Follow the science? Didn’t we hear that out of Dr Fauci? Look where that got us.
I have a step son who has been in the drug scene since he was 14, he’ll be turning 40 here shortly. He has been sent by court order numerous times to a treatment center. They can’t keep you if you don’t want to so he walks out the door within 2-3 days. The courts never did anything about it. Most successful treatments that I have seen work are the addicts who go out of town for treatment. Once treatment is done they’re set up in a halfway house in a different town. It’s hard to come back to the same place and the same friends/people who you got high with, you have to be strong.
I ran a medical clinic out of town and did drug testing all around this state including many of our tribes. I’ve seen what drugs have done to people and families. I applaud anyone who gets off the drugs and stays off.
I know it’s a very hard addiction to break but I’ve seen enabling with a family member. Sorry people don’t want to hear this but it’s TOUGH LOVE has been the only way I see to get these people off. No treatment here for 30 days, yes some make it because I believe they have family and friends who help.
St Peter’s hospital in Olympia had a program in the early days with in patient addiction program and they started out with the methadone AND TAPPER OFF, meaning they didn’t stay on it.
As I screened many tribes all I saw was addicts telling me that they can’t quit methadone, they need it to survive, no tapering etc, we’ll all that happened was they traded one drug for another.
Please wake up Clallam, get tough about this situation, I’m tired of not shopping downtown to support our businesses, I’m tired of being asked for money, tired of getting robbed etc, the list goes on. I’m a senior citizen and have become a prisoner in my own home because of everything that goes on.
Well said and true. Why don’t the libs that comment on CCWD address Chris and his truths? I am tired of the same old poop that they tell us is working and is failing. Thanks Chris for some insight on what the solution is.
Our best wishes to you and your son!!! You are NOT alone! Should you wish to go to town we here would be willing to accompany you from time to time to make sure that you had the support that you needed for an hour or two while you get your tasks completed. We would only follow you in your vehicle to just watch your back, and we have absolutely no interest in getting into your business and private life, so your privacy will be protected. We are already in Port Angeles about once a week and in Sequim at least a couple of times a week, so with some notice we would be able to arrange to "caravan" with you should you like, and then we can later get our own shopping done. We have a reasonably flexible schedule, so with enough previous notice it would be no big deal. We won't be needing your help to get our shopping done, so no worries for you there ;-) We do NOT accept that anyone needs to be concerned about their safety and wellbeing here in our community, so feel free to let me know if you need our contact information and I will give you my email address and/or my wife's cell phone number~! Have a great day and don't despair, better times are ahead~!
Mike, I really love that you are a stand-up guy. Think if more of us just said enough enough and helped addicts move their stuff elsewhere ? I don’t care where. How about in front of the court house or wherever commissioners park. They obviously are vision impaired like Dr Barely!
HA! Well, I took my Constitutional oath when I was about 11 years old and by then I had already been an American Constitutionalist for at least a couple of years. You see, The American Constitution and I share the same birthday, which means that we both just became another year older a few days ago (September 17th ;-) Aaaa, I'm getting old :-() Drat! Anyway, I REALLY appreciate your compliment far more than I could ever say, so thank you~! You are quite the fiery American yourself~! I am proud that there are SO many excellent American Patriots here on The Watchdog, but it is appalling that Americans are not coming together in large numbers all over the US to demand justice for the atrocities committed against them and to require positive changes in the government. I am really not sure what it will take to motivate them, but I hope it is not necessary to keep putting up with the scum and villainy that we have right here in the Clallam County government much longer. OH! "Dr. Barely"??? HA! HA! HA! HA! Oh, that is rich my friend! You sure do come up with some goodies~! I hope that you are enjoying the first day of Fall today and that you are getting ready for a wonderful Holiday season this year! It should be very entertaining... Maybe we will be lucky and see those tiny red robed Hobgoblins with hoods on the street corner in Sequim for Halloween this year? They always crack me up~!
Another term for "tough love", is "accoutability". They have to take responsibility for their own actions. They also have to deal with the consequences of them.
This truly is the loving thing to do. We hope that the next time that we see them in the park is having fun with their families.
This is crazy! To many people over thinking this problem! I fall in the camp of enforcing laws. Track down who brings in the drugs. Bust them and put them in jail. It's not a victimless crime. Find those using. Sort out those who are sheep that have lost their way from the wolfs who choose it as a lifestyle. Try to save the sheep and put the wolfs in jail. That should be the only choice. Get help and be as accountable to that as they were to their drug dealer. Wolf? Enforce the laws. Compassion? Recovering those we can and are willing? That is Compassionate. Anything else is enabling. Hurt feelings? Everyone is hurt by this. Most of the people deciding should be accountable to the people and taxpayers. Something to think about when you pay your second half property TAXES before you VOTE. What are you really getting for that embezzlement?
Operation Kingpin, won't allow it. You can't get the Kingpin unless you follow a user list. You don't want to get the Kingpin because its like telling General Kessler he has to take his German uniform off and go home. No, you use Freewheelin Franklin after he gets busted to run the distribution system and get the mini-Kingpins right after they have buried 200 grand under the house or tapped it under the sink. That took 15 years last time. We used to have Bennie Piper and Johnny Sweat take a couple of em by the scruff of their neck and take out the skunk. (Shocked monkey). Then after that they just have to get out of the car and pull up their pants and they were on the greyhound to Tacoma. Those days are long gone now that the union international blue page machine has control of things.
Wa state high end elected kingpins are encouraging the drug use aiding & abetting.The game will not be won until the old kingpins are knocked down and replaced with new honorable ones.
A challenge. Help define what an improved Port Angeles, and Sequim, and other communities might look like. Can we do something to make it more attractive for businesses, more desirable for tourists, attractive for investment? Here are some of my ideas.
1. Stop wasting money. We citizens have read about the millions being spent to enable our addicted population. No longer provide expensive housing with few regulations and benefits not affordable to working folks. Cease the support to individuals who have never previously been full time residents of our county. Stop handing out free drugs, and related equipment, with no hope of recovery from the individual addiction.
