Do something
Re “Sources identify Walmart employee who killed 6 inside Chesapeake store” (Nov. 23): So, we’ve had another mass shooting, this time in Chesapeake. It is not a surprise to me though the horror is still there. It will happen again. We all know it. And sorry, folks, but the almost mythical “good guy with a gun” was once again not around to save us from the very real “bad guy with a gun.”
I am angry, frustrated and sad that, beyond thoughts and prayers sent out to survivors of these shootings, not much else ever gets done. We talk, we talk, blah, blah, yada, yada.
Politicians, I am speaking directly to you. Apparently way too many of you have zero intention of doing anything significant about gun violence. Will you be motivated to do what is right, what is moral, only if someone you love dies violently? Only if you, too, become one of those survivors you so glibly send your “hearts out” to? I can not imagine the horror, anger and sadness they feel. Have you even tried?
And another mass shooting will happen again. Soon. We all know it. So sad because the vast majority of us would, I’m sure, like to go to Walmart and make it out alive.
Barbara Riebe, Williamsburg
Shootings
Re “Sources identify Walmart employee who killed 6 inside Chesapeake store” (Nov. 23): Ordering more people to be defenseless does not make it safer; it just gives people with mental illnesses more opportunity to take more lives. Gun control does not work because if you want a gun, you can buy it off the street. It’s the same as drug control.
So you communists who don’t like our Constitution, leave our country alone. And you prosecutors, do your job — put lawbreakers in jail. Way too often we hear of some sort of mass shooting, and one thing these shootings have in common is there are only unarmed good citizens at the location of the shootings until the police arrive. None of the good citizens have a gun for self-defense. Usually, it is not allowed by law or the rules of the establishment. When the crime was being committed. where were the police? Well of course they are not there; they are not called until a crime has been committed.
People should be armed and not defenseless. Some mass shooters reveal their plans to their family members or peers through their actions and speech. No one believes them or cares to have them investigated. Many times, the cops are not able to do anything because no crime has occurred.
I hate violence against innocent people. The tool does not matter; the act is the problem. You can’t stop a criminal until you catch him or her and imprison him or her. The more criminals in prison, the safer our society becomes. Taking guns away from law-abiding citizens does not stop or deter crime.
Denis A. Crisp, Virginia Beach
Park or hotels?
Re “Rudee Loop” (Your Views, Nov. 22): I’m surprised Rudee Loop continues to be an unresolved issue. The mayor, who presides over City Council meetings, and council members have had enough time and input to make a decision. If they are politically driven, influenced by corporate lobbyists, or members of the “no guts society,” they will support developers. Money rules these days, and developers are all about making money.
If the mayor and the council members care about the people of Virginia Beach, Rudee Loop will become a park for families, and it will be great for the environment and climate change. Mayors and the council members, like robots, have to be oiled to keep them functioning, or they rust while delaying decisions. Apparently, the rust is setting in. People of Virginia Beach need to speak up. You are the oil. Do you need a park or more hotels?
Viewpoints
Dora Johnson, Honolulu
Student loans
In this democratic republic that we are fortunate to live, since when does the minority take a front seat over the majority? In the United States the majority of its citizens have not attended college and run up a huge student loan debt.
Can anyone tell me why the majority of the citizens pay the debt of the minority of college students? The student loans are not being forgiven; they are being paid by individuals who have not accrued them, the majority of the population. Can anyone tell me the justification for this loan forgiveness? I think not.
LeRoy Reynolds, Portsmouth
Nice job
Re “Pence shows quality of character” (Other Views, Nov. 20): I have great respect for Cal Thomas but do not always agree with his comments. However, he is on spot with his op-ed regarding our former vice president, Mike Pence.
Our “great democracy” will always need strong Democratic and Republican parties with candidates and elected officials who have integrity and strong moral principles. Thank you, Cal Thomas.
Robert “Bobby” Clifton, Virginia Beach