There are disturbing parallels to a school shooting that occurred 13 years ago in Columbine High School, Colorado, where 13 were murdered and the recent carnage in Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut, where a similar shooting spree left 27 dead.

Gun control advocates will seize upon these shootings like a dog worrying over a bone; guns are the problem, they say. But overlooked are two facts: 1) guns are completely harmless; and 2) the fundamental cause of both massacres will go unmentioned.

To say that guns are harmless is a contradiction---or is it? But think, a gun is an inanimate object. It doesn't matter if you keep a loaded weapon on your kitchen table, it will never, can never, harm anyone. A gun needs someone to pick it up and squeeze the trigger.

Of course, a responsible gun owner would never leave a firearm, loaded or unloaded, accessible to anyone except himself. The point is that the fundamental instrument of injury is not the pistol but the person. That being the case, would more stringent requirements for gun ownership result in less violence in schools and elsewhere?

Unfortunately, no. Criminals by definition are supreme scofflaws. Case in point the murder capital of the United Sates, Chicago. This year 488 were gunned down in that city. Yet Chicago has the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation. Crime cannot be legislated out of existence.

But something can be done about school shootings and it's not gun control; it's drug control. The shooters in Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary School were all taking psychotropic drugs.

In Columbine, Eric Harris was taking the antidepressant drug Luvox. The medical records of his co-shooter, Dylan Klebold, are sealed. But a friend of Klebold claimed he saw him taking the antidepressant, Paxil.

And in Sandy Hook, the gunman, Adam Lanza, was reported by a family member to be taking Fanapt, a powerful anti-psychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia. If true, Lanza, like Harris and Klebold, was also on a behavioral-affecting drug.

A study led by Dr. Thomas Moore for the Safe Mediation Procedures examined the FDA's database from 2004 to 2009 for violence inducing drugs. (This was before Fanapt was marketed.) He found 31 drugs associated with violence. Of these, 11 were antidepressants and disproportionately associated with violence.

The drugs Harris and (reportedly) Klebold were taking were Luvox and Paxil. They were found to be (respectively) 8 times and 10 times more likely to be linked with violence than the other 29 violence inducing drugs.

The package insert for Fanapt, the drug Lanza was on, lists the following psychiatric side effects: hostility, delusion, paranoia, mood swings, and delirium.

“Acts of violence towards others are a genuine and serious adverse drug event,” the study said.

In fact, more than 90 percent of school shootings are connected with psychotropic drugs, said psychiatrist, Dr. David Healy.

Yet, for the most part, the pairing of mind-altering drugs with murder remains unreported. Why?

Behavior-modifying drugs are a multi-billion dollar money maker for Big Pharma and a major source of advertising dollars for the media.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 makes it illegal for “individuals who are unlawful users of any controlled substance” to own a firearm. The loophole protecting Big Pharm's profits is the word “unlawful.” The school shooters, with the possible exception of Klebold, were taking legally prescribed drugs.

As for the media, exposing the drug-murder connection would endanger advertizing revenue. Rather than bite the hand that feeds them, the media will focus on straw men: school safety and gun control.

Concerning school security, the tragedy at Columbine happened before the days of buzzer entry. The shooters just walked in. At the other extreme, Sandy Hook Elementary School is in a gun-free zone and had the latest in buzzer entry and surveillance monitors. Lanza blasted his way in.

As for gun control, it would be effective only in removing guns from law abiding citizens.

The fact that drugs can turn kids into killers will continue to be ignored. But school safety and above all gun control will be hotly debated, a triumph of symbolism over substance.

Caveat: Changing the dose or discontinuing a drug should only be done under the supervision of a health care professional.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA

A few weeks ago the County Commissioners turned down a request made by the Susquehanna County Library Trustees for a small increase in county taxes to help restore the four county libraries and the historical society to full operating capacity. More recently, the commissioners declined to allocate any portion of the impact fees received by Susquehanna County to the county library system and historical society.

Some years ago, the library trustees were forced to make hard decisions when the state decided it had to cut funding to libraries in an attempt to balance its budget. What you need to know is that the County Library staff, which includes everyone who works in the library system including the libraries in Hallstead/Great Bend, Susquehanna, Forest City, Montrose and the county Historical Society, decided unanimously that they would take a salary cut rather than lay-off any one of their fellow employees. In addition, they all accepted having to pay more into their insurance plans. To this day, none has gotten a pay raise, and almost all are still working at the library. Many have taken second jobs. This is good, old-fashion guts.