2. Redefine Harm Reduction. Make this a challenge for Harm Prevention. Reducing the death rate may be admirable, but there is no cure in sight with present efforts. Is the goal the return to full, active life without addiction? Is our Meth Clinic reducing the numbers of cases, or is the clinic just feeding off the monies coming in?
3. Implement goals for recovery instead of enabling. Seeking to become drug free is the goal. Isn’t this the desire for those attending AA/NA. Yes! It takes commitment, and work, and support.
4. Tighten up on law enforcement. Camping in public areas with extensive waste, garbage, criminal activity, and hopelessness is not a desirable condition. This is not just a homeless problem, but a lack of commitment by our community to improve the lives of those without reliable housing. Include improving the lives of those citizens impacted by those related to the victims of homelessness, drug abuse, mental illness. Other communities have found solutions. Doing nothing is not the answer.
5. Look for models for success in dealing with these challenges. Other communities have found solutions. Remember, becoming drug free, in reliable housing, and becoming self-sufficient are the goals. Copy the winners.
6. Go deeper and find ways to encourage new businesses to locate to Port Angeles. Solve the crime problems related to drugs and physical violence. Enforce the law. Improve our education results. Our goal here is the improvement of the entire community. We want more independent persons who contribute to our community. Cease implementing additional codes and limitations on new businesses.
7. Stop the attacks on our logging and fishing industries. Promote these industries as one would encourage our farms. Encourage harvesting schedules, make our fisheries productive. Require reforestation for all those involved in the logging industry. Promote the survival of our fish populations.
8. Stop borrowing money without solid sources of income. Grant money is not a permanent source of income. We seek financial independence. Find ways to create reliable sources of income.
9. While we are trying to improve things, examine our education system. Can our children read, write, calculate and leave school prepared to enter the job market? Graduation needs to include marketable skills instead of abandonment by our school system. Test scores are not improving. Take politics out of the classroom. Deal with the truancy in our schools. Children cannot learn if they are not in class. Deal with the violence in the schools. This includes harassment. (Harassment is any unwanted and offensive behavior that demeans, intimidates, or creates a hostile environment for an individual.) Invite parents into the decisions regarding their child’s education and well being. Encourage home schooling as an alternative to in class schooling where the student is having difficulty. Support parents who chose home schooling.
10. Improve our school curriculum by returning classes in history, state and national, and world. Commit to meritocracy instead of allowing our children to leave school without sufficient education to become independent in our society.
11. Require grade proficiency in order to participate in sports programs. It should be criminal when our schools fail our children and place them in a losing position within our competitive society.
12. Return to offering shop classes. We citizens need skilled tradespeople. Consider funding apprentice programs.
I was really impressed at that meeting how Jake kept his composure while French laughed. Jake stood on facts and the premise to seek real answers from the BOARD OF HEALTH. Jake is a fighter and leader. He is what Clallam County needs to survive. Thanks, Jeff and Jake!
Thanks Jeff for your article today and the podcast. I think the last 3 minutes of the podcast says it all. Bingo, bam. Exactly what is happening, create the problem to solve the problem, and the money. These commissioners and health person should be ashamed of what they have done to this county.
Our county is in crisis, and it’s time we stop pretending otherwise. For years, many of us have tried to raise concerns — even directly to leadership — only to be dismissed, ignored, or shut down. I even tried to approach Ozias about the drug use here, and was shut down. I tried to talk tough love, nope, I'm the bad one, I have no compassion I was told. The people in power keep repeating the same talking points: “Don’t stigmatize drug use,” “Everyone has the right to do drugs,” “We’re helping.” But look around. The results tell a very different story. We need to realize they don't care about the people having overdoses on the streets. Narcan is their magic. Let's just keep giving them narcan over and over and over. They don't care about the mental illness this is causing to the people. It's all about getting the money into this county for grants.
Yes, people have the freedom to make their own choices. But when those choices spill into our streets, our neighborhoods, our businesses, and our safety, the community has a responsibility to respond. Washington’s drug laws have become some of the weakest in the country, and law enforcement has been restricted in ways other states would never allow. The consequences are visible everywhere.
The Blake v. Washington decision changed the trajectory of this state. Since then, we’ve watched accountability disappear, and with it, the stability of our communities. We cannot keep going down this path. Voting for the supreme court is very important in this upcoming election.
This county needs new leadership — people who prioritize results over grant money, people who don’t just sit on boards year after year while conditions worsen. Look at the people on boards, we see the same names repeated over and over, that should say something. They have their little circle of people who control this county, this has to be busted up. Too many NGOs talk a good game but deliver little. Too many officials claim to care about people on the streets while handing out another needle and calling it compassion. Meanwhile, drug use, drug sales, and public disorder continue to rise, and our community continues to decline.
“Tough love” is not cruelty. It’s structure. It’s boundaries. It’s high barrier treatment that actually helps people break free from addiction. Recovery is possible, but not when individuals are left in the same environment, surrounded by the same influences, with no expectations and no accountability. We need a new mindset — one that recognizes that enabling addiction is not compassion.
This county can heal, but only if we stop accepting the status quo. It takes a village. It takes courage. It takes people willing to speak up, get involved, and vote for leaders who reflect their values. Talk to your neighbors. Talk to your friends. Encourage everyone to participate in the democratic process. If we want change, we must demand it. If we don't change the leadership I cannot imagine this community in even a couple more years, it's already so bad I've had numerous friends sell their homes and move away. Good families, business owners, ones that really contribute to this county.
Our community deserves better. Let’s get the ball rolling and show them what they do is absolutely unacceptable!!
As I hadn't known about the Blake vs Washington ruling, I looked to A I to explain: "Out of all U.S. states, zero other states had a strict liability drug possession law like Washington's at the time of the ruling.Unique Statute: When the Washington State Supreme Court decided State v. Blake in 2021, legal experts and the court noted that Washington's statute was the only law in the nation that made simple drug possession a strict liability crime without requiring prosecutors to prove the defendant knew they possessed the substance.Other States: Every other U.S. state required the prosecution to prove that a defendant knowingly or intentionally possessed the controlled substance.The Aftermath: Because no other state had a comparable "unknowing strict liability" drug statute, the sweeping wave of vacated convictions and refund claims handled by the Blake Refund Bureau was entirely unique to Washington.
