Thank you for printing George Pardington’s letter (Letters, Dec. 7) “this country shouldn’t bully.” His thoughtful and well considered arguments are a refreshing change from the rhetoric and flag waving we see so much of these days. I hope everyone read the letter carefully.

I was most concerned about his point that we have lost freedoms that we have fought for over the last 200 years “with the swipe of a pen on a document called Homeland Security.” Arabs and other “suspicious characters” are being arrested today; which of us will it be tomorrow? How soon will we be prevented from traveling to places we want to go because of “security?” How much more of our retirement savings will be lost to companies that become exempt from protective laws because of “security?” Will “security” prevent us from having a voice in political decisions that involve attacking small third world countries?

I don’t actually know what is in the Homeland Security Bill, and would like to find out more about it. Your paper could be of great service by printing a summary. Perhaps you could run a series of articles explaining what it means to us. Such information must be available through major news services or on the internet, but for us here on Whidbey Island, our local paper is the best source of news for our community.

Mary Fiddler

Oak Harbor