Opinion category, Page 158
Lori Falce: Louisiana and the lessons of the Ten Commandments
I went to a Catholic school. We prayed in class at the start of the day, before each class, before lunch, after lunch and at the end of the day. And that was just your random Monday. On a holy day of obligation or the first Friday of each month,...
Laurels & lances: Heat wave edition
Laurel: To beating the heat. While we might want to give a lance to the brutal temperatures, let’s stick a pin in that. Instead, we will show a little gratitude with a laurel for the many options the region offers for having a respite from the heat. We’ve got great...
Letter to the editor: Make methanol from fracking byproduct
Regarding the article “CNX plans $1.5B hydrogen fuels plant at Pittsburgh airport, but wants federal tax credit to build it” (May 15, TribLive): With all this excess methane we now have in the area, the frackers keep dreaming up ways to do something else with it. What was not mentioned...
Paul Kengor: GPS is making us geographically stupid
The GPS in Global Positioning System ought to stand for Geographically Pretty Stupid. Relying on GPS, even with its indisputable benefits, is making us a nation of geographic illiterates. Not that geography was a strong point for Americans. We’ve all heard horror stories of the dismally low percentage of Americans...
Letter to the editor: Employees of religious nonprofits not guaranteed unemployment
There is controversy lately with the Diocese of Greensburg, but did you know, if you are a paid employee of a “nonprofit” religious organization and you get laid off, fired, quit or whatever, you are not guaranteed unemployment compensation? Just putting it out there. Spread the word! Marcia Harr Westmoreland...
Letter to the editor: Secure our borders to save our country
President Biden on Day 1 essentially opened our borders through executive orders that allow anyone who enters the country illegally to claim asylum, knowing they will not be properly vetted and will be released with a court date far in the future. This opened our nation to countless criminals, drug...
Editorial: Are Philips Respironics jobs another covid casualty?
Philips Respironics is taking its manufacturing out of Murrysville and Upper Burrell. The Bakery Square workers will head to other locations by the end of the year. In a series of unkind cuts, 300 jobs will be lost, and 500 will be moved. It’s a blow. It is not, however,...
Letter to the editor: Bump stock ruling shows Supreme Court is not pro-life
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning the national ban on rapid-fire rifle bump stocks is a blatant betrayal of any “pro-life” ethic the court claims to champion. In its June 3, 2022, Letter to Congress on Gun Violence, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops explicitly calls for a “total...
Jonah Goldberg: Supreme Court’s role in our partisan polarization has been greatly exaggerated
Conventional wisdom suggests the Supreme Court, like the country, is deeply divided along partisan and ideological lines. But this overlooks the court’s historic recent run of unanimous decisions and the fact the liberal and conservative justices often don’t vote as blocs. Court critics tend to respond to these inconvenient realities...
Cal Thomas: From great orators to gobbledygook
Once in America — and in some parts of the world — we were gifted by great orators, men and women who could by the power and content of their words inspire, motivate and sometimes unify their nations. Today, we have politicians who mumble, slur their words, repeat themselves and...
Keisha Che’re Jimmerson: Book banning an affront to freedom
As a first-generation college graduate, an educator, a devoted mother and a woman of color, I am a voice representing multiple facets of identity and experience. In acknowledging the diverse tapestry of our lives, it’s essential to recognize the interconnectedness that binds us as a collective — the human race....
Letter to the editor: Good reporting on local church issues
Kudos to the Trib. The articles about Immaculate Conception Church, although sad, were very informative (“Greensburg Diocese asks county detectives to probe failure of worker background checks,” May 28, TribLive; “Some parishioners unhappy about Norwin pastor’s ouster; failed employee background procedure probed,” May 29, TribLive). Writer Jeff Himler was very...
Letter to the editor: Trump is taking away women’s freedoms
My father was a refugee of the Vietnam War. In the ’70s, he fled to America — to Philadelphia — chasing freedom. Around the time he moved, Roe v. Wade was decided, a case exemplifying our nation’s commitment to freedom. In this case, a woman’s freedom to determine what is...