When the Washington State Supreme Court struck down the old drug law in 2021, simple drug possession became entirely legal in Washington overnight. To fix the gap, the Washington State Legislature had to completely rewrite how the state handles drug crimes:The Quick Fix (2021): Lawmakers immediately passed a temporary "stop-gap" bill (ESB 5476). It added the word "knowingly" to the statute to satisfy the court's constitutional requirement. It downgraded simple drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor and mandated that police divert people to treatment for their first two offenses.The Permanent Rewrite (2023): The temporary law was set to expire on July 1, 2023. To prevent complete statewide decriminalization, the governor called a special legislative session where lawmakers passed Senate Bill 5536, known as the "Blake Fix."What the Law Looks Like NowUnder Washington's current rewritten law, simple drug possession is a gross misdemeanor. The key changes include:The Prosecution Must Prove Knowledge: It is only a crime if you knowingly possess an illegal substance or knowingly use it in public. This permanently fixed the "unknowing" loophole exposed by the Blake case.Pre-Trial Diversion: The law heavily emphasizes treatment over jail time, funding a massive expansion of behavioral health facilities and allowing judges to dismiss charges if a defendant successfully completes court-approved drug treatment.Penalties: If a person refuses treatment or fails the diversion program, they can face up to 6 months in jail for their first two offenses, or up to 364 days for subsequent offenses."
State wants to cut some agencies $$$ budgets in order to support illegals & immigrants for voter support.Wa state had the biggest state rip off in history when L&I dept was hacked and over $ 600 million stolen,who do you really think hacked this money and where is was spent because investigation was tight lipped.Idiotslee spent over 5 $ billion in reserve as reported then retired and turned debacled squandered state over to Bob to continue to run state into the ground.It appears demented delusional state kingpins want to support drugs and illegals & immigrants in order to keep it's employee voter support groups growing like DSHS-Behavior health depts ect ect ect.Now counties use the catch n release programs for drug addicts that will not pay fines and require expensive treatment when jailed.The state will spend mass millions supporting them to keep the agencies up and running.
Beautifully written article, Patriot Jeff Tozzer~!
Thanks also to you Jake Seegers, Denise Lapio, and all of the others who are attempting to introduce the greater view of common sense on this subject of quality of life here in Clallam County~! Berry and her little cabal of stubborn ignorant short-sighted fanatics are incapable of understanding the issue of homeless and drug use in our community or anywhere else. Or are they? Do they REALLY believe what they are spewing? What else could be going on? It is absolutely disgusting and atrocious that "Berry and the nuts" use such obvious low-level tactics of distraction, deception, and diversion, wrapped in blatantly flawed applications of their so-called "science", only then, when they get "challenged, frustrated, and flustered", to revert to a political assault upon all of those who don't agree with them simply because those who disagree with them can actually see the bigger picture that Berry and the nuts are desperately attempting to hide! These communists like Berry and the intentionally "Harm Tolerant" crowd absolutely refuse and reject any honest statistics and truth that exists outside of their simple-minded limited tunnel vision view of issues! I am impressed by and proud of the good folks in our community, and especially here on The Watchdog, who are unafraid of seeing the "macro-view" (AKA; "The Bigger Picture"), because that is the ONLY way any issue gets addressed and solved. Can it be that "Berry and the nuts" are really that mentally restricted and limited as to be incapable of fully understanding basic concepts, OR are "we" seeing the tip of the evil iceberg's darker political agenda~? Many of us want to know exactly WHY these same destructive & oppressive big government communists (so-called Democrat Socialists) ALWAYS stubbornly dig their claws into society, absolutely declaring & insisting that THEY are the sole possessors of "THE SCIENCE" above all others on earth? Why do they ALWAYS ruthlessly assault everyone with different facts and/or opinions, and when their positions are being proven to be flawed, they ALWAYS lower themselves even further by laughing at & ridiculing those who have well revealed that it is these communists so-called "science" that has always been flawed and more often than not COMPLETELY fake? Geeeee, where have we seen this before? Just over the past 10 years alone, I could name at least a dozen such times that WE were all assured that these destructive lying communists were absolutely without doubt correct and we MUST believe them and follow their instructions and "mandates", but ALL of those "assurances" have now crashed and burned, absolutely and without doubt proving them to have been COMPLETELY untrue and false right from the beginning~!!!! That is quite a track record of TOTAL failure my friends! If there was an Olympics of Truth, ALL of these "Big Government Is Always Right" communists would be disgraced by their lack of being correct on even one of the issues that they have taken a position on. How would that even be possible, if it was not planned by Intentional design~? Even a household fly, if given one right and one wrong landing option, would have a better track record of being right, than these dramatic human failures. Have they no shame? Will they never learn that they really NEED to learn more? That they NEED to listen to others more? That THEY have been so consistently dead wrong that they are COMPLETELY responsible for absolutely causing enormous harm, destruction, and even the slaughter of countless millions of people all over the world? Are these criminals really secretly proud of the epic and historic carnage that they are responsible for? The mass murder COVID democide was just a couple of days ago officially revealed to the world by the first major news outlet, The Toronto Sun (Canada), where it is very clear that Fauci and all of his co-conspirators knowingly and willingly lied about EVERYTHING~! I invite and encourage everyone to read this Toronto Sun article ASAP, and then, after their careful and fair consideration, ask themselves if "Berry and the nuts" are REALLY as stupid as they very convincingly act, or is there really something FAR darker and more insidious that is going on right here within the government structures of Clallam County??? Choose wisely my friends, because bad choices now could easily lead to untold pain and suffering in the future~!
Stephanie Sherman says it all. More of the same is not the answer but that is what she supports. It seems like when all else fails just throw more money at the problem and it will get better. How is that working for our failed school system today? $20k per student and they can’t read or write but they can get free dope stuff, rob, live on taxpayer subsidies and parents have no control over their actions. That is the future of our CC. Sherman it’s not working get a clue. Change is coming or we will be a bankrupt homeless community in the near future without a hospital or an economy that is substainable. Enough of reality for my day.
