There is no easy answer to senseless violence

As I brace myself yet again for the 24-hour, sensational blanket news coverage of a (seemingly biannual) horrific crime involving a mass shooting by a mentally ill lone gunman ("Four Dead in Fitness Center Shooting," Aug. 5), I'd like everyone to try to keep in mind the words of Allegheny County Police Superintendent Charles Moffatt: "He did what he set out to do, and I think nobody could have stopped him, to be honest."

We will pore over his blog, looking to blame someone who should have been reading and keeping tabs on the written words of a man who had no friends and very little social life. Anti-gun proponents will again say that he shouldn't have been able to obtain his legally purchased, licensed and registered firearms, while the pro-gun message boards and National Rifle Association boards are already lit up with angry gun owners blaming the shooter and not the guns, ready to fight for their rights in spite of another series of murders that, let's face it, the instruments of which were incredibly easy to obtain.

Sociologists will no doubt appear nightly on cable news shouting their opinions on what exactly it is about our American culture that caused this crime to happen (again). But there's no point in trying to make sense of a senseless act; we've had this argument as a nation too many times now. Mourn for the victims and their families, be thankful that you were fortunate enough to escape such a senseless fate, and let's stop looking to blame anyone but George Sodini.

JOSEPH V. MADIA
Canonsburg

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Media, stop it

I am so sorry for the shooting in Collier and my heart goes out to all the people affected ("Four Dead in Fitness Center Shooting," Aug. 5), but when will the media learn to quit reporting? I shut my TV off to write this letter and comment on the coverage of this horrible incident.

Quit talking about the insane man who did this ungodly act. In my opinion he is being glorified for these acts. There are other sick individuals in this world who will copy this act because of the time the media spend showing this crime. These people want their five minutes of fame. I could care less that this man spent last year blogging on the Internet or has a posting on YouTube. I don't care to know his name, but the media will make it so we don't forget his name. He's dead, and that's all I want to know about him. Forget his name and focus on helping the people who have had a tremendous loss because of one sick individual. This incident is being over-reported. Enough is enough. Help the healing by helping those affected.

JOHN G. MANN
Tarentum

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Unfair to victims

While supporters and opponents of self-defense rights squabble with the court over the legal standing to challenge the criminalization of not reporting firearm theft ("NRA Loses Gun Law Battle," July 22), few recognize the absurdity of what this ordinance really represents.

That absurdity is made clear when applying it to other crimes. Imagine laws requiring that within 24 hours:

• A woman reports her rape or she goes to jail.

• A car theft victim reports the theft or he permanently loses his driver's license.

• Parents report their child's kidnapping or their remaining children will be taken from them.

• A newspaper corrects a factual error or it's denied the right to publish.

The justice system in this country is based on the premise that it's better to let a few guilty go free than to let the innocent be wrongfully punished.

Failure-to-report laws pervert that premise by redefining crime victims as criminals. It's appalling how many politicians and newspapers reject that premise.

MARK CROWLEY
Plum

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Socialized benefits

So, letter writer J. Ronald Gainsford ("Why Change Now?" July 27) opposes socialized medicine. And what does he think Security Blue and Medicare are?

Medicare is socialized medicine for seniors, pure and simple. Mr. Gainsford is old enough to remember the dire predictions of the right-wing opponents in the '60s that we were headed the way of socialist Europe.

And what is Security Blue? A gold-plated, heavily government-subsidized and government-regulated Medicare Advantage Plan, once again, available only to seniors.

Mr. Gainsford apparently simply opposes extending the benefits of socialized medicine, to which his letter abundantly testifies, to that portion of the population under age 65.

DOUG BURNS
Mount Washington

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Give us his plan

I am so happy that J. Ronald Gainsford had such great results from his heart transplant paid for under Medicare, but he seems to miss one tiny point in his protests against socialized medicine. Medicare is socialized medicine!

It's medical care paid for by the government through tax money. It's a great system and the rest of us who are not yet 65 would like in.

JOHN HINDERLITER
Bethel Park

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God in our lives

Unless this country gets back to putting God and morals first and foremost, then all else will eventually fail.

Education is important, as is the economy, yet our families are falling apart. Pittsburgh schools have police officers, metal detectors and actual police cars for school students.

Babylon, Greece and the Roman Empire all collapsed from within due to greed and moral decline, and it will happen here if our country continues to follow this path.

Before the president spoke at Georgetown University, the cross of Christ was covered up. Most universities in the 1700s, including Harvard, had the Bible as the main book of study, yet today there is angry intolerance by many toward this Bible and Christians who worship the God of this universe.

We are to pray for our leaders, and I pray that God would show their hearts that if you put him and his word first then he will help us with our economic problems, etc., and if we don't and people think that health-care bills and cap-and-trade will be the cure-all, they will eventually see the economic demise of our country.

JIM WILHELM
Castle Shannon

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