Letters to the Editor

Election questions

Editor, the Journal,

Thank you Mr. Duenkel for your reply to my previous inquiries. While you may not have accused anyone of voter fraud, your campaign rhetoric certainly accused our election system of being subject to fraud. Three months post-election, the question you have failed to, answer is how much voter fraud have you uncovered?

I'll restate the questions I believe the voters of Mason County are entitled to. In the November '22 election, how many ballots were rejected and the reasons why? How many ballots were categorized as "anomalous" [defined as abnormal] and why? Were they accepted or rejected? Has your office provided the supposedly bipartisan Voter Research Project the list of anomalous ballots with names and addresses to canvas?

You previously voiced concern and plans to investigate traditional grassroots efforts in a democracy of door-to-door and "get out the vote" campaigns. My concern is strangers knocking on your door and wanting identification.

Your concern about ballot chain of custody inherent with mail-in-voting has been investigated numerous times nationwide and never shown to be a significant issue. That's what ballot signatures are for and if questioned should be handled by your office for verification as they are by competent auditors and not farmed out to vigilantes. I suggest canvassing your own office, Mr. Duenkel, to report this election information to the voters as an auditor should be obliged to do. As a candidate, you promised integrity and transparency. Time to walk the talk.

P.S. Regarding the plan to upgrade the computer software for improved security, did you find evidence the system was hacked in 2020 in favor of President Joe Biden by the ghost of Hugo Chavez collaborating with the Vatican from secret servers in Germany?

Craig Anderson, Shelton

Many were tricked

Editor, the Journal,

I don't know that I'd hold most Democratic voters to blame for Joe Biden's presidency. Many were tricked. I believe a cabal high in the party's organization reportedly claimed Joe was a moderate and that former President Donald Trump was the spawn of Satan. Both lies were, well, just lies, and now look what we have.

Joe Biden is a serial liar, a proven plagiarist, and, as I have said in a previous letter, a thoroughly corrupt politician. Let's not forget Hunter and his laptop. (By the way, the phrase "Biden crime family" arose out of real discoveries about this bunch and its influence peddling overseas.)

Two recent incidents clearly illustrate our problem here, and they are the killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis and the flight of the Chinese spy balloon. The latter shows an eerie resemblance to the Biden administration's criminal negligence at our Southern border - if there still is one.

On Jan. 7 of this year, five black officers of the Memphis Police Department named "The Scorpion Unit," severely beat one Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, following a routine traffic stop. Nichols was hospitalized in critical condition and died three days later.

Soon after the incident, the media began reporting "systematic racism" in Memphis. (What?!) On CNN, Van Jones said that the black police officers were acting out "white racism."

In light of these media cries of "white racism," please note with care the following: all the assailants and the victim were black; chief of the MPD, Cerelyn Davis, is black; 60% of the MPD is black; and 75% of the population of Memphis is black.

So, according to the media, somehow Memphis, it's population, and it's primary law enforcement agency are all guilty of engendering "white racism."

Please pay attention to this sad incident the next time it's reported - especially how it's reported.

Next ...

On Jan. 28, a Chinese spy balloon started a controlled drift into American sovereign airspace near the Aleutian Islands. Then it passed over Canada, then Montana, and then, la-de-da, over the rest of the U.S. On Feb. 4, it drifted over Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and proceeded out over the Atlantic Ocean, where an American F-22 shot the thing down with a Sidewinder missile.

The president and his advisers apparently discussed the balloon at length and ultimately elected to shoot it down. This after the spy device flew over the United States for seven days ... while we did nothing. A reporter did ask Biden about all this, and the president's response was, "We'll take care of it." Oh yes, he also attended a Democratic Party fundraiser.

Sleep tight, America.

Robert E. Graham, Union

What are we saying?

Editor, the Journal,

The definitions below are why I question Steve Duenkel's use of the euphemism "nonpartisan" when repeatedly referring to "The Mason County Voter Research Project." The MCVRP is a county extension of the statewide "The Washington Voter Research Project" founded by a Republican gadfly, Glen Morgan. "Nonpartisan" does not mean unbiased, impartial, objective, neutral, bipartisan or independent. If voter fraud or "anomalies" are so pervasive why can't they be proven in a court of law? Again, for transparency sake, why hasn't Mr. Duenkel or the MCVRP published its methodology and "report"?

Note: all following definitions are from various online English dictionaries unless otherwise noted.

