A Tragic Death in Washington State

My response to articles and replies about Dan Wasilchen's death; read more at; http://www.redcounty.com/washington-state-political-magazine/35236?taxonomy=1759 Mr. Anonymous replied on Tue. 06/09/09 at 07:37PM and is too cowardly to stand behind his own words. He has replied a number of other times also and completely misses the point. I put my name on this reply because I stand behind what I believe and say. If someone doesn't like it, that's why we have the First Amendment. Dan Wasilchen, a tax paying citizen and homeowner was alive, and is now DEAD! Forever! There is no justification for it - no amount of weeds! His life was cut short because Mr. Gohrman (a noxious weeds inspector) could not properly execute the duties of his job. Wasilchen was provoked into a confrontation by Gohrman [who escalated and embellished the argument], and ultimately with Police. The government vs. civilian challenge had a terrible outcome for the entire community. Everyone lost! All government workers who deal directly with the public need to go through an intensive and thorough training that along with many other things, teaches them that civilians are very protective of their property and do not like government intrusion no matter how legal it is. Some civilians have mild tempers and some don't. A good sensitivity training will go along way to protect both sides. It appears from reading everything about this case that Mr. Gohrman went beyond the legal limits of his job. This kind of thing is happening all too often; government employees challenging citizens rather than helping them. Here's a simple primer for all government employees; you are a servant of the public, PERIOD! We pay your salary, your great medical, and your fat pensions. We can deal with all that if you serve us well and prove you deserve it by your actions. But, get in our face and the results will vary from arguments to murder. It's simple; treat us with respect (you might even have to go out of your way occasionally), and the symbiotic relationship between us will flourish. Let's not be at war with each other!