As Ronald Reagan so sagely observed back in the day: "No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!" Believing that making it easy as pie for someone to continue taking addictive drugs will help solve their addiction and put them on the road to being a productive member of society works about as well as giving an alcoholic unlimited access to liquor. If you really cared more about the individual than your own ego, you'd force them to instead take the hard road to reaching the bottom that's required before they choose to help themselves, all the while realizing the hard truth that some people will not make that choice. You can't help someone who will not help themselves.
Interesting Wendy Sisk considers detox a big deal, yet when being questioned about MAT someone with the tribe (I don't remember who) said it was too hard on the addict and didn't work. Must not have been a big enough money maker for them.
1-perhaps DOCCUMENTED overdose deaths are down but anyone who listens to local scanners knows overdoses are not down, just getting reversed. 2- CCHHS is manipulating data since they made this claim of reduced overdoses 6 months after the coronorer reported vastly different data and toxicology in this state can run over a year behind so there are many undetermined cases floating around 3- nobody is talking about the hypoxic brain damage from overdose but we sure see it on the streets of PA
And the 'zombie' cocktails...it's not just one thing...but it is 'big business' for govt's and NPO's and 'for profits', like JKT to 'normalize' the cycle out of 'the goodness of their hearts'.
It is part of NWO planning or it wouldn't be happening...the demoralization of a nation is essential for communism to take over...and communism is just the tool for despotism and tyranny. History repeats.🤓
My thoughts exactly! Somebody is making alot of money..somewhere. We need to stop voting in these same crim..I mean politicians, that do nothing but raise taxes to fund willy- nilly expenditures! Apparently, as Ozias and ilk have shown in the past, ADDICTS TAKE PRIORITY over our kids, schools, vets & hospitals. It's horrible to see money carelessly thrown around when people are struggling. Time to get these clowns out of office...
I believe Democrats do these absurdities not only to launder money, but to intentionally create chaos and problems to drive out conservatives, thus keeping them in power in perpetuity, like in California, Oregon, and Washington.
I do not believe there is any ROI in refusing people the results of their choices; AKA Harm Reduction. Admittedly the choice consequences can be stark; including death. An anonymous, but very gifted basketball star was drafted by the then Seattle Super Sonics with a near unimaginable salary for such a very young man. He was unable to cope with his new found wealth and chose drugs which abruptly ended his promising career. There are measures professional sports could and should take to mitigate this outcome, but the point and the bottom line is that he was legally an adult and it was his choice. When you take the results of one's choice away you deny them the experience they chose. Similar to begging a child to not crawl to the fire, but letting that child learn that fire burns, one's own chosen learning path is disrupted by taking away their chosen path. Further, the advice offered by adults simultaneously gains more respect. Regardless of resources dedicated and efforts made, we cannot save everyone from their choices.
"Commissioner Mark Ozias supported the general concept, calling it “an absolutely appropriate use”"
Based on what evidence, Commissioner Ozias?
If I'm going to extend my integrity to vouch for something I would hope that I can back the claim up. If the people who run this program cannot put a finger on any metrics that support continued use then Commissioner Ozias how do you derive at your assertion?
All these issues have been created by the same problem 'incompetent leadership'.We have seen most of these issues created in big cities and have seen how the issues keep growing because of poor leadership.After years of witnessing these problems voters would hope their elected would not make the same mistakes but C.C.elected are doing just that.
Commissioners are ALL IN to spend time and money on HARM REDUCTION but where are they in response to the crisis at Olympic Medical Center (OMC)? They prioritize drug overdose deaths by providing resources like needles, boofing kits, overdose reversing drugs, etc. while ignoring the mismanagement of OMC which has led to six hours plus waiting time at OMC. What about attending to the real threat of closing of the Sequim medical facility? What happens to those of us who will possibly lose our PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN? They do not seem to want to address these problems. They just want to rubber stamp expenditures to NGO’s and non-profits to take it off their desks. We should be holding weekly job fairs to search for some real leaders. Maybe we should eliminate the charter county concept and return governance to the Grange.
Not only take it off their desks, but line their pockets- & quite lucratively I’d like to add- which I believe is probably more true to the nature of their motivation than the former.
