Opinion category, Page 537
Letter to the editor: Media’s role in hatred, violence
Am I the only one to see the mainstream media’s monstrous role in fomenting hatred, violence and intolerance in the U.S. and around the globe? Why aren’t more politicians, pundits and ordinary people decrying the twisting, the obscuring, the diminishing of objective truth; the agitating, the bullying — the silencing...
Lori Falce: Lent, vaccines and keeping the faith
When Ash Wednesday next week starts the Lenten season, 40 days of faith and fasting leading toward Easter, you won’t have to be Catholic to be part of it all. The no-meat-on-Fridays ritual will mean that fish-fry fundraisers and restaurant seafood menus will give everyone a little glimpse of what...
Letter to the editor: Elderly prisoners in nursing homes
Our elderly in nursing homes are being held as prisoners. This is horrible. It has been almost a year since we have been able to hold and touch our mother. She turned 92 in November and had to spend her birthday, as well as Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, by herself....
Letter to the editor: Jobs for displaced fossil-fuel workers
In a recent Associated Press article, the International Energy Agency reported that the worldwide emissions of methane last year equaled the carbon dioxide emissions of the entire European Union. Methane is much more efficient at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2. As the United States rejoins the rest of...
Laurels & lances: Eagles, dogs and viruses
Laurel: To achieving goals. Anyone who reaches the rank of Eagle Scout has put in some real work and time to get to a level in Boy Scouts of America that isn’t easy to attain. Just 4% of scouts climb to that highest rung on the organizational ladder. So Elizabeth...
Nickolas Summa: LGBT Americans deserve federal nondiscrimination protection
As an LGBT-affirming marriage and family therapist in Westmoreland County, I see many people who lack any access to important resources and care. It’s disheartening to know that so many people don’t get the support they need due to discrimination in the place I call home. When I came out...
Letter: There are more effective ways to keep glass out of landfills
There is a very simple way to solve a large part of the food and beverage glass container problem: many states still have a refund bounty on those containers. The containers are returned to stores that sell the recyclable product containers for a refund. Those states see far fewer containers...
Eric Falk: Republicans all in for Trump
It is tragic to see that one of the Western world’s heretofore great political parties, the Republican Party, has gone “all in for Trump,” including Pennsylvania’s Republicans. In doing so, it has made a profound moral choice, antithetical to its founding principles. The Republican Party was established on the principle...
Letter to the editor: Patriotic songs deserve respectful performance
OK, so I’m from the old school, and I believe songs that were written to honor our country many years ago are meant to be performed in the manner the composer intended. I watched as “America the Beautiful” and our “Star-Spangled Banner” were being performed at the Super Bowl. Yep,...
Letter to the editor: Leaders must face consequences for lying
Let’s have a discussion on honesty. We should demand that our government not lie to us. Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon lied about the Vietnam War, and hundreds of thousands of people died. Ronald Reagan lied about Iran-Contra, and Central Americans died. George W. Bush lied about Iraq, and hundreds...
Letter to the editor: Vaccination distribution nightmare
My covid-19 vaccine experience was horrendous. It wasn’t the shot itself that caused me distress, but the events that led up to my vaccination. As a health care student, I was sent numerous resources for how to sign up to receive a vaccination. It felt too good to be true...
Editorial: What part of ‘permanent’ don’t state election rulemakers understand?
You know what “permanent” means, right? According to definition experts at Merriam- Webster, it means “in a way that continues without changing or ending; in a way that is not brief or temporary.” In other words, if you take a step that you call permanent, it’s something you expect to continue...
Ryan O’Connor: Abuse survivors deserve their day in court
I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Between the ages of 4 and 11, I was molested and sexually abused by two different men at two different times of my childhood. The second man was a Catholic priest from my parish, Our Mother of Sorrows in Johnstown. His name...
Letter to the editor: Gov. Wolf’s only plan is asking for more money
The article “Pa.’s lagging vaccine rollout takes center stage in Harrisburg” stated “Pennsylvania is ranked tied for 39th among the 50 states in terms of the percentage of people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine.” I wonder if our wonderful governor put as much effort into...
Nathan Benefield: Pa. budget should care for kids, communities
Pennsylvania confronts overwhelming challenges: a structural deficit; an educational system in free fall; mass business closures and widespread unemployment; and barriers to health care. No doubt, Pennsylvanians expect Harrisburg to deliver education lifelines to families, regulatory and tax relief for business owners, and improved access to care for patients. In...
Jonah Goldberg: Impeachment trials aren’t about proving criminal behavior
After three presidential impeachments, I’ve seen enough to conclude that one of the worst things about them is the lawyers. Even among some of my favorite legal commentators the problem is the same. They say something like: “Of course impeachment trials aren’t criminal proceedings. Impeachment is a political process.” And...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh, Paris and pollution
Pittsburgh, not Paris. It’s a metaphor (“Ted Cruz brings back Paris vs. Pittsburgh in criticism of Biden; Peduto scoffs,” Jan. 20, TribLIVE). People of reasonable intelligence and those who use the English language in their profession should know the difference and not use the literal translation to make a political...
Letter to the Editor: Pity those trying to schedule a covid-19 vaccination
I’m 79 years old but worked in IT for 40 years and consider myself pretty computer savvy. But the extreme difficulty I’ve had trying to schedule a covid-19 vaccination makes me feel pity for the people who have little or no computer experience. What a frustrating process this is for...
Letter to the editor: Marketing and selling out America
When I was in a cable TV series from 2014-15, our viewership was 1.5 million, which was higher than “The O’Reilly Factor.” Our competing show had 1.1 million viewers. I figured we would be picked up for a third season. Wrong. They had the under-49 viewers who spend more money...
Editorial: Pennsylvania’s vaccine game needs work
The covid-19 vaccines are the pathway to getting Pennsylvania back to what the state was in February 2020. Whether the Pfizer or Moderna or forthcoming Johnson & Johnson shot, vaccines are the way to go from a population left wide open to the coronavirus pandemic and a population prepared to...
Letter to the editor: Continue to be an engaged voter
With the 2020 election behind us, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that 2021, 2022 and 2023 also are election years for state, county and municipal offices, along with Congress in 2022. We learned in 2020 that the decisions and actions of governors, state legislatures and judiciaries, county...
Pat Buchanan: Of rioters, protesters and patriots
To Parliament, in the London of George III, the Boston Massacre of 1770 and the Tea Party of 1773 were not seen in the same light as they were by the Sons of Liberty in the Massachusetts colony. To Parliament, this was mob violence, and the shooting and killing at...
Letter to the editor: Reopening Pittsburgh’s schools safely
I have to admire the restraint of Pittsburgh Public Schools board member Kevin Carter’s comments about the recent proposed City Council resolution regarding our “educational emergency” while we try to reopen Pittsburgh’s schools safely during a global pandemic (“Pittsburgh City Council accused of ‘grandstanding’ as it seeks involvement in school...
Dr. Paul Carson: Pittsburgh Public Schools leaders failing our kids
As a parent of two remotely schooled Pittsburgh Public Schools students, I am extremely concerned about my children’s education and mental health during the pandemic. For almost a year now, I’ve watched my children stare at screens for eight hours a day and complain that they think they are learning...
Jonah Goldberg: Biden unwisely following party-line lead of 2 predecessors
As an American, I wish President Joe Biden every success in defeating the pandemic and getting the economy moving again. But when it comes to the dysfunction of our political system and the polarized climate generally, it’s becoming clear he’s part of the problem, not the solution. I don’t think...
