Opinion category, Page 340
Gary Franks: Tuberville’s inappropriate remarks — apology needed
I had planned to write about an election issue this week, but Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville interrupted those plans with some inappropriate, disturbing remarks at a recent Republican rally in Nevada. Tuberville said the following about Democrats: “They’re not soft on crime. They’re pro-crime. They want crime. They want...
Paul Muschick: Day care’s carbon monoxide scare could have been prevented if lawmakers did their jobs
Most of those hospitalized Tuesday after a carbon monoxide leak at an Allentown daycare center are back home. That’s wonderful news. I hope the children rebound quickly and soon will be bouncing around again at Happy Smiles Learning Center. I also hope state legislators recognize what a tragedy this could...
Eric Bohannon: Eligible for Medicare? Here’s what you should consider when choosing a plan
As inflation causes us all to stretch our dollars, the majority of Americans are likely focused on finding the best prices without sacrificing quality. Health care is no different; picking the right insurance plan that meets individual or family needs can be critical to maintaining a balanced budget. Right now,...
Letter to the editor: Right choice to eliminate Westmoreland drop box
Regarding the article “Republican commissioners remove ballot drop box from Westmoreland courthouse” (Sept. 28, TribLIVE): The mail-in-ballots that have been sent out are mail-in ballots, not drop box ballots. With the price of gas, why would you want to travel 10 miles to the courthouse when you could walk 10...
Letter to the editor: GOP’s abortion exception — when they need them
Republicans claim to be against abortions and are now eager in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal to institute the most draconian bans they can get away with. But there is one exception to an abortion ban that Republicans seem pretty comfortable with: not rape, not incest, not...
Lori Falce: Alex Jones damages the First Amendment
Without a doubt, the best and simultaneously hardest thing about the U.S. Constitution is the First Amendment. Specifically, that tug-of-war is represented in the words, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech.” It is a masterpiece of protection. It enshrines the absolute right to raise your...
Paul Kengor: Another year without baseball
An astute reader with a keen memory recently emailed to ask if I had carried on my boycott of Major League Baseball from 2021 into 2022. Readers will recall that what set me off was the egregious politicization of baseball by an ideological MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred. Manfred had shamelessly...
Laurels & lances: Partnership, problems and learning lessons
Laurel: To new partnerships. With the financial accessibility of a college education being such an issue, combined with the many higher education institutions that are important job creators in Pennsylvania communities, a newly brokered deal could be a problem solver. Westmoreland County Community College is joining with Carlow University to...
Letter to the editor: Is Oz committed to Pa., or U.S.?
When I heard Dr. Oz was carpetbagging for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. senator position, I asked why he didn’t apply in New Jersey. Someone said New Jersey was never going to elect him to anything. So that was kinda bad. But then I heard he has dual citizenship with Turkey, and...
Letter to the editor: Money, diversity in Westmoreland
In response to John Ventre’s rebuttal (“Does Voice of Westmoreland really represent us all?” Oct. 5, TribLIVE) to my letter (“Diversity in Westmoreland,” Sept. 19, TribLIVE): I take great insult for his assumptions about me. For one, my vote is not influenced by any one group, and I do not...
Editorial: Book bans can threaten local control
It should go without saying that banning books is no way to learn — or teach. And yet, for the past few years, banning books has hit its heyday. The topic keeps coming up via protests that seem to be more political than educational. Sometimes it is a particular text...
Letter to the editor: Questions to answer before voting
Mid-terms are just around the corner. Here is a shortened version of a much longer list of things to think about before casting your vote. Do you believe that the right to an abortion transcends the higher moral authority? Do you consider the right to an abortion an inalienable right...
Jonah Goldberg: Herschel Walker may be lying about an ex-girlfriend’s abortion. Does it matter?
Herschel Walker, the Republican former football star running for a Georgia Senate seat who supports a total ban on abortion, denies he pressured a former girlfriend to have an abortion, which he paid for. He’s almost certainly lying. The allegations are easy to believe, while his rambling, often contradictory denials...
Mary Prendergast: What’s next for ancient DNA studies after Nobel Prize honors paleogenomics?
For the first time, a Nobel Prize recognized the field of anthropology, the study of humanity. Svante Pääbo, a pioneer in the study of ancient DNA, or aDNA, was awarded the 2022 prize in physiology or medicine for his breathtaking achievements sequencing DNA extracted from ancient skeletal remains and reconstructing...
Letter to the editor: Democrats don’t deserve my vote
As I grow older, I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch what they do. Given what I have heard from the political stage, I will not vote for a Democratic candidate. What politicians do is more factual than what they say. Dean Ambrose Hempfield...
Letter to the editor: No one should vote for Mastriano
Vote Josh Shapiro for governor. No member of any polical party should vote for Doug Mastriano. His views aren’t human. His ignorance and inability to understand facts are unsurpassed. Randy S. McIndoe Jeannette...
Letter to the editor: We have no statesmen
Today in America there are no statesmen … and that’s a fact, Jack! Joe Marmo Cheswick...
Letter to the editor: More evidence that 2020 election was secure
For those with difficulty in reading comprehension, for the fraud-claimers, the doubters and deniers and for the two GOP Westmoreland County commissioners who can’t “afford” to fund just one drop box at the courthouse (even with donated funds), the following bears repeating, per the Oct. 5 front page of the...
Letter to the editor: Why would we vote for Fetterman?
I’m hearing and seeing that over 70% of Americans are worried about crime and inflation. If that’s really so, why would Pennsylvanians want to put someone in office who thinks it’s a good idea to let at least a third of Pennsylvania’s criminals out of prison, including murderers? I’m speaking...
Editorial: Anthony DeLuca’s public service set example for others to follow
In just two months shy of 40 years, Anthony DeLuca saw a lot in Harrisburg. When he took office in 1982 representing the people of the 32nd District in the state House of Representatives, Richard Thornburgh was governor. DeLuca’s Democratic Party held the majority in the House, while the Republicans...
Letter to the editor: Fetterman fights for communities like mine
Braddock, like many of our towns right here in rural Pennsylvania, was wholly abandoned by Washington and Harrisburg politicians. John Fetterman, an Americorps volunteer, was inspired to run for mayor of Braddock after two of his students were gunned down. He flipped abandoned properties into usable spaces. He built community...
Letter to the editor: Demand that Biden address border issues
It is time for American citizens to inform the president that he is not doing his job protecting them. Why are we allowing him to ignore the border problem? The only thing we hear is the president and his administration state that the border is secure. There is no transparency...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Money no longer fears LGBTQ people
You know what’s really conservative? We’re talking more conservative than Southern Baptists, Fox “News” and the GOP combined. You know what’s that conservative? Money. Meaning big money — corporate money. It doesn’t do quixotic or go out on limbs. Money likes safe harbors and sure things. Its risks are calculated...
Brad Spellberg, Jaimo Ahn and Robert Centor: Medical guidelines should embrace humility of uncertainty
Clinical guidelines greatly influence how doctors care for their patients. By providing recommendations on how to diagnose and treat particular situations, guidelines can help standardize the care patients receive. For instance, when a patient is suffering from an infection, a physician can consult the relevant guidelines to confirm that antibiotics...
Letter to the editor: Try the post office for dropping off ballot
There are 80 ballot drop boxes in Westmoreland County. They are called post offices. If you are concerned about when your ballot will be date stamped, do your due diligence. Talk to a postal official and/or your mail carrier. Seems pretty simple to me. Karen Townsend Latrobe...
