Opinion category, Page 441
Mona Charen: Dr. Oz quacks the code of Republican politics
Sean Parnell, the Trump-anointed candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, dropped out of the race after a custody hearing that featured lurid details of his relationship with his ex-wife. Laurie Snell alleged Parnell had struck her, choked her, left her by the side of the road and hit one of their...
Letter to the editor: Mothers against gun violence
Since mothers took on the challenge of drunk driving, now may be the time for mothers to accept the challenge of gun violence! Diane Powell New Kensington...
Letter to the editor: Think about less damaging gifts for Christmas
The current shipping crisis gives us the opportunity to see that the way we spend money creates multiple problems. Flimsy plastic toys, cheap clothing and excess electronics soon disappoint and trash our landfills, our air and our oceans. They require damaging processes to extract fossil source materials to create and...
Letter to the editor: Thankful for officer’s kindness
My family would like to publicly thank Officer Jason Dieter from the Greensburg Police Department for his kindness during a sad time. Recently, my mom passed away unexpectedly in her home. As paramedics cared for my mom, family members arrived and were comforting my dad. One of those family members...
Editorial: The changing Pennsylvania workforce
The Pennsylvania economy needs more than a jump-start. The October unemployment report shows that the state’s economic engine just doesn’t have the horsepower it did a few years ago. While October’s jobless numbers fell to 5.9% for the first time since April 2020, that doesn’t mean that it is getting...
Letter to the editor: Low pay results in food insecurity for many in military
Most of us celebrate the holidays with family members, enjoying bountiful meals, but what about the approximately 160,000 families of active-duty military personnel who cannot afford to feed their families? The food insecurity primarily impacts the most junior enlisted service members from the E1 to E4 ranks. According to the...
Letter to the editor: Political posturing is not healing covid
Medical problems are best solved by medical guidance and practices; medical problems are seldom solved by political posturing. Political posturing does not heal; it creates deeper hurts and social damages. Watching news stories, reading Trib stories and letters to the editors, or driving by some local schools allows us to...
Robin Abcarian: Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones learns the laws aren’t just for the little people
Every once in a while, we get a bracing reminder that free speech has its limits. Alex Jones, the barking far-right conspiracy theorist, suffered a sweeping legal loss recently when judges in two states ruled against him in defamation lawsuits brought by the families of victims of a mass shooting...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Lessons from Waukesha
When a career criminal drove his car into the Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wis., recently, he killed six people and injured more than 60. In many places around the country, he shattered the joy of families that were just beginning to feel free to gather and celebrate as the pandemic...
Sounding off: Parties and politics
Carol Badgley, in her letter “Loss of Bacha as coroner a shame for Westmoreland residents” laments that a political newcomer, Tim Carson, defeated the incumbent, Ken Bacha, as Westmoreland County coroner because, as she explains, “elections have come down to party rather than who is more qualified for the position.”...
Nicholas Goldberg: Are the school districts that ‘defunded the police’ already regretting it?
The idea of “abolishing” or “defunding” the police has always struck me as risky, to say the least, and not very well thought through. It has the potential to cause at least as many problems as it solves. So when some school districts actually decided give it a try, I...
Galit Atlas: 1 in 4 adults are estranged from family and paying a psychological price
Search “toxic parents” on Instagram, and you’ll find more than 38,000 posts, largely urging young adults to cut ties with their families. The idea is to protect one’s mental health from abusive parents. However, as a psychoanalyst, I’ve seen that trend in recent years become a way to manage conflicts...
Letter to the editor: Crime making East Carson Street unsafe
I used to have a good time on East Carson Street a few years ago, but lately the crime has been ridiculous. After reading the article “Man in critical condition following double shooting on Pittsburgh’s South Side” (Nov. 26, TribLIVE), I fear for the safety of those who just want...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh airport should be lean and mean
Since that “can of worms” called the Pittsburgh International Airport has been opened, let’s continue with a little reason. First, get rid of the name Pittsburgh International and just call it the Pittsburgh Airport. Flights to Toronto hardly qualify it to have the name. The Pirates have accepted our status...
Editorial: Violent school threats spread like epidemic
Threats can be easily dismissed. A threat, after all, is not the same thing as the act itself. Being threatened with a lawsuit is not the same as being sued. Threatening to call the police is not the same as picking up the phone. A threat’s meaning has been diluted...
Letter to the editor: Predictions have consequences
Hawk Newsome, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, has “predicted” that if NYC Mayor-elect Eric Adams brings back the city’s plainclothes anti-crime unit there will be “riots” and “bloodshed.” How can BLM or antifa or anyone get away with these threats? Because it’s allowed by the socialists in the media, blue...
S.E. Cupp: The right’s Fauci Derangement Syndrome
Soulless. Morally bankrupt. Insane? It’s hard to find the right word to describe the latest lows to which right-wing personalities and elected officials are stooping to smear and attack Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and former Trump adviser. Imagine, if you dare,...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Flash-mob robberies? In today’s America, why not?
Why would they do this? That question rises inevitably from a new wave of so-called flash-mob robberies, thieves by the dozens invading retail stores to simply take what they want. It’s happened in California, Illinois, Minnesota and Maryland. Retailers ranging from Nordstrom to 7-Eleven have been hit. For some, the...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh ‘Stumbles’
Hey fellow Yinzers, For years, we laughed at the Cincinnati Bengals and called them the “Bungles.” Well, after Sunday’s pitiful meltdown, we deserve being called the Pittsburgh Stumbles! Gary Owcar Saxonburg...
Letter to the editor: Standing by Biden is a bad choice
In his letter “Another Trump presidency not the answer” (Nov. 18, TribLIVE), Ed Svitek does have a point. Donald Trump’s presidency at the time was needed, but the rhetoric has lost its luster. Meanwhile, his policies still have a lot of merit. We can kick the can forever about a rigged...
Lori Falce: Who gets to run for Senate? Almost anyone
It seems like anyone who has ever thought of running for office in Pennsylvania will be running in 2022. Want to be governor? This is your shot. Lieutenant governor? Give it a whirl. Sure, all of the U.S. House seats will be on the table with their spanking new districts...
Letter to the editor: Clarifying dossier issue
The article “Analyst who aided Trump-Russia dossier charged with lying” (Nov. 4, TribLIVE) needs clarification. Let’s start at the beginning. The amount of communication between President Trump’s campaign and Russia set off red flags inside the FBI. In May 2016, Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos told the Australian commissioner to...
Laurels & lances: Holly days, kittens and festive rides
Laurel: To holiday time again. After all of the festivities that have been canceled or gone remote in the last two years, it is with childlike delight that people can see old favorite events returning to their communities. “We’re happy to have things back in person,” said Emily Pasqualino, committee...
Linda Fowler and Chris Fowler: How to make voting districts fair to voters, not parties
Should fairness to political parties be the standard for evaluating legislative redistricting? Across the nation, state lawmakers are jockeying to advantage their party — be it Republican or Democratic — while drawing boundaries for legislative and congressional districts. If the Freedom to Vote Act currently before Congress passes, many state...
David Thornburgh: Redistricting maps must be released now
Pennsylvania needs to have new congressional redistricting maps in place by Jan. 24. To make the deadline, legislative leaders need to release preliminary maps now. It is the only way to meet the deadline and give the public an opportunity to provide input on the maps. We’re running out of...
