The first shot has been fired. A seasoned politician will tell you that election year is just around the corner. When you are a registered candidate for public office, big guns are aimed at you, loaded with lethal ammunitions molded from a can of worms. That lethal bullet most of the time hits the intended target, but it is not fatal. It only splatters at the center of the intended target. Sometimes, it ricochets like a boomerang, back to the shooter.

I’m a poker player. In order to win a tournament, the strategy is, if you are a smart player, don’t play a hand until you have an idea how your opponents play their hand. Wait for the appropriate time when you have a quality hand (normally, a royal flush), then it’s your turn to let your opponent know you are not bluffing.

Your final move is to push all your chips towards the dealer, and calmly announce, “all in.” On a scale of one to one hundred, 99.99 percent before you know it, you end up a winner. Of course, your knowledge, experience, plus your confidence of the game counts tremendously toward winning the competition.

So, what’s my point, you might ask. Read the Whidbey News-Times issue of July 18, captioned “Brewer judged intimidating in meeting incident.” You be the judge. As Bill O’Reilly of Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” says, “if you wish to opine, reflect your views and thoughts in the local newspaper.” But, if you are a railbird, you may watch the players over their shoulder, and learn how to play the game. That’s my pitch, and that’s how the ball bounces.

Bert Letrondo

Oak Harbor