Well, in progressive world what's bad is good and what's good is bad. By all means create even more harmful situations for the citizens who've been there, some for decades, who've worked their butts off to have what they have and then just tax them to death to give to those who so obviously have not. Clallam County has gotten so good at playing Robin Hood that there's no longer any members of "Sherwood Forest" who've got any loot to take. This isn't harm reduction, it's not harm prevention, it's harm delusion. You keep blowing taxpayer money on grants over issues you haven't got a clue how to prevent or reduce., but don't you feel special for pointing out how badly you've handled this crisis?
Thank you, Jeff, for keeping us informed. I love your podcasts because I can listen while I’m getting caught up on never-ending honey-do’s that take up time, but not brain engagement, leaving me time to listen when I don’t have time to sit down and read your CCWatchdog.
You hit the nail on the head with your theory of rural areas wanting to act like the ‘big dogs’. I saw it in the small town/county where we lived for over 20 years before moving to Sequim. They wanted to have homeless shelters, food banks, support for drug users, all of which gave them more money from the state and Feds, but also brought more homeless on the streets, more crime, lower school test scores, and higher taxes.
I guess my position is NIMBY, not in my back yard. We worked hard all of our lives, much of the time working 14 hours a day, foregoing expensive vacations and toys (rv’s, new cars, latest electronics) in order to save for our retirement and be able to take care of ourselves, only to have the government and virtue-signaling liberals reaching into our pockets to take more from us because we saved, so consequently have ‘more’, and they feel entitled to take it.
NIKE® had it right “JUST SAY NO”. At what point if not NOW do we, as tax payers, say NO MORE?
NO MORE to wasteful spending on programs that have no results! (if they had results of success they would be shown.)
NO MORE to Commissioner’s not being open and truthful!
NO MORE to charter review working in secret to fund and propose items not keeping with the public desires. Can we say “reservoir and water steward”.
NO MORE to state money spent on the salmon recover upstream when nets are places at the entrance to the streams.
NO MORE to school boards, not insisting on teaching our kids to help them improve our scores. Low scores reflect on both teachers, and the environment for the teachers. Good teachers can be handicapped by a school board with bad decisions.
NO MORE to a housing project for the homeless with not “DRY POLICY” and washing stations for dogs, and EV charging stations?
NO MORE to to secret meeting on tribal lands that the taxpayers are not allow to enter because they don’t follow the law of the land.
As federal funds under this administration dry up, this county is going to have to have a yard sale to cover expenses. Why, because our leadership does not realize a rainy day is coming and we will not have the cash to withstand the flood. We are hearing the warning sirens going off, and yet there is not rush to get ahead of what is coming.
NO MORE to believing that the native sovereign nation wants the land to be the way it was, when they could fish, and hunt for substance survival. Then it would be advised to rid themselves of the protected monopoly system of casinos and sovereign industries, and mainstream like the rest of us.
I concur, but wasn’t it Nancy Reagan who said,”Just Say No to Drugs”?
She had it right. We need adults in the room, like when we were kids and wanted to do something stupid, and our parents would say “No”, and when asked why, they said,”Because I said so”. That was short for, “Because I have more experience and wisdom, so I have the authority.”
What we have for leadership now, in the county and in the state, are people without integrity or scruples. They need to be removed from office. This will only happen if we clean up our election system: voting on Election Day, with voter id, and paper ballots. Until we get back to verifiable election results, we won’t be able to turn things around.
Sally, you are correct. I stand corrected. Nike's slogan was "Just Do It". We agree on the what has to happen, we can determine the best way to accomplish it. I favor technology and ease of use. I also believe in large turnouts for elections and accessibility for all.
I called the county before the 2024 election and asked if I could volunteer to clean up our voter rolls. I was politely told no, that there are county employees paid to do that. But there was no timeline, no parameters. I personally know of two individuals in Sequim who died years ago, who are still listed as active voters. I have two relatives in Washington state who each received two ballots. Even if they only voted one, that leaves one out there that could be used to register a vote.
In-person, same day, paper ballot would go a long way in correcting this. We have to fix our election system before anything will change.
To the people who say that there is very little, or no voter fraud I say, if you aren’t looking for it, you will not find any. We have been passively positive about ‘there’s no voter fraud’ while the shrill Left minority have bullied their way into power. Sequim’s city council, our county supervisors, and our state leaders are not looking out for our best interests. Whether they have been bought, or whether they have been swayed by bullies who tell them they are mean if they don’t fund all of these feel-good programs, they need to stop spending money we don’t have on programs we don’t need. If we have drug addicts from other states who have come here for all the goodies that Washington and Clallam County offer, we need to send them home to their own states where their families can care for them. People need to put on their big boy pants and say no to adding money to supposedly benevolent programs for a few (the homeless Taj Mahal being built in PA, clean needle program, free bus rides for all that has made our mass transit system unsafe, electric charging stations,…) that steal money for the many.
