He said/she said allegations of sexual advances by Gov. Andrew Cuomo were made by an adult female staff employee, which led to his political demise. Brave and very underage Bella and her mother bring evidence of sexual assault of a minor (among other offenses) and NO ONE takes this seriously. It isn't shameful, it's corrupt, and I highly suspect a very disturbing criminal element is all connected to this. You are helping our community right these wrongs, Jeff. We are grateful that you care enough about the people of CC to bring them justice when no one else will.
Jeff, hopefully this article will stir enough interest for Bella and her Mother to be taken seriously and perhaps lead to Marley Zimmerman alarming disappearance. Marley's family needs this, my heart goes out to all.
What a sad commentary about the police force in Clallam and Jefferson county. Having had friends who are in law enforcement, I know it's true that a lot of things go on in the background that aren't made public because they could be building a case and that needs to remain private. When it comes to sex trafficking our young girls, especially when you have someone call him out on doing just that! He should be in jail !
Kudos to Bella for coming forward as well as her mom. Sad to hear the police had no response. Curious as to who his family ties are?
We moved to Sequim about six years ago to get away from all the homeless moving into neighborhoods, the open drug use, and petty crime with home break-ins. And now here we are living with the same issues.
For me, I ask, what can the citizens do? Can every mother in the two counties join as one loud voice to demand action be taken to protect our girls from sexual predators.
Thanks Jeff for your articles. I listened to your podcast last week. I must say when you made the comment on your voice..... it cracked me up!
2 summers ago there was a hubbub on the local mom FB page about a convicted p*dophile who was a regular in the Sequim theater club. One of the moms in the group was part of the theater production and found out, some others came forward with stories etc. I went to the police dpt and spoke with the officer who oversees sex offenders in Clallam county to confirm his status and the law around sex offenders. He wasn't/isn't breaking any laws but I felt strongly that the people involved with the theater, and the people paying to see the show should know what they were around/supporting. I then organized a protest for opening night of the production he was in. My husband, my dad and I were the only ones to show up. I had print outs of his charges and summaries on posters. People walking into the show literally laughed in my face. Like I was the one in the wrong. The head of the theater came out and we had dialogue, he gave me a lot of excuses. The show started, we left.
All that's to say, a shocking amount of people straight up don't care (meaning they're ok with it). Even more care enough to say something online but can't be bothered to show up. And unfortunately, when we do show up the law is not on our side - it's on the criminals.
In the legislative session RIGHT NOW are bills lessening punishment on s*x offenders, redefining child p*rn as a "victimless crime", and more.
I don't know what it will take for this to change, but I'm open to suggestions and will show up when the time comes.
Jeff my puberty has lasted many decades. Until a few years ago my name was addressed with the pre-fix Ma-am during telephone telephone calls. LOL The experience though never troubled me. My principle concern was limited to content, syntax and grammar. Thanks for the interaction. Please continue your important work.
I'm going to take a little different perspective here regarding Bella and feel free to poke holes in my thoughts. I believe the Police care. They maybe even have had words with Fisher. But it doesn't matter as Fisher knows the system won't do much. He's been arrested scores of times. He does a little county time at worst plea bargained down. The police know exactly what it takes to make a case stick and get a person put away. Fisher hasn't met the criteria. Maybe in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas or Mississippi but not Washington State. Our problem lies with the Judges and the law. If most prosecutions end up with minimum sentences or probation which isn't revoked upon the next infraction there is no incentive to proactively police. As an officer or department you simply wait till a crime is committed, answer the call and see if you have enough evidence or correct circumstance for follow through to get it successfully through the system past a liberal Judge or in case of a caring Judge through weak sentencing laws. I believe citizens care. I believe the Police care. I even believe most Judges care. I also believe our criminal justice system is broken. While the citizenry was unaware a great experiment was taking place in our criminal justice system rewriting sentencing guidelines. Court judgements were rendered in evidentiary submission that made it near impossible to get convictions. For example. The drugs you just found in my coats pocket aren't mine. I just borrowed this coat from my buddy to run to the store. Or... I didn't know this car was stolen. I just bought it from a guy off Craigslist and met him at the Safeway parking lot. Look I have a handwritten bill of sale. "Probable cause" has become problematic. When an officer knows they have the perpetrator but things don't line up ironclad so the Prosecutor is then reluctant to prosecute and the Judge is hampered by sentencing reforms you have a broken system that goes to the legislature and ultimately to our liberal and in my opinion very flawed Washington Supreme Court. You'll never convince me that these young attorneys join the Prosecutors office to not try and do good and keep people safe. Or... the same with these young men and women that choose a career as police officers and Sheriffs and Troopers. I honestly believe those men and women made a conscious choice to protect and serve. I also believe the laws and judicial system does them a great disservice and burns them out when their efforts to make us safe are thwarted by terrible court decisions and a liberal activist State Supreme Court.
(Play around with the guidelines to see just how ineffective judges are -- by design.)
I don't believe the 200+ judges appointed by Inslee care much at all (appointed with no judicial oversight, we don't have a mechanism for that --- we elect our judges). I don't know HOW he persuaded so many judges to retire/step down, but the replacements have been absolutely HORRIBLE (even in our county).
Our local prosecutor (we need term limits) focuses on what can be won, not where justice can be pursued. Not a creative thinker, from what I've seen.
The LEOs are frustrated, to be certain. But, if the courts do nothing to back them up -- then all the policing in the world won't do any good. The sentencing guideline was a "quasi-good idea" but it has changed many times. It was to make all judges have conformity, thereby eliminating "hanging judges". Unfortunately, its one-size-fits-all.
Look up Klaus Schwab's statement about how many 'young global leaders' and other radical socialist activists INFILTRATED INTO ALL OF OUR GOVT'S AROUND THE WORLD.
This is why we can't get justice!
It is ALL planned! Not incidental, accidental or circumstantial.
To destroy a nation or country from within is strategic long-term planning.
The god of this world is alive and active and we are right in the middle of it.
Even 'red' conservative states have NWO agents in their govt's and businesses and NGO's and NPO's.
So Lawrence, you are saying that individuals you sexually assault minors and kills old men in broad daylight cannot be stopped for any reason in Washington State but the police and judicial system cares? What about the dead seniors and the underage preyed upon, do they care? Do the elected leaders care. Do the residents and citizens care?
I'm saying that you can arrest and indict all you want. But getting a conviction and a sentence that keeps these dirt bags off the street is another matter. I believe that every person that chose law enforcement and went to the prosecutors office did so thinking they could make a difference. Then the realities of the Judicial System blew them up. Every day crimes are perpetrated. Police know who did it. Prosecutors know who did it. But because of "rules of evidence" these prosecutions can't be won. I just about guarantee you I could go drive drunk (I never would) and if a County Sheriff or City Officer arrested me for DUI I'd have a 90% chance of getting those charges dropped on a breach of evidence procedure. Probably a 50% chance with the WSP as DUI is a big part of their enforcement and they are trained in procedures better.
I think a lot of our politicians don't care about anything except getting re-elected and cashing their checks. Its our Washington Supreme Court that is out of control. They are an "Activist Court". Nine Judges that serve 6 year terms then stand for election. However most retire mid-term then the Governor appoints the judge to serve out the remainder and they stand for election with the power of incumbency if they are even seriously challenged. In something like the last 60 years that's 10 election cycles 90 campaigns I believe only 2 judges have lost re-election. Yes I see something wrong with that. Thank you Governor Inslee. I believe 5 of our current judges have been appointed.
Even if a no nonsense tough on crime Governor was elected he's the Captain of pretty much a mutinous ship. I truly believe that American Values are under assault. I believe our Constitutional God given rights are under assault. Finally I believe the majority of citizens care if they are engaged. But they don't know what they don't know. Once a year 60 to 77% of the electorate reads a voters pamphlet full of b.s. and tries to make an informed choice. In the unlikely event that electorate looks like they will prevail in curbing some power whatever law or initiative that was passed is challenged by some unheard of group that finds a sympathetic judge to rule said law unconstitutional. Its maddening.
Tom I agree 100%. "It's not my fault. I was merely following orders and I don't wish to lose my pension." I watched Antifa members in Portland assault MAGA members and the police department stood and watched. During the Rodney King Riots the LAPD ran away and hid. I don't think cops are empathetic. I believe they are government employees who do what their masters tell them.
I'll give you another perspective. The badge represents the will of the people. Street cops who hang their necks out, contrary to the will of the people, stand a good chance of facing repercussions. Their thinking is, if people cared enough about them being able to enforce the law they wouldn't let the progressives take over and dictate their job via laws and leaders who make political decisions. The bulk of the cops who work the streets would love to hook and book the bad people, at least that's my experience from knowing more than one.
Imagine you have been in law enforcement or the Prosecutors office for 20 years and you just need to hit that 55 year old mark to have a full retirement with medical benefits. You have 6 years to go. You are a senior Prosecutor or a Sergeant or Lieutenant in the police force. One good stain gets you demoted. What's your natural inclination? You cover yourself. When the system doesn't have your back you go into self preservation. To further your take which I agree with are the people that can make life difficult for you. The young or old activist embedded in the bureaucracy of civil service. The Councilman or woman who hates police. The activist looking for you to make one misstep so they can blast it on social media. The constant sound bites taken out of context. I cannot imagine having to do such a critical job while walking on eggshells. Recently an Auburn Police Officer was convicted of murder. There was suppression of facts by the Judge that the deceased was a violent schizophrenic drug user with a long record of assault and battery with extensive training in mixed martial arts and numerous fights with police officers. The deceased came at the officer with a knife. The Judge hearing the case was so biased and the suppression of facts mitigating the encounter so stymied the Police Officers Legal Defense that the Defense refused to mount any arguments hoping their lack of Defense would accelerate an appeal. This has had a chilling effect on every officer in the State. When the system doesn't support you CYA is the result.
I don't understand how a 13 year old "dates" a 36 year old for a year especially if the first encounter was as described. There is something dangerously endemic going on in our society at large when this is not shocking to people.
I agree. Letting any kid hang out with a 36 year old perv at 13 years old is asking for trouble.
13 year olds are still kids, with raging hormones. They do not have a fully functional limbic system, yet. They're as impulsive as toddlers --- and vulnerable.
It seems as if the bigger issue here is that no one said anything? For a year? Not her friends, not his friends, not her parents, no one said hey it's not right to pursue a 13 year old kid? Everyone looked the other way. Why? What is going on that makes everyone turn their back on blatant pedophilia?
TJ, Unfortunately, it sounds like this 36 yr old has perfected his method of "grooming". It not only involves grooming the underage child but also the family. It's not easy to spot, it is a calculated process.
Perpetrators of child sexual abuse may not only sexually groom the child but also their family.
Familial grooming involves the selection of a child due to family vulnerability and the development of trust.
Family grooming may be more common when the victim is a child as opposed to a teenager.
About two-thirds of all cases of child sexual abuse may involve familial sexual grooming.
Yeah, it's a pretty sick culture and the 'nuclear' family is part of the divide and conquer strategy so there are no others for children to turn to...no extended family community groups to protect and guide...because we have collectively lost our morals and ethics.
