Dear FRONTLINE,

The suggestion in your program about Kip's "voices" seems almost a moot point as "Goddamn this voice noise inside my head!" is a repeated lyric in Nine Inch Nails' "Becoming" Downward Spiral. I do not feel that dark music is entirely to blame, but unfortunately, Kip's internal struggle with his identity probably led him to latch onto things he could relate to, like the portrait-of-depression lyrics of "The Downward Spiral." It's counterproductive to ban such lyrics/music; instead it is probably more useful to look at how such songs reflect the dark regions of adolescent depression that exist in America today.

Erik Ribeiro
Houston, TX

Dear FRONTLINE,

This was a facinating and informative program, unlike so much that is in the media these days. Many times we witness almost a perverse exploitation of these kind of events. With your program my wife and I found the information portrayed balanced and unbiased.

I don't know if we as parents of four children would do anything drastically different, except the guns. My father was a veteran of WWII and never allowed any of his children to even use play guns and was always disturbed by their glorified portrayal. I have never had an interest or need in guns. Kinkel was a disturbed child, and the best I could hope for would be to get a child like that the help he needed. One thing that I wonder is, would he have injured so many if he didn't have access to the advanced weapons that he did?

Jeremy Hubler

Dear FRONTLINE,

There is much blame to go around. This story took my breath away. I only hope this will alert other families and communities to what not to do. Even in the very earliest films of Kip you could see how wrong it was to compare Kip and his sister. His reaction to that should have been the very first red flag or could it have been he was four and taken to a strange country with a strange language? Why was Prozac stopped? Did no one think of taking him back to get more psychological help? Kip's father seemed to be on an ego trip, wanting his son to be perfect. As a teacher he should have been very aware of that. This is all so, so, sad. It should have never happened. It all could have been avoided.

raa raa

Dear FRONTLINE,

What the program seems to demonstrate is that 1 our testing procedures are sometimes not sensitive enough to pick out potentially dangerous kids from the multitude of healthy and miserable adolescents, and 2 we wouldn't know how to handle them if we COULD identify them. I must hand it to the clinical psychologist, though, speaking as one myself, for giving the disturbance a fairly convincing handle. It's too bad Kinkel was not being professionally monitored as his depression deepened and acquired psychotic characteristics -- the voices, which it would be good to know more about -- and his fantasies turned even more violent.

Robert Maxwell
Hillside, NJ

Dear FRONTLINE,

This was first-rate, responsible, and provocative journalism. You took on an emotionally charged issue with nice journalistic maturity; yet also, keeping with your fine reputation, you refused to blink.

Frontline should feel particularly indebted to Kip Kinkel's sister. Her candor and poise for these interviews was stunning. I would like to personally extend my gratitude to her and all those involved in this production who may have felt reluctance given its extreme emotional and personal content. If parents, teachers, psychologists, as well adolescents too, can glean even a small amount of understanding into the psychological workings of this troubled young mind, we no doubt raise our chances for averting such tragedy in the future.

Marc Levesque
Buffalo, NY

Dear FRONTLINE,

I was profoundly moved by this story. I have been teaching children with learning disabilities for more than 20 years and I have seen first hand the heartache that both children and parents feel by its effects. It would be Monday morning quarterbacking and totally inappropriate to say I wish parents had done this or had recognized that in order to have avoided the series of unfolding events... but I know that after having seen this program, I have realized how much harder we all must work to help kids recognize their strengths and help them through their weaknesses. My heart goes out to the entire family. The situation was truly a modern-day tragedy, hopefully to be avoided by others if we learn from watching this family's story.

Margaret Scarborough
Chapel Hill, NC

Dear FRONTLINE,

Great and disturbing program. I feel great sadness for the daughter left behind. There always seem to be obvious and seemingly easy answers to situations like this, i.e., keeping guns out of the hands of children. While I firmly believe that will help, a more subtle and difficult challenge is for parents, educators and peers to just be aware of the students who project these signals of isolation, loneliness and despair, and obsession with the Internet and weapons. Then be committed to zero tolerance of physical and emotional abuse of students in our schools and communities.

PS, Any educator which thinks that modern day MTV DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet is appropriate for high school should have their head examined. It's like pouring gasoline on a fire, besides a great dishonor to Will's name

Emmett Cooke
Powder Springs, Georgia

Dear FRONTLINE,

I just finished watching the story on Kip Kinkel while trying to fall asleep and am so disturbed that I do not think I can begin to sleep.I have a 14 year old son and cannot fathom something like this happening but yet can understand to a degree what he must have been going through. I think he had so much anger for some unforseen reason and just didn't know what do do with it? It really bothers me because my son has a very bad temper and has a hard time giving respect along with a negative attitude. Does this bother me and concern me? Hell yes! I think of it daily and am really lost as to where to turn for some help in the matter. I don't usually ask from advice from strangers but I think some support would be good. I have considered a Milatary Acadamy but they are very expensive. I am not even sure what I expect to get out of this but I will be praying for Kip's remaining famliy and for Kip himself.

Lisa Rubel

Dear FRONTLINE,

Yes, the young man "Kip" was mentally ill. In this competitive society, many parents cannot accept this fact or deal with it. Apparently, Kip's father was more concerned with "image" than dealing with this serious problem.

The unfortunate tool in all of this is that firearms so accessible to young people, to sick people.
We can discuss this over and over and try the blame game, but take away the guns and the story could be a lot different.

Nan Vonhelms

Dear FRONTLINE,

I feel that the parents, teachers and friends should have seen the possibility that this child was fighting with demons that were in his head. His parents are solely responsible for not getting him more help at sooner time in his childhood and making certain that he stayed on his medication. I fight with voices everyday in my head and once they have got hold of you they don't let go. I feel that this child should be on and stay on medication. He also plead guilty hoping to get the death penalty because he felt he deserved it. There are too many parents that care more about their own reputations then the well being of their children.

Carolyn Sigman
Deming, NM

Dear FRONTLINE,

I think that it's sad that Kip's parents were so absent from his life. They put him in his room, gave him a computer and guns, and when they knew he was going to far, gave him another gun! He had no authority figures in his life; he was left to search for something to give his life purpose or value, and he never found it.

Joe Clauser
Fredericktown, MO