To the Editor:
I disagree with the narrow way that David Brooks presents the Arizona shootings in “The Politicized Mind” (column, Jan. 11).
The suspect, Jared L. Loughner, seems to be a disturbed individual, but all societies have mentally unstable citizens, and yet the United States has a high rate of these killing sprees; Columbine, Fort Hood and Virginia Tech come to mind. These mass killings do not happen with such frequency in any other developed country. There must be unique contributing factors beyond the mere presence of mentally ill members in American society.
I can think of at least three:
¶The easy, unfettered access to guns.
¶The difficulty of obtaining health care for the mentally ill.
¶The toxic and inflammatory political rhetoric in this country.
It is incredible to me that it is easier to buy a semiautomatic pistol than to operate a car in the United States. There is great irony that Representative Gabrielle Giffords’s support for the law to provide health care for more Americans like Mr. Loughner inspired vitriolic opposition. All societies have their share of Loughners, but only the United States has the unique environment and lack of support systems that cause them to act out at a higher rate and with such devastating consequences.
Chris Librie
Racine, Wis., Jan. 11, 2011
Note from KBJ: The letter writer prefers security to liberty. Others have the opposite preference.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 