In response to the letter on Nov. 10 from Robert Hoffman, about Whidbey being better off without the Navy base, I would ask him a couple of questions. First, last summer at Deception Pass Bridge, when he observed suspicious looking people taking photos of the bridge, was he there in some official capacity as bridge guardian? And what is his definition of suspicious looking people?

Secondly, this question would be; has Robert been here since before the base opened, or did he move here of his own free will after the U.S. Navy chose our island to be a base for our military to train and protect the rest of the free world? If the latter of the two is true then there is a simple solution. It would be much more reasonable for Robert to move somewhere that he felt safe, than for the rest of us to sacrifice our Navy base, which most of us happen to like.

In closing, I don’t understand Robert’s comment about competition between the Navy and Oak Harbor. I wasn’t aware that the Navy was competing, but if they weren’t here, it would seem to me they would take a lot of jobs with them when they left, instead of creating a job market.

Dick Johnson

Coupeville