Opinion category, Page 154
Letter to the editor: Biden’s weaknesses endanger U.S.
President Biden has put this country under a larger risk for one or more massive terror attacks with his border fiasco than we had during World War II and 9/11. Before he was elected, there was estimated to be over 12 million illegal immigrants here; he has doubled that amount....
Letter to the editor: Vote for a future with less climate extremes
Regarding the article “Scattered storms down trees, spur power outages amid heat wave” (June 17, TribLive): Growing up in western New York in the 1970s and ’80s, not far from the Allegheny River, central air conditioning was an unheard-of luxury, and rarely needed. My parents now have central air in...
Editorial: Juvenile detention is not a 1-time, quick fix
The picture of juvenile detention in Western Pennsylvania is changing. Allegheny County’s Shuman Juvenile Detention Center closed in September 2021 when the state pulled its license after a series of problems including a heroin overdose and other issues with unattended children. The state called out the facility for “gross incompetence,...
Letter to the editor: Pa. needs a bump stock ban
I am writing regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a federal ban on bump stocks, the lethal device that turns semi-automatic rifles into military-style killing machines. At the Las Vegas music festival in 2017, the shooter used this device to kill more than 55 people. Pennsylvanians are in grave...
Nolan Finley: Keep the fear, give us hope
What are people looking for in their darkest hour, when they are frightened, angry, frustrated and uncertain whether the coming years will be better or worse? Hope. They want something to believe in, a message that will lift their spirits and rally them to a vision of a brighter future....
Mark Z. Barabak: Biden-Trump debate nears amid hopes to avoid another Dumpster fire
On Thursday, Frank Fahrenkopf will be just another member of the TV audience watching as Joe Biden and Donald Trump tangle in this year’s first presidential debate. He’s not happy about that. In 1987, Fahrenkopf, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, helped found the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential...
Letter to the editor: Trump raves while Biden speaks normally
Recently I came upon a speech by the leading Republican presidential candidate. What I heard were the ravings of a disturbed maniac eerily similar to those of Adolf Hitler. I believe that the rest of the world can’t believe he was actually elected president of this country, yet after losing...
Letter to the editor: Hamilton should resign immediately
I feel that Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton should resign immediately (“Westmoreland Register of Wills fined, agrees to resign,” June 17, TribLive). It is a shame she can’t simply be removed from office. It is a deplorable situation where we, the taxpayers, must watch her continue to...
Editorial: What RFK Jr. really means to the Pennsylvania ballot
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed paperwork to appear on the Pennsylvania ballot as a presidential candidate. The fourth Kennedy to run for president and the first to do so as an independent, he maintains that he will win. That’s the position of any presidential candidate, no matter how long...
Letter to the editor: Believers know that God hates abortion
I felt I had to reply to the letter “Abortion and the Bible” (June 16, TribLive). The problem with the writer is that he uses a tactic called “comparing apples to oranges.” When using a Scripture, one must use it in the correct context as it was written. Using it...
Candace Lightner: Sen. Fetterman, sign the pledge to stop distracted driving
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, following his history of speeding and distracted driving while at the wheel, needs to understand that his actions have real consequences — consequences that can take innocent lives. The family of Gracie James knows this fact; she was a victim in a distracted driving crash unrelated...
Marium Zahra : I’m a high school student — the TikTok ban violates our free speech
In April, President Joe Biden signed into law the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a measure that could effectively ban the video-sharing app TikTok in the United States. The bill, passed as part of a military aid package, is set up as a protection against foreign adversaries,...
Letter to the editor: You’ll get autocracy if you vote for Trump
I’m not sure how anyone can accept the possibility of autocracy. Project 2025, a plan put together by conservative groups backing Donald Trump, includes many notions that deal with taking away your rights — giving more authority to the executive branch and telling you what you can do. If you...
Letter to the editor: Allegheny County Jail staffing at crisis point
Many statements were made at the last Jail Oversight Board meeting regarding the jail violating the referendum regarding residents needing to be out of their cells for four hours a day. Families are coming to the jail after paying for parking and told 15 minutes before their visit with their...
Editorial: Russian show trials live on with American reporter
Joseph Stalin’s infamous death camps are a thing of the past in modern Russia, but the dictator’s absurd show trials live on. Last week, Russian prosecutors announced that they had finalized “charges” against Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and will begin sham proceedings against him next week. Gershkovich has...
Letter to the editor: Deer culling inhumane, ineffective
I was sorry to see that Pittsburgh is planning to once again waste taxpayer dollars on ineffective deer culls in city parks (“Pittsburgh expands deer-culling program to 5 parks,” June 4, TribLive). Although the deer population is an issue that needs to be addressed, culls of this type only lead...
Editorial cartoons for the week of June 24
Editorial cartoons for the week of June 24....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of June 24
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of June 24....
Sen. Bob Casey: Bring Marc Fogel home
As I’ve worked with Marc Fogel’s family and gotten to know the large community of people who care about Marc, I’ve been struck by the indelible mark he left on the students he taught around the globe for more than 35 years. “Mr. Fogel,” as they called him, made history...
Sen. John Fetterman: Marc Fogel deserves to come home
Marc Fogel is a history teacher who dedicated the last 35 years of his life to teaching young people. He is a father, a brother, and a son. But now he’s spent nearly two years behind bars in a Russian prison because of an honest mistake. Over the past year,...
Rep. Chris Deluzio: The only way to keep Marc Fogel safe and healthy is to bring him home
Here in Western Pennsylvania, we know the meaning of service. We helped build this country, and we fought our country’s wars — all of them. We have a long, proud history of people stepping up to serve the common good in so many ways and forms. Marc Fogel is one...
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler: Pushing through the silence for Marc Fogel’s release
When I sat down with Malphine Fogel in my office a year ago, I made it clear that Congress will never stop fighting for her son’s release. Over 1,000 days have passed since Marc Fogel’s detainment in Russia, and it has been understandably difficult for her family and the Pittsburgh...
Rep. Mike Kelly: Fogel’s imprisonment impacts his entire family
For the last three years, members of Congress representing Western Pennsylvania have advocated for Marc Fogel. Today, we continue to call for Marc’s freedom. As Marc’s voice in Congress, we have worked numerous legislative and diplomatic paths to pursue his safe and quick return home. Throughout the process, we have...
Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson: Time to classify Marc Fogel as ‘wrongfully detained’
On Aug. 12, 2021, Marc Fogel left his friends and family in Western Pennsylvania to return to Moscow for his final year of teaching before retirement. Marc spent much of his adult life teaching history at schools attended by children of U.S. diplomats. He had previously taught at schools in...
Michael Driscoll: Marc Fogel shouldn’t spend another birthday in Russian prison
Marc Fogel, a native of Butler, is a 1984 social studies education graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, loved and respected by his faculty and by hundreds of IUP alumni all over the world who call him a friend. After graduating from IUP, Marc devoted his life — 36 years...