'The State' has stepped in and tried to help somewhat but it turns out many of the social programs are corrupt and abusive themselves...even child trafficking within the agencies formed to protect and nurture.
HHS whistleblowers have come forth so it's not my conspiracy theory.
Not to say there aren't healthy 'nuclear' families, I'm sure there are but we have a global meltdown, at least in modern western countries, of rudderless anything goes culture, which we have gone along with in the name of freedom.
Freedom without moral constraints is devastating to any human group.
Liberty is what we should be striving for...freedom tempered by humility and selflessness and kindness and other 'good' things.
I often fail but I do know right from wrong and no apologies for calling it as I sees it!😊
Many years ago a psychology professor indicated to me that the extended family was superior to the nuclear one. OTOH the region and culture are also an important ingredient. In some isolated communities where first cousins marry the IQ is lowered which is a separate variable.
My sister was married to a sociopath...I've seen it in action...destroyed her relationship with her children who still blame her for a corrupt justice system that gave him custody...his mother was instrumental in getting the judge elected who decided the case... Clallam County...over 30 years ago!
My partner got 'screwed' in divorce court by the same corrupt being when he was an attorney before becoming a judge...over 25 years ago.
It's the scope of the corruption that is now in our face but it's always been around and 'we the people' have no due process recourse.
I'm feeling Philosophical, so I believe god is able but not willing. Not in a malevolent way but in a soul development way. Evil and suffering are necessary to develop virtues like courage, compassion, perseverance, empathy, and love. They serve a greater moral or spiritual purpose and are necessary for humans to move forward in growth.
This is why I am discouraged that many people do not develop from seeing and feeling the evil around us. They ignore it and stay trapped in a never ending soul stagnation. Evil must be recognized and confronted if we are to grow, which ultimately I hope is the whole purpose of being here.
Why develop virtue when the length of our lives is limited? What caused the history of the modern thought process to descend from Plato ( dualism ) to Hobbes and end with the existentialists such as Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard? IMO the concept of evil is derived from an advanced prefrontal cortex but inside the physical world the world of nature violence or the threat of violence rules.
I have to admit that I did not think highly of a family that lets a young teen go in a car
(Truck) with a grown man. The family did the right thing by reporting it to police. And good for Bella. She could have easily become a victim. But where was she suppose to be when she was out with him?
Was she reported absent from school?
Did her mom know she was”dating”?
She is truly lucky to be alive, but he’s still out there. Would you feel safe?
No, parents who think they need to be "liked" by their kids, and be their friends is the problem. Parents don't get off that easy. Parenting is difficult, sure. But, so?
Our county commissioners say that safety is #1 priority, yet agree to cut 33/13% from budget for emergency center and 911 facility, and push for funding poet laureate and arts. Priorities stated don't line up with actions taken. Time for us all to 'go to the window (commissioners) and yell' "I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE" (network)
Jeff, all I can say is wow. This is absolutely insane that police won't do anything. Our politicians have lost their marbles. When will the madness stop??
We've raised a bunch of them. My wife has done most the heavy lifting. But kids if you are lucky give you grandchildren. Grandchildren make it all worth while. Especially when your now adult kids give you " I don't know how you did it" acknowledgement.
Remember wondering how certain judges ruled and why attorneys judge shopped? Went down to courthouse and attended divorce proceedings, eye opener. Next time when elections come up instead of reading their blurbs I’ll go watch them in action, actions speak louder than words. Might go watch some criminal proceedings too, I’m retired and in need of being informed and informative……
Sequim Police were able to track down a hit and run suspect and sent out a presser but the killer of Richard Madeo- not a word. There better be a criminal referal soon in the homocide of Mr Madeo. Bella’s account of Fisher should be enough to get him arrested. Why not?
yes the "matrix" that the court judges use to determine sentences. These were mostly "low level" crimes.... and ever since Mr. Inslee, judges have been very reticent to do more than wag a finger at someone. Plus, this dude likes to roam around... he has different run-ins in different counties -- and then there is this whole thing about "looking at each crime independently" is some how more fair to the perp. Meaning, past crimes do not distract from the newest case, that's evaluated independently.
When it is clearly MENTAL ILLNESS... then, judges just flush them back into society, because the Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA) is a bitch to deal with. It only allows a 90 or 180 commitment and, usually is just sent to outpatient treatment. IF IT IS AVAILABLE.
We rank 49 (out of 50 states) for mental health treatment ---
Good information but very sad at the same time. When they closed facilities, bc they were cruel, many former patients were placed in private homes or just lost from the system. I think the mental illness and unhoused people go hand in hand. When mentally challenged individuals were in a single facility, the access to care and follow-up was good. Not perfect, but professionals were available weekdays and emergency 24/7.
I just don’t think the deinstitutionalization has come to fruition as projected. It wasn’t like “Cuckoo Nest”, at lease most days weren’t.
But where’s the big stick? That should be with the judge. Oh but she lets him walk. Exactly what’s in it for a judge to not seek justice for a criminal.
We are in a very difficult position when dealing with individuals who have been identified as having a long seriously violent past~! I believe that this Aaron Fisher has openly admitted that he has been in "a hundred fights" so we need to take that extremely seriously... The police often need to quietly work on serious cases so that they can build a proper criminal case, however "we" (the general public) have no way of knowing if the police are taking cases like this seriously or if they are covering up for a suspect and intentionally exposing us all to tremendous risk~? The past 10 to 20 years has been so difficult for Americans that many have been forced into realizing that our communities and country is definitely NOT as safe and secure as most believed not long ago. For many this has been an experience of waking up to a complete nightmare, that has really been ongoing without them understanding it, especially for those who foolishly trusted the local media and general mainstream media for their news~! I have heard WAY too many Americans state that "if it was important I would have seen in in the news" and unfortunately that kind of insane blind trust has resulted in MANY more American deaths over just the past 5 years, than all of the American dead from WWI, WWII, and the war in Vietnam combined~! WAY more and the entire government system and completely corrupt mainstream media has been completely silent about that fact~! We know that the tragic death of Richard Madeo just happened, although it appears that at best the local police bungled that investigation up with the assistance of a dangerously incompetent "judge". I do not remember hearing about the disappearance of Marley Zimmerman, even though I have seen a few notices of young women "disappearing" from our community over the past few years, so we all need to take these matters VERY seriously these days because no one is safe with seriously dangerous people in them. As I look at the wonderful picture of Marley Zimmerman holding that pup, I have to wonder what happened to her~? Did she just willingly leave the area for some reason, or did something terrible happen to her right here while all of us carried on with our lives completely unaware of her plight~? Did our community lose a nice young woman with great promise and a potentially positive contribution to our area because of a monster among us~? Is there a violent serial killer loose in our community~? We ALL need to be careful of conducting a "witch hunt" which is of course even more likely when good folks learn that the police and judicial system is failing to do the only job that really matters, protecting the general public from the worst kinds of harm. On the other hand, there are some extremely important things that we can do to help ourselves and our community (and by extension America itself). Learn & practice critical self-awareness and self-defense basics, for many the ownership and training about using a firearm is essential (especially when living in the country environment), becoming more vigilant in our own homes, properties, and as we navigate in the community is absolutely critical (without becoming paranoid, emotional, or hysterical problems ourselves). Always practicing common-sense and critical thinking skills is without doubt the "new norm" for a growing number of Americans that have realized that our communities and country now requires all of us to become better & more compassionate Individuals~! As for this troubled individual Aaron Fisher and others like him, I am sure that they will leave many victims in their wake's and at some point, they are very likely to end their lives in yet another tragedy when they make that last bad choice as countless others have~! Sincerely praying for better times and happier outcomes~! Mike
Good cops, bad cops, whatever...the justice system has been neutered and then weaponized by globalist 'selectees' infiltrating into govt's around the world...we are under a covertly declared coup...the deep state has openly stated its plans but it's not covered in mainstream media...you have to see the problem and then look for the source and it is in plain sight.
'The greatest trick the devil ever played was to convince people he/she/it /they/them/their wasn't real'! Unknown.
Well Aleta Baker, over the decades I have seen a great many references to "The Utopian Ideal" which in our world is obviously a complete fantasy that "we" (especially American Constitutionalists) never waste much time contemplating~! Only those of the weakest of minds ever believe in "utopia" especially as an achievable goal for humanity in this existence. In Heaven "utopia" may exist, or it probably would not be Heaven~! In fact, the delusional dreamers of "utopia" are probably as responsible for as many deaths of innocent people and total destruction of more lives than any other group of "useful idiots"~! The true relatively few evil criminals of humanity absolutely LOVE their victims to believe in a childish "utopian society" because foolish suckers who strive for unachievable goals NEVER make anything better and ALWAYS make things worse. That is what evil always excels in doing ;-) That is why each of us learning to be more aware of our environment, the only real test of Intelligence known to humanity, and learning to defend ourselves is SO critical and that has always been the truth since day one for humans in this existence that we call life. So, mentally and physically healthy responsible Individuals need to be able and willing to defend themselves when need be, but of course by the same definition they need not restrict their Individual freedom by living behind high walls and/or in (phony) "safe communities" ;-) The reasonable physical and healthy Individual by definition is compassionate and caring, but not to the extent of recklessly exposing themselves to harm, because they have a strongly developed sense of Individual discernment that keeps them safer than those who run around blindly with "rose colored glasses on"~! The American Constitutionalist, and we are very rare unfortunately, is the closest thing to what the law calls "The Reasonable Individual" (AKA; "The Reasonable man" theory) in which all acts of Individuals are compared to "The Perfect Human" (which obviously does not exist~! The true American Constitutionalist knows that they will never be "perfect" but still attempts to live as "perfect" a life as humanly possible (emphasis on "as humanly possible" ;-) The American Constitutionalist is the equivalent of the BEST legal "Judge" by the way that he or she lives their own life and deals with others and life itself every day. Those who either know or strongly believe in Jesus for example, often ask themselves "what Jesus would say and/or do?" in difficult circumstances, which is exactly what real American Constitutionalists do to remain "Constitutionally correct". Keep it firmly in mind that American Constitutionalists are always peaceful Individuals, however they are FAR from helpless and if necessary, they can instantly become the best of "warriors" when peace is no longer an option~! ;-) It is a deadly serious mistake to assume that the real American Constitutionalist will not do the right thing, when they or others they see are being bullied or otherwise harmed~! American Constitutionalists take their oaths more seriously than their own lives, although they seek absolutely no rewards and they already well understand that they will be constantly attacked for doing their duty to protect America and ALL Americans~! I do NOT speak for all American Constitutionalists; however, I sure do know what I am talking about through many decades of extremely brutal personal experience that VERY few others could possibly survive. So, if you want and extremely thankless, brutal life without making much money and where you are CONSTANTLY under attack by all sorts of criminals and even the very people that you are sworn to protect, you too can become an American Constitutionalist~! Ha Ha Ha! Any takers~??? Also, having a keen sense of humor is nonnegotiable if you want to have the slightest chance of survival ;-) I can't prove it, but I strongly suspect that American Constitutionalists are actually born, not made... Be well and stay safe, because things are better than the corrupt mainstream media wants us to believe in their "fear porn" world, but things will definitely get worse before they get better for most because "we" are for the first time in history actually destroying this old evil matrix~! Enjoy the ride~! ;-] Sincerely, Mike
Many have recently said that the world has been turned upside down and that is truer than folks could possibly imagine and in ways and depths that will shock the sheep to their core when/if they ever realize it. What to some at first appears to be a mere coincidence, or happenstance, is actually in fact by broad design embedded by the evil satanic criminals of humanity because they believe that they are empowered by these "Ironic" implants in our society. AKA; "Turning everything upside down" so people don't easily see and understand what the criminals are really doing... One interesting example is that some excellent analysts are quite sure that Jesus real Birthday is September 11 and not in December at all. So, folks who now remember 9/11 as a day of great tragedy, are actually completely unaware that it is most likely Jesus real and true Birthday that has been hidden from us for a very long time... Another sick perversion of 9/11 that the criminals of humanity have very intentionally implanted into our American society is that literally everyone who makes an emergency call knows that the number to call is 911~! HaZa~! These sick evil satanic criminals of humanity use numbers ("numerology") against us along with their twisted upside down "word-craft" that you have pointed out~! Once you start to learn and spot these intentional "oddities" you realize that they can't possibly be mistakes because there are just too many of them and then "POP Goes the Weasel" and you can never unsee it again~! Ha! Numerology is not my favorite study, but it is all part of the satanic game we are fighting against all the same ;-)
The point, I think, is that funding could be better spent - if it is a matter of funding that would protect in situations like this. I'd rather have adequately funded jails keeping guys like this locked up/reformed/castrated than I would a poet laureate.
