Showdown at the US Navy Yard 

The Washington Navy Yard, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre reportedly said: “The problem is there weren’t enough good guys with guns.”  Let’s assume, for a moment, that LaPierre has a point. However, we no longer live in a world of black and white TV when we can conveniently distinguish the good guys from the bad by the shade of their ten gallon hats.  So, Mr. LaPierre and the NRA, put your brain where your mouth is.  Start supporting the enactment and enforcement of comprehensive and reliable background checks before the issuance of licenses to kill.

Rabbi Scott Saulson, Ph.D., Creve Coeur

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks futile

Notwithstanding the noble efforts put forth by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, the current peace talks being negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians will result in utter and total failure, and are a complete waste of time.

The Palestinians, regardless of public statements to the contrary, are not interested in a two-state solution, but  in one state only — a Palestinian one — at the expense of the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people. Like Iran, the Palestinians’ goal and their ulterior motive is to wipe Israel off the face of the map. If the Palestinians were really interested in peace and tranquility, and a solution to a Middle East problem that has festered for more than 65 years, such a solution would have been reached long ago.

One can only negotiate with another party if that other party, not only recognizes one’s right to exist, but more importantly, one’s existence, period. Unfortunately, this mantra is not a part of the Palestinians’ psyche.

Israel has over the years given its best shot in the cause of peace, but to no avail. Enough is enough.

It’s often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, in the hopes of achieving and expecting different results. Suffice it to say, I fear Israel is heading in that direction, if it continues to seek peace from a bellicose, intransigent, unwilling, partner.

Gene Carton, Olivette