We reap what we sow
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Editor,
In the Sgt. Bales murder trial, which may not even begin for another two years, it is my hope that his defense will broaden its reach to include the effects of our aggressive military training upon the minds of young people. And with the average citizen, just look at the Florida gun laws, which are very liberal in favor of carrying, registration requirements, and other considerations. They feed right into a very dangerous territory in human behavior. All I am suggesting is that we all know that guns do kill and that killing and guns go hand in hand. The attitudes promoted in military training and gun laws for citizens can affect the minds of young people growing into adulthood. These attitudes feed right into our thirst for violence, not only in our entertainment industry, but also in real life. We reap what we sow. That is a well-known fact in life. I am suggesting that we need to be aware of what we are sowing through our huge and thirsty military complex and through our various state regulations and laws regarding how we regulate weapons that kill. We look at suicide bombers in other countries and shake our heads in disbelief. What’s the difference in the killing mentality between a foreign suicide bomber and a gun-toting American who kills indiscriminately? I see none. It all stems from some form of mind-training in one’s background somewhere. Justified killing? Space does not permit covering that subject here, but it, too, would be a good one for discussion. It all involves our mind training. But this horrible action in Afghanistan, apparently by a member of our military, is once again, evidence of the extremes which can happen within the minds, and hence the behavior, of young people put in almost impossible situations of war.
Bob McClellan
Polson
