Opinion category, Page 42
Jason ‘J.J.’ Park: Israel vs. Iran? Or the prime minister vs. the ayatollah?
The Israel-Iran conflict is a tit-for-tat. On June 13, Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities and military leaders. On June 16, an Iranian drone targeted the U.S. Consulate in Erbil, Iraq. On June 22, the U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear sites. On June 23, Iran bombed Al Udeid Air Base in...
Letter to the editor: The story of autism is complex
There has been some discussion recently about autistic children excluded from field trips. On the face it seems discriminating, but what do you know about autism? Autism is not a singular condition but a blanket covering a range of disabilities from mild to profound. In some cases it is hardly...
Letter to the editor: The fools are determined to believe the lies
Why do Americans keep falling for the lies of government propaganda? I’ve observed this throughout my 70 years. I was 8 years old when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and clearly remember that day. But I grew up and stopped believing in the “magic bullet” theory, just as I...
Letter to the editor: First Amendment rights
I am tired of hearing about the sanctity of Second Amendment rights and then reading about the “violence” and “abuse” of First Amendment rights as expressed in letters “First Amendment doesn’t protect criminal behavior” (June 27, TribLive) and “Protests don’t look peaceful” (June 18, TribLive). To respond to the first...
Editorial: The impact of Bella Seachrist’s death
Bella Seachrist never had a chance. Bella missed an opportunity for simply living. She was just 3 years old — almost 4 — when she died, slowly, of starvation. Poverty will do that to a child. That isn’t what happened to Bella. Her stepmother, Laura Ramriez, had a room in...
Hallie Leach: We must work together to teach students about Holocaust, antisemitism
In an era marked by a troubling resurgence of antisemitism and misinformation, it has never been more critical for educators to work collaboratively and purposefully to ensure that students are learning not only the history of the Holocaust but also how its lessons apply to the world today. In June,...
Nate Picarsic: U.S. must keep pace with China on energy, technology
Today Pittsburgh hosts the inaugural edition of Sen. Dave McCormick’s Energy and Innovation Summit. The event will gather champions in energy and AI, investors, labor leaders and government officials. The focus will be on American energy dominance for a new technological era — and the opportunity that provides. Western Pennsylvania...
Mark Masterson: How much longer does Pittsburgh have to wait for inclusionary zoning?
Ten years ago, in June 2015, the city of Pittsburgh’s first ever Affordable Housing Task Force met for the first time. I was one member of the Task Force, along with members of City Council and other elected offices, local housing developers, building trades and organized labor, as well as...
Letter to the editor: Speeding on Route 30 must be stopped
Regarding the article “As traffic grows, Route 30 crash hot spots a concern for motorists, property owners, police and PennDOT” (June 29, TribLive): I agree that improvements need to be made on this dangerous state highway. In the article, speed is mentioned several times. All the improvements can be made...
Letter to the editor: Trump has plenty of his own money
The writer of the letter “Does Trump enjoy causing pain, chaos?” (July 10, TribLive) states that Trump is “using the presidency to enrich himself, earning potentially billions so far.” I wonder if the writer is aware that President Trump purchased Mar-a-Lago (1985) long before becoming president. Trump also purchased and...
Letter to the editor: Deporting veterans is a disgrace
While politicians claim to “support our troops,” reports of U.S. military veterans and their families being targeted by ICE suggest otherwise. Jermaine Thomas, born on a U.S. military base to a veteran father, was deported to Jamaica — a country he had never even visited. Purple Heart recipient Sae Joon...
Editorial: Faith in 911 system needs to be maintained
We take some things for granted. Turn a faucet, and water will pour out. Flip a switch, and lights will come on. Those can be interrupted by circumstances. Don’t pay a bill, and the water or electricity can be cut off. But there are some services we rely on so...
Letter to the editor: A coverup on the Epstein files?
Is it just me or do others find it strange that Attorney General Pam Bondi just announced that there is no client list or evidence of child sexual abuse that can be prosecuted in the Epstein case? Back in February the information was that she had mountains of evidence and...
Lisa Jarvis: When an HIV scientific breakthrough isn’t enough
A landmark breakthrough in HIV prevention — a scientific feat decades in the making — received final approval from the Food and Drug Administration last month. Gilead Sciences’ lenacapavir is so effective that global health leaders had started to cautiously talk about the end of an epidemic that continues to...
Ted Kopas and Jeff Balzer: Pa. opioid settlement fails to fund full cost of crisis
The opioid epidemic has left few communities in Pennsylvania unscathed. It has stolen lives, fractured families, overwhelmed emergency services, and put unbearable pressure on county and municipal budgets. Westmoreland County is certainly no exception. So when the opioid settlement funds began to flow as part of a national reckoning with...
Catherine Thorbecke: We’re losing the plot on AI in universities
An artificial intelligence furor that’s consuming Singapore’s academic community reveals how we’ve lost the plot over the role the hyped-up technology should play in higher education. A student at Nanyang Technological University said in a Reddit post that she used a digital tool to alphabetize her citations for a term...
Letter to the editor: What would Jesus think of all these clearances?
The Catholic church requires clearances to do anything short of attending Mass. What would Jesus think? My church welcomes people in, and if they want to do anything, a packet is given to them of things to do to protect children. This packet includes an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history background...
Letter to the editor: United against Trump
The writer of the letter “America needs unity, not protest” (July 2, TribLive) called for unity in our country and an end to protests. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. The president he would like us to unify around refers to people like me, my family and friends as “scum” and...
Editorial: Deep in a fiscal hole, Congress just keeps digging
In a remarkable achievement, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act got worse with each iteration before finally being enacted. On plausible assumptions, the final version will add more than $5 trillion to deficits over the next 10 years, moving the track of public debt from unsustainable to all but unhinged....
Letter to the editor: Addressing cyber charter funding
I am a parent of a special education student in Pittsburgh Public Schools. Like so many across our state, I want my child — and others like them — to attend public schools that are safe, welcoming, thriving and rich with the resources our young people need to dream and...
Editorial cartoons for the week of July 14
Editorial cartoons for the week of July 14....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of July 14
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of July 14....
Letter to the editor: Celebrating Trump’s legacy on ‘Julteenth’
It’s been one year since the events in Butler, July 13, 2024. Here we are at the first anniversary of “Julteenth.” Yes, that’s right; it was one year ago that we nearly lost Donald Trump to an assassin’s bullet. Our country has benefited with him as our president. He was...
Letter to the editor: Manufactured home owners need protection
There is a serious issue facing our seniors, veterans, disabled, widows and widowers who live in manufactured home communities, threatening their futures. These residents own their homes but not the land. The landlords of these properties are not restricted by law on what rent they charge, so these properties have...
Editorial: Prediction, prevention are critical to natural disaster response
Rising waters threatened. Alerts were issued. Girl Scouts were evacuated. It might sound like the story of the flash floods in Texas, where 27 people were killed at a Christian girls camp by the sudden weather. But it isn’t. It’s the story of 105 people escorted from a Kummer Road...
