To the editor:

This is in response to your opinion column of Dec. 18, “A Time to Speak Out.”

Yes, it is. Your editorial of Dec. 18 referenced a statement made by Donald Trump about Muslims entering this country. The problem is that you only shared a small portion of his actual statement. Partial statements will mislead and often times just inflame the issue. They do not bring clarity and do not allow for full discussions to take place. I expect that from biased citizens, but it is sad when the very press we hope to give us the news only shares what meets their purpose. We need to be able to solve problems, not create more.

Trump said that we needed to “temporarily” stop allowing Muslims in “until we know what we are doing, which we clearly do not know what we are doing.” While I do not totally agree with his position and certainly not his language, it is clear we don’t know what we are doing. It also takes on a totally different meaning from what your editorial ascribed when viewed in its full context. On occasion when something is not going as hoped, it is good to take a step back and review our options. Many businesses and people actually do that. It is a way of admitting that maybe we don’t know everything and there is a better way of proceeding forward.

I do agree with your comment that this proposal is “not comparable in any way” to the Japanese American internment during World War II. The people Trump is talking about don’t live here and while they have inherent rights, they do not have our constitutional rights. So why then would our city council, Val Tollefson and Marsha Cutting try to compare them?

We certainly need to speak out against any bigotry, whether based on race or religious beliefs. However, we also need to preserve the “values that made our country great” that others are trying to take from us through violence. That is a balance that is not always easy to obtain.

JOHN OGDEN

Bainbridge Island