For perspectivce as we start 2016, here are some statistics on tragedies of the past year.
Number of people killed in San Bernardino terrorist attack: 14
Number of prisoners executed in America each year: 28
Number of people killed in Paris terrorist attack: 130
Number of American teens who die in car crashes each year: 2,000Number of Americans killed in car crashes each year: 35,000
Number of people killed in Planned Parenthood terrorist attack in Colorado Springs: 3
Number of Americans who commit suicide with a gun each year: 21,000
Number of women who die during pregnancy and childbith: 300,000
Number of malaria deaths worldwide, mostly in impoverished countries, yearly: 435,000
Number of children under 5 who die worldwide due to poor nutrition, yearly: 3.1 million
I don't mean to diminish the deaths of the 14 people massacred at San Bernardino. Nor the three who were killed at the Planned Parenthood center in Colorado.
But our wealth in America should allow us to focus on long-term tragedies that plague not only our own people but our borthers and sisters around the world.
It's the media's job, and everyone's, to put in perspective the dramatic awfulness that grabs our attention.Then we can really start saving lives.