"...hate, mayhem, violence and death that are now daily occurrences on a scale we could not possibly have imagined in my childhood."

All of that was happening back then too.  But then there wasn't 24/7 cable news coverage amping it up as loud as they could to get viewership.  It's about money, not civility.  Fear = money.

In another week or so most people won't be able to recall the Portland assailant's name (Christian, by the way).  The news cycle will have moved on to the next horror that will keep us captive.

Trump is a genius who understands this dynamic better than any politician in history.  Thus the tweets and outrageous statements that keep him above the fold every day.  Blame media greed for all this fear.  Blame media greed for Trump.    

We're fear junkies who have to turn to the media every day for our fix.