local school sports like The Journal? The sports section is a gem. From Charlie Gay's delightful "Christmas list" editorial(his ed" itorials and the letters to the edi- tor are always must-reads) to the newsy weekly report from Har- stine Island (in which I was pleased to see mention of Rod Hammett, the famous KJR disc jockey of days gone by), The Jour" nal as always informs and enter" tains its readers. I am truly grateful we have The Journal. I applaud its staff" ers. As a retired newsman, mY appreciation is huge for their ef'i ibrts producing The Journal. It iS truly gratifying to receive in mY mailbox every Thursday the re" suit of all the hard work they've done that week. I wish them all, and all their readers, a Happy New Year for 2008. John Kome Mason Lake