Reader puts himself in victim's shoes

Let’s pretend I am a 17 year old student at Broward High School in Florida. I’m being interviewed. Here’s what I’d say: “I’m going into my senior year in high school. One class I had this year was “American History and Our Democracy.” It was good. I knew some of this stuff from even back in middle school.

I learned about our Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc. I liked how we have fought hard for our freedoms and way of life. I really like that “Of the people, by the people, and for the people” thing.

The shooting here was horrible. To me, though, what is even more horrible is how America, now, is such a different America than what I learned about.

I think our government has stumbled and fallen into many of the same attitudes and policies that, years ago, many people could not tolerate in other countries. So they got on the Mayflower, and other boats, and sailed over here to start a new country. They set up a democratic form of government. And it worked pretty well for awhile. I think we need to get back to how this nation was formed. Thank you for asking.”

Bob McClellan, Polson