I'm not blaming the arts, I'm blaming the people that appropriate funds. And those that think arts need funded more than funding spent protecting our communities.
Donna, it is as much the Arts Communities’ fault as it is anyone’s. It is all of ours for letting it happen and only all of us can change it. Everyone is about themselves and who this individual kills next is on their own, including each and everyone of us. We stand together, or we stand alone. It is always easier to stand alone until you are killed in a Safeway parking lot.
The idea is that the liberal arts community tends to be soft on crime and that is a fact...not everyone obviously but definitely generally... rainbows and lollipops should fix it!
That's what we mean when we shine some light on a particular ideology which is destructive in the end.😊
Oh, great. Another guy who wants us to do all the work to head off trouble. I am so sick and tired of lazy people leaving it up to us. What happened? Did you fail drawing class? Get a poem turned down in the Sequim gazette? All mad because they ran out of jail jobs?
My only real support in all my school years was for my writing and poetry in 6th grade.
I find it poetic that liberal leftists don't know what world they are actually creating instead of getting a grasp on reality and dealing with it head on.
I could relax into going on a nature-walk-poetry event if the entire state of the 'free' world wasn't hanging in the balance.
These days my poetry tends to the Edgar Allen Poe end of the spectrum.
Hope you have a great day at the beach and that it results in sanity, world peace and TRUTH, JUSTICE, LIBERTY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND TOUGH LOVE!😊
And whose fault is it, you not getting a complete education? Meanwhile, artists and drag queens are doing the heavy lifting of funding vulnerable kids. I'm an army vet, and all I get is Thank You For Your Service. Thank you for the heads up that the next MAGA target is the creative community. WE pay taxes, too.
You can't both dismiss the MMIP movement as political theater (see CCWD's article "Equity or Optics") and then turn around and use a missing Indigenous woman as evidence of government failure. That's not advocacy, it's opportunism. If the life and disappearance of Marley Zimmerman matters enough to justify anger and investigation—as it should—then it proves the very point the MMIP movement is making: these cases are often ignored until someone yells loud enough, or in this case, until it serves someone's agenda. Notice that CCWD wrote nothing about Marley until she could be used as a pawn in the culture war. That’s gross.
The Equity or Optics article criticizes symbolic gestures, while the newer piece, Another Victim Steps Forward, fully indulges in its own symbolic outrage. The author tries to undermine the MMIP movement in one breath while relying on the emotional and investigative gravity of a missing Indigenous woman in the next.
Railing against "performative politics," "optics," and "symbolic gestures" while engaging in performative outrage is the definition of hypocrisy. It's becoming clearer by the day that CCWD is only interested in justice when it aligns with a narrow narrative of victimhood—white, conservative, and hostile to progressive policy. When the injustice centers Indigenous people, the tone becomes skeptical and dismissive.
This isn't journalism. It's grievance politics, dressed up as watchdog reporting.
I don’t think you are using critical thinking regarding CCWatchdog. He (Jeff) can only lead us to water. After that we must actively participate without shooting the messenger. Ignoring the information here, is a personal choice, but it does not mean the author has any other agenda than to
submit the truth and report what is said.
I don’t feel a white man, selective bias when I read. But I am a voracious reader so maybe I am better at assimilating the content without assigning judgement to an author. We should be informed by opposite opinions, but I wouldn’t beat myself up for not reading the communist manifesto! What keeps all people on the earth equal is, there are 24 hours in a day, choose wisely how you use them.
You're welcome to appreciate CCWD's writing, but calling it "the truth" without addressing the specific contradictions I pointed out isn't critical thinking. I'm not shooting the messenger, I'm critiquing how he used a missing indigenous woman's story as ammunition after previously dismissing the MMIP movement as empty symbolism. That's not truth-telling, its opportunism. And ignoring that contradiction is a choice.
The tone, framing, and selective outrage in CCWD's articles speak for themselves. You might not feel bias, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. Good critical thinking means being able to recognize implicit patterns, not just reacting to how something makes you feel.
I'm all for engaging with different opinions, its the reason I'm here. Thanks.
Where did I miss that there was any information offered that Zimmerman's disappearance would be considered MMIP? Isn't your mention of it the first time it has come up?
In the PDN on May 5, facebook posts from April 17, Tik Tok from March 13, KIRO 7 News from Feb. 27, reposted on Yahoo news on Feb. 27, Instagram Feb. 6.
She's listed as a Quileute member in the Quileute newsletters. Its all over friends and families social media posts too. I think she even had family and friends attend the MMIP walk that was held on May 5th in Port Angeles.
Sequim Native, I too didn't know Zimmerman was a Native American, but she was mentioned in the article. Native or not it doesn't matter, the alarms were raised as to the significance of her missing status and the article may help in finding her. Obviously, the replies in this substack indicates a great many people feel for her, her family and friends
If CCWD genuinely didn’t know Marley was Indigenous, fine. But by the time this article was published, her identity had been public for months—on social media, in local news, tribal newsletters, and even larger outlets. It wasn’t hidden.
Given CCWD’s usual attention to detail, it’s hard to believe they missed that. So either they didn’t do the minimum requirements of reporting, or they chose to leave it out. Either way, it undercuts the integrity of the piece. CCWD can’t call for accountability while sidestepping it in their own reporting.
Raising alarms and awareness is important, which is exactly what the MMIP movement is all about. But criticizing the MMIP movement as symbolic one week, then drawing on the emotional weight from one of its cases the next without naming that connection, thats selective outrage. Its the same "optics" over substance that CCWD claims to be against.
I googled her name, and a KONP article came up. When I hear "missing young woman" or "13-year-old was beaten by a 36-year-old meth addict who lured her into an inappropriate relationship" my first question isn't, "What race is she so we can figure out if that deserves reporting."
I have a question for you: Does criticizing a gay blogger make you homophobic? Perhaps you should be praising my blog instead of criticizing it simply because I'm gay. Maybe CC Watchdog should follow a different set of rules and be elevated instead of scrutinized because I'm married to a man.
I love this idea... and "Virtue Signaling Month" is just around the corner.
Setting aside that you looked at only one article about Marley, youre missing the point. If the point of mentioning Marley is that a missing person signals system failure, then the fact that she is indigenous is not a side note, it is the system failure in sharper focus. Indigenous women disappear at a far higher rate, their cases routinely receive less media attention, and the MMIP crisis exists precisely because those disparities keep repeating over and over. Omitting that context leaves readers thinking this is just another isolated tragedy when it is part of a documented pattern. Case in point, they still haven't solved the homicide of Makah tribal member Valerie Claplanhoo, who was stabbed to death right here in Sequim. Its been over 5 years.
So the detail matters for the same reason any key fact matters: it changes the angle of the story. Ignoring it does not make the coverage neutral, it makes it incomplete. If you want the public to understand why some cases slip through the cracks, you cannot leave out important context.
Criticizing a "gay blogger" isn't homophobic, just as critiquing the jamestown tribe, or any tribe, isn't anti-tribal. The issue isn't identity, its the way you frame stories.
When you dismissed MMIP proclamations as empty symbolism, then later spotlight a missing indigenous woman without mentioning she fits the MMIP crisis you just waved off, that's a lapse in due diligence. Pointing out that lapse isn't an attack on your marriage or your orientation, its holding your work to the same consistency standard you demand from everyone else.
Hold yourself to the same rule you apply to local officials, of which you are one. Tell the whole story, not just the parts that suits the argument youre trying to make in the moment.
Any child missing is a missing child. It shouldn't just be MMIP that you are focusing on as a target against CCWD. I don't read any of the references you gave and am thankful I'm aware of it now and feel for Marley and her family. Maybe there are a lot more people like me that use other sources of information...be grateful for that.
I didn't read that Jeff dismissed it, he acknowledged that it's real as I read it in the
pripr article. While you are aware that Zimmerman's disappearance is being treated as a MMIP matter aren't you making a leap that Jeff knew and summarily dismissed that aspect?
I don't need to prove what CCWD knew. The point is: Marley Zimmerman is publicly identified as a Quileute tribal member, and her disappearance has been recognized as an MMIP case across multiple platforms since February. That context was widely available. If you're going to build a narrative around her disappearance and use it to critique law enforcement and social policies fine, but omitting that she's part of a recognized MMIP case isn't neutral, its selective.
Whether its intentional or not, the effect is the same: a story that weaponizes an indigenous woman's disappearance while ignoring the broader crisis it represents, a crisis that CCWD dismissed just a few week earlier as symbolic posturing. No need for a smoking gun to see the pattern. You're shifting the focus on CCWD internal knowledge or intentions, which is unprovable and beside the point.
Well, I try to work on facts. I think it's a stretch based on what I've read. If we're going to apply would have, should have, could have standards to indict then our society is in trouble. I'm not a fan of operating from that position.
The facts are clear: Marley Zimmerman is Quileute. Her case has been publicly identified as part of the MMIP crisis for months. That's not would-have, should-have, could-have situation. That's current, verifiable context that was ignored in an article that centered her disappearance.
You don't have to speculate about someone's intent to recognize a pattern of selective coverage. When CCWD criticizes MMIP efforts as symbolic and then turns around and uses a real MMIP case without naming it as such, that's a contradiction worth pointing out.
This isn't about indicting someone for what they could have done. It's about asking why they didn't, especially when it would have provided readers with a more complete and honest picture.
You say Jeff isn’t pretending to be a journalist, but he allows readers to call him one repeatedly without correction. That’s not just a harmless mix-up. It builds the illusion of neutral reporting while he pushes a specific worldview. You can’t benefit from the authority of journalism while ducking the accountability that comes with it.