Full disclosure; I have lived the good fortune of a life without drug addiction and acknowledge that limits my nuanced knowledge. Statistics aside, what do we see. What I see is these illicit drugs being made and trafficked with near impunity. I am confident there would be little to no illicit drug addiction, if those drugs were not available. Further, I believe the loss of life would be less if illicit drug traffickers received the death penalty, as opposed to our societal complete acceptance of the illicit drug business. Once an illicit drug manufacturer or trafficker is dead they can no longer distribute their harm and death. Treatment, rehabilitation, harm reduction, the inherent crime, prosecution and incarceration are all illicit drug business costs that are passed to tax payers. People who pay taxes are subsidizing the illicit drug business, making us complicit in the illicit drug business. I skeptically give Dr. Berry good intentions, but her polly-annish naivety is entirely too expensive. Please remember this is a health "officer": who took the unprecented step of mandating that we inject unsafe and ineffective experimental toxins and punished those among us who did not inject them for the good of the many. Now she is creating a tax funded harm reduction industry that subsidizes the illicit drug business for the good of the few. Good intentions alone are not adequate. A fellow commenter who has personal nuanced experience with illicit drug abuse finds tough love as the only effective answer. Tough love is something Dr. Berry could never comprehend. We need health leadership, not coddling.
People naturally seek the comfort of belonging and the thrill of feeling right within a tribe. Once aligned with a group, individuals frequently outsource their critical thinking and accept collective assertions without hesitation. A variation of the definition of stupidity...
It seems clear that Jake Seegers is the only rational voice among them. The rest want to wave their hands and justify their failed program. That have the data. They are not blind to the failed numbers. Yet they persist. Why? Why are addicts so important to them? Why would anyone want to run a failed program and defend it while knowing otherwise? Folks, there can be only one answer: They are making money hand over fist with it. Why else? The homeless industrial complex is a major money laundering operation occurring right under our noses. There are no successes, just ongoing tax money dumped on the ever-growing problem.
And, what part of "We, the people, don't want it" do they not recognize. Is there some way to demand a federal audit to account for every dime they've gotten, and see which Cayman Island accounts have been growing?
I have done a deep dive on the parking program. Presented evidence that OLYCAP employees were getting paid, although the program was not even up and running. I questioned them on that and French too. I have the records. Crickets, they won't respond. There is fraud going on in this county, and they are getting away with it. It is the money, follow the money. And there is nothing that can be done. Since our prosecutor is the legal counsel for the commissioners, nothing will be done as it's a "conflict of interest". We need a state audit for this county.
The Olympic Herald has an article on the latest WA State audit for Olympic Medical Center. What did OMC do with all the COVID relief money? Drugs, homelessness, Medicare/Medcaid, sanctuary status? Too much fraud in this County. At least now we know some of the players, their intent, and their goals.
Denise there is NO way that OMC comes out solvent. They are in a rabbit hole so big it’s just a matter of time. What they did with the money is not the issue it’s who holds the bag on their debt when it comes time to pay the piper. Is it the taxpayers that are left with the debt? I sure hope not. Another great scenario that our CC leadership ignores until it’s too late!
Jake shows up on harm reduction. Just because he doesn't eat Swanson Angry Man dinners drop f-bombs and spit pea soup....doesn't mean he is "being nice' on harm reduction. When your embarrassing leaders in public forums that's not nice....
One more thing- an inpatient treatment assessment is NOT the same as following through w/ that assessment & entering a treatment facility or program. It’s simply an assessment. Not only have I had several assessments myself & been to inpatient treatment centers myself, I only followed through w/ a small handful of those assessments. I wasn’t required to actually enter a facility or program. I also went to peninsula college & studied to become a drug & alcohol counselor so I’m well informed of the process & how it works. So explain to me how any of their so called “metrics” are even relevant in their argument 🤷♀️
Yes! Have you heard the acoustic version? I heard it long ago and remember thinking what a beautiful voice he has, though that version won't get the neighborhood dogs barking like Jeff's did.
Because he couldn't get strait at Oxford house..The cure before the Opioid settlement. The blue pagers really got their act together for the pill poppers. For the smokers, they just got a 1-800- number. But for the pill poppers they get a get out of Oxford House free card and don't have to use methodne clinic, because they wanted to build a bureaucracy. They invented the bare hook bureaucracy to help the world doctrine that clamp down on Clallam County..
Its the Communist bare hook. There is no affordable housing that will be built in any substance because Clallam County and parts of Jefferson have been designated a :"little to no use" corridor and it has no water. (according to them) They take all these federal grants and local taxes and intentionally get nowhere with a bare hook sold with expert delivery of flubber and magic bean theories you don't need Roddy Piper's glasses to see. You must be working for the bare hook meta association they have created to go along with this Kevorkian diet. We don't control Hollywood and can't make the movie that shifts the paradigm. If Charleston Heston were to tell the apes "There's your Kevorkian diet" they would probably ask him who the hell is Dr. Kevorkian..they only know of the famous doctors Fauci and Berry.
SO many great public comments today! Well except DB who seems to want to remove the public right to request records and address public officials unless it suits her. Lol
Where would we be without Public Records? Towne Road would be closed, the Tribe would have "taken over" our county park, we would be paying a Cultural Access Tax, and the courthouse would have been renamed.
Follow the science? Didn’t we hear that out of Dr Fauci? Look where that got us.
I have a step son who has been in the drug scene since he was 14, he’ll be turning 40 here shortly. He has been sent by court order numerous times to a treatment center. They can’t keep you if you don’t want to so he walks out the door within 2-3 days. The courts never did anything about it. Most successful treatments that I have seen work are the addicts who go out of town for treatment. Once treatment is done they’re set up in a halfway house in a different town. It’s hard to come back to the same place and the same friends/people who you got high with, you have to be strong.
I ran a medical clinic out of town and did drug testing all around this state including many of our tribes. I’ve seen what drugs have done to people and families. I applaud anyone who gets off the drugs and stays off.
