Our tragedy: Violence in America

To the Editor:

Living in Small Town America has usually felt like a safe place to be. The residents of Newtown, CT felt the same way until a mentally deranged killer acted on his anger and unemotional fantasies.

When we witness the currently untamed violence in America, we shudder to think that it could come to our town, our street, our home…but the unthinkable is always a statistical possibility on our emotional horizon. We watch and listen for our political leaders and our law enforcement professionals to agree on a formidable set of remedial steps. The silence is deafening!

We must demand action and dismiss political posturing. Violence has increased rather than decreased over the past several decades.

How will the politicians (federal, state and local) deal with the complexity of the root causes? It’s not all about guns. It’s about an even larger spectrum of social and criminal violence, mental instability and the absence of economic freedom. What is the critical path to success? When, where and how will positive change begin? How will progress be measured? A lasting solution must consider the following:

Mental iIllness: Will the mentally ill be identified, reviewed and effectively treated with in-patient and outpatient facilities? How can we ensure a real solution rather than socio-political band-aid?

Violent criminals: Will justice ensure that the criminals be confined to jail for longer terms to protect the public? Will the legal system include the common sense to expedite important cases and sort out and even set aside the trivial cases?

Drug abuse and addiction: Will the officials find new methods to deal with the cause and effect of drug trafficking, use and addiction?

Gun control: Will the current gun laws be reviewed, clarified and revised if necessary to protect the public with a clear interpretation of the second amendment?

Family unit and religious influences: Have so many Americans lost their way?

Media influences: Will an educational effort be successful to involve parents to understand the potential negative effects when their children immerse themselves in the act of viewing violent video games as a primary activity?

Constitutional rights for individuals: Will the rights of non-violent citizens be given the proper priority when the rights of the mentally ill and violent individuals are considered?

Available Funding: The funding for remedial actions will be very high. Will the Federal, State and Local officials understand that solutions are affordable as long as they think and act like visionaries and problem solvers rather than as politicians?

How will the politicians and other stakeholders act upon the causes and remedial actions with competence and appropriate funding to fulfill the goals of such an important part of a healthy society? How will they deal with the mutual interconnections for one or more root causes?

The above are important questions. Now we must insist that our politicians and law enforcement agencies (Federal, State and Local) take action.

Len Greaney,

Rumford Center