If CCWD is just opinion, fine—but then let’s stop calling it truth-telling, stop claiming it exposes what “real journalists” won’t cover, and stop pretending it’s anything more than curated outrage for a specific political tribe.
Sequim Native, you have digressed to name calling. That is a sign of frustration and desperation. Sorry you have pushed yourself to that point, I actually liked a few of the things you have said. Now, you have lost me.
Name calling? I was acknowledging his slam on me. He said it would take half his day correcting the things I say. He was basically calling me a nuisance.
Still, I like it. And I appreciate that you liked a few things I have said. Sorry to have lost you.
A “Journalist” is someone that engages in the practice of reporting, photographing, editing or recording for media news, current affairs, information, or documentary character.
The definition clearly includes Jeff Tozzer, so whoever had a problem with his journalistic capabilities and or classification, dictionaries still play an honest role in our daily language!
He just casted himself as the modern-day Thomas Paine, writing with "armed ideas," claiming to challenge the powerful with unvarnished truth. And the other day chastized the local newspaper for the lack of journalistic duty for not holding local systems accountable. He not cosplaying at this point, he is enjoyin the ride as you would say.
Notice how the term "white" is used as a pejorative and isn't capitalized. I think there is a term for that type of writing. The so called indigenous humans are actually from Asia originally. In addition the tribes hated each other and did not complain when their spears were replaced by modern firearms. These arch types are amusing. I have never been a Cuckservative and progressives are not liberals.
There you go again. Using words as weapons. It’s the bully on the school playground, but in your case, it’s the one behind the screen.
I thought her acknowledgment of her heritage and the understanding of tribes at war was compelling. Often our history is presented as natives were good as gold until white man came along with his warring ways.
That obviously is one side of a very complex relationships.
I think your “Sequim Native”, is used as a warning to not engage with you. Are you a Native as in tribe? Representing yourself in an honest way would explain some things. However, it doesn’t justify the snark you unloaded on Ms Smith-Dvorak.
IMO your anger and platitudes should not be directed at me. The relationships were not complex. Europeans encountered a culture that possessed no written language and had not invented the wheel. Is that false? The various tribes were eager to take advantage of modern technology to betray their enemies especially in the east. IMO the world is governed by force not empathy. Blame God. I did not create Evolution.
I do not think I expressed anger in anyway. That was your interpretation of the written word with your own personal bias attached to it. For me, not angry at all. Happy to be here. Appreciate Jeff’s hospitality allowing us to share his platform.
I've noticed that when CCWD readers can't refute the argument they divert the conversation from institutional accountability into culture war identity grievances. Instead of engaging in the argument, they focus on the words like "White" and "Settler" and claim victimhood. Its a bad-faith deflection to avoid the argument.
Did I capitalize the appropriate words Mr. Gatekeeper-of-Acceptable-Speech?
I'm "of a tribe" (St Regis Mohawk) and I try to not flop around the whole race issue. My tribe is an offshoot of Iroquois. And like all related Iroquois we were highly involved in warfare, both against other tribes, but within related bands As for OTHER Native American groups, we were blood-thirsty, it was a WAR culture. (We'd kick the local tribe's asses, to be certain.) After all, my people were to blame for wiping out the Mohicans, Wyandot, Erie, Susquehannock, and northern Algonquins and others.
So, yeah, we interbred with whites (although previously, we'd already mixed with many Nordic Vikings, along the way). The other half of my family arrived in 1640 from England. I know, for a fact, that we had Irish indentured servants, and didn't do the African slaves from Spaniards. I can trace my white lineage to the 13th century.
Do I want to somehow claim this Native superiority? Am I proud that my tribe was extremely BRUTAL and engaged in genocide, in some cases, for SPORT?
No, not so much.
I'd rather just claim "white" and not delve into my bloody heritage or murderous genetics. I, so totally, do NOT understand this ignorance of culture, and the whole "noble savage" bullshit. It's an illusion. And, as a "race" my tribe is vastly different from those from other parts of the country. Tribes this way are much more Asian, genetically.
We are not one big homogeneous group and it is a huge insult to intone that we are. Talk about racist bullshit!
Meanwhile, as a woman, I am outraged when any woman is damaged, injured, murdered by any other being -- male or female.
My Filipino grandpa claimed he was Greek to be perceived as White. But, never have I seen someone write about their ancestry like it was a legal disclaimer for a race-based diet trend. Then moonwalk. Smoothly, backward into blood, over race, and away from history as if it had a warrant out. This women moonwalked into Whiteness like it was the Witness Protection Program.
Thanks for the family history lesson, but none of that responds to the actual issue. Listing your ancestry to discredit modern indigenous struggles doesn't make you honest, it just makes you the latest person to pull the "I'm native, but..." card.
If you're more comfortable identifying as White, cool, good for you. But don't pretend that gives you some sort of authority to speak over present day indigenous people or movements. This is the same "identity shield" rhetoric that tribal people have heard for decades, where a story from grandma about their Cherokee great-great grandfather becomes a license to undermine people who are organizing or reclaiming space.
You're trying to be 'above identity politics', but what you are actually doing is performative anti-wokeness; rejecting nuance, overstating your personal authority, while accusing others of being racist for noticing systems. You want the freedom to define yourself while mocking others who do the same.
I'm not claiming that native people are a monolith. But denying solidarity just to undermine conversations about justice doesn't make you brave or edgy, it makes you useful tool to those who benefit from division.
struggles? Explain to me what these "struggles" are and how they are different from any other disadvantaged group in America? Tell me how one group should have special treatment to "make up for" something that happened more than a century ago? How is it different than any other group that hasn't realized that we all pull our own weight, and we are all part of a much larger tribe called The United States?
I have been the single mother living in a black area. I've been homeless. I've been the underemployed. Do I want to cling to "victim". (Yeah, been raped, been robbed, been burgled.) I think you need to grow up.
Your comments are defensive, informative but defensive. They attack Jeff’s opinions and the people who care to read or now listen to his opinions. It’s okay to disagree with what Jeff publishes but the attacks are troubling & I would say most people just don’t understand your “high level” points. I guess you must feel attacked somehow by Jeff discussing Marley and using her as a pawn is reaching for a reason again to attack. Whatever you are welcome to your opinion as well but not very well understood or received in my opinion.
I appreciate the feedback, but disagreement isn't an attack. Pointing out contradictions in coverage, especially when a story about a missing indigenous woman is framed without acknowledging the MMIP crisis she's part of, isn't personal. Its about holding a platform accountable for how it shapes public understanding.
FWIW, I actually enjoy reading CCWD and think it offers an important voice and perspective, even when I disagree with some of his positions, framing, or misunderstandings about tribal politics, histories, and U.S. tribal relations. My critique is about consistency and context, not character. Things that CCWD claims to hold dear.
But calling that "high level" or "defensive" doesn't actually engage the points I raised. It just avoids them. If anything was unclear, I'm happy to rephrase. But dismissing critique because it makes readers uncomfortable isn't how honest dialogue works, and I think CCWD expects honest dialogue.
Oh you mean like our government & media does? Do you just challenge people with acronyms to prove some point? Don’t you just hate it when someone says “it’s just the WAY you say it? That irks me! It irks my husband too, he hates when his upper management rated his pay & he was told……. I’m not trying to engage the points you’ve raised, actually your points are based on facts, however though treaties were agreed to years ago obviously a whole lot of people inside and outside government on both sides have issues with them or they wouldn’t be getting amended and then recanted. It’s not all about one side is perfect and the other isn’t. Both sides have broken & misused the agreements. I can’t point to one of your opinions as offensive, mostly subjective so in my opinion experience has taught me I can’t really have an engagement because like democrats they know it all have their opinion & that’s the end of it…..and look where Washington is now. If you’re looking for middle of the road there isn’t any. Maybe you should write you own blog & share your opinions about local politics. Jeff’s article about MMIP & Sequim City taking notice was about equity, where is the equity of attention to others besides IP? Where is the proclamations for MMW or MMM, do we have to be a color or a sex I think was the point of the article. Victimhood in general has become a full time job especially if you are a color or fit into a category. I believe you said Jeff failed to point out Marley was a color, MMIP, who really cares, she is missing. He brought her up because of any association with Fisher or any possible link not a failure to inform everyone she is MMIP. I think you give far too much credit to Jeff & over think much of what he has to say. What do you think about Brandy Kruse do you pick her apart too?
He said/she said allegations of sexual advances by Gov. Andrew Cuomo were made by an adult female staff employee, which led to his political demise. Brave and very underage Bella and her mother bring evidence of sexual assault of a minor (among other offenses) and NO ONE takes this seriously. It isn't shameful, it's corrupt, and I highly suspect a very disturbing criminal element is all connected to this. You are helping our community right these wrongs, Jeff. We are grateful that you care enough about the people of CC to bring them justice when no one else will.
The god of this world...😱
Jeff, hopefully this article will stir enough interest for Bella and her Mother to be taken seriously and perhaps lead to Marley Zimmerman alarming disappearance. Marley's family needs this, my heart goes out to all.
What a sad commentary about the police force in Clallam and Jefferson county. Having had friends who are in law enforcement, I know it's true that a lot of things go on in the background that aren't made public because they could be building a case and that needs to remain private. When it comes to sex trafficking our young girls, especially when you have someone call him out on doing just that! He should be in jail !
Kudos to Bella for coming forward as well as her mom. Sad to hear the police had no response. Curious as to who his family ties are?
We moved to Sequim about six years ago to get away from all the homeless moving into neighborhoods, the open drug use, and petty crime with home break-ins. And now here we are living with the same issues.
For me, I ask, what can the citizens do? Can every mother in the two counties join as one loud voice to demand action be taken to protect our girls from sexual predators.
Thanks Jeff for your articles. I listened to your podcast last week. I must say when you made the comment on your voice..... it cracked me up!
As a mom on the west end, count me in.
2 summers ago there was a hubbub on the local mom FB page about a convicted p*dophile who was a regular in the Sequim theater club. One of the moms in the group was part of the theater production and found out, some others came forward with stories etc. I went to the police dpt and spoke with the officer who oversees sex offenders in Clallam county to confirm his status and the law around sex offenders. He wasn't/isn't breaking any laws but I felt strongly that the people involved with the theater, and the people paying to see the show should know what they were around/supporting. I then organized a protest for opening night of the production he was in. My husband, my dad and I were the only ones to show up. I had print outs of his charges and summaries on posters. People walking into the show literally laughed in my face. Like I was the one in the wrong. The head of the theater came out and we had dialogue, he gave me a lot of excuses. The show started, we left.
All that's to say, a shocking amount of people straight up don't care (meaning they're ok with it). Even more care enough to say something online but can't be bothered to show up. And unfortunately, when we do show up the law is not on our side - it's on the criminals.
In the legislative session RIGHT NOW are bills lessening punishment on s*x offenders, redefining child p*rn as a "victimless crime", and more.
I don't know what it will take for this to change, but I'm open to suggestions and will show up when the time comes.
Wherever we go...there we are!😊
"However we cannot step in the same river twice. Change is constant."
I am very old now but about forty years ago my voice and inflection were identical to that of Jeff Tozzer.
When did you go through puberty? I can't wait to.
