To the editor:

Nationally the role of vitriol and vilification of opposing viewpoints is being widely examined in light of the Tucson tragedy. We of South Whidbey don’t have room to just “tsk, tsk” from the bleachers. Every blast of negativity and condemnation at others carrying a different view from ours goes out like a travelling wave and has “unforeseen consequences.”

Let’s see if from now on in the anonymous letters on the Record website (and even the signed letters here) we can just acknowledge that the “other” has a really different view, express ours firmly, clearly, succinctly and factually, without wallowing in blame, then end the letter. We may think anonymous frees us to be nasty, like flipping the bird at a passing motorist, but waves go out from that.

A good rule of thumb I’m trying to adapt (and it’s a work in progress) is that if you can’t say it to a person’s face on the street, it has no place in an anonymous commentary about that person. Let’s do our bit to redeem the Tucson violence on our own home front.

Mark Wahl

Langley