Obesity kills more people than fentanyl, so were is my micro-dosing of ice cream, donuts, cookies, burgers, steaks, French fries? Why does someone's irresponsible bad choices become MY problem? I say lock them up, let them suffer the withdrawal, and if they repeat offend, lock them up for longer times, increasing duration with every offense. Harsh? Maybe. But there is a reason that those of us here are NOT addicted to fentanyl, and are leading productive lives. No one forced these people into addiction. They were well warned, as we were, but they didn't heed it. Their irresponsibility, their problem.
I say Bartertown. The Democrats' vision of normalizing hard drug use does not make a community safe. That's a lie. They are just trying to bureaucratize the drug problem. They need to stop at Cannabis. Everything else belongs in Bartertown where their own drug trade picks up the tab and they are isolated from normal people just trying to get some %$#^ing gas at a Safeway.
I don’t read PDN, to scripted. I’ve had a drug addict step son in and out of jail for years. He’s been sent to rehab and walks out the next day. I don't believe a word they are saying especially when you see first hand how it’s not working
1-perhaps DOCCUMENTED overdose deaths are down but anyone who listens to local scanners knows overdoses are not down just getting reversed. 2- CCHHS is manipulating data since they made this claim 6 months after the coronorer reported vastly different data and toxicology in this state can run over a year behind so there are many undetermined cases floating around 3- nobody is talking about the hypoxic brain damage from overdose but we sure see it on the streets of PA
Have you gotten involved with a support group. The recovery rate is higher if there is family involvement and support. Hard stuff I know from experience both with my own recovery and with my children having problems. Thankfully my son who is still alive has recovery and is now doing well.
Seriously?! Handing out drugs to incarcerated individuals so they don’t die after they’re released? So because the overdose death rate has decreased, that’s supposed to be a measure of success??!! How insane of a concept is this?? These people are sick & totally lost in the throes of addiction & they don’t even have the saving grace of forced sobriety due to incarceration to clear their heads & hopefully make better choices upon release? So I’m left to surmise that the message being sent here is drug use is being promoted because you might die if you DON’T use? Isn’t that the opposite of all the studies done to date? Isn’t it stated in the AA & NA preambles that the only end results of active addiction are JAILS, INSTITUTIONS or DEATH?
I’m completely “mystified” by this totally backwoods ideology
It's not really quite that simple. Someone who is legitimately trying to stop using sometimes needs medication (drug) therapy. This is much like drug therapy used for many health (physiological and mental) issues people.
How involved have you ever been in a recovery scenario? Do you have any schooling in mental health and perhaps understand learned helplessness, complex trauma and PTSD? The very first thing these people need is a safe environment and then the paradox is that they feel safe nowhere. What they don’t need is someone who has no ability to be compassionate and sits in judgement of them and even thinks they deserve more punishment and shame. I have lost a son to alcohol and drugs and I also have long term recovery to be an example for my other son. I am for for harm refuction and the programs Brian King is supporting as well.
I’ve been in recovery myself for years. Took classes at pc in addiction studies. Have family members & countless friends who’ve struggled w/ addiction & mental health. I’d consider that involved enough to have an opinion on the matter 👍🏼
I’m with the Bobby Earle school of thought and think AA’s etc should graduate to ACA and family therapy. Bowen family theory etc. Even AlAnon doesn’t get to the issue of scapegoating. I think scapegoating is a huge problem that is behind many problems in society today because it also exists in the family structure.
I never said I attend AA or NA, although that’s originally where I met you for the first time many, many years ago. I know it works for a lot of people, but it never worked for me. I very much like their concept of the parts about yourself & about your life that you need to WANT to change if you want a better life, I just don’t prefer their execution of the program for myself. Secondly, it’s more appropriate (again FOR ME) to say I’m in recovery rather than saying I used to be a drug addict.
I do still attend in a passing the torch forward way. I shared at my two year and 4 years later a young fellow came up to me and told me he had been sober ever since hearing me share that day. Still feel blessed by that validation. I also am very much for encouraging people to trust themselves and not just follow blindly. I’m really glad you found something that works for you.
