Opinion category, Page 227
Letter to the editor: Unborn Americans have right to life
Our Declaration of Independence states that it is a self-evident truth that our rights are endowed by our creator. First among these rights is the right to live. The Fifth and the 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution likewise protect life, liberty and property from government actions by requiring “due...
Tom Purcell: Tips for out-of-control tipping
Tipping demands sure have gotten out of control. With every purchase you make — at coffee shops, fast food restaurants, chain stores and more — you are presented with a digital payment screen that asks you to leave a tip. On one hand, you feel guilted into leaving a tip,...
Editorial: Mail-in ballot dating issue rises from the dead
Here we go again. In 2020, the question of dates became a major part of the ballot counting process. When mail-in ballots were sent in by Pennsylvania voters, they had to be placed in a security envelope. That envelope was then put inside another envelope for mailing. It was part...
Daniel Pimentel: Sustainable fashion is a farce without virtual try-ons
Fashion brands entered this Black Friday seeing green not just because of sales but because they’re offering more sustainable products than ever before. From carbon-neutral T-shirts to sustainable shoes and eco-friendly hats, Santa will have his hands full keeping up with the more than $41 billion in projected online apparel...
Roger McNamee: Kids have been used like guinea pigs on Big Tech’s platforms. How much harm will we tolerate?
After more than a decade of uncontrolled experiments by internet platforms on millions of users, there is an emerging possibility that one group of users — kids — may finally gain some protection. A wave of court cases has an opportunity to fill a void left by the inaction of...
Letter to the editor: Students don’t need castles to succeed
After reading several letters to the editor about the extravagance of our Greater Latrobe school directors, I had to add mine. These directors don’t seem to care about schools and raising taxes. High-priced castles do not make our children any smarter. We the people should be getting smarter and watching...
Letter to the editor: Explaining hatred toward Israel
People wonder why there is so much hatred toward Israel. I have an explanation. I saw an interview on TV several years ago with a Muslim man who had converted to Christianity. His name is Kamal Saleem. He grew up in Lebanon. He belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood and the...
Letter to the editor: Dangerous vision for the future
You may not have heard of Project 2025. It is the Heritage Foundation’s vision for our future. Heritage, along with the Federalist Society, are radical-right, ultra-conservative groups that want to restructure our government. If you like how the Federalist Society has groomed lawyers since their college years with gifts and...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 27
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 27....
Letter to the editor: Hallam should clarify what’s in incarcerated welfare fund
This letter is a request to attain clarification from Allegheny County Council member Bethany Hallam regarding the “Incarcerated Individuals Welfare Fund.” What “specifically” is included, item by item, in this Welfare Fund? Nancy Vieira Sterniak McCandless...
Letter to the editor: When will U.S. stand up to tyranny?
The military wing of Hamas is a violent terrorist group that massacred innocents in Israel on Oct. 7. The appalling loss of life and capture of hostages is a crime beyond description. The Israel Defense Forces launched a massive military response claiming the right to self-defense. But what part of...
Editorial: Pennsylvania legislators could choose to change pay raises
Once again, Pennsylvania legislators, judges and elected executives, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, will start the new year with a nice increase in salary. The paychecks in question will go up 3.5% in 2024. That’s downright economical when compared with this year’s 7.8% spike or the 5.6% in 2022. After about...
Letter to the editor: Compromise to protect Pa. residents
On Nov. 2, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and CNX Resources Corp. President and CEO Nick Deiuliis publicly agreed that CNX will improve its environmental monitoring and chemical disclosures. This step forward does not address major problems produced by fracking, including the tremendous amount of radioactive and biochemically toxic waste produced....
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Remembering Rosalynn Carter and more gracious times
The letter is faded now, but the name “Rosalynn Carter” at the top, embossed in robin’s egg blue, still catches the eye. It was sent in April 1980 after the first lady visited Pittsburgh and attended a community meeting at the 12th Street Market House on the South Side. I...
Raz Segal: Here’s what the mass violence in Gaza looks like to a scholar of genocide
I cannot stop thinking about the dozens of Israeli children held in captivity by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in underground tunnels in Gaza, while above them Israel’s attack has killed, so far, nearly 4,500 Palestinian children. Stopping the violence, and returning the hostages, is urgent for any person who...
Ron Grossman: Today’s backlash against Jewish people is steeped in a long history of hatred
At the first reports of a massacre of Israeli civilians, I shuddered, fearing the worst was yet to come. Sadly, I was right. Before sundown on Oct. 7, Israel was being blamed for Hamas’ killings, mutilations and kidnappings of Israeli civilians. As a historian, I know only too well the...
Letter to the editor: Steelers set up for failure
Here we go, Pandas; Super Bowl, here we go. I’m suggesting a name change for the Steelers: the Pandas. This organization is rudderless and unrecognizable and has now fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada midseason despite applauding his work the previous two games. Their failure to recognize the obvious, that Kenny...
Sounding off: Battling politicians, Israel, economy among week’s topics
Violent rhetoric unacceptable It’s time for all good people, regardless of party, to stand up against political violence and violent rhetoric. Recently, it has been reported that Rep. Kevin McCarthy purposely shoved a fellow representative in the back, Sen. Markwayne Mullin was ready to physically fight with a union leader...
Letter to the editor: Oil and gas delusions
No region has suffered more than ours from oil and gas industry exaggeration and falsehoods. By deluding policymakers into believing that gas development creates jobs and prosperity, the industry diverts taxpayer dollars into its own pockets, receives regulatory favors that put our health at risk, and short-circuits efforts to explore...
Editorial: What is the cost of special elections?
Pennsylvania seems set to end 2023 the same way it began: with a special election on the horizon. After the 2022 election, the Democrats appeared to have the majority in the House of Representatives. That was only theoretical, as three key seats in Allegheny County needed to go back to...
Letter to the editor: Violent rhetoric unacceptable
It’s time for all good people, regardless of party, to stand up against political violence and violent rhetoric. Recently, Rep. Kevin McCarthy purposely shoved a fellow representative in the back, Sen. Markwayne Mullin was ready to physically fight with a union leader during a hearing and Rep. James Comer verbally...
LZ Granderson: Costs of climate change falling on states that can’t afford them
Between 2018 and 2022, many of the states with high rates of poverty — Oklahoma, New York — were also the states that suffered the most damage from extreme weather. A new climate study indicates things are going to get worse for those places and for poor people. The federal...
Gary Franks: How abortion, welfare reform relate to election results
Is it possible that welfare reform and my small contribution toward that effort in 1996 as the Republican chairman of the Welfare Reform Task Force may have inadvertently contributed to the election of a Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate in 2022, a Kentucky governor and a Virginia state legislature in 2023? Sounds...
Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari and Rabbi Shawn Zevit: Fetterman should join call for cease-fire
As rabbis, we have been proud to have John Fetterman representing us as a strong voice for humanitarian values in the Senate. We come from a faith that teaches that each and every person is created in the image of the Divine. We understand Fetterman to be someone who shares...
Jason Kavulich: Aging in Pa. will only get better
Pennsylvania is home to more than 13 million people, according to the 2020 Census, with more than 2.5 million of those residents being aged 65 and older. The growth rate of the commonwealth’s older adult population is more than 20 times higher than the growth rate of its entire population....