Jeff my puberty has lasted many decades. Until a few years ago my name was addressed with the pre-fix Ma-am during telephone telephone calls. LOL The experience though never troubled me. My principle concern was limited to content, syntax and grammar. Thanks for the interaction. Please continue your important work.
Yes sir!
I'm going to take a little different perspective here regarding Bella and feel free to poke holes in my thoughts. I believe the Police care. They maybe even have had words with Fisher. But it doesn't matter as Fisher knows the system won't do much. He's been arrested scores of times. He does a little county time at worst plea bargained down. The police know exactly what it takes to make a case stick and get a person put away. Fisher hasn't met the criteria. Maybe in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas or Mississippi but not Washington State. Our problem lies with the Judges and the law. If most prosecutions end up with minimum sentences or probation which isn't revoked upon the next infraction there is no incentive to proactively police. As an officer or department you simply wait till a crime is committed, answer the call and see if you have enough evidence or correct circumstance for follow through to get it successfully through the system past a liberal Judge or in case of a caring Judge through weak sentencing laws. I believe citizens care. I believe the Police care. I even believe most Judges care. I also believe our criminal justice system is broken. While the citizenry was unaware a great experiment was taking place in our criminal justice system rewriting sentencing guidelines. Court judgements were rendered in evidentiary submission that made it near impossible to get convictions. For example. The drugs you just found in my coats pocket aren't mine. I just borrowed this coat from my buddy to run to the store. Or... I didn't know this car was stolen. I just bought it from a guy off Craigslist and met him at the Safeway parking lot. Look I have a handwritten bill of sale. "Probable cause" has become problematic. When an officer knows they have the perpetrator but things don't line up ironclad so the Prosecutor is then reluctant to prosecute and the Judge is hampered by sentencing reforms you have a broken system that goes to the legislature and ultimately to our liberal and in my opinion very flawed Washington Supreme Court. You'll never convince me that these young attorneys join the Prosecutors office to not try and do good and keep people safe. Or... the same with these young men and women that choose a career as police officers and Sheriffs and Troopers. I honestly believe those men and women made a conscious choice to protect and serve. I also believe the laws and judicial system does them a great disservice and burns them out when their efforts to make us safe are thwarted by terrible court decisions and a liberal activist State Supreme Court.
yes, a bit too much hand-wringing and not enough hard evidence for me.
I'm sorry but "I'm a good mom" doesn't work if the next sentence is "what can you do?"
You CAN do a lot. Laissez-faire parenting doesn't help anyone (in my opinion).
The police have little to work with given our required RCW 9.94A.510 sentencing grid that Judges must adhere to. https://app.leg.wa.gov/Rcw/default.aspx?cite=9.94A.510
The grid explained by a law firm: http://www.martonicklaw.com/sentencing/defaulted.aspx
(Play around with the guidelines to see just how ineffective judges are -- by design.)
I don't believe the 200+ judges appointed by Inslee care much at all (appointed with no judicial oversight, we don't have a mechanism for that --- we elect our judges). I don't know HOW he persuaded so many judges to retire/step down, but the replacements have been absolutely HORRIBLE (even in our county).
Our local prosecutor (we need term limits) focuses on what can be won, not where justice can be pursued. Not a creative thinker, from what I've seen.
The LEOs are frustrated, to be certain. But, if the courts do nothing to back them up -- then all the policing in the world won't do any good. The sentencing guideline was a "quasi-good idea" but it has changed many times. It was to make all judges have conformity, thereby eliminating "hanging judges". Unfortunately, its one-size-fits-all.
Exactly!
Look up Klaus Schwab's statement about how many 'young global leaders' and other radical socialist activists INFILTRATED INTO ALL OF OUR GOVT'S AROUND THE WORLD.
This is why we can't get justice!
It is ALL planned! Not incidental, accidental or circumstantial.
To destroy a nation or country from within is strategic long-term planning.
The god of this world is alive and active and we are right in the middle of it.
Even 'red' conservative states have NWO agents in their govt's and businesses and NGO's and NPO's.
We're in for a rough ride.😎
Well stated. I couldn't have written that better myself.
So Lawrence, you are saying that individuals you sexually assault minors and kills old men in broad daylight cannot be stopped for any reason in Washington State but the police and judicial system cares? What about the dead seniors and the underage preyed upon, do they care? Do the elected leaders care. Do the residents and citizens care?
I'm saying that you can arrest and indict all you want. But getting a conviction and a sentence that keeps these dirt bags off the street is another matter. I believe that every person that chose law enforcement and went to the prosecutors office did so thinking they could make a difference. Then the realities of the Judicial System blew them up. Every day crimes are perpetrated. Police know who did it. Prosecutors know who did it. But because of "rules of evidence" these prosecutions can't be won. I just about guarantee you I could go drive drunk (I never would) and if a County Sheriff or City Officer arrested me for DUI I'd have a 90% chance of getting those charges dropped on a breach of evidence procedure. Probably a 50% chance with the WSP as DUI is a big part of their enforcement and they are trained in procedures better.
I think a lot of our politicians don't care about anything except getting re-elected and cashing their checks. Its our Washington Supreme Court that is out of control. They are an "Activist Court". Nine Judges that serve 6 year terms then stand for election. However most retire mid-term then the Governor appoints the judge to serve out the remainder and they stand for election with the power of incumbency if they are even seriously challenged. In something like the last 60 years that's 10 election cycles 90 campaigns I believe only 2 judges have lost re-election. Yes I see something wrong with that. Thank you Governor Inslee. I believe 5 of our current judges have been appointed.
Even if a no nonsense tough on crime Governor was elected he's the Captain of pretty much a mutinous ship. I truly believe that American Values are under assault. I believe our Constitutional God given rights are under assault. Finally I believe the majority of citizens care if they are engaged. But they don't know what they don't know. Once a year 60 to 77% of the electorate reads a voters pamphlet full of b.s. and tries to make an informed choice. In the unlikely event that electorate looks like they will prevail in curbing some power whatever law or initiative that was passed is challenged by some unheard of group that finds a sympathetic judge to rule said law unconstitutional. Its maddening.
Tom I agree 100%. "It's not my fault. I was merely following orders and I don't wish to lose my pension." I watched Antifa members in Portland assault MAGA members and the police department stood and watched. During the Rodney King Riots the LAPD ran away and hid. I don't think cops are empathetic. I believe they are government employees who do what their masters tell them.
I'll give you another perspective. The badge represents the will of the people. Street cops who hang their necks out, contrary to the will of the people, stand a good chance of facing repercussions. Their thinking is, if people cared enough about them being able to enforce the law they wouldn't let the progressives take over and dictate their job via laws and leaders who make political decisions. The bulk of the cops who work the streets would love to hook and book the bad people, at least that's my experience from knowing more than one.
No doubt Aleta.
Imagine you have been in law enforcement or the Prosecutors office for 20 years and you just need to hit that 55 year old mark to have a full retirement with medical benefits. You have 6 years to go. You are a senior Prosecutor or a Sergeant or Lieutenant in the police force. One good stain gets you demoted. What's your natural inclination? You cover yourself. When the system doesn't have your back you go into self preservation. To further your take which I agree with are the people that can make life difficult for you. The young or old activist embedded in the bureaucracy of civil service. The Councilman or woman who hates police. The activist looking for you to make one misstep so they can blast it on social media. The constant sound bites taken out of context. I cannot imagine having to do such a critical job while walking on eggshells. Recently an Auburn Police Officer was convicted of murder. There was suppression of facts by the Judge that the deceased was a violent schizophrenic drug user with a long record of assault and battery with extensive training in mixed martial arts and numerous fights with police officers. The deceased came at the officer with a knife. The Judge hearing the case was so biased and the suppression of facts mitigating the encounter so stymied the Police Officers Legal Defense that the Defense refused to mount any arguments hoping their lack of Defense would accelerate an appeal. This has had a chilling effect on every officer in the State. When the system doesn't support you CYA is the result.
I don't understand how a 13 year old "dates" a 36 year old for a year especially if the first encounter was as described. There is something dangerously endemic going on in our society at large when this is not shocking to people.
I agree. Letting any kid hang out with a 36 year old perv at 13 years old is asking for trouble.
13 year olds are still kids, with raging hormones. They do not have a fully functional limbic system, yet. They're as impulsive as toddlers --- and vulnerable.
It seems as if the bigger issue here is that no one said anything? For a year? Not her friends, not his friends, not her parents, no one said hey it's not right to pursue a 13 year old kid? Everyone looked the other way. Why? What is going on that makes everyone turn their back on blatant pedophilia?
TJ, Unfortunately, it sounds like this 36 yr old has perfected his method of "grooming". It not only involves grooming the underage child but also the family. It's not easy to spot, it is a calculated process.
Perpetrators of child sexual abuse may not only sexually groom the child but also their family.
Familial grooming involves the selection of a child due to family vulnerability and the development of trust.
Family grooming may be more common when the victim is a child as opposed to a teenager.
About two-thirds of all cases of child sexual abuse may involve familial sexual grooming.
Yeah, it's a pretty sick culture and the 'nuclear' family is part of the divide and conquer strategy so there are no others for children to turn to...no extended family community groups to protect and guide...because we have collectively lost our morals and ethics.
'The State' has stepped in and tried to help somewhat but it turns out many of the social programs are corrupt and abusive themselves...even child trafficking within the agencies formed to protect and nurture.
HHS whistleblowers have come forth so it's not my conspiracy theory.
Not to say there aren't healthy 'nuclear' families, I'm sure there are but we have a global meltdown, at least in modern western countries, of rudderless anything goes culture, which we have gone along with in the name of freedom.
Freedom without moral constraints is devastating to any human group.
Liberty is what we should be striving for...freedom tempered by humility and selflessness and kindness and other 'good' things.
I often fail but I do know right from wrong and no apologies for calling it as I sees it!😊
Many years ago a psychology professor indicated to me that the extended family was superior to the nuclear one. OTOH the region and culture are also an important ingredient. In some isolated communities where first cousins marry the IQ is lowered which is a separate variable.
My sister was married to a sociopath...I've seen it in action...destroyed her relationship with her children who still blame her for a corrupt justice system that gave him custody...his mother was instrumental in getting the judge elected who decided the case... Clallam County...over 30 years ago!
My partner got 'screwed' in divorce court by the same corrupt being when he was an attorney before becoming a judge...over 25 years ago.
It's the scope of the corruption that is now in our face but it's always been around and 'we the people' have no due process recourse.
These 'people' don't get into power by accident!
It's a rock and a hard place!😬
The god of this world!😱
Hense "The Epicurean Paradox"; "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”
I'm feeling Philosophical, so I believe god is able but not willing. Not in a malevolent way but in a soul development way. Evil and suffering are necessary to develop virtues like courage, compassion, perseverance, empathy, and love. They serve a greater moral or spiritual purpose and are necessary for humans to move forward in growth.
This is why I am discouraged that many people do not develop from seeing and feeling the evil around us. They ignore it and stay trapped in a never ending soul stagnation. Evil must be recognized and confronted if we are to grow, which ultimately I hope is the whole purpose of being here.