I was friends with both of your boys growing up here, Debra. Paul was one of those rare gems that I feel blessed to have been given the chance to know. And Kris.. haven’t talked to him in years but he will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart. He’s another rare gem, good heart, beautiful soul
Then you can understand my passion for caring for these lost souls. After Paul died I have done everything I can to be a positive force in Kris’s life and lead by example. He is doing well but he had a hard time after Paul died. I am very much for kindness and creating a safe environment for people who struggle.
Natural consequences. That may sound harsh, but people who are addicted need to hit bottom, and then choose to get clean. It’s not a choice anyone else can make for them.
How many times does society have to step in and rescue people who aren’t ready to be rescued? And at what cost?
There is a finite amount of $$ in the community bucket. I’d rather see it go to improving education (getting the WOKE out of our schools), law enforcement (it is absurd that people can shoplift up to $500 of goods and not be prosecuted), and our current medical services crisis than to clean needles, narcan, and other magnates that draw more drug users, homeless, and crime into our community.
My own recovery was because there were people who made me feel safe and showed kindness and compassion. Woke shit! Get some counseling for your own problems if you just sit back judging people. (Projection)
As I have been saying, what is unfolding at the American federal US level is going to, in due time, fall on the local criminals of humanity everywhere who have been very intentionally destroying ALL of America that the vast majority of Americans love~! Obama will be executed as a "spy"~!
Its tough. Gallaher and DeFrang are longtime Olympic Peninsula families. I wish their kin all the strength they need to survive Bartertown. We just spent half a million dollars on public defense. We could spend a fraction of that on Bartertown.
Let’s talk about the $320,000 elephant in the room. No, it’s not a reckless cash dump. It’s a modest, targeted investment in the one part of public health we’re actually using: harm reduction.
Critics say it’s enabling addiction. I say it’s acknowledging reality, the reality that people in our community are already using, and pretending otherwise doesn’t make it stop. Harm reduction isn’t about surrender; it’s about survival. Naloxone saves lives. Sterile supplies curb disease. And yes, people who engage with these programs are far more likely to seek treatment. That’s not enabling-- that’s called engaging.
And this isn’t some fringe idea. Harm reduction has deep roots in American history, from the Black Panther Party’s free health clinics to the Young Lords’ acupuncture programs for heroin users in the Bronx. It gained traction during the AIDS crisis, when activists and researchers joined forces to stop the spread of HIV among people who inject drugs. These weren’t abstract policy debates; they were acts of love and defiance in the face of stigma and silence.
The moral case? Harm reduction is grounded in dignity. It says people deserve care even when they’re struggling. It respects autonomy, meets people where they are, and refuses to treat suffering as a moral failure. That’s not weakness. that’s strength.
Now about the budget: $320,000 sounds dramatic until you realize it’s less than 1% of Clallam County’s total budget. Much of it comes from federal opioid settlement funds. You can not legally take that money and plug potholes or pad jail staffing. The money is earmarked for exactly this kind of response. It’s not a buffet; it’s a fixed menu.
We should absolutely ask for metrics and transparency. That’s responsible governance. But let’s not throw the whole toolbox away because someone’s yelling “waste” who clearly does not have any understanding how funding works. Harm reduction is infrastructure. Public health is infrastructure. And if we want a community that treats addiction with both compassion and competence, then we need to fund it intelligently and unapologetically.
As Ronald Reagan so sagely observed back in the day: "No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!" Believing that making it easy as pie for someone to continue taking addictive drugs will help solve their addiction and put them on the road to being a productive member of society works about as well as giving an alcoholic unlimited access to liquor. If you really cared more about the individual than your own ego, you'd force them to instead take the hard road to reaching the bottom that's required before they choose to help themselves, all the while realizing the hard truth that some people will not make that choice. You can't help someone who will not help themselves.
Amen to that. The harsh withdrawal is more of a deterrent than free pizza and boofing supplies.
Interesting Wendy Sisk considers detox a big deal, yet when being questioned about MAT someone with the tribe (I don't remember who) said it was too hard on the addict and didn't work. Must not have been a big enough money maker for them.