I know it’s a very hard addiction to break but I’ve seen enabling with a family member. Sorry people don’t want to hear this but it’s TOUGH LOVE has been the only way I see to get these people off. No treatment here for 30 days, yes some make it because I believe they have family and friends who help.
St Peter’s hospital in Olympia had a program in the early days with in patient addiction program and they started out with the methadone AND TAPPER OFF, meaning they didn’t stay on it.
As I screened many tribes all I saw was addicts telling me that they can’t quit methadone, they need it to survive, no tapering etc, we’ll all that happened was they traded one drug for another.
Please wake up Clallam, get tough about this situation, I’m tired of not shopping downtown to support our businesses, I’m tired of being asked for money, tired of getting robbed etc, the list goes on. I’m a senior citizen and have become a prisoner in my own home because of everything that goes on.
Well said and true. Why don’t the libs that comment on CCWD address Chris and his truths? I am tired of the same old poop that they tell us is working and is failing. Thanks Chris for some insight on what the solution is.
Exactly right, Patriot Chris Clark~!
Our best wishes to you and your son!!! You are NOT alone! Should you wish to go to town we here would be willing to accompany you from time to time to make sure that you had the support that you needed for an hour or two while you get your tasks completed. We would only follow you in your vehicle to just watch your back, and we have absolutely no interest in getting into your business and private life, so your privacy will be protected. We are already in Port Angeles about once a week and in Sequim at least a couple of times a week, so with some notice we would be able to arrange to "caravan" with you should you like, and then we can later get our own shopping done. We have a reasonably flexible schedule, so with enough previous notice it would be no big deal. We won't be needing your help to get our shopping done, so no worries for you there ;-) We do NOT accept that anyone needs to be concerned about their safety and wellbeing here in our community, so feel free to let me know if you need our contact information and I will give you my email address and/or my wife's cell phone number~! Have a great day and don't despair, better times are ahead~!
Sincerely, Mike
Mike, I really love that you are a stand-up guy. Think if more of us just said enough enough and helped addicts move their stuff elsewhere ? I don’t care where. How about in front of the court house or wherever commissioners park. They obviously are vision impaired like Dr Barely!
Good evening wonderful Patriot Susan C Bonallo~!
HA! Well, I took my Constitutional oath when I was about 11 years old and by then I had already been an American Constitutionalist for at least a couple of years. You see, The American Constitution and I share the same birthday, which means that we both just became another year older a few days ago (September 17th ;-) Aaaa, I'm getting old :-() Drat! Anyway, I REALLY appreciate your compliment far more than I could ever say, so thank you~! You are quite the fiery American yourself~! I am proud that there are SO many excellent American Patriots here on The Watchdog, but it is appalling that Americans are not coming together in large numbers all over the US to demand justice for the atrocities committed against them and to require positive changes in the government. I am really not sure what it will take to motivate them, but I hope it is not necessary to keep putting up with the scum and villainy that we have right here in the Clallam County government much longer. OH! "Dr. Barely"??? HA! HA! HA! HA! Oh, that is rich my friend! You sure do come up with some goodies~! I hope that you are enjoying the first day of Fall today and that you are getting ready for a wonderful Holiday season this year! It should be very entertaining... Maybe we will be lucky and see those tiny red robed Hobgoblins with hoods on the street corner in Sequim for Halloween this year? They always crack me up~!
Be of Goodley cheer~!
Sincerely, Mike
Michael,
Did you see that Denny called me a fake patriot? I don’t know what that means and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t either.
Another term for "tough love", is "accoutability". They have to take responsibility for their own actions. They also have to deal with the consequences of them.
This truly is the loving thing to do. We hope that the next time that we see them in the park is having fun with their families.
This is crazy! To many people over thinking this problem! I fall in the camp of enforcing laws. Track down who brings in the drugs. Bust them and put them in jail. It's not a victimless crime. Find those using. Sort out those who are sheep that have lost their way from the wolfs who choose it as a lifestyle. Try to save the sheep and put the wolfs in jail. That should be the only choice. Get help and be as accountable to that as they were to their drug dealer. Wolf? Enforce the laws. Compassion? Recovering those we can and are willing? That is Compassionate. Anything else is enabling. Hurt feelings? Everyone is hurt by this. Most of the people deciding should be accountable to the people and taxpayers. Something to think about when you pay your second half property TAXES before you VOTE. What are you really getting for that embezzlement?
Operation Kingpin, won't allow it. You can't get the Kingpin unless you follow a user list. You don't want to get the Kingpin because its like telling General Kessler he has to take his German uniform off and go home. No, you use Freewheelin Franklin after he gets busted to run the distribution system and get the mini-Kingpins right after they have buried 200 grand under the house or tapped it under the sink. That took 15 years last time. We used to have Bennie Piper and Johnny Sweat take a couple of em by the scruff of their neck and take out the skunk. (Shocked monkey). Then after that they just have to get out of the car and pull up their pants and they were on the greyhound to Tacoma. Those days are long gone now that the union international blue page machine has control of things.
Wa state high end elected kingpins are encouraging the drug use aiding & abetting.The game will not be won until the old kingpins are knocked down and replaced with new honorable ones.
A challenge. Help define what an improved Port Angeles, and Sequim, and other communities might look like. Can we do something to make it more attractive for businesses, more desirable for tourists, attractive for investment? Here are some of my ideas.
1. Stop wasting money. We citizens have read about the millions being spent to enable our addicted population. No longer provide expensive housing with few regulations and benefits not affordable to working folks. Cease the support to individuals who have never previously been full time residents of our county. Stop handing out free drugs, and related equipment, with no hope of recovery from the individual addiction.
2. Redefine Harm Reduction. Make this a challenge for Harm Prevention. Reducing the death rate may be admirable, but there is no cure in sight with present efforts. Is the goal the return to full, active life without addiction? Is our Meth Clinic reducing the numbers of cases, or is the clinic just feeding off the monies coming in?
3. Implement goals for recovery instead of enabling. Seeking to become drug free is the goal. Isn’t this the desire for those attending AA/NA. Yes! It takes commitment, and work, and support.
