Sequim Gazette Editorial and Letters to the Editor
On votes, vets and the eternal U.S. revolution
Read More Opinion
I hope you voted.
As I write this on Sunday, I have no notion what results Tuesday night will bring to voters here in Sequim or in Port Angeles, where I still live.
Regardless of the outcome, I hope you voted.
For regardless of the outcome, casting your ballot brought you the right to gripe or gloat, depending on your preference of candidates and your choice on issues.
If you couldn't take the time to blacken in a few boxes and deposit your ballot in a mailbox or drop box, I don't want to hear from you on any issue on which you could have voted.
You wouldn't put up, so please shut up.
An eternal revolution
Voting is a precious right and a hard-won one. Take it for granted at your peril.
I don't believe that any other nation in the world gives its citizens the right to make as many choices as often as does the United States. Very little of our government lies beyond the power of the people's right to vote.
I remember how a high school teacher explained it to my civics class: The Constitution guarantees we'll have a legal revolution every two years. We can turn out the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate.
Potentially, it approaches Thomas Jefferson's belief that every generation should overthrow the government and form it anew. To learn more about Jefferson's anarchist leanings, I recommend Joseph Ellis' National Book Award-winning "American Sphinx. The Character of Thomas Jefferson" (1996).
Apathy is pathetic
States, counties, cities, cemetery districts all mimic the federal model, which itself was modeled on a Native American confederation, according to Makah scholar Micah McCarty.
When we bemoan the quality of candidates or decry what the winners have wrought, it's largely the result of our own disinterest, passivity and downright laziness. Even some of the most involved individuals don't get far beyond standing on street corners and waving signs.
As of Monday, only about 36 percent of registered Clallam County voters had cast ballots, according to county auditor Patty Rosand.
The freedom to vote, the freedom to speak, the freedom to publish news and opinion, the freedom to worship as we wish or not at all - and the freedom to wave signs - all were won for us by patriots whose courage even now should astonish us.
Votes and vets
And these freedoms have been preserved by the wars the United States has fought against dictators and oligarchs who would have snuffed out each of our liberties like a candle, plunging the world into darkness.
A week from today we will solemnly honor the men and women who have sacrificed their lives, limbs and minds in defense of our freedoms.
My guess is that some of the folks who will wave Old Glory most energetically on Veterans Day will be people who didn't vote yesterday.
There's a word for what those individuals should feel, and it isn't patriotism.
It's shame.
I hope you voted.
Editor's notes
The news staff at the Sequim Gazette hopes you'll notice some changes we've made to the paper.
_ FIRST IS THE Your Opinion feature on the Op/Ed page - the one that faces this one - in which a reporter asks a question of several people he or she finds in public places. It has appeared for several weeks now.
The questions are designed to be simple so as to solicit brief answers, and they're drafted to query Sequim/Dungeness Valley folks on current topics.
Don't mistake it for a scientific poll; that's not its purpose. Please read it to learn what's on the minds of your friends and neighbors - and watch for the roving reporter who may want to query and photograph you.
_ WE CALL OUR second new feature 72 Hours - Best Bets for the Weekend. Copy editor Cathy Van Ruhan will comb each week's special arts, recreation and entertainment offerings and choose what she thinks are the top contenders for your attention.
The same events will appear in our standard Calendar listings with details such as times, admission prices and venues, but 72 Hours is designed to be a quick-read checklist for Friday, Saturday and Sunday only.
_ ON THE FRONT page of this section, Sequim Police Chief Robert Spinks begins a monthly "On the Beat" column. Spinks will explore in depth the law enforcement issues that lie beneath the Gazette's routine "Police Blotter" listings and crime reports.
His first column explores a crime that pervades every community, lurking below most people's notice due to their unwillingness to see it: domestic violence.
_ FINALLY, YOU'VE ALREADY seen our simplified election results table on page A-1. It was designed to tell you instantly who led what race and how other ballot issues were faring as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The Sequim Gazette's challenge always has been to procure results from the Clallam County auditor and put them into stories in the less than 60 minutes that remain before the paper must go to press.
We hope the table will make our job easier and tell you what you want to know more quickly.
We'll follow up with stories on the apparent winners and losers in our Nov. 11 edition after more ballots have been tallied and predictions are more certain.
Jim Casey is the editor of the Sequim Gazette. Immediately after writing this commentary, he voted.
As I write this on Sunday, I have no notion what results Tuesday night will bring to voters here in Sequim or in Port Angeles, where I still live.
Regardless of the outcome, I hope you voted.
For regardless of the outcome, casting your ballot brought you the right to gripe or gloat, depending on your preference of candidates and your choice on issues.
If you couldn't take the time to blacken in a few boxes and deposit your ballot in a mailbox or drop box, I don't want to hear from you on any issue on which you could have voted.
You wouldn't put up, so please shut up.
An eternal revolution
Voting is a precious right and a hard-won one. Take it for granted at your peril.
I don't believe that any other nation in the world gives its citizens the right to make as many choices as often as does the United States. Very little of our government lies beyond the power of the people's right to vote.
I remember how a high school teacher explained it to my civics class: The Constitution guarantees we'll have a legal revolution every two years. We can turn out the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate.