💯
1-perhaps DOCCUMENTED overdose deaths are down but anyone who listens to local scanners knows overdoses are not down, just getting reversed. 2- CCHHS is manipulating data since they made this claim of reduced overdoses 6 months after the coronorer reported vastly different data and toxicology in this state can run over a year behind so there are many undetermined cases floating around 3- nobody is talking about the hypoxic brain damage from overdose but we sure see it on the streets of PA
And the 'zombie' cocktails...it's not just one thing...but it is 'big business' for govt's and NPO's and 'for profits', like JKT to 'normalize' the cycle out of 'the goodness of their hearts'.
It is part of NWO planning or it wouldn't be happening...the demoralization of a nation is essential for communism to take over...and communism is just the tool for despotism and tyranny. History repeats.🤓
What a crock o' shit! I wonder if they do this because it's easy to siphon off money for their own pockets.
Where is my free food, ice cream, burgers, and steaks for Fat reduction??? This absurdity must be stopped!
My thoughts exactly! Somebody is making alot of money..somewhere. We need to stop voting in these same crim..I mean politicians, that do nothing but raise taxes to fund willy- nilly expenditures! Apparently, as Ozias and ilk have shown in the past, ADDICTS TAKE PRIORITY over our kids, schools, vets & hospitals. It's horrible to see money carelessly thrown around when people are struggling. Time to get these clowns out of office...
I believe Democrats do these absurdities not only to launder money, but to intentionally create chaos and problems to drive out conservatives, thus keeping them in power in perpetuity, like in California, Oregon, and Washington.
I do not believe there is any ROI in refusing people the results of their choices; AKA Harm Reduction. Admittedly the choice consequences can be stark; including death. An anonymous, but very gifted basketball star was drafted by the then Seattle Super Sonics with a near unimaginable salary for such a very young man. He was unable to cope with his new found wealth and chose drugs which abruptly ended his promising career. There are measures professional sports could and should take to mitigate this outcome, but the point and the bottom line is that he was legally an adult and it was his choice. When you take the results of one's choice away you deny them the experience they chose. Similar to begging a child to not crawl to the fire, but letting that child learn that fire burns, one's own chosen learning path is disrupted by taking away their chosen path. Further, the advice offered by adults simultaneously gains more respect. Regardless of resources dedicated and efforts made, we cannot save everyone from their choices.
Very well said....and TRUE!
"Commissioner Mark Ozias supported the general concept, calling it “an absolutely appropriate use”"
Based on what evidence, Commissioner Ozias?
If I'm going to extend my integrity to vouch for something I would hope that I can back the claim up. If the people who run this program cannot put a finger on any metrics that support continued use then Commissioner Ozias how do you derive at your assertion?
He doesn't need logic...he has power.🫣
Ya think that Ozias might enjoy some of that free pizza? Or maybe vague accounting that overlooks possible pocketed money?
Thank you MK. Very well put 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
"Public trust doesn’t come from good intentions. It comes from results."
But they don't want our trust. They want our tax money. And so far it's worked to their benefit. What have we done to change the situation?
More money, no negative feedback, seems to be the protocol.🤔
All these issues have been created by the same problem 'incompetent leadership'.We have seen most of these issues created in big cities and have seen how the issues keep growing because of poor leadership.After years of witnessing these problems voters would hope their elected would not make the same mistakes but C.C.elected are doing just that.
Because they’re bought & paid for. That or they’re completely inept. Either way, it’s proper f**ked.
Commissioners are ALL IN to spend time and money on HARM REDUCTION but where are they in response to the crisis at Olympic Medical Center (OMC)? They prioritize drug overdose deaths by providing resources like needles, boofing kits, overdose reversing drugs, etc. while ignoring the mismanagement of OMC which has led to six hours plus waiting time at OMC. What about attending to the real threat of closing of the Sequim medical facility? What happens to those of us who will possibly lose our PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN? They do not seem to want to address these problems. They just want to rubber stamp expenditures to NGO’s and non-profits to take it off their desks. We should be holding weekly job fairs to search for some real leaders. Maybe we should eliminate the charter county concept and return governance to the Grange.
You mean real world, common sense governance of, by and for the people?
What a concept!😊
Not only take it off their desks, but line their pockets- & quite lucratively I’d like to add- which I believe is probably more true to the nature of their motivation than the former.
People are already starting to go to Port Townsend Health Care Center.
