An example of how bad
As an example of how bad it is here in Washington:
Go back to 1981, Jan. Steelhead season on our rivers here. I had just transferred here from Sacramento to fly helos and was in Swains, the local general store looking at fishing gear wondering how I`d ever catch a steelhead. I really had not a clue about what "Drift fishing" was, lol.
S o, a fella asks me what I was looking for and I told him I was after a Steelhead and was lost. Within a few minutes, the local offered to take me with him the next day, and as he seemed like a good guy, I said "sure, thanks".
It was still oh-dark-thirty when he showed up and we headed out west towards Forks. I had never been west of town yet so I didn`t realize we`d made a detour til we started across an old one way bridge way above the water. "What`s this all about" I asked. "Oh, nuthing, just gotta send a message"...
I`m really wondering what the hell this guy is up to when he stops the truck on the bridge and gets out and goes to the back of the truck. He says "sit tight this will jus` take a second". I`m looking out the back window and watching him pull bales of straw out of the back, cut the strings, and huck them over the rail!! What the hell!..... What are you doing?!!!!
"He comes to my side of the truck and tells me to lean forward. He tilts the seat forward and pulls out a Rugar 10-22 rifle and walks to the rail, and empties the rifle into the river bottom below! He just fired out into the dark towards some lights that were downriver.
OK, Now I`m really thinking he is gonzo and he`s gonna do a murder thing on me and steal my 30 dollar fishing pole. Maybe he`s one of the drug runners we put behind bars that said they`d kill all Coasties and their families....
He hops into the truck and just drives away like nothing was wrong. I`m just in shock, staring at him wondering what I had got myself into.
"Um, may I ask what that was about?"
"Oh, THAT? No biggie, just keeping the "fishbeaters" honest". We all dump crap to take out the nets and sometimes they shoot at us, so we do the same so they keep their heads down when they hear a rig on the bridge".......
I was so blown away I just looked at him........... I didn`t know whether to beat the shit out of him or get out and walk. I just sat there looking at my options and decided that if the locals were like this I did NOT need to make an enemy out of them. He showed me how to catch Steelhead and was damn good at it (don`t think he had a job). Caught my first one a 21 pounder and was tickled to get home alive. Oh yeah, as expected, on the way home he saw a massive buck up on the edge of a clearcut and did the rifle thing again. Didn`t go look for blood of course. Was not hunting season.
You can imagine that I was wondering how I`d survive the years to come if the locals were like this. Thankfully I just got the craziest one of the bunch. The average Joe here is a-ok, but there is a huge hatred for all indians due to them netting the rivers, collecting oysters and clams off PRIVATE beaches without permission (state says they can do it), shooting whole herds of elk and then the semi pulls up with a butchering outfit inside. They winch em` in and process them right there.
Few years back they killed every cow, calf and bull in a heard of 28. I saw the four foot deep pile of guts on the logging road hours after it happened. The game wardens won`t do anything because the courts throw out all tickets. The rivers once were jammed with fish bank to bank. Now there is a 3 week season and the nets are in the river when you are fishing.......
My big complaint? We the town of Port Angeles got together and built one of those "Super-playgrounds" for the kids. Over 400 people pitched in. Weeks after the playgorund was finished, the indians erected a Totum Pole about 30 feet tall in the play area.
Well, the Bible very clearly describes totum poles as "Asher Poles" used to worship the spirits and demons. The indians here call the poles their religous symbol, like the Christian cross. Ok, fine. We went to the city and said that we were hereby applying for a permit to install a 30 foot tall cross. "NO WAY!!!!" they said.
"Not a chance". Well, what about seperation of church and state? Discrimination? Deaf ears.
I guess I`m gonna be in the paper later this year. You`ll find my name under "Recent Arrests", because I and some friends are going to go in at night and install a cross, then have our church hold services in the playground the next morning. We`ll see if they try to remove it after 1100 member of the church see it.....
So now you know the rest of the story. I don`t hate the indians, I just want to not be the minority in this town.
Rant mode off.....
