Letters to the editor — Feb. 28

• Published February 28, 2008

About a year ago, Seung-Hui Cho murdered some people at Virginia Tech. A short time ago, Steven Kazmierczak murdered some people at Northern Illinois University. Who is responsible for these atrocities?

Should we blame the colleges for failing to predict the attacks?

Hardly. Most people with mental illnesses don’t commit murder, and college administrators can’t be clairvoyant.

Maybe we could blame the Second Amendment if black-market guns weren’t almost as easy to obtain as legal firearms.

We might blame violence in the media, but there’s not a shred of proof that mayhem in the movies causes murder on the campus. So whom should we blame?

I have a quaint, old-fashioned suggestion: Blame the shooters. They weren’t responsible for their severe mental illnesses, but they were responsible for how they carried these burdens. Cho and Kazmierczak could have reached for their phones and called a crisis hot line. Instead, they reached for their guns and killed innocent people.

Obviously, colleges need to beef up preventive measures. Campus security needs to be strengthened. So do campus mental health services. But as we work to make our students safer, let’s skip the blame games. The ones to blame have killed themselves.

James Grossmann, Lacey

Constitution limits powers of government

Regarding David Kunkel’s letter on noncitizen rights, I should point out that the government and Constitution, in general, do not grant rights. The Constitution limits the powers of government.

So, violating rights means the government is overstepping its powers. Remember, “We the People of the United States ... do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The Bill of Rights clearly lays out limits to government power. So citizenship status really has no bearing on rights. The issue is, did the government abide by our laws?

Stanley Jackson, Rainier

Libraries are key to quality education

As the principal of Tumwater High School, I would like to invite you for a moment to journey into our school’s library. As you enter this amazing learning environment, you will find a room filled with students actively involved and engaged in learning.

Whether accessing the multitude of online research options or diving into the world of books and literature, you’ll find students deeply committed to learning. This library, unlike what many of us hold in our past experiences of school libraries, is a magnet and hub for student learning.

I can’t imagine a better place than a high school library bustling with activity, teachers and students working together, and conversations focused on learning.

However, as good as this seems, this library could be even better. In this year’s legislative session, lawmakers are considering whether or not to approve additional funding for libraries in our state under Senate Bill 6380. This bill is new money that will augment, not replace, current library programs and budgets.

There will be no trade-off between library expenditures and other programs since this money is specifically earmarked for library staffing and resources.

Funding libraries is not a choice. Qualified teacher-librarians work to ensure that staff and students are competent users of ideas and information.

They strive to create a positive, welcoming atmosphere in the library that places value on learning. Needless to say, every student deserves and needs to have a fully staffed and equipped library as part of their education.

Scott Seaman, Tumwater