Opinion category, Page 223
Tom Purcell: Let’s make America profane again
Here’s a regrettable trend: As profanity has become commonplace, swear words are losing their usefulness. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the language used in movies and television has gotten dramatically more profane. There are a couple of reasons why. First is the rise of subscription-based streaming television,...
Lawrence McCullough: Pittsburgh can use the arts to fight intolerance
Pittsburgh has the opportunity to take the lead in a federal initiative that enlists the arts to inspire empathy and combat intolerance. United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture is a set of strategies and funding resources introduced by the Biden-Harris administration to counter the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence on...
Editorial: Legislators need to make unexpected break a working vacation
Pennsylvania lawmakers aren’t going to be able to go to work for a while. Yes, it sounds like the start to a particularly frustrating joke. But it’s true. The House of Representatives won’t be able to go back into chambers for about three months because of repairs. The Pennsylvania Capital-Star...
Rachel Hadas: McCarthy’s departure from Congress reads like Greek tragedy — but he’s no hero
Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s departure from Congress brings to mind ambition and the other side of ambition’s coin: humiliation — the thirst for fame and power on one side, ignominious failure on the other. Classical literature abounds with ambitious characters; heroes are by definition ambitious. McCarthy says he will “serve America...
Letter to the editor: Giant Eagle’s perks changes drive business to Walmart
I wish the news stories about the enhanced Giant Eagle myPerks would contain all the facts. Currently fuelperks+ users get 10 cents off a gallon of gas or 2% off groceries for every 50 fuelperks. In the future, it will take 100 perks for 10 cents off gas and 150...
Letter to the editor: Protect children from adult material
In regard to the Hempfield Area School District book policy, I’ll use Eden as my high school parable — Voice of Westmoreland (VOW) is the serpent and Moms for Liberty (MFL) are Adam and Eve. VOW seems to want to allow adult material in an under-18 environment. MFL and parents...
Letter to the editor: Facts about weapons in Afghanistan
If I give something to you and you misuse it or transfer ownership to another, your actions aren’t my fault and I shouldn’t be blamed. I’m responsible only for my own actions. Such is the case when, following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, millions of dollars worth of...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 11
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 11....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 11
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 11....
Michael Reagan: Has the party of Reagan become the party of quitters?
Monica Crowley summed up the sad state of the Republican Party perfectly last week in a single tweet. Following the House’s 311-114 vote last week to expel the lying GOP weirdo and future criminal defendant George Santos, she wrote: “Republicans bounced George Santos. “Kevin McCarthy is leaving this month. “Bill...
Letter to the editor: Public must weigh in on PRT bus route redesign
Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) is in the process of redesigning bus lines across Allegheny County, which will have a tremendous impact on our community. It has been almost two decades since the county undertook such a large redesign of bus lines. Public input is being accepted at www.buslineredesign.com until Dec....
Editorial: Why does Pittsburgh care so much about foie gras and fur?
Pittsburgh has important issues to address. There’s crime, including gun violence. There is a police department that needs to staff up. There is homelessness. There are all of the typical things a large city has to address, from economy to infrastructure to affordable housing and so much more. And so...
Letter to the editor: Senate must act on gun bills for safety of all in Pa.
The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania believes that the proliferation of handguns and semiautomatic assault weapons in the United States is a major health and safety threat to its citizens, in particular children. Firearms are the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens. For years, we have...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Mike Johnson needs to tell the truth
If you are raising kids and hope to teach them that it is important to respect and obey the law, your job got harder last week. On Tuesday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson disclosed that the Republican caucus will not release the raw footage of the Jan. 6 insurrection...
Wilson Beaver: Why are we doing so little to counter China’s military buildup?
Our National Defense Strategy identifies China as the primary challenge to the United States. To confront this threat successfully, our military needs more warships, aircraft and munitions. Now. But the Biden administration’s spending does not match its defense strategy. The president’s Emergency Supplemental Request made this clear by asking for...
Bob Donnan: Pa. must build EV infrastructure
As Pennsylvania continues to make significant strides toward a cleaner and more sustainable future, it is crucial that we seize the opportunity to leverage federal investments in building out our electric vehicle infrastructure. The recent allocation of $36 million in federal funding for EV charging stations, thanks to the Bipartisan...
Letter to the editor: Liberal misinformation
Every once in a while, I watch a bit of MSNBC, CNN and/or ABC. “Morning Joe” Scarborough, Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, to name a few, are my main sources of liberal misinformation. It amazes me just how toxic their hateful, anti-American nonsense is...
Sounding off: Politics, Steelers, litter among letter topics
Extreme politics on both sides harmful to country I watched with disgust the debate between Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. Their extreme political philosophies are both harmful to this country. West Coast liberalism has degraded the quality of life in San Francisco and made...
Letter to the editor: Extreme politics on both sides harmful to country
I watched with disgust the debate last week between Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. Their extreme political philosophies are both harmful to this country. West Coast liberalism has degraded the quality of life in San Francisco and made Portland a byword for chaos. Florida’s...
Editorial: Marc Fogel needs to be included with Gershkovich, Whelan
The wish list for Marc Fogel this holiday season is short. Family and friends have a campaign to send him cards. They will go to the Russian prison where he has been sentenced for the 0.6 ounces of medical marijuana he had in his possession when arrested in August 2021....
Letter to the editor: For gas industry, profit trumps health?
The writer of the letter “Fracking is regulated” (Nov. 3, TribLIVE) says the University of Pittsburgh children’s health study neglected to consider environmental factors other than fracking. But the study clearly states: “The collection of other environmental exposure data through publicly available sources provided additional information on other factors, e.g....
Gary Franks: Press failed us on George Santos
OK already. What took so long? Good riddance to former House Rep. George Santos . The Santos saga begs the question: How did he get elected in the first place? Now we know it was due to massive fraud. But I would also add major failures on the part of...
Robin Abcarian: I thought Sandra Day O’Connor was too conservative. Now her moderation would be a godsend.
Years ago, I had the good fortune to be in Washington, when the National Portrait Gallery had a show starring portraits of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who died Dec. 1 in Phoenix at 93. In October 2006, nine or so months after she’d stepped down from the high...
S.E. Cupp: What’s the point of debates anymore?
The year was 1980. The place was Cleveland’s Music Hall. The event was must-see TV. It was the second presidential debate, featuring Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, and it birthed a number of memorable moments. There was Reagan’s chiding line, “There you go again.” And his pointed question about Carter’s...
Beth Pausic: Kooth’s mission is solely to provide care for kids
I would like to offer several corrections to former representative Lou Barletta’s op-ed “Say no to Kooth in Pa. schools” (Dec. 4, TribLive). First and foremost, I’d like to reintroduce readers to Kooth. We are a mental health support and pre-clinical care provider with a web-based application available to public...
