Men play major roles in gun violence
Regarding “Guns for women only” (Letters, Oct. 6): Perhaps the letter was written tongue in cheek, but the point is true. If any single class of people (ethnic, racial, religious) was identified as the perpetrators of virtually all mass murder and general mayhem, there would be widespread calls for imprisonment, travel bans and ankle-bracelet GPS transponders. However, men seem to get a pass. Yes, we are the problem.
There is clearly something about men as a class that encourages so many of us to behave so viciously. We cannot simply look to mental illness or economic stress or political associations for explanations, as women endure these influences as well. Whatever the genetic component is that facilitates violent behavior, it takes tremendous cultural resources to overcome it. I don’t really know why some men act out these violent tendencies, while most (I think) do not, but I don’t think we’re going to see much improvement with a few laws about gun stocks and the like. Roger Drosd, San Francisco
Withdraw from Korea
Regarding “Trump suggests meeting is calm before the storm” (Oct. 6): President Trump’s saber rattling is completely misguided. We can defeat Kim Jong Un without firing a shot. First, the U.S. completely withdraws from Korea and then the South ends the Korean War and unifies the peninsula by surrendering and welcoming the North Koreans with open arms. Now what does Kim Jong Un do? Keep in mind that South Korea has twice the population and a hundred times the GDP of the North. Kim’s regime is based on isolation so that he can brainwash the population with lies including how miserable the South Koreans have it. My guess is that he would try to maintain separation, but eventually the population of the North would discover the truth and eliminate Kim in favor of things like indoor plumbing and food.
David Posner, Napa
Lack of bipartisanship
Nowhere in columnist Andrew Malcolm’s “Tax reform top priority as GOP confronts growing party turmoil” (Oct. 6) is a discussion of a major flaw in the Republican hierarchy — a refusal to engage in bipartisanship. The Senate, under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has been unable to reform health care or move forward on any other significant legislation because it won’t work with Democrats.
With its slim 52-48 majority, the GOP ignores the opposition (and party moderates) at its own peril. If Alabama’s Roy Moore joins the Senate, expect more of the same, since this “firebrand judge” is yet another Republican who doesn’t have the word “compromise” in his working vocabulary.
Fiona MacPherson, San Jose
Illogical series criticism
Regarding “Documentary offers tired narrative, with little insight” (Open Forum, Oct. 4) and “PBS series mutes anti-Vietnam War voices” (Oct. 4): Criticism of the Ken Burns film that it “perpetuates the story of white American saviors failing to rescue poor, incompetent South Vietnamese from the ruthless, wily North Vietnamese” is astonishingly illogical. The film documents that there was no savior intent on the part of American leadership, but that American personnel were first in support of French interests, and later our own mistaken interests. The South Vietnamese were unable to save themselves because there were too many competing, oppressive and misled forces in play, including their own government.
Steve Ladd’s piece was completely right about the need for citizen action being a fundamental takeaway from the war, but also grossly shortchanges the film by claiming it “studiously avoids presenting any conclusions.” The film compels conclusions by the weight of the evidence presented; I thank Ken Burns for “studiously avoiding” any more express lecturing about what should be our conclusions.
Steven Bechtold, Davis
Limit on firearms
The Second Amendment comes from a time when firearms could unload a couple of bullets per minute, rather than a couple hundred. The disturbed men of that era would resort to a sword, rather than a gun. It also comes from a time when our leaders were wise enough to know that times would change, which is why they established a process for amending that document in its fifth article. A tragic new record was set last week. How much higher does that record need to go before something is done? In our time, even if we do not limit the right to bear arms, we clearly need to limit the arms which we can bear. Mark Schack, San Mateo
Time to pass the torch
Concerning “Call for Pelosi to step down — from female Dem in House” (Oct. 6): Despite her party status and political fundraising prowess, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi ought to consider fellow Democratic Rep. Linda Sanchez’s request to “pass a torch to a new generation of leaders.” As the Democrats head into the 2018 midterm election, they need a “clean slate” of leaders who don’t have a huge amount of “political baggage.”
The party needs to rebrand itself and its message, and not invoke the animosity of younger voters or drive higher turnout of its opposition. A change at the top for the Democrats is a good place to begin, along with a slogan like “New Faces, New Ideas.”
Annabelle Devereaux, San Francisco