Editor,

In his June 22 opinion piece, “Take a breath: He’s in your face” William Walker lets Tim Hazelo, chair of the Island County Republicans, talk about his favorite subject, the Myth of Tim Hazelo.

This is where we get to hear Tim – election loser, election denier and gentleman pig farmer – tell us how much he’s in our face. But with respect?

Mr. Walker’s “opinion” piece reads like a public relations ad about how “nice” Tim is. Luckily, all of the decent people here have heard Hazelo’s Myth, ad nauseum. Does Mr. Walker think it will make us more “civil” to hear this malarkey … again?

Clearly, Walker’s lessons in civility are not reaching the right audience. Consider Tim’s own words:

Here’s Hazelo addressing a ‘freedom’ rally, Olympia, Feb. 2023:

“Trump was that exterminator …. He threw smoke bombs in the basement … in the dark places … forcing the vermin out …. Picture this: mutant rats, seven-headed dragons, communists and socialists…breeding lies and deceit…”

Here’s Tim weighing in on the South Whidbey port-fairgrounds-housing issue, Oct 13, 2024:

“The port of South Whidbey and the City of Langley want to destroy South Whidbey and its traditions, just as the left has done to San Francisco, LA, Seattle and all other left controlled cities.”

And here’s Tim (and other moral people) talking about me on the Republican Facebook page, May 2024:

“He’s a lonely disturbed person who longs for importance.”

I shared all of the above with Mr. Walker. Instead of listening (a key part of civility) he offered up his own version of civility: He banned me from his Facebook page, but not before gossiping about me with another person, saying I had a “history” (?).

There you have it: Tim Hazelo’s version of civility is to call people vermin, mutant rats and Communists but then he says he “respects” them. Walker’s version of civility is to be Tim’s PR man and then ban people who disagree with him.

As Mr. Walker points out, we live in polarizing times. But is this so surprising when we have he and Tim Hazelo fanning the flames with their opinions and their own version of “civility?”

David Freed

Clinton