One thing that has defined Americans over the years is a history of pushing back on our government when we disagree with its direction. And it is essential to evaluate and discuss the relationship between government and its citizens.

Ultimately, a democratic system should exist to serve its constituency, and when the balance between personal liberty and governmental agendas is tipped, we can and must inform our leaders and communities when government is infringing on our quality of life.

As we make our arguments and contribute to the community dialogue, it’s important to stick to the facts.

An ongoing discussion on the island concerns the Navy’s operations at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and when, or if, its operations are encroaching on resident quality of life.

Residents have been talking about jet noise for a long time. The arrival of the EA-18G Growler last year, however, has raised the argument to a fever pitch.

Because the Navy exceeded its promised 6,120 touch-and-go operations at Outlying Field Coupeville during 2010-13, some Central Whidbey residents pushed back. The Navy acquiesced and brought the number of practice OLF landing practices into line during 2014.

This is a perfect example of how residents used valid information, informed the community and enacted change.

Because emotions run high, however, it’s sometimes easy to slip into hyperbole and make weak connections to bolster an argument.

A recent letter writer tried to debunk the Navy claim that flights over the Olympic National Forest will only increase by 10 percent, or a flight per day, during the updated electronic warfare range there.

It’s a topic worth of conversation. But the writer makes her case by misusing information.

Warfare training has been going on over the Olympics for years to the tune of around 1,250 flights annually. The writer claims that this number will increase by 2,900 “training exercises,” far exceeding the Navy’s 10 percent claim.

But the writer is confusing flights with exercises. Multiple exercises are completed on each flight and 2,900 exercises represent how many training events are currently folded into the existing flight schedule. These numbers will increase by around 10 percent when mobile signal emitters are included into the training this year.

The same writer also claims that the Growlers will be flying over the Olympics 260 days a year. That figure is also misleading because 260 is the number of days available to the Navy, not the actual number of days flights will take place.

Another letter writer claims that those voicing concerns about the Navy are only 1 percent of the island’s population.

While many support the Navy and its operations, there is a silent group of people who might prefer the Navy fly less often or relocate the Growlers completely, but choose not to enter the fray.

Minimizing legitimate concerns and misusing information to strengthen a weak argument does nothing for the public discussion and inhibits our progress toward a solution we can all live with.

While the newspaper strives to adhere to the facts, we rely on letter writers to do their due diligence and strive for accuracy as well. Sometimes nuanced information can be hard to police.

Letter writers must do their research, be reasonable and stick to the facts.

Ultimately, it lends to a stronger, more persuasive  case.