I’ve just caught my breath (and filed my federal income tax return), so now is the time to respond to Mr. Walker’s April 7 letter, “Time to take issue seriously”:

Mr. Walker (and the L.A. Times) have perhaps revealed a bit too much about their beliefs. If their particular position on (fill in the blank) cannot stand convincingly on its own, then the only recourse is to suppress all contrary opinion. The very essence of science is questioning, challenging and developing new hypotheses, and holding them up to the light of the observable facts. Simply saying “It’s settled, so there!” is not a scientific argument.

It is to the credit of the Herald’s editorial page staff that all sides of important issues are aired in a public forum, allowing its readers to think and evaluate in accordance with the facts.

John P. Frey, Jr.

Mukilteo