Why develop virtue when the length of our lives is limited? What caused the history of the modern thought process to descend from Plato ( dualism ) to Hobbes and end with the existentialists such as Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard? IMO the concept of evil is derived from an advanced prefrontal cortex but inside the physical world the world of nature violence or the threat of violence rules.
Yeah, the Mom was completely irresponsible.
I know, because my sister was in similar circumstances 50 years ago, due to incompetent, ignorant, naive parenting.
Too soon old, too late smart!🤓
I have to admit that I did not think highly of a family that lets a young teen go in a car
(Truck) with a grown man. The family did the right thing by reporting it to police. And good for Bella. She could have easily become a victim. But where was she suppose to be when she was out with him?
Was she reported absent from school?
Did her mom know she was”dating”?
She is truly lucky to be alive, but he’s still out there. Would you feel safe?
No, parents who think they need to be "liked" by their kids, and be their friends is the problem. Parents don't get off that easy. Parenting is difficult, sure. But, so?
NO (GOOD)FATHERS = NO-GOOD FATHERS!
AND MOTHERS'!😊
Our county commissioners say that safety is #1 priority, yet agree to cut 33/13% from budget for emergency center and 911 facility, and push for funding poet laureate and arts. Priorities stated don't line up with actions taken. Time for us all to 'go to the window (commissioners) and yell' "I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE" (network)
Your in luck. From the North Olympic Library System.
"Compose poetry as you walk with Clallam County Poet Laureate Nellie Bridge! Meet at the entrance to the trail down to Dungeness
Spit at 10:30am on Saturday, May 31."
See you there!
OOH! Can't wait, I'm all a flutter. Where can I find a pair if size 14 Birkenstock?
I want to say things which I will not! Thanks, Eric!😱
I'm supposed to SPIT at 10:30am... I can do that here at home.
'They' ALWAYS cut first where it hurts most to punish people into compliance with 'the agenda'!😱
Isn’t that the truth. It’s a hostile acknowledgement of the cuts. Sadly effective .
Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not sustainable.
At some point the pendulum swings back in our favor and history will remember ALL involved in the destruction of Clallam county!
Meanwhile hysteria is creating history!😜
Jeff, all I can say is wow. This is absolutely insane that police won't do anything. Our politicians have lost their marbles. When will the madness stop??
I admire anyone who has the courage to be a parent these days.
Got three buddy. Pray for me.
Without ceasing! Every thought and breath is a prayer...choose wisely!
I know it ain't easy, believe me!😊
We've raised a bunch of them. My wife has done most the heavy lifting. But kids if you are lucky give you grandchildren. Grandchildren make it all worth while. Especially when your now adult kids give you " I don't know how you did it" acknowledgement.
Congrats!🤓
don't blame the police, blame the prosecutor, and quit electing the same one, thinking there will be a different outcome.
Remember wondering how certain judges ruled and why attorneys judge shopped? Went down to courthouse and attended divorce proceedings, eye opener. Next time when elections come up instead of reading their blurbs I’ll go watch them in action, actions speak louder than words. Might go watch some criminal proceedings too, I’m retired and in need of being informed and informative……
What a great idea. So obvious, but I'd never thought of this.
Mimi, I blame the electorate.
I never believed in the Book of Revelations until the last few years...read it and weep!😢
Sequim Police were able to track down a hit and run suspect and sent out a presser but the killer of Richard Madeo- not a word. There better be a criminal referal soon in the homocide of Mr Madeo. Bella’s account of Fisher should be enough to get him arrested. Why not?
What happened to three strikes. Is Aaron Fisher a valuable player that gets protection from a judge when he finally gets in front of one?
Does anyone understand why he’s still a free agent?
yes the "matrix" that the court judges use to determine sentences. These were mostly "low level" crimes.... and ever since Mr. Inslee, judges have been very reticent to do more than wag a finger at someone. Plus, this dude likes to roam around... he has different run-ins in different counties -- and then there is this whole thing about "looking at each crime independently" is some how more fair to the perp. Meaning, past crimes do not distract from the newest case, that's evaluated independently.
When it is clearly MENTAL ILLNESS... then, judges just flush them back into society, because the Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA) is a bitch to deal with. It only allows a 90 or 180 commitment and, usually is just sent to outpatient treatment. IF IT IS AVAILABLE.
We rank 49 (out of 50 states) for mental health treatment ---
info: https://www.hca.wa.gov/assets/program/fact-sheet-involuntary-treatment-act.pdf
Good information but very sad at the same time. When they closed facilities, bc they were cruel, many former patients were placed in private homes or just lost from the system. I think the mental illness and unhoused people go hand in hand. When mentally challenged individuals were in a single facility, the access to care and follow-up was good. Not perfect, but professionals were available weekdays and emergency 24/7.
I just don’t think the deinstitutionalization has come to fruition as projected. It wasn’t like “Cuckoo Nest”, at lease most days weren’t.
This was not dating!
Grooming, torture, abuse, gas lighting....psychotic and possibly deadly!😱
SIGNS OF THE TIMES...Walk softly and carry a big stick!🤪
But where’s the big stick? That should be with the judge. Oh but she lets him walk. Exactly what’s in it for a judge to not seek justice for a criminal.
Again I urge you to register complaints.
We are in a very difficult position when dealing with individuals who have been identified as having a long seriously violent past~! I believe that this Aaron Fisher has openly admitted that he has been in "a hundred fights" so we need to take that extremely seriously... The police often need to quietly work on serious cases so that they can build a proper criminal case, however "we" (the general public) have no way of knowing if the police are taking cases like this seriously or if they are covering up for a suspect and intentionally exposing us all to tremendous risk~? The past 10 to 20 years has been so difficult for Americans that many have been forced into realizing that our communities and country is definitely NOT as safe and secure as most believed not long ago. For many this has been an experience of waking up to a complete nightmare, that has really been ongoing without them understanding it, especially for those who foolishly trusted the local media and general mainstream media for their news~! I have heard WAY too many Americans state that "if it was important I would have seen in in the news" and unfortunately that kind of insane blind trust has resulted in MANY more American deaths over just the past 5 years, than all of the American dead from WWI, WWII, and the war in Vietnam combined~! WAY more and the entire government system and completely corrupt mainstream media has been completely silent about that fact~! We know that the tragic death of Richard Madeo just happened, although it appears that at best the local police bungled that investigation up with the assistance of a dangerously incompetent "judge". I do not remember hearing about the disappearance of Marley Zimmerman, even though I have seen a few notices of young women "disappearing" from our community over the past few years, so we all need to take these matters VERY seriously these days because no one is safe with seriously dangerous people in them. As I look at the wonderful picture of Marley Zimmerman holding that pup, I have to wonder what happened to her~? Did she just willingly leave the area for some reason, or did something terrible happen to her right here while all of us carried on with our lives completely unaware of her plight~? Did our community lose a nice young woman with great promise and a potentially positive contribution to our area because of a monster among us~? Is there a violent serial killer loose in our community~? We ALL need to be careful of conducting a "witch hunt" which is of course even more likely when good folks learn that the police and judicial system is failing to do the only job that really matters, protecting the general public from the worst kinds of harm. On the other hand, there are some extremely important things that we can do to help ourselves and our community (and by extension America itself). Learn & practice critical self-awareness and self-defense basics, for many the ownership and training about using a firearm is essential (especially when living in the country environment), becoming more vigilant in our own homes, properties, and as we navigate in the community is absolutely critical (without becoming paranoid, emotional, or hysterical problems ourselves). Always practicing common-sense and critical thinking skills is without doubt the "new norm" for a growing number of Americans that have realized that our communities and country now requires all of us to become better & more compassionate Individuals~! As for this troubled individual Aaron Fisher and others like him, I am sure that they will leave many victims in their wake's and at some point, they are very likely to end their lives in yet another tragedy when they make that last bad choice as countless others have~! Sincerely praying for better times and happier outcomes~! Mike
Good cops, bad cops, whatever...the justice system has been neutered and then weaponized by globalist 'selectees' infiltrating into govt's around the world...we are under a covertly declared coup...the deep state has openly stated its plans but it's not covered in mainstream media...you have to see the problem and then look for the source and it is in plain sight.
'The greatest trick the devil ever played was to convince people he/she/it /they/them/their wasn't real'! Unknown.
Blessings to all and devil be damned!😀
HA~!
Well Aleta Baker, over the decades I have seen a great many references to "The Utopian Ideal" which in our world is obviously a complete fantasy that "we" (especially American Constitutionalists) never waste much time contemplating~! Only those of the weakest of minds ever believe in "utopia" especially as an achievable goal for humanity in this existence. In Heaven "utopia" may exist, or it probably would not be Heaven~! In fact, the delusional dreamers of "utopia" are probably as responsible for as many deaths of innocent people and total destruction of more lives than any other group of "useful idiots"~! The true relatively few evil criminals of humanity absolutely LOVE their victims to believe in a childish "utopian society" because foolish suckers who strive for unachievable goals NEVER make anything better and ALWAYS make things worse. That is what evil always excels in doing ;-) That is why each of us learning to be more aware of our environment, the only real test of Intelligence known to humanity, and learning to defend ourselves is SO critical and that has always been the truth since day one for humans in this existence that we call life. So, mentally and physically healthy responsible Individuals need to be able and willing to defend themselves when need be, but of course by the same definition they need not restrict their Individual freedom by living behind high walls and/or in (phony) "safe communities" ;-) The reasonable physical and healthy Individual by definition is compassionate and caring, but not to the extent of recklessly exposing themselves to harm, because they have a strongly developed sense of Individual discernment that keeps them safer than those who run around blindly with "rose colored glasses on"~! The American Constitutionalist, and we are very rare unfortunately, is the closest thing to what the law calls "The Reasonable Individual" (AKA; "The Reasonable man" theory) in which all acts of Individuals are compared to "The Perfect Human" (which obviously does not exist~! The true American Constitutionalist knows that they will never be "perfect" but still attempts to live as "perfect" a life as humanly possible (emphasis on "as humanly possible" ;-) The American Constitutionalist is the equivalent of the BEST legal "Judge" by the way that he or she lives their own life and deals with others and life itself every day. Those who either know or strongly believe in Jesus for example, often ask themselves "what Jesus would say and/or do?" in difficult circumstances, which is exactly what real American Constitutionalists do to remain "Constitutionally correct". Keep it firmly in mind that American Constitutionalists are always peaceful Individuals, however they are FAR from helpless and if necessary, they can instantly become the best of "warriors" when peace is no longer an option~! ;-) It is a deadly serious mistake to assume that the real American Constitutionalist will not do the right thing, when they or others they see are being bullied or otherwise harmed~! American Constitutionalists take their oaths more seriously than their own lives, although they seek absolutely no rewards and they already well understand that they will be constantly attacked for doing their duty to protect America and ALL Americans~! I do NOT speak for all American Constitutionalists; however, I sure do know what I am talking about through many decades of extremely brutal personal experience that VERY few others could possibly survive. So, if you want and extremely thankless, brutal life without making much money and where you are CONSTANTLY under attack by all sorts of criminals and even the very people that you are sworn to protect, you too can become an American Constitutionalist~! Ha Ha Ha! Any takers~??? Also, having a keen sense of humor is nonnegotiable if you want to have the slightest chance of survival ;-) I can't prove it, but I strongly suspect that American Constitutionalists are actually born, not made... Be well and stay safe, because things are better than the corrupt mainstream media wants us to believe in their "fear porn" world, but things will definitely get worse before they get better for most because "we" are for the first time in history actually destroying this old evil matrix~! Enjoy the ride~! ;-] Sincerely, Mike
The actual meaning of Utopia is "nowhere"! Ironic, eh?😆
HA! HA! HA! HA!
