Opinion category, Page 164
Danny Tyree: Is it nice to fool Mother Nature?
I was hunkered down paying rapt attention to the weather report on May 8 when an EF-3 tornado rampaged through a neighboring county. Understandably, I was intrigued by a May 11 New York Post article about a technological push to manipulate the weather. Eleven states already maintain “old school” programs...
Letter to the editor: Trump is unqualified for public office
During the Vietnam War, Donald Trump claimed (I say feigned) a foot injury and wouldn’t serve his country. In 2016, as Trump campaigned for president, he disparaged Sen. John McCain’s heroic service as a POW. According to news reports, Trump staffers claim that during a visit to France in 2018,...
Letter to the editor: Can women have it all? Maybe not at the same time.
Reading comments concerning Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker’s commencement speech at Benedictine College brought back some memories. I grew up in the 1950s, and my first job out of high school was at the home office of the G.C. Murphy Co. in McKeesport. Computers were just being introduced, and...
Editorial: John Fetterman should be careful throwing political stones
Those who live in glass houses are often cautioned about the casual tossing of stones. On Friday, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, decided to pick up some rocks and juggle. “In the past, I’ve described the U.S. House as ‘The Jerry Springer Show,’ ” he posted on X.com. “Today, I’m apologizing...
Letter to the editor: We need Trump back in the Oval Office
Radical Democrats have declared a desperate war on Donald Trump and his America-first agenda. In my opinion, the current court case in New York City is the latest example of America’s justice system being twisted to keep him out of the Oval Office. Despite all the salacious allegations, Trump’s popularity...
J. Peder Zane: The rise of gut politics
A very liberal friend recounted his daughter’s pushback after he gently questioned the tactics of anti-Israeli protestors on campus. “She didn’t disagree with me,” he said, “but said that my concerns were unhelpful because they undermined efforts to stop the war.” I just nodded my head; it was, after all,...
Alexandria Wilson-McDonald: Attempted assassination of Slovak prime minister follows country’s slide into political polarization
The assassination attempt against Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has been condemned widely by world leaders as an attack on democracy. In Slovakia, the violent act similarly saw a unified response from the country’s deeply divided political leaders. But how long this lasts is uncertain. Just as outgoing Slovakian president...
Rogelio Sáenz and Selene M. Gomez: Some states’ populations are like the U.S. overall — including 5 key states in the ’24 presidential election
Five of the seven states widely expected to be political battlegrounds in the 2024 presidential election have populations very much like that of the U.S. overall, in a range of demographic and socioeconomic measures. For decades, the presidential selection season has begun with the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire...
Letter to the editor: Do we want a criminal as president?
Many Donald Trump supporters claim his legal troubles are due to a conspiracy of Democratic prosecutors, judges, politicians and others trying to keep him out of the election. A letter-writer asks, “Does anyone honestly believe it is a coincidence that all the Trump cases began at nearly the same time...
Editorial: The rematch is set: Biden vs. Trump debates have the right balance
The last time the Democrats and Republicans held a White House rematch with the same contenders was 1956, when Ike beat Adlai Stevenson for the second straight time. Earlier, there were redos with William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan (McKinley won both in 1896 and 1900) and Grover Cleveland vs....
Letter to the editor: What would Reagan think?
President Ronald Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” If only he were alive today to see the extremes that his government is taking to become a totalitarian technocracy, usurping his beloved constitutional republic. Did the...
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 20
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 20....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 20
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 20....
Letter to the editor: County tax hike hurting ordinary citizens
I agree with the letter “Westmoreland County taxes could have been raised gradually” (April 21, TribLive) concerning the 32.5% raise in our property taxes. My township tax went up the first half of this year by $175.94. Maybe this doesn’t seem like much, but it is when your income isn’t...
Letter to the editor: Wilkinsburg annexation
Regarding the article “Wilkinsburg annexation failure reflects merger hurdles for Pa.’s 2,560 municipalities” (May 10, TribLive): Annexation, merger and consolidation are not interchangeable terms. Annexation is dead, only consolidation and merger remain. PA Statute Title 53, Part II, Chapter 7, Subchapter C on Consolidation and Merger, defines consolidation as “The...
Editorial: Body cameras can protect police but only if policies allow it
Body cameras for police have become expected. In January, a report from the Police Executive Research Forum — an independent research group focused on law enforcement issues — pointed to how the devices changed over a 10-year period. There were 200 policing experts pulled together in 2013 to discuss this...
Letter to the editor: Get our federal spending under control
We often complain about the costs of items we buy (inflation) or the taxes we pay (government spending). But are we doing our job to hold those who work for us in the government accountable? One problem is that our government obscures good comparative fiscal spending information. Here, I sum...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Cyril Wecht’s unforgettable life
For as long as any of us around here can remember, Dr. Cyril Wecht made headlines everywhere. The renowned forensic pathologist, physician and lawyer died at 93 last week. But he lived a life that we will never forget. Dr. Wecht invented the role of the celebrity forensic pathologist. He...
Colin McNickle: Higher office vacancy rates not confined to City of Pittsburgh
The City of Pittsburgh is not alone in its struggles with chronically high office vacancy rates. So, too, are Pittsburgh’s suburbs. And the same deleterious domino effect of the pandemic-fueled changed work habits, coupled with a lack of regular property assessments, could lead to the same serious challenges for suburban...
Daniel DePetris: Vladimir Putin has much to celebrate. But not the Russian people.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, the man who plunged Russia into a war that has proved far costlier than he anticipated, is riding high at the moment. Last week, Putin formally took office for a fifth term after a presidential election that the United States, Europe and international monitors widely regarded...
Brooke D. Anderson: Put women in the rooms where it happens
Before I became the president of Pivotal Ventures, I spent most of my career in national security. In my roles at the United Nations, the White House and the State Department, I had the chance to work on big, audacious challenges with teams I deeply respected and admired. But as...
Rep. Emily Kinkead: Justice, compassion and Ezra Bozeman
Lady Justice may be blind, but she is not heartless. When I was in law school, I read a passage in my Criminal Procedure textbook that has defined my understanding of the practice of law in a criminal setting. What it said was that the role of a prosecutor is...
Letter to the editor: Trump is no savior
I read daily from Trump supporters who seem to believe lies and ignore the lengths this man will go to to succeed. Sadly, the person with no moral character and a liar continues his quest to be a sovereign and has a constituency of citizens who believe he is the...
Sounding off: Trump, Biden top week’s letters
Criticizing Trump doesn’t equate to support of Biden I am compelled to respond to those letter-writers who think criticism of Donald Trump automatically means the person criticizing must love and support President Biden. How nice to be able to see the world is such black and white terms! No need...
Letter to the editor: Tired of the whining about the border
I’m really tired of hearing and reading the whining from grown adults (particularly aged 50+) about the southern border. If we rallied together the retirees, the armchair pundits and the people who use religion to mask their blatant racism, we could have at least four or five squadrons ready to...