4. Tighten up on law enforcement. Camping in public areas with extensive waste, garbage, criminal activity, and hopelessness is not a desirable condition. This is not just a homeless problem, but a lack of commitment by our community to improve the lives of those without reliable housing. Include improving the lives of those citizens impacted by those related to the victims of homelessness, drug abuse, mental illness. Other communities have found solutions. Doing nothing is not the answer.
5. Look for models for success in dealing with these challenges. Other communities have found solutions. Remember, becoming drug free, in reliable housing, and becoming self-sufficient are the goals. Copy the winners.
6. Go deeper and find ways to encourage new businesses to locate to Port Angeles. Solve the crime problems related to drugs and physical violence. Enforce the law. Improve our education results. Our goal here is the improvement of the entire community. We want more independent persons who contribute to our community. Cease implementing additional codes and limitations on new businesses.
7. Stop the attacks on our logging and fishing industries. Promote these industries as one would encourage our farms. Encourage harvesting schedules, make our fisheries productive. Require reforestation for all those involved in the logging industry. Promote the survival of our fish populations.
8. Stop borrowing money without solid sources of income. Grant money is not a permanent source of income. We seek financial independence. Find ways to create reliable sources of income.
9. While we are trying to improve things, examine our education system. Can our children read, write, calculate and leave school prepared to enter the job market? Graduation needs to include marketable skills instead of abandonment by our school system. Test scores are not improving. Take politics out of the classroom. Deal with the truancy in our schools. Children cannot learn if they are not in class. Deal with the violence in the schools. This includes harassment. (Harassment is any unwanted and offensive behavior that demeans, intimidates, or creates a hostile environment for an individual.) Invite parents into the decisions regarding their child’s education and well being. Encourage home schooling as an alternative to in class schooling where the student is having difficulty. Support parents who chose home schooling.
10. Improve our school curriculum by returning classes in history, state and national, and world. Commit to meritocracy instead of allowing our children to leave school without sufficient education to become independent in our society.
11. Require grade proficiency in order to participate in sports programs. It should be criminal when our schools fail our children and place them in a losing position within our competitive society.
12. Return to offering shop classes. We citizens need skilled tradespeople. Consider funding apprentice programs.
I was really impressed at that meeting how Jake kept his composure while French laughed. Jake stood on facts and the premise to seek real answers from the BOARD OF HEALTH. Jake is a fighter and leader. He is what Clallam County needs to survive. Thanks, Jeff and Jake!
Thank you, Denise (and Teresa and Jake). You were outnumbered, but you all remained calm, polite, and communicated very well.
Thanks Jeff for your article today and the podcast. I think the last 3 minutes of the podcast says it all. Bingo, bam. Exactly what is happening, create the problem to solve the problem, and the money. These commissioners and health person should be ashamed of what they have done to this county.
I guess we should 1st pray for there recovery.
Our county is in crisis, and it’s time we stop pretending otherwise. For years, many of us have tried to raise concerns — even directly to leadership — only to be dismissed, ignored, or shut down. I even tried to approach Ozias about the drug use here, and was shut down. I tried to talk tough love, nope, I'm the bad one, I have no compassion I was told. The people in power keep repeating the same talking points: “Don’t stigmatize drug use,” “Everyone has the right to do drugs,” “We’re helping.” But look around. The results tell a very different story. We need to realize they don't care about the people having overdoses on the streets. Narcan is their magic. Let's just keep giving them narcan over and over and over. They don't care about the mental illness this is causing to the people. It's all about getting the money into this county for grants.
Yes, people have the freedom to make their own choices. But when those choices spill into our streets, our neighborhoods, our businesses, and our safety, the community has a responsibility to respond. Washington’s drug laws have become some of the weakest in the country, and law enforcement has been restricted in ways other states would never allow. The consequences are visible everywhere.
The Blake v. Washington decision changed the trajectory of this state. Since then, we’ve watched accountability disappear, and with it, the stability of our communities. We cannot keep going down this path. Voting for the supreme court is very important in this upcoming election.
This county needs new leadership — people who prioritize results over grant money, people who don’t just sit on boards year after year while conditions worsen. Look at the people on boards, we see the same names repeated over and over, that should say something. They have their little circle of people who control this county, this has to be busted up. Too many NGOs talk a good game but deliver little. Too many officials claim to care about people on the streets while handing out another needle and calling it compassion. Meanwhile, drug use, drug sales, and public disorder continue to rise, and our community continues to decline.
“Tough love” is not cruelty. It’s structure. It’s boundaries. It’s high barrier treatment that actually helps people break free from addiction. Recovery is possible, but not when individuals are left in the same environment, surrounded by the same influences, with no expectations and no accountability. We need a new mindset — one that recognizes that enabling addiction is not compassion.
This county can heal, but only if we stop accepting the status quo. It takes a village. It takes courage. It takes people willing to speak up, get involved, and vote for leaders who reflect their values. Talk to your neighbors. Talk to your friends. Encourage everyone to participate in the democratic process. If we want change, we must demand it. If we don't change the leadership I cannot imagine this community in even a couple more years, it's already so bad I've had numerous friends sell their homes and move away. Good families, business owners, ones that really contribute to this county.
Our community deserves better. Let’s get the ball rolling and show them what they do is absolutely unacceptable!!
As I hadn't known about the Blake vs Washington ruling, I looked to A I to explain: "Out of all U.S. states, zero other states had a strict liability drug possession law like Washington's at the time of the ruling.Unique Statute: When the Washington State Supreme Court decided State v. Blake in 2021, legal experts and the court noted that Washington's statute was the only law in the nation that made simple drug possession a strict liability crime without requiring prosecutors to prove the defendant knew they possessed the substance.Other States: Every other U.S. state required the prosecution to prove that a defendant knowingly or intentionally possessed the controlled substance.The Aftermath: Because no other state had a comparable "unknowing strict liability" drug statute, the sweeping wave of vacated convictions and refund claims handled by the Blake Refund Bureau was entirely unique to Washington.
