Value of life in U.S. has declined

The reports of the killings at the school in Colorado are a sad reflection on the declining value of a life in the U.S.A. Many reports question what would make young people do this. The influence of the violence in music, movies and video games have been suggested as the possible reason. In recent years the focus on death these types of entertainment have taken are undermining the efforts of many parents to instill a respect for life in their children.

We need to look at other influences on our children as well. The value of a life in the U.S. has been on a downhill spiral ever since the life of an unborn baby became a "legal choice" rather than to be allowed to live or die before birth.

Also, consider in Michigan the trial for a person who "helps" people die. The next debate will probably be rather to allow a person to live who cannot be productive. It would probably be considered a waste of the world's limited resources to allow them to live. A select few in power will decide who is worthy to live and who is a burden to society and should be put to death, in a humane way, of course.

If all human life was valued by those in leadership positions, it would send a much different message to our children than the message they are now receiving.

A young person with a mindset on killing others will not be deterred by wearing a school uniform. Instead of enforcing a policy on wearing school uniforms, the partnership of the local school administration and parents could agree on a dress code. It would be teaching the young person a life skill.

Most work places have a dress code. The dress code usually reflects the practical need of the work being done. A house painter is allowed to dress differently than a person involved in retail sales, etc. With a dress code young persons would still have the freedom to express their individuality in a constructive way and be learning the importance of following guidelines set by those in authority.

The passing of more gun control laws will not keep a young person from killing others. The young people responsible for this tragedy used nails and many other common items. Will all of these items be controlled by laws because they were used for something the manufacturer did not intend? What laws will be passed for those that kill others with their hands?

Should the parents of the young people that committed this tragedy be held responsible? Debate is going on even in our court system whether to try a person under the age of 18 as an adult or a juvenile if they have committed a serious offense.

There is no magical age when a person is one moment a juvenile and the next a full grown responsible adult. People mature in responsibility at different rates just as they mature physically at different rates.

My heart goes out to the parents of the young people who were killed and injured as well as to the parents of the young people who committed this tragedy. Not only have they lost their children and have to live with the knowledge their children did this, but fingers are being pointed at them. I don't know what kind of parents they were but I do know they were not perfect nor is any other parent. Shouldn't the parents be presumed innocent until facts show otherwise?

What can the school systems do to help prevent a tragedy like this from recurring? The building of small community schools instead of the large mega-complexes would help in many ways.

In a small local school setting, students and school officials would know each other better. Communication between students, school officials and parents would be improved. Structure and discipline could be handled more effectively. Security would be made easier. More students could be involved in a variety of school functions and feel they were contributing instead of being lost in a sea of people.

It hasn't been that many years ago the tragedy of mass murder of young people by young people would not have been conceivable. What's changed since then? The value of a life in the U.S.

It's hypocrisy of the U.S. to be involved in Kosovo trying to protect one group of people from the murderous acts of another group when the same horrible murderous acts are happening on the most defenseless group, the unborn babies, in the U.S.A.

Rita Gray

Fayetteville