Potentially, it approaches Thomas Jefferson's belief that every generation should overthrow the government and form it anew. To learn more about Jefferson's anarchist leanings, I recommend Joseph Ellis' National Book Award-winning "American Sphinx. The Character of Thomas Jefferson" (1996).
Apathy is pathetic
States, counties, cities, cemetery districts all mimic the federal model, which itself was modeled on a Native American confederation, according to Makah scholar Micah McCarty.
When we bemoan the quality of candidates or decry what the winners have wrought, it's largely the result of our own disinterest, passivity and downright laziness. Even some of the most involved individuals don't get far beyond standing on street corners and waving signs.
As of Monday, only about 36 percent of registered Clallam County voters had cast ballots, according to county auditor Patty Rosand.
The freedom to vote, the freedom to speak, the freedom to publish news and opinion, the freedom to worship as we wish or not at all - and the freedom to wave signs - all were won for us by patriots whose courage even now should astonish us.
Votes and vets
And these freedoms have been preserved by the wars the United States has fought against dictators and oligarchs who would have snuffed out each of our liberties like a candle, plunging the world into darkness.
A week from today we will solemnly honor the men and women who have sacrificed their lives, limbs and minds in defense of our freedoms.
My guess is that some of the folks who will wave Old Glory most energetically on Veterans Day will be people who didn't vote yesterday.
There's a word for what those individuals should feel, and it isn't patriotism.
It's shame.
I hope you voted.
Editor's notes
The news staff at the Sequim Gazette hopes you'll notice some changes we've made to the paper.
_ FIRST IS THE Your Opinion feature on the Op/Ed page - the one that faces this one - in which a reporter asks a question of several people he or she finds in public places. It has appeared for several weeks now.
The questions are designed to be simple so as to solicit brief answers, and they're drafted to query Sequim/Dungeness Valley folks on current topics.
Don't mistake it for a scientific poll; that's not its purpose. Please read it to learn what's on the minds of your friends and neighbors - and watch for the roving reporter who may want to query and photograph you.
_ WE CALL OUR second new feature 72 Hours - Best Bets for the Weekend. Copy editor Cathy Van Ruhan will comb each week's special arts, recreation and entertainment offerings and choose what she thinks are the top contenders for your attention.
The same events will appear in our standard Calendar listings with details such as times, admission prices and venues, but 72 Hours is designed to be a quick-read checklist for Friday, Saturday and Sunday only.
_ ON THE FRONT page of this section, Sequim Police Chief Robert Spinks begins a monthly "On the Beat" column. Spinks will explore in depth the law enforcement issues that lie beneath the Gazette's routine "Police Blotter" listings and crime reports.
His first column explores a crime that pervades every community, lurking below most people's notice due to their unwillingness to see it: domestic violence.
_ FINALLY, YOU'VE ALREADY seen our simplified election results table on page A-1. It was designed to tell you instantly who led what race and how other ballot issues were faring as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The Sequim Gazette's challenge always has been to procure results from the Clallam County auditor and put them into stories in the less than 60 minutes that remain before the paper must go to press.
We hope the table will make our job easier and tell you what you want to know more quickly.
We'll follow up with stories on the apparent winners and losers in our Nov. 11 edition after more ballots have been tallied and predictions are more certain.
Jim Casey is the editor of the Sequim Gazette. Immediately after writing this commentary, he voted.
![[Post to Twitter]](/module-resources/article/tt-twitter-big3.png)
Letters Policy
Your opinions on issues of community interest and your reaction to stories and editorials contained in your Sequim Gazette are important to us and to your fellow readers. Thus our rules relating to letters submitted for publication are relatively simple.
• Letters are welcome. Letters exceeding 250 words are returned to the writer for revision. We strive to publish all letters.
• Letters are subject to editing for spelling and grammar; we contact the writer when substantial changes are required, sending the letter back to the writer for revisions. Personal attacks and unsubstantiated allegations are not printed.
• All letters must have a valid signature, with a printed name, address and phone number for verification. Only the name and town/community are printed.
• Deadline for letters to appear in the next publication is noon Friday. Because of the volume of letters, not all letters are published the week they are submitted. Time-sensitive letters have a priority.
• Letters are published subject to legal limitations relating to defamation and factual representation.
• To submit letters, deliver to 147 W. Washington St., Sequim; mail to P.O. Box 1750, Sequim, WA 98382; fax to 360-683-6670 or e-mail news@sequimgazette.com.
Your opinions on issues of community interest and your reaction to stories and editorials contained in your Sequim Gazette are important to us and to your fellow readers. Thus our rules relating to letters submitted for publication are relatively simple.
• Letters are welcome. Letters exceeding 250 words are returned to the writer for revision. We strive to publish all letters.
• Letters are subject to editing for spelling and grammar; we contact the writer when substantial changes are required, sending the letter back to the writer for revisions. Personal attacks and unsubstantiated allegations are not printed.
• All letters must have a valid signature, with a printed name, address and phone number for verification. Only the name and town/community are printed.
• Deadline for letters to appear in the next publication is noon Friday. Because of the volume of letters, not all letters are published the week they are submitted. Time-sensitive letters have a priority.
• Letters are published subject to legal limitations relating to defamation and factual representation.
• To submit letters, deliver to 147 W. Washington St., Sequim; mail to P.O. Box 1750, Sequim, WA 98382; fax to 360-683-6670 or e-mail news@sequimgazette.com.