How ironic that on the eve of the 61st anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor and within 16 short months of terrorist attacks on our country we are entertained by the goofy ramblings of Mr. Pardington (Letters, Dec. 7) on the United States “being a bully.” As he is clearly oblivious to the lessons of history I shall attempt to inject a sorely missing commodity to his diatribe — common sense and logic. Take notes Mr. P.

Lesson 1: There are bad people out there, yes evil people, who hate freedom and all that it entails. They mean us harm.

Lesson 2: These attacks are an assault on Western Civilization. Doubts? Speak to the families who lost loved ones in Bali, the Philippines, on the French tanker to name just a very few.

Lesson 3: These enemies have the will to wipe out millions of people but they do not have the means … yet.

Lesson 4: Learn from history. Winston Churchill implored the United State and other allies to thwart Hitler early in his exploits. The United States was very much in the isolationist mode–”it’s not our problem.” As my old man discovered on that tragic Sunday morning in Hawaii, freedom is not the exclusive domain of the United States. Who knows how many lives would have been spared had we acted sooner? Tell the folks who lost loved ones in Dachau or the Kurds in northern Iraq “it’s not our problem.”

To imply that Iraq would kick our behind is to admit you were asleep during the last decade and that would make you a prime candidate for the Rip Van Winkle award. Fortunately most Americans don’t suffer from the severe myopia afflicting Mr. Pardington and those on the far left. Currently we have a commander in chief who clearly sees the threat and is dealing with it head on–unlike others who were offered Osama Bin Laden and declined.

Perhaps you should commit this quote to memory from Thomas Jefferson: “It is a sad but true fact that from time to time the tree of liberty has to be irrigated with the blood of tyrants and the blood of brave men.”

So, Mr. P this is your wake up call, do us all a favor and try espousing dissident views in some country like Iraq, Iran, North Korea, China and report back to us on your reception. Then ask yourself why there are differences.

Tad Gordon

Oak Harbor