Yes, that is quite Ironic my friend~! ;-)
Many have recently said that the world has been turned upside down and that is truer than folks could possibly imagine and in ways and depths that will shock the sheep to their core when/if they ever realize it. What to some at first appears to be a mere coincidence, or happenstance, is actually in fact by broad design embedded by the evil satanic criminals of humanity because they believe that they are empowered by these "Ironic" implants in our society. AKA; "Turning everything upside down" so people don't easily see and understand what the criminals are really doing... One interesting example is that some excellent analysts are quite sure that Jesus real Birthday is September 11 and not in December at all. So, folks who now remember 9/11 as a day of great tragedy, are actually completely unaware that it is most likely Jesus real and true Birthday that has been hidden from us for a very long time... Another sick perversion of 9/11 that the criminals of humanity have very intentionally implanted into our American society is that literally everyone who makes an emergency call knows that the number to call is 911~! HaZa~! These sick evil satanic criminals of humanity use numbers ("numerology") against us along with their twisted upside down "word-craft" that you have pointed out~! Once you start to learn and spot these intentional "oddities" you realize that they can't possibly be mistakes because there are just too many of them and then "POP Goes the Weasel" and you can never unsee it again~! Ha! Numerology is not my favorite study, but it is all part of the satanic game we are fighting against all the same ;-)
Have a mellow day~!
M
<P>
Yeah, and disarm the rest of the public...only your elitist friends are valuable enough to protect!
This has been in the works for centuries and only occasionally an upstart nation or group interrupts it for a time.
Pray for peace...prepare for war!😇
Accessorizing drug addicts doesn't seem to work dear Kommissars...
All valid - but we in the arts community are not at fault. This man is not on the street because of arts programs. It's not pie.
The point, I think, is that funding could be better spent - if it is a matter of funding that would protect in situations like this. I'd rather have adequately funded jails keeping guys like this locked up/reformed/castrated than I would a poet laureate.
I'm not blaming the arts, I'm blaming the people that appropriate funds. And those that think arts need funded more than funding spent protecting our communities.
Spot on.
Donna, it is as much the Arts Communities’ fault as it is anyone’s. It is all of ours for letting it happen and only all of us can change it. Everyone is about themselves and who this individual kills next is on their own, including each and everyone of us. We stand together, or we stand alone. It is always easier to stand alone until you are killed in a Safeway parking lot.
The idea is that the liberal arts community tends to be soft on crime and that is a fact...not everyone obviously but definitely generally... rainbows and lollipops should fix it!
That's what we mean when we shine some light on a particular ideology which is destructive in the end.😊
Oh, great. Another guy who wants us to do all the work to head off trouble. I am so sick and tired of lazy people leaving it up to us. What happened? Did you fail drawing class? Get a poem turned down in the Sequim gazette? All mad because they ran out of jail jobs?
My only real support in all my school years was for my writing and poetry in 6th grade.
I find it poetic that liberal leftists don't know what world they are actually creating instead of getting a grasp on reality and dealing with it head on.
I could relax into going on a nature-walk-poetry event if the entire state of the 'free' world wasn't hanging in the balance.
These days my poetry tends to the Edgar Allen Poe end of the spectrum.
Hope you have a great day at the beach and that it results in sanity, world peace and TRUTH, JUSTICE, LIBERTY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND TOUGH LOVE!😊
Pretty pathetic sarcasm btw🤣
Art transcends all? I attended a private art school as an illustration major in 1973 and can honestly say that most artists are not artists.
Government funding did not create Caravaggio. His talent was the result of DNA. The same situation applies to the musical composer Mozart.
And a lot of hard work. Art isn't magic - we get it by doing it.
My background is on my website: www.donnabarr.com
And whose fault is it, you not getting a complete education? Meanwhile, artists and drag queens are doing the heavy lifting of funding vulnerable kids. I'm an army vet, and all I get is Thank You For Your Service. Thank you for the heads up that the next MAGA target is the creative community. WE pay taxes, too.
Give them something to think about by responding with, "Thank you. You were worth it."
Yes, they do. MAGA hate us creatives. Envy?
I think I was actually answering the thread about cutting arts budgets in secret. Now they're going after creatives???
Inslee didn't get bamboozled, he knew exactly what he was doing.
You can't both dismiss the MMIP movement as political theater (see CCWD's article "Equity or Optics") and then turn around and use a missing Indigenous woman as evidence of government failure. That's not advocacy, it's opportunism. If the life and disappearance of Marley Zimmerman matters enough to justify anger and investigation—as it should—then it proves the very point the MMIP movement is making: these cases are often ignored until someone yells loud enough, or in this case, until it serves someone's agenda. Notice that CCWD wrote nothing about Marley until she could be used as a pawn in the culture war. That’s gross.
The Equity or Optics article criticizes symbolic gestures, while the newer piece, Another Victim Steps Forward, fully indulges in its own symbolic outrage. The author tries to undermine the MMIP movement in one breath while relying on the emotional and investigative gravity of a missing Indigenous woman in the next.
Railing against "performative politics," "optics," and "symbolic gestures" while engaging in performative outrage is the definition of hypocrisy. It's becoming clearer by the day that CCWD is only interested in justice when it aligns with a narrow narrative of victimhood—white, conservative, and hostile to progressive policy. When the injustice centers Indigenous people, the tone becomes skeptical and dismissive.
This isn't journalism. It's grievance politics, dressed up as watchdog reporting.
I don’t think you are using critical thinking regarding CCWatchdog. He (Jeff) can only lead us to water. After that we must actively participate without shooting the messenger. Ignoring the information here, is a personal choice, but it does not mean the author has any other agenda than to
submit the truth and report what is said.
I don’t feel a white man, selective bias when I read. But I am a voracious reader so maybe I am better at assimilating the content without assigning judgement to an author. We should be informed by opposite opinions, but I wouldn’t beat myself up for not reading the communist manifesto! What keeps all people on the earth equal is, there are 24 hours in a day, choose wisely how you use them.
You're welcome to appreciate CCWD's writing, but calling it "the truth" without addressing the specific contradictions I pointed out isn't critical thinking. I'm not shooting the messenger, I'm critiquing how he used a missing indigenous woman's story as ammunition after previously dismissing the MMIP movement as empty symbolism. That's not truth-telling, its opportunism. And ignoring that contradiction is a choice.
The tone, framing, and selective outrage in CCWD's articles speak for themselves. You might not feel bias, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. Good critical thinking means being able to recognize implicit patterns, not just reacting to how something makes you feel.
I'm all for engaging with different opinions, its the reason I'm here. Thanks.
Message above , response to Sequim native .
Where did I miss that there was any information offered that Zimmerman's disappearance would be considered MMIP? Isn't your mention of it the first time it has come up?
What am I missing . The info on file for Ms Zimmerman calls her a blue eyed, blond Caucasian female. Why would that prompt a MMIP?
Help please, maybe I am confused about all of this?
You'll have to ask Sequim Native in a reply to one of his messages. I didn't even know those attributes were discussed.
You missed it all over.
In the PDN on May 5, facebook posts from April 17, Tik Tok from March 13, KIRO 7 News from Feb. 27, reposted on Yahoo news on Feb. 27, Instagram Feb. 6.
She's listed as a Quileute member in the Quileute newsletters. Its all over friends and families social media posts too. I think she even had family and friends attend the MMIP walk that was held on May 5th in Port Angeles.
Sequim Native, I too didn't know Zimmerman was a Native American, but she was mentioned in the article. Native or not it doesn't matter, the alarms were raised as to the significance of her missing status and the article may help in finding her. Obviously, the replies in this substack indicates a great many people feel for her, her family and friends
If CCWD genuinely didn’t know Marley was Indigenous, fine. But by the time this article was published, her identity had been public for months—on social media, in local news, tribal newsletters, and even larger outlets. It wasn’t hidden.
Given CCWD’s usual attention to detail, it’s hard to believe they missed that. So either they didn’t do the minimum requirements of reporting, or they chose to leave it out. Either way, it undercuts the integrity of the piece. CCWD can’t call for accountability while sidestepping it in their own reporting.
Raising alarms and awareness is important, which is exactly what the MMIP movement is all about. But criticizing the MMIP movement as symbolic one week, then drawing on the emotional weight from one of its cases the next without naming that connection, thats selective outrage. Its the same "optics" over substance that CCWD claims to be against.
Nope, I didn't know.
I googled her name, and a KONP article came up. When I hear "missing young woman" or "13-year-old was beaten by a 36-year-old meth addict who lured her into an inappropriate relationship" my first question isn't, "What race is she so we can figure out if that deserves reporting."
I have a question for you: Does criticizing a gay blogger make you homophobic? Perhaps you should be praising my blog instead of criticizing it simply because I'm gay. Maybe CC Watchdog should follow a different set of rules and be elevated instead of scrutinized because I'm married to a man.
I love this idea... and "Virtue Signaling Month" is just around the corner.
Setting aside that you looked at only one article about Marley, youre missing the point. If the point of mentioning Marley is that a missing person signals system failure, then the fact that she is indigenous is not a side note, it is the system failure in sharper focus. Indigenous women disappear at a far higher rate, their cases routinely receive less media attention, and the MMIP crisis exists precisely because those disparities keep repeating over and over. Omitting that context leaves readers thinking this is just another isolated tragedy when it is part of a documented pattern. Case in point, they still haven't solved the homicide of Makah tribal member Valerie Claplanhoo, who was stabbed to death right here in Sequim. Its been over 5 years.
So the detail matters for the same reason any key fact matters: it changes the angle of the story. Ignoring it does not make the coverage neutral, it makes it incomplete. If you want the public to understand why some cases slip through the cracks, you cannot leave out important context.
Criticizing a "gay blogger" isn't homophobic, just as critiquing the jamestown tribe, or any tribe, isn't anti-tribal. The issue isn't identity, its the way you frame stories.
When you dismissed MMIP proclamations as empty symbolism, then later spotlight a missing indigenous woman without mentioning she fits the MMIP crisis you just waved off, that's a lapse in due diligence. Pointing out that lapse isn't an attack on your marriage or your orientation, its holding your work to the same consistency standard you demand from everyone else.
Hold yourself to the same rule you apply to local officials, of which you are one. Tell the whole story, not just the parts that suits the argument youre trying to make in the moment.
Any child missing is a missing child. It shouldn't just be MMIP that you are focusing on as a target against CCWD. I don't read any of the references you gave and am thankful I'm aware of it now and feel for Marley and her family. Maybe there are a lot more people like me that use other sources of information...be grateful for that.
