I will not engage in battle of wits with someone who is poorly armed

To The Daily Sun,

I grew up on a farm. We raised cows and horses and one of the things that we constantly kept an eye on was groundhogs. Groundhogs would dig hole after hole in a pasture — holes that could cause a broken leg on a horse or cow if they stepped in it. So every time we found a hole, not only would we fill it in, but we’d smoke the varmint out, and then ensure that he (or she) didn’t dig any more holes. With extreme prejudice, if you get my meaning.

So when asked why I don’t simply ignore Alan Moon and others, my answer is always that there is a varmint in the pasture. This country was founded for big ideals — not little minds. And while right now the “little minds” may have our government in thrall, I will keep on smoking them out and filling their holes until the United States (and perhaps even New Hampshire) returns to being Ronald Reagan’s “shining city on a hill” and not some dumping ground for political biosolids.

So to Alan Moon and the rest of the miscreants, misanthropes, and political Neanderthals, I say this: you don't love this country. No. You don't. You only love the wretched shrunken image of it that makes YOU feel safer. Just like Donald Trump — a fascist in a populist suit. He's never read the Constitution. He doesn't understand it and neither do you.

I cannot and will not have a battle of the wits with someone who is not just poorly armed, but also willfully ignorant. It is clear from your letters that you have the reading comprehension level of a second grader. You say I bash Christians, but I’ve only gone after hypocrites. They might want to CALL themselves Christians, but every time they open their mouth, they prove that is a lie. You say I want to deprive legal gun owners of their rights when I and others have offered multiple ways in which we can all compromise to make us safer while keeping guns in the hands of responsible owners. You have no desire to compromise. You say I trample on the First Amendment while I’m actually embracing it and using my voice and my rights to point out that with a right also comes a responsibility. As you publicly dislike my writings, so too do I have the right to flay you publicly for yours.

As I said a few weeks ago, my letters and columns are for people who can think, read, and understand. So perhaps when you see my name, you should just put the paper down and go back to watching SpongeBob and Fox & Friends.

Now go away because you bore me. Attitude adjustment, indeed.

Alan Vervaeke

Gilford