Well, in progressive world what's bad is good and what's good is bad. By all means create even more harmful situations for the citizens who've been there, some for decades, who've worked their butts off to have what they have and then just tax them to death to give to those who so obviously have not. Clallam County has gotten so good at playing Robin Hood that there's no longer any members of "Sherwood Forest" who've got any loot to take. This isn't harm reduction, it's not harm prevention, it's harm delusion. You keep blowing taxpayer money on grants over issues you haven't got a clue how to prevent or reduce., but don't you feel special for pointing out how badly you've handled this crisis?
THANK YOU 💯
I’m coming late to the party.
Thank you, Jeff, for keeping us informed. I love your podcasts because I can listen while I’m getting caught up on never-ending honey-do’s that take up time, but not brain engagement, leaving me time to listen when I don’t have time to sit down and read your CCWatchdog.
You hit the nail on the head with your theory of rural areas wanting to act like the ‘big dogs’. I saw it in the small town/county where we lived for over 20 years before moving to Sequim. They wanted to have homeless shelters, food banks, support for drug users, all of which gave them more money from the state and Feds, but also brought more homeless on the streets, more crime, lower school test scores, and higher taxes.
I guess my position is NIMBY, not in my back yard. We worked hard all of our lives, much of the time working 14 hours a day, foregoing expensive vacations and toys (rv’s, new cars, latest electronics) in order to save for our retirement and be able to take care of ourselves, only to have the government and virtue-signaling liberals reaching into our pockets to take more from us because we saved, so consequently have ‘more’, and they feel entitled to take it.
NIKE® had it right “JUST SAY NO”. At what point if not NOW do we, as tax payers, say NO MORE?
NO MORE to wasteful spending on programs that have no results! (if they had results of success they would be shown.)
NO MORE to Commissioner’s not being open and truthful!
NO MORE to charter review working in secret to fund and propose items not keeping with the public desires. Can we say “reservoir and water steward”.
NO MORE to state money spent on the salmon recover upstream when nets are places at the entrance to the streams.
NO MORE to school boards, not insisting on teaching our kids to help them improve our scores. Low scores reflect on both teachers, and the environment for the teachers. Good teachers can be handicapped by a school board with bad decisions.
NO MORE to a housing project for the homeless with not “DRY POLICY” and washing stations for dogs, and EV charging stations?
NO MORE to to secret meeting on tribal lands that the taxpayers are not allow to enter because they don’t follow the law of the land.
As federal funds under this administration dry up, this county is going to have to have a yard sale to cover expenses. Why, because our leadership does not realize a rainy day is coming and we will not have the cash to withstand the flood. We are hearing the warning sirens going off, and yet there is not rush to get ahead of what is coming.
NO MORE to believing that the native sovereign nation wants the land to be the way it was, when they could fish, and hunt for substance survival. Then it would be advised to rid themselves of the protected monopoly system of casinos and sovereign industries, and mainstream like the rest of us.
I DISSENT:
I concur, but wasn’t it Nancy Reagan who said,”Just Say No to Drugs”?
She had it right. We need adults in the room, like when we were kids and wanted to do something stupid, and our parents would say “No”, and when asked why, they said,”Because I said so”. That was short for, “Because I have more experience and wisdom, so I have the authority.”
What we have for leadership now, in the county and in the state, are people without integrity or scruples. They need to be removed from office. This will only happen if we clean up our election system: voting on Election Day, with voter id, and paper ballots. Until we get back to verifiable election results, we won’t be able to turn things around.
Sally, you are correct. I stand corrected. Nike's slogan was "Just Do It". We agree on the what has to happen, we can determine the best way to accomplish it. I favor technology and ease of use. I also believe in large turnouts for elections and accessibility for all.
I called the county before the 2024 election and asked if I could volunteer to clean up our voter rolls. I was politely told no, that there are county employees paid to do that. But there was no timeline, no parameters. I personally know of two individuals in Sequim who died years ago, who are still listed as active voters. I have two relatives in Washington state who each received two ballots. Even if they only voted one, that leaves one out there that could be used to register a vote.
In-person, same day, paper ballot would go a long way in correcting this. We have to fix our election system before anything will change.
