In politics, civility counts

Another day, another act of violence in our country (“Harrowing accounts from Pittsburgh synagogue shooting; suspect due in court,” Oct. 29). What can we do? A simple shift that might begin to make a difference is to change our language — reframe our message.

Virtually every candidate running for office, regardless of which one, says that they will “fight” for us. I don’t want my elected officials to fight for me. I want them to work for me and with me to bring my city, state and country to a better place for all of us. One of the most important things is to keep us safe.

Changing laws regarding guns and access to materials to build bombs obviously takes a long time since it hasn’t happened in spite of many promises and much effort over time. We can, however, change our language immediately and become more civil in our discourse as we work for a more peaceful country and world.