Opinion category, Page 148
Editorial: Are cellphone bans the right move for schools?
There are a lot of things kids shouldn’t be using in class. They shouldn’t have guns or knives or bullets. They shouldn’t have drugs or cigarettes or alcohol. They shouldn’t be bringing in anything that distracts from their learning or creates a hostile environment. Some schools have interpreted these ideas...
Letter to the editor: Fracking not way of the future
Between 2016 and 2023, Pennsylvania households paid 51% more for gas as exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) surged and companies enjoyed record profits. Fracking has not decreased gas prices. More fracking results in more violations affecting air and water — 81,289 since the process began in Pennsylvania. Independent studies,...
Letter to the editor: Expanding Supreme Court
Regarding the letter “We must expand Supreme Court to correct corruption” (Aug. 28, TribLive): When you write “we the governed,” I hope you understand that you are not speaking for all Americans, as in “we the people.” Your opinion of some of the recent SCOTUS decisions is held at best...
Jason W. Park: Lessons from Apalachee High School — gun rights, gun control, gun violence
On Sept. 4, 14-year-old Colt Gray armed himself with an AR-platform gun and shot and killed four individuals and wounded another nine at Apalachee High School near Winder, Ga. Is there a way that another senseless tragedy like this can be avoided? I decided to investigate mass shootings myself using...
Marc Champion: Netanyahu’s conflicts of interest are hurting Israel
There’s no job on earth less attractive than being a head of state forced to decide between cutting a hostage deal with terrorists that risks encouraging repetition or consigning innocents to be murdered. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows this dilemma better than anyone. To get a single soldier back...
T.J. Rooney: Shortsighted thinking threatens Pa. steelworkers
In recent weeks, there has been a surprising alignment between political rivals as the presidential candidates from both political parties have doubled down on their opposition to the proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel. On Labor Day, Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris publicly voiced her opposition,...
Daniel DePetris: Is nuclear arms control dead?
There was a time when the subject of nuclear weapons was so consequential to international peace that it could bring even the most intense adversaries into the same room. Increasingly, it feels that this time has passed. On July 17, China announced that it was suspending arms control talks with...
Letter to the editor: Abortion is not a reproductive ‘right’
Reproductive rights? Human reproduction requires first, choosing to have sex, and second, choosing to not use contraception. Making a third choice to kill a baby — how is that reproducing? Larry Howard Plum...
Letter to the editor: Look past hatred of Trump before voting
Very few politicians are venerated by all voters. FDR and JFK are examples. Most voters hated or loved them. My grandmother, a very mild-mannered lady, would hiss if someone mentioned FDR. He started the decline of this country. He pushed through Social Security (a Ponzi scheme, in my opinion), greatly...
Letter to the editor: Math, facts on our economy
Two universally acknowledged truths resonate with the reasonable: 1. As my information changes, so do my views. 2. Math is not an opinion. Consider these easily verifiable facts: In the past four years, the U.S. economy has added 18.5 million jobs, comparing starkly with the loss of 5.3 million jobs...
Editorial: Death of hostages amplifies call for peace
The hearts of the commonwealth and of the nation are with the family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin today. The 23-year-old former resident of Richmond was among six hostages killed recently by Hamas terrorists, his body located in a tunnel underneath the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza. His bright light, now...
Letter to the editor: We deserve better than Trump
I’m tired of all the chaos and disrespect spewed out of the mouth of someone who wants to just hoot, holler and yell craziness. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to be yelled at, called names or to be bullied. When the attempted coup occurred Jan. 6,...
Letter to the editor: Look at facts on Harris, Biden
Wow! So many pathetic letters, filled with what I see as repeated lies and half-truths. Many reflect a deep, seething hatred for Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans. They also demonstrate to me just how successful the 90% Democrat media is at manipulating and indoctrinating people — and affecting elections. It...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 9
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 9....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Sept. 9
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Sept. 9....
Letter to the editor: New Latrobe high school scheduling hurts students
Last year, Greater Latrobe School District administrators did what was best for the students. Students had daily time to enrich themselves in different activities in school, get the educational help they needed, and eat lunch in places like the band room, commons and courtyards. Students had an hour of free...
Letter to the editor: Not too late to keep the trees in Hempfield development
The television program “Today” on Aug. 27 featured a report that shows how greening communities can improve the health of residents. Trees actually reduce inflammation in humans, which means reducing long-term chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer. No prescription needed. The property between the Mt. Pleasant Road and Cedar...
Editorial: Gun crimes can be lightning fast or take years to claim a life
We think of violence — especially gun violence — as something that is lightning fast. A gunshot is almost a measure of something here one minute and gone the next. Superman famously is described as “faster than a speeding bullet.” But speeding bullets are routinely caught by the slow or...
Letter to the editor: Harris, Dems own illegal immigration crisis
In his column “Playing politics with the border” (Aug. 24, TribLive), Joseph Sabino Mistick blames Donald Trump for seeking an advantage in the coming election by helping kill the Democrats’ recent bill to “provide sweeping immigration and border security reforms.” President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Bob Casey...
Letter to the editor: Harris’ policies will hurt middle class
We’ve been told inflation is going down. It is not. All inflation is up. What has been coming down is the rate at which it has been going up. It has fallen from a high of 9% to around 3%. It has increased 19% since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Trump works against many of his supporters
Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real thing, but those Never Trumpers who still let Donald Trump work them into a lather are not the only people suffering from a malady. Here’s another phenomenon that has puzzled many observers: Why do so many of Trump’s most militant supporters still fervently support...
Kelly McKinney: Disaster preparedness must be front and center in the presidential campaign
Thirty-two years ago, a tropical storm wandered over an area of superheated water and exploded into a monster Category 5 hurricane with 174 mph winds. Compact and powerful, Hurricane Andrew slammed into south Florida, obliterating houses and leaving 65 people dead. In the days that followed, our response to the...
Patricia Murphy: Failing our students, 1 school shooting at a time
It was every parent’s nightmare — news Wednesday morning of a lockdown at Apalachee High School turned into reports of gunfire, then injuries, then deaths. Four people at the Winder, Ga., school — two students and two teachers — are dead, and nine were injured. Horrifically, the shooter was confirmed...
Sheldon H. Jacobson: Is artificial intelligence for the birds? More than you may think.
The test for any breakthrough technology is often where you least expect it, but once it “conquers” that application, even more possibilities may emerge. We all know that artificial intelligence (AI) is touching every aspect of our lives. From when we turn on our smartphone to searching the web to...
Letter to the editor: Kengor’s take on Kennedy family values makes sense
After reading biographies of JFK, RFK Sr. and LBJ years ago, Paul Kengor’s column “Kennedy family values” (Aug. 29, TribLive) sure made sense to me. Kengor inspired me to go back and reread the above biographies. I agree that RFK Jr. stands much the way his father did. Duane Cruz...
