Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Nineteen school children, two teachers, and one vicious killer died unnecessarily, arbitrarily and violently last week. This is a great tragedy that cannot be undone. It would be wonderful if all future events of this nature were averted, but to avert future incidents, the reasons for the shooting must be understood.

We as a nation must ask what has happened to the United States of America that young men are striking out all over the country in such a sinister and violent way. Why are these young men giving up on their future to inflict pain, death and suffering on others?

I grew up very poor in a broken home that had its own unhappy internal issues. When I graduated from high school in 1976, I was not a popular person. I am sure that many of my classmates considered me to be a geek, weird and generally inadequate as a cool person. Racial animus in 1976 was far more open and prevalent than it is today. Despite all that, I looked forward to the future ...