A Culture Of Violence

The article about gun violence survivor Hannah Baggs (“Mass Shootings Never Die,” 8/15) put her experience in context with some data: “Two hundred fifty active shooter incidents occurred in the United States from 2000 to 2017, resulting in 2,217 casualties, according to FBI statistics.”

Another layer of context:

Thousands of drone strikes occurred in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and Libya from 2000 to 2017, resulting in thousands of casualties, according to Department of Defense statistics.

The exact numbers, the legality and the effects of drone warfare are highly controversial, but no one denies a significant number of civilians were murdered without warning while going about their innocent daily lives.

At the risk of being grossly misunderstood, I humbly offer that we contemplate the meaning of “karma.”

Or in American phraseology, “One finger pointing at you, three pointing back at me.”

We are one human family. We all deserve to be safe from the terror and trauma of violence.

Gary Decker

Eugene