Charles Barron of North Yarmouth, in my opinion, makes a facile “if-then” argument in his recent letter (“Surprised that Beem is still around”): if your columnist Edgar Beem finds fault with the U.S., then he must want to leave.

This is nonsense.

The U.S. is exceptional in some ways, but isn’t the best or the greatest nation. There’s no such place. The U.S. has its failings (inequitable health care, for example), like anywhere, and I think it’s productive to acknowledge and discuss those in print and elsewhere.

Bill Bell
South Portland