Web Letters | The Nation

Has our democracy been taken from us?

I’m a person who has always considered herself a rebel, even a radical, and I’ve always voted. I’ve been of the liberal Democrat persuasion all my adult life. (I’m 68.) I loved the sixties for the dramatic social change that was brought about by young people and activists. I was an active participant in the Feminist and Gay Rights movements in the ’70s, and I moved on to Democratic Party politics. I lived in Houston, and learning politics in Texas is the way to experience what a rough sport that process can be. I left Texas in 1987, and I’ve lived in several states and cities/towns since then. I didn’t get involved in anything in the ’60s. I’d chosen alcohol and drugs as my priority. In 1988, I got sober and clean, and that’s what I was involved with for eleven years. Now, I’m retired, learning to use a computer, experiencing the Internet, and trying to be an activist through communicating online. Newtown made me sad, angry and guilty. I didn’t feel I’d made much effort to do whatever I could to improve our society. Now, I’m becoming afraid that wealth and corruption are controlling our government and us, Obama is a disappointment, and I don’t much like this country any more. I’ve come to believe that our situation is hopeless. Someone please tell me what I can do. I’m not a person who gives up easily. I’m just sad.

Effective crime-fighting

Most mass murderers would pass background checks before their heinous crimes. Criminal laws enforced after crimes have been committed cannot prevent crimes.

Most citizens don’t understand that preventing crimes requires addressing the causes. All crimes involve perpetrator(s) and victim(s), but not guns. Most violent criminals are repeat offenders. The best method to reduce crime is catching repeat offenders and separating them from society. This act alone has the potential to reduce crime by 90 percent.

The current focus on regulating the tools that criminals to use commit crimes has never worked, and it never will. Anything available can be used to commit crimes, including bare hands. An X-acto knife was the last tool used on a Texas school campus. What next, require background checks to purchase Exacto Knives, kitchen knives, box-cutters, baseball bats, hammers, screwdrivers and everything that has been used by criminals?

All background checks/registration schemes do is consume valuable resources that would be better served capturing and incarcerating repeat offenders.

Oppressive registration laws will not work. Taking perpetrators off the streets is the only effective method to reduce crime. Don’t let the misinformed activists dictate ineffective new laws.