Much of the library budget goes to pay salaries, but what you also may not know is that most of these same employees show up for every library fundraiser, of which there are many, so they also work on their days off. More than 35% of the operating capital each year comes from fundraisers and donations, so these same employees are out selling books and pies and pottery to help pay the bills. They are living proof of a true belief in an establishment that has been a part of our community for over one hundred years.

There is a current argument now by people who insist that libraries are no longer viable and that technology has replaced the need for libraries. Most of the people who think that libraries are no longer useful are those who probably don’t use the library, haven’t been to one in a long time, or are fortunate to be able to afford alternative technologies. But our libraries are a valuable part of our communities.

I go to the library often. I use the library and I go the historical society because I love genealogy and county history. I see women with their toddlers coming for a story hour to see a library employee who is happily dressed up in face paint and hats. This lady has been wearing silly hats for many years and has watched our kids grow up. I see teens that come in after school because it is a safe place to go before their parents come home. I see young adults using the internet to look for jobs, students who can’t afford internet at home. I see men with tired faces accessing library resources. But, if you have not been there recently how could you know?

Susquehanna County is one of the top ten poorest counties in Pennsylvania. A critical step to rid ourselves of that label is to provide our citizens with access to the knowledge and informational tools that enable individuals to qualify for better jobs so our communities can thrive.

We all take pride in our property. We mow the grass; we paint our houses and wash our cars because we have pride in our possessions and our immediate neighborhoods. Our property and neighborhoods are part of our communities which are part of our county. We are all members of a larger family and we all need to take care of that family for ourselves and our future generations.

Together we can change the future of our neighborhoods. My personal passion is the Susquehanna County Library System and the education of our youth. I hope you agree with me and donate to the library as soon as you can.

But, if not the library, then please consider other local charitable investments in Susquehanna County; its hospitals, emergency systems, fire companies, charities, and help all the hundreds of silent community volunteers who make this county a better place to live.

We live in an economic time where our communities will grow by our own hands, so please help.

Sincerely,

Nan Baker

Dimock Township, PA

I went to our Susquehanna County Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday night, Dec. 18th, in Montrose, Pa. and learned more about the Church Compressor Station that Williams wants to build, within a couple of miles of the presently existing Lathrop Station and the Shields Compressor Station, now under construction.

This will make three Compressor Stations in a few miles radius of Dimock Township, and across from and near homes, families, animals to receive the daily dose of toxic fumes, emissions and continual noise that tested at 80 decibels at a neighbors home near the Lathrop Station.

This "approval" for a conditional, preliminary permit , after hearing the complaints and comments by residents, was wisely tabled for next month's meeting on Jan. 22nd, at 7:00 p.m. Please come and witness and comment about your county's health and environment being negatively impacted.

These are some of the details about this Church site: It's on 68 acres on SR 3010, the former Bednash property, Mr. Bednash passed away a couple of years ago and this property was deeded to his Polish Catholic Church, which they sold to Williams Gas or Williams Field Services. The Compressor Station building dimensions are 60' X 371.5' and will house a total of eight compressors! This Station will be even bigger than the Lathrop Station nearby,which is our biggest station in the county! Another building is the control building at 10.5' X 41.5' and another building is the electrical building at 10.5' X 41.5'. And various equipment necessary for the processing of the gas. A wetland permit was issued by DEP for the private road into this site. Williams has proposed a 1,028 feet long access road. A waiver of sewer planning has been submitted because the site will be unmanned and not cause any sewage flow.

This is an industrial site -- no. 3-- in the 3 mile- radius area and about a couple of miles from Elk Lake Schools, Dimock, Pa. This is one of over 20 sites waiting to be permitted in our county! And more will come as more wells come in. We are now at about 650 drilled gas wells in our county.

This is only the beginning of development to fill our County with endless gas pads, endless pipelines, endless Compressor Stations. (Compressor Stations are being proposed every two to four miles along transmission/gathering lines.

Please speak out while we can still do something about this.)

Who will buy our homes across from industrial sites and who will pay our hospital bills as we get sick from bad air, continual noise, and bad water.

Sincerely,

Vera Scroggins

Brackney, Pa.