This letter is not about how the value of life should be judged. Obviously, one life (especially if it's yours) is as important as 100 others, or more. Rightly or wrongly, society seems to pay more attention to the violent loss of life when it happens to several at once. Again, I'm not being judgmental, just stating fact as I see it.
What perplexes me is why a Mr. Duckworth would find it necessary to write the editor about a border patrol agent being killed in a government sting operation ("Fast and Furious") that apparently went awry, and Eric Holder has completely admitted to. Just 11 years ago, government action taken by our commander-in-chief, based on an outright lie, and in violation of the Constitution, resulted in the needless deaths of 4,000 of our finest military (Iraq death toll when Bush left office) and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens. In keeping with society's "more is worse" values, has the gentleman ever written to the editor, or to his Congressmen, re: this loss of life? Or Bush's culpability in murder? I'd bet $10,000 (if I had it) that he hasn't. He's not really concerned about the fallen border patrolman, he's just taking a political cheap shot.
He goes on with a tirade of irrational blather such as the president wants antagonistic radio stations shut down (name one!) and informs us of Obama's secret meetings and personal exchanges with Sarah Brady, etc. I am envious of Mr. Duckworth's intimacy with presidential affairs. I only have the president's record to go on and it is completely opposite of every one of Mr. Duckworth's contentions.
Don Lowe
Vienna