To the people who say that there is very little, or no voter fraud I say, if you aren’t looking for it, you will not find any. We have been passively positive about ‘there’s no voter fraud’ while the shrill Left minority have bullied their way into power. Sequim’s city council, our county supervisors, and our state leaders are not looking out for our best interests. Whether they have been bought, or whether they have been swayed by bullies who tell them they are mean if they don’t fund all of these feel-good programs, they need to stop spending money we don’t have on programs we don’t need. If we have drug addicts from other states who have come here for all the goodies that Washington and Clallam County offer, we need to send them home to their own states where their families can care for them. People need to put on their big boy pants and say no to adding money to supposedly benevolent programs for a few (the homeless Taj Mahal being built in PA, clean needle program, free bus rides for all that has made our mass transit system unsafe, electric charging stations,…) that steal money for the many.
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/clallam-jail-program-results-in-fewer-overdoses/
Obesity kills more people than fentanyl, so were is my micro-dosing of ice cream, donuts, cookies, burgers, steaks, French fries? Why does someone's irresponsible bad choices become MY problem? I say lock them up, let them suffer the withdrawal, and if they repeat offend, lock them up for longer times, increasing duration with every offense. Harsh? Maybe. But there is a reason that those of us here are NOT addicted to fentanyl, and are leading productive lives. No one forced these people into addiction. They were well warned, as we were, but they didn't heed it. Their irresponsibility, their problem.
I say Bartertown. The Democrats' vision of normalizing hard drug use does not make a community safe. That's a lie. They are just trying to bureaucratize the drug problem. They need to stop at Cannabis. Everything else belongs in Bartertown where their own drug trade picks up the tab and they are isolated from normal people just trying to get some %$#^ing gas at a Safeway.
THANK YOU 💯
I don’t read PDN, to scripted. I’ve had a drug addict step son in and out of jail for years. He’s been sent to rehab and walks out the next day. I don't believe a word they are saying especially when you see first hand how it’s not working
1-perhaps DOCCUMENTED overdose deaths are down but anyone who listens to local scanners knows overdoses are not down just getting reversed. 2- CCHHS is manipulating data since they made this claim 6 months after the coronorer reported vastly different data and toxicology in this state can run over a year behind so there are many undetermined cases floating around 3- nobody is talking about the hypoxic brain damage from overdose but we sure see it on the streets of PA
Have you gotten involved with a support group. The recovery rate is higher if there is family involvement and support. Hard stuff I know from experience both with my own recovery and with my children having problems. Thankfully my son who is still alive has recovery and is now doing well.
But it keeps the treatment professional's bud light cold..
Seriously?! Handing out drugs to incarcerated individuals so they don’t die after they’re released? So because the overdose death rate has decreased, that’s supposed to be a measure of success??!! How insane of a concept is this?? These people are sick & totally lost in the throes of addiction & they don’t even have the saving grace of forced sobriety due to incarceration to clear their heads & hopefully make better choices upon release? So I’m left to surmise that the message being sent here is drug use is being promoted because you might die if you DON’T use? Isn’t that the opposite of all the studies done to date? Isn’t it stated in the AA & NA preambles that the only end results of active addiction are JAILS, INSTITUTIONS or DEATH?
I’m completely “mystified” by this totally backwoods ideology
It's not really quite that simple. Someone who is legitimately trying to stop using sometimes needs medication (drug) therapy. This is much like drug therapy used for many health (physiological and mental) issues people.
How involved have you ever been in a recovery scenario? Do you have any schooling in mental health and perhaps understand learned helplessness, complex trauma and PTSD? The very first thing these people need is a safe environment and then the paradox is that they feel safe nowhere. What they don’t need is someone who has no ability to be compassionate and sits in judgement of them and even thinks they deserve more punishment and shame. I have lost a son to alcohol and drugs and I also have long term recovery to be an example for my other son. I am for for harm refuction and the programs Brian King is supporting as well.
I’ve been in recovery myself for years. Took classes at pc in addiction studies. Have family members & countless friends who’ve struggled w/ addiction & mental health. I’d consider that involved enough to have an opinion on the matter 👍🏼
This is why I love the comment section. Thanks to you and everybody for being so candid.
I’m with the Bobby Earle school of thought and think AA’s etc should graduate to ACA and family therapy. Bowen family theory etc. Even AlAnon doesn’t get to the issue of scapegoating. I think scapegoating is a huge problem that is behind many problems in society today because it also exists in the family structure.
