U.S. Violence
Isn’t it ironic? In the Metro section (July 10) local officials and community leaders ask U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno how the federal government is going to curb violence. In the Calendar section of the same issue, there is a two-foot picture showing Arnold Schwarzenegger grasping a very lethal weapon, advertising his latest blow-’em-away movie for Columbia Pictures.
As long as the mentality persists of glamorizing violence by those who profit from it, it’s simply futile to expect the federal government to solve the problem.
Sure, the government, given the authority, could quickly take measures to curb the violence. It could prohibit newspapers from running such ads, it could put irresponsible filmmakers as well as musicians in jail and it could close the gun shops.
But that’s how repressive governments handle crime. Here in America we depend on individual responsibility as a trade-off for our cherished freedom. So, if we want violence curtailed we have to stop passing the buck and take a good look at what’s fueling the violence. “It’s greed, stupid!”
EUGENIA C. JENNETT
Pasadena
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