Pointed Memes

Memes of the Day

Inspired by the Clallam County Watchdog article, From Hoboken to Clallam: How Did We Get Here?

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Talk about meme-spirational! The sentiments from Mike French in yesterday’s Clallam County Watchdog article deserve to be pointed out and memed:

“The focus right now is on finger-pointing,” French said, arguing that saying people are coming from somewhere else and “they’re not our community” risks becoming “an abdication of our responsibility.”

Does French know that all he did with his statement was deflect and avoid his own responsibilities as commissioner by blaming finger-pointing from citizens?

Well, what else are citizens supposed to do? When they see a problem, they point it:

And as the Watchdog pointed out:

How do you build public confidence in that strategy if the underlying problem is still being debated?

So, why is it wrong for citizens to point out the problems they’re seeing when the ‘leaders’ can’t even figure out what the problems are?

If the people in charge want finger-pointing to stop, then they should work harder at figuring out what the problems are and adjust policies accordingly:

I’m sure, though, that taking the week off will help resolve the problems, or at least minimize any finger-pointing aimed at elected officials from the voting citizenry:

Granted, that doesn’t mean elected officials will get any time off from pointing their fingers at themselves during quiet moments of deep deflection:

Finally, in response to Mike French’s suggestion that the remoteness of Clallam County could be why people with warrants show up out here:

[French] went on to suggest that Clallam County’s remoteness could be a factor, noting that if someone has a warrant elsewhere, “you go to the remote place, right?”

I utilized ChatGPT to compile a list of 10 places more remote than Port Angeles, in the lower contiguous 48 states; the list was compiled based on how Port Angeles compares to those 10 areas when it comes to law enforcement capabilities and harm reduction services:

Here’s a ranked list (lower-48 only) from most hands-off → most strict law enforcement environments, while also factoring in:

• Actual enforcement presence (coverage, response time)

• Typical incarceration patterns (hold vs release/transfer)

• Harm reduction availability

🧭 Key before the ranking (important nuance)

Across rural America:

• Low presence ≠ lenient system

• Many rural areas:

  • Have very few officers

  • But higher arrest/incarceration rates per capita (ICJIA)

• Jail reality:

  • Often no local jail → regional jail or quick transfer/release

• Harm reduction:

  • Only ~18% of rural residents are within 30 minutes of services (ScienceDirect)

So the ranking reflects lived reality, not just laws on paper.

🏜️ Ranked: Most hands-off → most strict

1. Stehekin, Washington

(Most hands-off overall)

• Law enforcement:

  • Near-zero constant presence (National Park Service + occasional county sheriff)

  • Response times can be hours

• Incarceration pattern:

  • No local jail → removal by boat/plane

  • Practical reality: very low arrest frequency

• Harm reduction:

  • None locally

  • Must travel out (Chelan/Seattle region)

👉 Compared to Port Angeles:
Far less enforcement + far less services

2. Supai, Arizona

• Law enforcement:

  • Tribal police; limited staffing

  • Geographic isolation = very low enforcement frequency

• Incarceration:

  • Tribal + federal overlap

  • Serious cases removed; minor issues often handled locally

• Harm reduction:

  • Minimal to none locally

👉 Pattern: hands-off by logistics, not policy

3. Mentone, Texas

• Law enforcement:

  • County sheriff only; may cover hundreds of miles

  • Intermittent presence

• Incarceration:

  • Regional jail use

  • Texas system tends toward detention over diversion

• Harm reduction:

  • Very limited (Texas restrictions)

👉 Low presence + stricter legal system

4. Gabbs, Nevada

• Law enforcement:

  • Sparse county coverage

• Incarceration:

  • Regional handling; small jail capacity

• Harm reduction:

  • Exists in Nevada but patchy and controversial

👉 Transition zone: hands-off day-to-day, mixed policy environment

5. Jordan Valley, Oregon

• Law enforcement:

  • Very thin patrol coverage

• Incarceration:

  • Oregon uses more diversion than many states

  • Some offenders released or cited vs jailed

• Harm reduction:

  • Legal and supported—but hard to access locally

👉 Low presence + relatively progressive policy

6. Hanksville, Utah

• Law enforcement:

  • Sparse but more structured than ultra-remote towns

• Incarceration:

  • Utah system tends toward enforcement of drug laws

• Harm reduction:

  • Limited access; fewer programs

👉 Moderate strictness despite low staffing

7. Terlingua / Study Butte, Texas

• Law enforcement:

  • Mix of county + federal (park rangers)

  • Targeted enforcement spikes (tourism, border proximity)

• Incarceration:

  • Texas = higher likelihood of detention vs release

• Harm reduction:

  • Minimal

👉 Feels hands-off until it suddenly isn’t

8. Trona, California

• Law enforcement:

  • Limited staffing but more consistent than most on this list

• Incarceration:

  • California trends toward:

    • Cite-and-release

    • Lower-level diversion

• Harm reduction:

  • Strongest on this list

  • Mobile outreach, naloxone, syringe access (regional)

👉 More services + more consistent enforcement

9. Alpine, Texas

• Law enforcement:

  • Regional hub → more officers, more consistency

• Incarceration:

  • Texas system → higher incarceration likelihood

• Harm reduction:

  • Limited

👉 Structured enforcement + limited services

10. Ely, Nevada

(Most “strict-feeling” overall)

• Law enforcement:

  • Still rural, but comparatively more staffed and active

• Incarceration:

  • Nevada rural systems often rely on jail detention

  • Fewer diversion options than West Coast states

• Harm reduction:

  • Limited but emerging

👉 Highest enforcement consistency on this list

🧠 The real pattern (this is the key insight)

1. “Hands-off” usually means:

• Not enough officers

• Not enough infrastructure

• Not a policy choice

2. Rural justice systems often:

• Arrest less often (because fewer encounters)

• But incarcerate more when they do act (ICJIA)

3. Harm reduction is the biggest divider:

• West Coast rural: exists but hard to reach

• Southwest/Texas: largely absent

• Nationwide: rural access is extremely limited (ScienceDirect)

Bottom line

If you rank purely by lived experience:

• Most hands-off: Stehekin, Supai

• Hybrid (low presence, mixed enforcement): Gabbs, Jordan Valley

• Strictest environments: Texas + parts of Nevada/Utah

And compared to all of them, Port Angeles sits in a rare middle ground:

• Consistent policing

• Lower incarceration pressure than many rural regions

• And significantly better access to harm reduction

I’m sure lower incarceration pressure and better access to harm reduction has nothing to do with the problems out here, because the real problems are the finger-pointers.

It’s a good thing the non-finger-pointing county commissioners are on the job…or at least they will be next week.

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