I never said I attend AA or NA, although that’s originally where I met you for the first time many, many years ago. I know it works for a lot of people, but it never worked for me. I very much like their concept of the parts about yourself & about your life that you need to WANT to change if you want a better life, I just don’t prefer their execution of the program for myself. Secondly, it’s more appropriate (again FOR ME) to say I’m in recovery rather than saying I used to be a drug addict.
I do still attend in a passing the torch forward way. I shared at my two year and 4 years later a young fellow came up to me and told me he had been sober ever since hearing me share that day. Still feel blessed by that validation. I also am very much for encouraging people to trust themselves and not just follow blindly. I’m really glad you found something that works for you.
I was friends with both of your boys growing up here, Debra. Paul was one of those rare gems that I feel blessed to have been given the chance to know. And Kris.. haven’t talked to him in years but he will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart. He’s another rare gem, good heart, beautiful soul
Then you can understand my passion for caring for these lost souls. After Paul died I have done everything I can to be a positive force in Kris’s life and lead by example. He is doing well but he had a hard time after Paul died. I am very much for kindness and creating a safe environment for people who struggle.
Fewer OVERDOSES- doesnt say anything about DECREASED drug use!!
Tell someone who’s kid is saved because of Narcan that we don’t need harm reduction programs….;
Natural consequences. That may sound harsh, but people who are addicted need to hit bottom, and then choose to get clean. It’s not a choice anyone else can make for them.
How many times does society have to step in and rescue people who aren’t ready to be rescued? And at what cost?
There is a finite amount of $$ in the community bucket. I’d rather see it go to improving education (getting the WOKE out of our schools), law enforcement (it is absurd that people can shoplift up to $500 of goods and not be prosecuted), and our current medical services crisis than to clean needles, narcan, and other magnates that draw more drug users, homeless, and crime into our community.
My own recovery was because there were people who made me feel safe and showed kindness and compassion. Woke shit! Get some counseling for your own problems if you just sit back judging people. (Projection)
I wonder what fate will befall the local criminals in and out of our government, when this news becomes known by the general American public~?
https://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2025/07/trump-obama-faces-military-trial-as-government-documents-expose-citizenship-fraud-and-treason-video-3839866.html
As I have been saying, what is unfolding at the American federal US level is going to, in due time, fall on the local criminals of humanity everywhere who have been very intentionally destroying ALL of America that the vast majority of Americans love~! Obama will be executed as a "spy"~!
Have a great day~!
Sincerely, Mike
Its tough. Gallaher and DeFrang are longtime Olympic Peninsula families. I wish their kin all the strength they need to survive Bartertown. We just spent half a million dollars on public defense. We could spend a fraction of that on Bartertown.
public taxes (and or debt, which becomes future taxes) for the drug trade
Let’s talk about the $320,000 elephant in the room. No, it’s not a reckless cash dump. It’s a modest, targeted investment in the one part of public health we’re actually using: harm reduction.
Critics say it’s enabling addiction. I say it’s acknowledging reality, the reality that people in our community are already using, and pretending otherwise doesn’t make it stop. Harm reduction isn’t about surrender; it’s about survival. Naloxone saves lives. Sterile supplies curb disease. And yes, people who engage with these programs are far more likely to seek treatment. That’s not enabling-- that’s called engaging.
And this isn’t some fringe idea. Harm reduction has deep roots in American history, from the Black Panther Party’s free health clinics to the Young Lords’ acupuncture programs for heroin users in the Bronx. It gained traction during the AIDS crisis, when activists and researchers joined forces to stop the spread of HIV among people who inject drugs. These weren’t abstract policy debates; they were acts of love and defiance in the face of stigma and silence.
The moral case? Harm reduction is grounded in dignity. It says people deserve care even when they’re struggling. It respects autonomy, meets people where they are, and refuses to treat suffering as a moral failure. That’s not weakness. that’s strength.
Now about the budget: $320,000 sounds dramatic until you realize it’s less than 1% of Clallam County’s total budget. Much of it comes from federal opioid settlement funds. You can not legally take that money and plug potholes or pad jail staffing. The money is earmarked for exactly this kind of response. It’s not a buffet; it’s a fixed menu.
We should absolutely ask for metrics and transparency. That’s responsible governance. But let’s not throw the whole toolbox away because someone’s yelling “waste” who clearly does not have any understanding how funding works. Harm reduction is infrastructure. Public health is infrastructure. And if we want a community that treats addiction with both compassion and competence, then we need to fund it intelligently and unapologetically.