Proud to be Mason County Kooks!

Submitted to Shelton Blog by John & Christine

Some of our elected officials, ADAGE representatives, Simpson, and their friends like to refer to biomass incinerator opponents as “Kooks”. Here in Mason County we have Physician Kooks, Dentist Kooks, Nurse Kooks, Microbiologist Kooks, Artist Kooks, Cook Kooks, Shopkeeper Kooks, IT Kooks, Lawyer and Legal Aid Kooks, Farmer Kooks, Logger Kooks, Student Kooks, Photographer Kooks, Teacher Kooks, Mother Kooks, Father Kooks, Children Kooks, Construction Kooks, Politician Kooks, Real Estate Kooks, Security Guard Kooks, Significant Other Kooks...here a Kook, there a Kook, everywhere Kooks and more Kooks (thousands, actually).

But we still weren't sure what makes someone a “Kook”, and after thinking about it for a while, we came up with this list of "Kook" characteristics:

• Kooks like breathing clean air.
• Kooks care about the welfare of fellow citizens.
• Kooks don't want tax dollars supporting greedy corporations.
• Kooks care about the health of their families.
• Kooks care about the health of your family.
• Kooks want elected officials to listen to them.
• Kooks think global warming is a serious problem.
• Kooks don't want to see more smokestacks.
• Kooks want elected officials to remember who they should be working for.
• Kooks don't want their property values to drop because an incinerator has been built next door.
• Kooks don't want to breathe pollution especially when it is concentrated by weather inversions.
• Kooks don't want to be exposed to micro-size particles which are a well documented health hazard.
• Kooks don't want to be exposed to dioxins which are one the most toxic substances on the planet.
• Kooks want elected officials to stop making backroom deals.
• Kooks don't want firewood that is used for home heating to become scarce.
• Kooks don't want forest product related businesses to be leave the area for lack of materials.
• Kooks want to be treated by elected officials with respect.
• Kooks don't want corporations creating pollution here and exporting the power and profits out of state.
• Kooks don't want corporations to be greedy.
• Kooks consider progress to be more then an increase in infrastructure.
• Kooks want elected officials to stop acting as agents for corporations.
• Kooks want elected officials to obey the intent and letter of the law.
• Kooks want truly green businesses to come to Mason County, not corporate profiteers.

And then we thought about the main characteristics of the people and corporate representatives that like to call us “Kooks” and all we could come up with is:

• One way or another, it's all about $$$$$.