I didn't read that Jeff dismissed it, he acknowledged that it's real as I read it in the
pripr article. While you are aware that Zimmerman's disappearance is being treated as a MMIP matter aren't you making a leap that Jeff knew and summarily dismissed that aspect?
I don't need to prove what CCWD knew. The point is: Marley Zimmerman is publicly identified as a Quileute tribal member, and her disappearance has been recognized as an MMIP case across multiple platforms since February. That context was widely available. If you're going to build a narrative around her disappearance and use it to critique law enforcement and social policies fine, but omitting that she's part of a recognized MMIP case isn't neutral, its selective.
Whether its intentional or not, the effect is the same: a story that weaponizes an indigenous woman's disappearance while ignoring the broader crisis it represents, a crisis that CCWD dismissed just a few week earlier as symbolic posturing. No need for a smoking gun to see the pattern. You're shifting the focus on CCWD internal knowledge or intentions, which is unprovable and beside the point.
Well, I try to work on facts. I think it's a stretch based on what I've read. If we're going to apply would have, should have, could have standards to indict then our society is in trouble. I'm not a fan of operating from that position.
The facts are clear: Marley Zimmerman is Quileute. Her case has been publicly identified as part of the MMIP crisis for months. That's not would-have, should-have, could-have situation. That's current, verifiable context that was ignored in an article that centered her disappearance.
You don't have to speculate about someone's intent to recognize a pattern of selective coverage. When CCWD criticizes MMIP efforts as symbolic and then turns around and uses a real MMIP case without naming it as such, that's a contradiction worth pointing out.
This isn't about indicting someone for what they could have done. It's about asking why they didn't, especially when it would have provided readers with a more complete and honest picture.
I'm sorry, I am not following your logic.
The substack column is not pretending to be journalism. It's an opinion piece. Jeff has never presented himself as a journalist.
But given the dismal state of news outlets, I can see your confusion.
You say Jeff isn’t pretending to be a journalist, but he allows readers to call him one repeatedly without correction. That’s not just a harmless mix-up. It builds the illusion of neutral reporting while he pushes a specific worldview. You can’t benefit from the authority of journalism while ducking the accountability that comes with it.
If CCWD is just opinion, fine—but then let’s stop calling it truth-telling, stop claiming it exposes what “real journalists” won’t cover, and stop pretending it’s anything more than curated outrage for a specific political tribe.
There aren't enough hours in the day to start correcting what people say to me. You alone would occupy half of my day.
Tozzer from the top ropes!
Good point. There isnt time in the day for transparency and accountability when youre busy demanding it from everyone else.
I'm happy to provide more transparency and accountability. Just cut and paste from any article where you find it lacking, and I'll address it.
Sequim Native, you have digressed to name calling. That is a sign of frustration and desperation. Sorry you have pushed yourself to that point, I actually liked a few of the things you have said. Now, you have lost me.
Name calling? I was acknowledging his slam on me. He said it would take half his day correcting the things I say. He was basically calling me a nuisance.
Still, I like it. And I appreciate that you liked a few things I have said. Sorry to have lost you.
A “Journalist” is someone that engages in the practice of reporting, photographing, editing or recording for media news, current affairs, information, or documentary character.
The definition clearly includes Jeff Tozzer, so whoever had a problem with his journalistic capabilities and or classification, dictionaries still play an honest role in our daily language!
truth has many shades.
Sure but we got consulation prize Dean Pelton lusting after Mark Ozias instead of Jeff Winger.
He just casted himself as the modern-day Thomas Paine, writing with "armed ideas," claiming to challenge the powerful with unvarnished truth. And the other day chastized the local newspaper for the lack of journalistic duty for not holding local systems accountable. He not cosplaying at this point, he is enjoyin the ride as you would say.
Mistake on the like.
Notice how the term "white" is used as a pejorative and isn't capitalized. I think there is a term for that type of writing. The so called indigenous humans are actually from Asia originally. In addition the tribes hated each other and did not complain when their spears were replaced by modern firearms. These arch types are amusing. I have never been a Cuckservative and progressives are not liberals.
There you go again. Using words as weapons. It’s the bully on the school playground, but in your case, it’s the one behind the screen.
I thought her acknowledgment of her heritage and the understanding of tribes at war was compelling. Often our history is presented as natives were good as gold until white man came along with his warring ways.
That obviously is one side of a very complex relationships.
I think your “Sequim Native”, is used as a warning to not engage with you. Are you a Native as in tribe? Representing yourself in an honest way would explain some things. However, it doesn’t justify the snark you unloaded on Ms Smith-Dvorak.
I actually admire the family structure of some tribes. I hope you realize they they are not a homogeneous group.
IMO your anger and platitudes should not be directed at me. The relationships were not complex. Europeans encountered a culture that possessed no written language and had not invented the wheel. Is that false? The various tribes were eager to take advantage of modern technology to betray their enemies especially in the east. IMO the world is governed by force not empathy. Blame God. I did not create Evolution.
I do not think I expressed anger in anyway. That was your interpretation of the written word with your own personal bias attached to it. For me, not angry at all. Happy to be here. Appreciate Jeff’s hospitality allowing us to share his platform.
I've noticed that when CCWD readers can't refute the argument they divert the conversation from institutional accountability into culture war identity grievances. Instead of engaging in the argument, they focus on the words like "White" and "Settler" and claim victimhood. Its a bad-faith deflection to avoid the argument.
Did I capitalize the appropriate words Mr. Gatekeeper-of-Acceptable-Speech?
I'm "of a tribe" (St Regis Mohawk) and I try to not flop around the whole race issue. My tribe is an offshoot of Iroquois. And like all related Iroquois we were highly involved in warfare, both against other tribes, but within related bands As for OTHER Native American groups, we were blood-thirsty, it was a WAR culture. (We'd kick the local tribe's asses, to be certain.) After all, my people were to blame for wiping out the Mohicans, Wyandot, Erie, Susquehannock, and northern Algonquins and others.
So, yeah, we interbred with whites (although previously, we'd already mixed with many Nordic Vikings, along the way). The other half of my family arrived in 1640 from England. I know, for a fact, that we had Irish indentured servants, and didn't do the African slaves from Spaniards. I can trace my white lineage to the 13th century.
Do I want to somehow claim this Native superiority? Am I proud that my tribe was extremely BRUTAL and engaged in genocide, in some cases, for SPORT?
No, not so much.
I'd rather just claim "white" and not delve into my bloody heritage or murderous genetics. I, so totally, do NOT understand this ignorance of culture, and the whole "noble savage" bullshit. It's an illusion. And, as a "race" my tribe is vastly different from those from other parts of the country. Tribes this way are much more Asian, genetically.
We are not one big homogeneous group and it is a huge insult to intone that we are. Talk about racist bullshit!
Meanwhile, as a woman, I am outraged when any woman is damaged, injured, murdered by any other being -- male or female.
My Filipino grandpa claimed he was Greek to be perceived as White. But, never have I seen someone write about their ancestry like it was a legal disclaimer for a race-based diet trend. Then moonwalk. Smoothly, backward into blood, over race, and away from history as if it had a warrant out. This women moonwalked into Whiteness like it was the Witness Protection Program.
Thanks for the family history lesson, but none of that responds to the actual issue. Listing your ancestry to discredit modern indigenous struggles doesn't make you honest, it just makes you the latest person to pull the "I'm native, but..." card.
If you're more comfortable identifying as White, cool, good for you. But don't pretend that gives you some sort of authority to speak over present day indigenous people or movements. This is the same "identity shield" rhetoric that tribal people have heard for decades, where a story from grandma about their Cherokee great-great grandfather becomes a license to undermine people who are organizing or reclaiming space.
You're trying to be 'above identity politics', but what you are actually doing is performative anti-wokeness; rejecting nuance, overstating your personal authority, while accusing others of being racist for noticing systems. You want the freedom to define yourself while mocking others who do the same.
I'm not claiming that native people are a monolith. But denying solidarity just to undermine conversations about justice doesn't make you brave or edgy, it makes you useful tool to those who benefit from division.
struggles? Explain to me what these "struggles" are and how they are different from any other disadvantaged group in America? Tell me how one group should have special treatment to "make up for" something that happened more than a century ago? How is it different than any other group that hasn't realized that we all pull our own weight, and we are all part of a much larger tribe called The United States?
I have been the single mother living in a black area. I've been homeless. I've been the underemployed. Do I want to cling to "victim". (Yeah, been raped, been robbed, been burgled.) I think you need to grow up.
Your comments are defensive, informative but defensive. They attack Jeff’s opinions and the people who care to read or now listen to his opinions. It’s okay to disagree with what Jeff publishes but the attacks are troubling & I would say most people just don’t understand your “high level” points. I guess you must feel attacked somehow by Jeff discussing Marley and using her as a pawn is reaching for a reason again to attack. Whatever you are welcome to your opinion as well but not very well understood or received in my opinion.
I appreciate the feedback, but disagreement isn't an attack. Pointing out contradictions in coverage, especially when a story about a missing indigenous woman is framed without acknowledging the MMIP crisis she's part of, isn't personal. Its about holding a platform accountable for how it shapes public understanding.
FWIW, I actually enjoy reading CCWD and think it offers an important voice and perspective, even when I disagree with some of his positions, framing, or misunderstandings about tribal politics, histories, and U.S. tribal relations. My critique is about consistency and context, not character. Things that CCWD claims to hold dear.
But calling that "high level" or "defensive" doesn't actually engage the points I raised. It just avoids them. If anything was unclear, I'm happy to rephrase. But dismissing critique because it makes readers uncomfortable isn't how honest dialogue works, and I think CCWD expects honest dialogue.
Oh you mean like our government & media does? Do you just challenge people with acronyms to prove some point? Don’t you just hate it when someone says “it’s just the WAY you say it? That irks me! It irks my husband too, he hates when his upper management rated his pay & he was told……. I’m not trying to engage the points you’ve raised, actually your points are based on facts, however though treaties were agreed to years ago obviously a whole lot of people inside and outside government on both sides have issues with them or they wouldn’t be getting amended and then recanted. It’s not all about one side is perfect and the other isn’t. Both sides have broken & misused the agreements. I can’t point to one of your opinions as offensive, mostly subjective so in my opinion experience has taught me I can’t really have an engagement because like democrats they know it all have their opinion & that’s the end of it…..and look where Washington is now. If you’re looking for middle of the road there isn’t any. Maybe you should write you own blog & share your opinions about local politics. Jeff’s article about MMIP & Sequim City taking notice was about equity, where is the equity of attention to others besides IP? Where is the proclamations for MMW or MMM, do we have to be a color or a sex I think was the point of the article. Victimhood in general has become a full time job especially if you are a color or fit into a category. I believe you said Jeff failed to point out Marley was a color, MMIP, who really cares, she is missing. He brought her up because of any association with Fisher or any possible link not a failure to inform everyone she is MMIP. I think you give far too much credit to Jeff & over think much of what he has to say. What do you think about Brandy Kruse do you pick her apart too?
Thanks for capitalizing “White” Sequim Native.
no prob Steve-o.
Interesting. Your first reply was "anything to comfort your fragile feelings." Then you edited it to be "no prob."
Ad hominem attacks are often a sign that someone’s losing the argument.