Editor,

In his March 1 letter, “Opinion page is biased against Trump,” Bill Merrill tells us that the Whidbey News-Times has become “just another propagandist publication,” and he has nasty things to say about one of its writers.

Translating Mr. Merrill’s letter into normal American English, he’s saying, “I don’t like it that people have opinions other than mine; therefore, I’m going to write a nasty letter letting everyone know how I feel!”

In the end I don’t care what sort of nasty (but entertaining) letters Merrill and others write. That’s because of my patriotic liberal values, as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution: Mr. Bill gets to write whatever he wants, even if myself or others disagree with his opinions.

But while Mr. Merrill and others are busy sharing their opinions our local VA just got notice that their funding has been frozen: there’s no money for gas for shuttles, or for social workers to make home visits; they can’t pay for travel or lodging for transplant patients. This will cripple patient care at the Veterans Administration.

I’d like to see Bill Merrill and friends – and all the veterans and so-called patriots with the Island County Republican Party – step up and complain about this or something that’s real, instead of mouthing off with their childish nonsense.

David Freed

Clinton