Partisan: (n) a strong supporter of a party, cause, or person; a committed member of a political party; (adj) prejudiced in favor of a particular cause; uncritical allegiance to a particular point of view. [In multiparty systems, the term is used for persons who strongly support their party's policies and are reluctant to compromise with political opponents. A political partisan is not to be confused with a military partisan. Source: Wikipedia, "Partisan (Politics)"]

Nonpartisan: (adj) not biased or partisan, especially toward any particular political group; objective; not supporting or controlled by a political party, special interest group, or the like. (In this context, "nonpartisan" means that the organization, by U.S. tax law, is prohibited from supporting or opposing political candidates, parties, and in some cases other votes like propositions, directly or indirectly, but does not mean that the organization cannot take positions on political issues, e.g., The American Legislative Exchange Council as opposed to The Center for American Progress. Source: Ballotpedia, "Nonpartisan")

Bipartisan: (adj) involving the agreement or cooperation of two political parties that usually oppose each other's policies.

Independent: expressing no allegiance to any one political party or philosophy.

(Independents often are portrayed as political free agents with the potential to alleviate the nation's rigid partisan divisions. Yet the reality is that most independents are not all that "independent" politically. And the small share of Americans who are truly independent - less than 10% of the public has no partisan leaning - stand out for their low level of interest in politics. Source : Pew Research Center March 14, 2019, "Political Independents: Who They Are, What They Think")

Objective: (of a person or their judgment) not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing all the known facts, both pro and con.

Neutral: not helping or supporting either side in a conflict, disagreement, etc.; impartial; having no strongly marked or positive characteristics or features.

Impartial: treating all rivals or disputants equally; fair and just.

Euphemism: (n) a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.

Bill Pfender, Shelton

Tell us

Editor, the Journal,

Mr. Anvik requests that I comment on his response to my letter regarding the creation of Social Security and unemployment insurance in 1935. I would first remind him that I was quoting the writing of Lynn Olsen in her book, "Citizens of London."

Mr. Anvik, you have added nothing to the discussion of or defense of Republican resistance to the creation of these benefits. Instead, you changed the subject to racial injustice. It's an odd turn you take, bringing up racism, when current white supremist groups are so closely associated with the Republican Party. Your "facts" and "sources" have been debunked so often that it's hard to take you seriously.

Nevertheless, you want a comment on racial injustice, Mr. Anvik? The bottom line is: actions speak louder than words. I can say, without a doubt, that I made a positive difference in race relations at the prison where I worked as a first responder/prison nurse for seven years. How? Through kindness and caring, listening and educating I earned the trust and respect of hundreds of black inmates. These are all things that Tyre Nichols received none of, we see, as the nation grieves along with his family and friends.

Back to my prison experience, I give you a quote from the October 2017 Sun magazine interview with Henry Robinett. "The only thing that's going to turn them around is if people start treating them with humanity." From the article titled "Jailhouse Blues, Henry Robinett on Teaching Inmates to Play the Guitar." Rather than continuing to cast aspersions, Mr. Anvik, how about if you recount some instances in your life when and where your actions have made things better?

Karen Skinner, Shelton

Scout behavior

Editor, the Journal,

I am a Scout in the local area and would like to inform the public about some of the Boy Scouts of America's values. The Scout Oath is, "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight."

More than just Scouts can learn how to better themselves from following the Scout Oath. The Scout Law states, "A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent." These are all good traits everyone should have. Scouts is a great way for younger people to get involved in their community.

Thank you for your time,

KC Sanquist, Mason County

The voting system

Editor, the Journal,

This letter to the editor is in response to previous letters regarding our newly elected auditor.

I for one cannot argue with our elected auditor Steve Duenkel running on a platform of ensuring our election system is transparent and secure. From what I could tell our former auditor did a good job in running the Auditor's Office and elections. That being said, the voters chose Steve Duenkel as our new auditor and after talking to him on a couple of occasions, I am confident he can fulfill his duties.

Certain leaders in the Democratic Party have questioned the need for signature verification on mail-in ballots. I certainly hope this effort does not gain traction. Many of us can remember going to the polls showing our identification and ensuring our information on the voting roles is correct. If we cannot trust our voting system, then we will not have a republic based on democracy.

Philip Wolff, Allyn

Dangerous dogs

Editor, the Journal,

We need animal control in Mason County. Within the last three weeks, our cat, Copper, was mauled and killed by three loose dogs in Shadowood. They also killed another cat, Chips, last week. They have killed chickens, harassed llamas, a child, a lady, a dog and a puppy in the area. They are from the Cook Plant Farm area and have been seen as far as Fawn Lake in which they were captured. The sheriff told the person that captured them to release them back to the owners.

I don't know exactly how many people in our area have called the Sheriff's Office, had video and pictures of these dogs but I know it is several. We are all tired of this situation and are worried that something else worse will happen. There are neighbors that won't walk their dogs now as they are scared. Supposedly the situation has been resolved as one of the dogs is gone and the other has been declared a dangerous dog. I am not sure what has happened to the third.

I would love to give a shoutout to our neighbors in Shadowood, Cole Road and Fawn Lake area that have been so diligent in looking out for these dogs. The pictures and videos have been very helpful.

I would love to hear what others think about not having animal control in Mason County.

Lisa Cress, Shelton