When the Washington State Supreme Court struck down the old drug law in 2021, simple drug possession became entirely legal in Washington overnight. To fix the gap, the Washington State Legislature had to completely rewrite how the state handles drug crimes:The Quick Fix (2021): Lawmakers immediately passed a temporary "stop-gap" bill (ESB 5476). It added the word "knowingly" to the statute to satisfy the court's constitutional requirement. It downgraded simple drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor and mandated that police divert people to treatment for their first two offenses.The Permanent Rewrite (2023): The temporary law was set to expire on July 1, 2023. To prevent complete statewide decriminalization, the governor called a special legislative session where lawmakers passed Senate Bill 5536, known as the "Blake Fix."What the Law Looks Like NowUnder Washington's current rewritten law, simple drug possession is a gross misdemeanor. The key changes include:The Prosecution Must Prove Knowledge: It is only a crime if you knowingly possess an illegal substance or knowingly use it in public. This permanently fixed the "unknowing" loophole exposed by the Blake case.Pre-Trial Diversion: The law heavily emphasizes treatment over jail time, funding a massive expansion of behavioral health facilities and allowing judges to dismiss charges if a defendant successfully completes court-approved drug treatment.Penalties: If a person refuses treatment or fails the diversion program, they can face up to 6 months in jail for their first two offenses, or up to 364 days for subsequent offenses."
WOW. Thank you, CAS!
State wants to cut some agencies $$$ budgets in order to support illegals & immigrants for voter support.Wa state had the biggest state rip off in history when L&I dept was hacked and over $ 600 million stolen,who do you really think hacked this money and where is was spent because investigation was tight lipped.Idiotslee spent over 5 $ billion in reserve as reported then retired and turned debacled squandered state over to Bob to continue to run state into the ground.It appears demented delusional state kingpins want to support drugs and illegals & immigrants in order to keep it's employee voter support groups growing like DSHS-Behavior health depts ect ect ect.Now counties use the catch n release programs for drug addicts that will not pay fines and require expensive treatment when jailed.The state will spend mass millions supporting them to keep the agencies up and running.
Beautifully written article, Patriot Jeff Tozzer~!
Thanks also to you Jake Seegers, Denise Lapio, and all of the others who are attempting to introduce the greater view of common sense on this subject of quality of life here in Clallam County~! Berry and her little cabal of stubborn ignorant short-sighted fanatics are incapable of understanding the issue of homeless and drug use in our community or anywhere else. Or are they? Do they REALLY believe what they are spewing? What else could be going on? It is absolutely disgusting and atrocious that "Berry and the nuts" use such obvious low-level tactics of distraction, deception, and diversion, wrapped in blatantly flawed applications of their so-called "science", only then, when they get "challenged, frustrated, and flustered", to revert to a political assault upon all of those who don't agree with them simply because those who disagree with them can actually see the bigger picture that Berry and the nuts are desperately attempting to hide! These communists like Berry and the intentionally "Harm Tolerant" crowd absolutely refuse and reject any honest statistics and truth that exists outside of their simple-minded limited tunnel vision view of issues! I am impressed by and proud of the good folks in our community, and especially here on The Watchdog, who are unafraid of seeing the "macro-view" (AKA; "The Bigger Picture"), because that is the ONLY way any issue gets addressed and solved. Can it be that "Berry and the nuts" are really that mentally restricted and limited as to be incapable of fully understanding basic concepts, OR are "we" seeing the tip of the evil iceberg's darker political agenda~? Many of us want to know exactly WHY these same destructive & oppressive big government communists (so-called Democrat Socialists) ALWAYS stubbornly dig their claws into society, absolutely declaring & insisting that THEY are the sole possessors of "THE SCIENCE" above all others on earth? Why do they ALWAYS ruthlessly assault everyone with different facts and/or opinions, and when their positions are being proven to be flawed, they ALWAYS lower themselves even further by laughing at & ridiculing those who have well revealed that it is these communists so-called "science" that has always been flawed and more often than not COMPLETELY fake? Geeeee, where have we seen this before? Just over the past 10 years alone, I could name at least a dozen such times that WE were all assured that these destructive lying communists were absolutely without doubt correct and we MUST believe them and follow their instructions and "mandates", but ALL of those "assurances" have now crashed and burned, absolutely and without doubt proving them to have been COMPLETELY untrue and false right from the beginning~!!!! That is quite a track record of TOTAL failure my friends! If there was an Olympics of Truth, ALL of these "Big Government Is Always Right" communists would be disgraced by their lack of being correct on even one of the issues that they have taken a position on. How would that even be possible, if it was not planned by Intentional design~? Even a household fly, if given one right and one wrong landing option, would have a better track record of being right, than these dramatic human failures. Have they no shame? Will they never learn that they really NEED to learn more? That they NEED to listen to others more? That THEY have been so consistently dead wrong that they are COMPLETELY responsible for absolutely causing enormous harm, destruction, and even the slaughter of countless millions of people all over the world? Are these criminals really secretly proud of the epic and historic carnage that they are responsible for? The mass murder COVID democide was just a couple of days ago officially revealed to the world by the first major news outlet, The Toronto Sun (Canada), where it is very clear that Fauci and all of his co-conspirators knowingly and willingly lied about EVERYTHING~! I invite and encourage everyone to read this Toronto Sun article ASAP, and then, after their careful and fair consideration, ask themselves if "Berry and the nuts" are REALLY as stupid as they very convincingly act, or is there really something FAR darker and more insidious that is going on right here within the government structures of Clallam County??? Choose wisely my friends, because bad choices now could easily lead to untold pain and suffering in the future~!
Sincerely, Mike
Stephanie Sherman says it all. More of the same is not the answer but that is what she supports. It seems like when all else fails just throw more money at the problem and it will get better. How is that working for our failed school system today? $20k per student and they can’t read or write but they can get free dope stuff, rob, live on taxpayer subsidies and parents have no control over their actions. That is the future of our CC. Sherman it’s not working get a clue. Change is coming or we will be a bankrupt homeless community in the near future without a hospital or an economy that is substainable. Enough of reality for my day.
