While it was indeed a memorial, it was also a celebration of the contributions of the victims and of those who intervened (“The Maddening Crowd,” PostScript, Jan. 16).

Maybe Kyle Smith would have had Tucson draped in black with all music prohibited. What did he want Obama to say?

He touched on mental health and gun control. He talked of the democratic circumstances of Rep. Gabby Giffords’ presence, eulogized the slain and voiced his hopes for a more civil discourse — not because it caused this tragedy, but because it would live up to a child’s ideal for democracy.

Steven Chinn, Manhattan