Opinion
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How much government is too much, too little
How much government is too much? How much is too little? The answer to that probably depends on whom you ask. I’m of the mind that efficiency is much more important than size. A few weeks ago, Island Lake Fire — formally known as Mason County...
You can help our Washington bees be
Here’s how your existence will unfold if you’re born a female mason bee in the state of Washington: You’ll grow from an egg into a larva, sealed inside a tubular chamber between two thin plugs o...
Journal Letter Policy
The Journal encourages original letters to the editor of local interest. Diverse and varied opinions are welcomed. We will not publish letters that are deemed libelous or scurrilous in nature. All letters must be signed and include the writer’s...
Ruminations after skipping daily nutrition
“I was a willow last night in a dream I bent down over a clear running stream.” — “Crazy on You,” Heart The first time I climbed Mount Ellinor was around the turn of the millennium, and it...
Transparency in the Auditor's Office
From time to time, I hope to let you know how the Auditor's Office team is working to prepare for future elections and provide more transparency to the people of Mason County. This year is off to a...
Random thoughts for a day in March
What if it turns out, despite all evidence to the contrary, that life is fair? If the president of the United States and the pope were figures in the board game Stratego, which one would have the...
Keeping an eye on skater girl and child
It’s hard to watch humans without judging, but it can be a liberating activity. Be the observer. Drop your ego, shut up, turn off the sensors that require you to criticize. Let a scene play out in...
The many manifestations of water
“The sea refuses no river And the river is where I am.” — Pete Townshend, “All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes” When water molecules gather, their identities are surrendered to the...
I'm sorry mistakes were made (and I got caught)
The scene: A member of Congress caught in a scandal appears on a television outlet that he hopes will treat him with sympathy. Congressman: I’d like to take this opportunity at this time to express...
Random thoughts for a February day
A good message for a reader board in front of an Episcopalian church: Jesus is woke. Our given name is the second gift we receive in this world, after being given the gift of life … or maybe our...
Holy smokes! Look what we can do!
Some of you former school kids might remember when the most reliable place to find the information required to write a book report was the World Book Encyclopedia. Those volumes, whose spines in the...
Johny Baltimore, the Hawks and Nirvana
I watched Saturday’s Seahawks’ playoff game with a friend, Johny Baltimore. “Baltimore” isn’t his birth surname, but it’s what people call him, mostly because he rarely appears without a...
The importance of public notices
When our society finds a better way to archive public records for the people, it will have the full support of this newspaper. Public notices (legals) are the surest way to let citizens know how their tax dollars are being spent. They also create a...
Democracy in the House, east and west
This is a tale of two Houses: One in Washington, D.C., the other in Olympia. Let’s start with the frat House. On the evening of Jan. 6, I sat with Mary Young, my 95-year-old mother-in-law, watching...
Women and men and all of us
Sixty-three years of age — my age — is a careless time to make proclamations about human behavior: One has enough wisdom to recognize patterns and enough foolishness to believe one can make...