Full disclosure; I have lived the good fortune of a life without drug addiction and acknowledge that limits my nuanced knowledge. Statistics aside, what do we see. What I see is these illicit drugs being made and trafficked with near impunity. I am confident there would be little to no illicit drug addiction, if those drugs were not available. Further, I believe the loss of life would be less if illicit drug traffickers received the death penalty, as opposed to our societal complete acceptance of the illicit drug business. Once an illicit drug manufacturer or trafficker is dead they can no longer distribute their harm and death. Treatment, rehabilitation, harm reduction, the inherent crime, prosecution and incarceration are all illicit drug business costs that are passed to tax payers. People who pay taxes are subsidizing the illicit drug business, making us complicit in the illicit drug business. I skeptically give Dr. Berry good intentions, but her polly-annish naivety is entirely too expensive. Please remember this is a health "officer": who took the unprecented step of mandating that we inject unsafe and ineffective experimental toxins and punished those among us who did not inject them for the good of the many. Now she is creating a tax funded harm reduction industry that subsidizes the illicit drug business for the good of the few. Good intentions alone are not adequate. A fellow commenter who has personal nuanced experience with illicit drug abuse finds tough love as the only effective answer. Tough love is something Dr. Berry could never comprehend. We need health leadership, not coddling.
Blind Conformity and Groupthink:
People naturally seek the comfort of belonging and the thrill of feeling right within a tribe. Once aligned with a group, individuals frequently outsource their critical thinking and accept collective assertions without hesitation. A variation of the definition of stupidity...
Dot likes to coddle..
It seems clear that Jake Seegers is the only rational voice among them. The rest want to wave their hands and justify their failed program. That have the data. They are not blind to the failed numbers. Yet they persist. Why? Why are addicts so important to them? Why would anyone want to run a failed program and defend it while knowing otherwise? Folks, there can be only one answer: They are making money hand over fist with it. Why else? The homeless industrial complex is a major money laundering operation occurring right under our noses. There are no successes, just ongoing tax money dumped on the ever-growing problem.
And, what part of "We, the people, don't want it" do they not recognize. Is there some way to demand a federal audit to account for every dime they've gotten, and see which Cayman Island accounts have been growing?
I have done a deep dive on the parking program. Presented evidence that OLYCAP employees were getting paid, although the program was not even up and running. I questioned them on that and French too. I have the records. Crickets, they won't respond. There is fraud going on in this county, and they are getting away with it. It is the money, follow the money. And there is nothing that can be done. Since our prosecutor is the legal counsel for the commissioners, nothing will be done as it's a "conflict of interest". We need a state audit for this county.
The parking money is Stoffers tithe to the church he attends. Another perk for the jerk.
jedj, he has his own collection plate being passed around....he's not a man to do something without some sort of 'return'
Bless his heart....
The Olympic Herald has an article on the latest WA State audit for Olympic Medical Center. What did OMC do with all the COVID relief money? Drugs, homelessness, Medicare/Medcaid, sanctuary status? Too much fraud in this County. At least now we know some of the players, their intent, and their goals.
Denise there is NO way that OMC comes out solvent. They are in a rabbit hole so big it’s just a matter of time. What they did with the money is not the issue it’s who holds the bag on their debt when it comes time to pay the piper. Is it the taxpayers that are left with the debt? I sure hope not. Another great scenario that our CC leadership ignores until it’s too late!
Jake shows up on harm reduction. Just because he doesn't eat Swanson Angry Man dinners drop f-bombs and spit pea soup....doesn't mean he is "being nice' on harm reduction. When your embarrassing leaders in public forums that's not nice....
Connect the dots and follow the money sinful.
THE WAY TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE GOING?
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it” Yogi Berra
It’s now a fork in the road. Go the way of decline or recovery? Your vote, is your road.
So far they have only stabbed us with the fork and the knife is in their other hand.
I prefer the road not taken; " I shall be telling this with a sigh..."
Timothy, quite appropriate
The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
One more thing- an inpatient treatment assessment is NOT the same as following through w/ that assessment & entering a treatment facility or program. It’s simply an assessment. Not only have I had several assessments myself & been to inpatient treatment centers myself, I only followed through w/ a small handful of those assessments. I wasn’t required to actually enter a facility or program. I also went to peninsula college & studied to become a drug & alcohol counselor so I’m well informed of the process & how it works. So explain to me how any of their so called “metrics” are even relevant in their argument 🤷♀️
A Ha Take On Me
Yes! Have you heard the acoustic version? I heard it long ago and remember thinking what a beautiful voice he has, though that version won't get the neighborhood dogs barking like Jeff's did.
ah-ha Morten Harket
Eric, I had that picked out too, but I thought beat was too fast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmDBDn8Ju6w
So I picked out my favorite group QUEEN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5GkgVhFeZY
We Are the Champions Freddie Mercury "unifying and positive"
Don’t know why I thought of this, not my genre 50’s
Ahhh….Frank Sinatra My Way “Frank sang like an instrumentalist”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pcwq2usV7Y
Maybe Jeff can do a song from the 50's.
Because he couldn't get strait at Oxford house..The cure before the Opioid settlement. The blue pagers really got their act together for the pill poppers. For the smokers, they just got a 1-800- number. But for the pill poppers they get a get out of Oxford House free card and don't have to use methodne clinic, because they wanted to build a bureaucracy. They invented the bare hook bureaucracy to help the world doctrine that clamp down on Clallam County..
Its the Communist bare hook. There is no affordable housing that will be built in any substance because Clallam County and parts of Jefferson have been designated a :"little to no use" corridor and it has no water. (according to them) They take all these federal grants and local taxes and intentionally get nowhere with a bare hook sold with expert delivery of flubber and magic bean theories you don't need Roddy Piper's glasses to see. You must be working for the bare hook meta association they have created to go along with this Kevorkian diet. We don't control Hollywood and can't make the movie that shifts the paradigm. If Charleston Heston were to tell the apes "There's your Kevorkian diet" they would probably ask him who the hell is Dr. Kevorkian..they only know of the famous doctors Fauci and Berry.
SO many great public comments today! Well except DB who seems to want to remove the public right to request records and address public officials unless it suits her. Lol
Where would we be without Public Records? Towne Road would be closed, the Tribe would have "taken over" our county park, we would be paying a Cultural Access Tax, and the courthouse would have been renamed.