To the editor: What has changed?
5/23/2018
Santa Fe High School freshman, Jai Gillard writes messages on each of the 10 crosses in front of the school in Santa Fe. She was in the art class Friday morning and knew all of the victims of the shooting.
In the aftermath of terrible mass shooting tragedies, emotions are running high and rightfully so as the debate continues on what may have prevented these events from happening. Some will say weak gun control laws combined with possible missteps from law enforcement and a lack of appropriate access control are major factors. As the investigation unfolds all of these may very well be contributing factors. I think we need to look deeper than the last few years that may have led to these events and ask one question: What has changed in our society over the last 30 years?
Violent video games have become the norm in our society. The internet and smart phones give everyone instant access to all sorts of these types of games and activities that present and glorify unacceptable and, in most cases, unlawful acts and behavior where there are no consequences. For a small percentage of people, this influence can become more than just a game — it can become an alternate reality. The Internet has also created another area where young people and people in general are trying to fit in and be accepted. We call this social media. This technology era has also created a 15 minutes of fame, look at me society that some people will do anything to pursue. I would call all of this, at least in part, one of the pieces to the puzzle of why.
So what should happen next? Security measures in our schools must be increased and enhanced. There are many different options and methods available to do this. In today’s society we control and monitor access to many different types of buildings and events where people gather. Our airports are an excellent example of this. Many schools already have access control in place. Once access control is in place, a validation protocol must also be performed to be sure unauthorized entrance to the building at all locations cannot happen.
In closing, what major event occurred that allows these shootings to happen? The weapon of choice is not necessarily the major issue here. The point is, if proper access control measures were in place and followed, shooters would have not entered the schools and these shootings might not have happened.
KEVIN THRUN
Maumee
Click here to submit a letter to the editor
Police officers are not the problem
Police officers these days have an impossible job: They must act as front-line social workers, as well as safety service officers, among myriad other tasks and responsibilities. When faced with an extremely difficult situation, an instant can change anyone’s life.
Police officers are human, and therefore prone to make mistakes in judgement from time to time, just as anyone else would be. The many failures of our society to deal with our continuing social problems should not fall on street cops to render a solution during one critical moment in time. Police officers are not to blame for the current state of our world; we collectively share the responsibility for the proliferation of guns, and the decay of moral fiber in our current society.
Rather than reacting to a symptom of the problem, let’s redirect our focus to changing the root of the issue. Let’s find a way to limit access to guns for starters. It is insane to believe that we cannot change the way we do business to make society a little safer for everyone. We owe that to each other, and to the police officers who are doing the best they can in a broken society.
RICHARD COX
Perrysburg
ProMedica should accept patients, not facilitate abortion
We were astonished, disappointed and appalled when we read in a recent edition of the The Blade that ProMedica had signed a transfer agreement with Capital Care Network, the sole remaining abortion clinic in Toledo.
Yes, ProMedica should accept any and all patients, regardless of the reason for their medical condition.
However, by signing a transfer agreement with Capital Care Network, ProMedica is simply facilitating the continuing operation of this clinic, thus facilitating abortions- the murdering of babies in their mother’s womb. Since there are other women’s health care providers for women in need that do not provide abortions, the continued operation of the Capital Care Network facility is unnecessary.
Because of this action by ProMedica, we will discontinue our utilization of ProMedica health care providers, even though we live less than one mile from Fremont Memorial ProMedica hospital. We will seek out providers that are not associated with ProMedica.
MARK A. PICKETT, Ph.D.
LINDA L. PICKETT, RN
Fremont