Editorial: Juneteenth is about more than the end of slavery
Juneteenth is no more a holiday just for Black people than the Fourth of July is a holiday just for white people. It recognizes and celebrates a profound milestone in American history — the declaration of freedom for an entire race of American people who had been held in bondage...
Letter to the editor: Biden is a failure
President Biden’s administration and its media minions are in full desperation mode as they watch poll after poll show Americans are fed up with the failures and lies the Democrats have been feeding us for 3½ years now. Democrats are finding that all their efforts to blame big business or...
Gabe Roth: Supreme Court ethics lapses aren’t a partisan issue
Ethics reform at the Supreme Court is not a partisan issue. Nor is it a cynical attempt to shame or bully the court. It’s true that the justices most in the news for ethical lapses — Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito — are staunch conservatives. But liberal justices have had...
Erwin Chemerinsky: What a relief. The Supreme Court did the right thing on mifepristone.
The same Supreme Court that overruled Roe v. Wade two years ago on Thursday followed well-established constitutional principles to dismiss a lawsuit that sought to restrict the availability of mifepristone, a drug used to medically induce abortions. The bottom line is that the decision upholds the Food and Drug Administration’s...
Letter to the editor: Praising Orban is unpatriotic
Isn’t it curious how the MAGA Republicans have become so enamored with Hungary lately? Hungary’s proto- fascist strongman Viktor Orban has been invited to speak at C-PAC, been hosted at Mar-a-Lago and lavishly lauded by Donald Trump. Why? The unfortunate history of Hungary has been rife with centuries of fire and...
Letter to the editor: November vote goes beyond personality, performance
Your vote in November is about much, much more than whether you dislike President Trump’s personality or President Biden’s job performance. Most relevant, we now have a clear choice of continuing the far-left, socialist, bigger-government policies of the Biden regime, or replace them with the increased opportunities, freedoms, security and...
Thomas D. Beamish: Americans used to unite over tragic events — and now are divided by them
Tragedy seldom unifies Americans today. Every year, horrific crises induce tremendous suffering. Most are privately tragic, affecting only those directly harmed and their immediate relations. A small number, though, become politically notorious and, therefore, publicly tragic. Natural disasters, school shootings, terrorist attacks and economic crises can become public tragedies. Sexual...
Carah Whaley: Election officials are heroes. Support them by becoming poll workers.
Elections are the primary mechanism for Americans to communicate their ideas, priorities and values. As someone who closely studies civic engagement and elections, I’ve seen firsthand the crucial work election administrators and poll workers do to make it possible for people to have a say in our system of self-governance....
Letter to the editor: Freedoms will disappear under Biden
Well, here it is. President Trump has been convicted on 34 felony counts by a New York City court. If you are thinking about President Biden, you better check to see who is backing him. Read about George Soros and his socialist backers. You may think you are voting for...
Letter to the editor: Hamilton should resign immediately
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Hamilton’s announcement that she supposedly will not seek reelection in 2027 is just a hollow deflection (“Embattled Westmoreland Register of Wills vows to remain in office through 2027,” June 12, TribLive). It is more likely a feeble attempt to preempt her June 17 sentencing for...
Editorial: Note to Biden on inflation: It’s the Big Macs, stupid
Democrats flummoxed over why Americans are so down on the economy should visit a McDonald’s. President Joe Biden faces many hurdles in his reelection bid. His approval numbers are historically low. His open-border policies have progressive mayors in many self-proclaimed “sanctuary cities” begging for relief. His foreign policy blunders led...
Letter to the editor: Act now to leave the world a better place
“As my information changes, so do my views.” — Plato Above is the bare minimum of reason and logic. Setting aside emotions and politics to focus one’s thoughts and actions on facts and truth. In 2024, our region has seen a 49% increase in precipitation and temperatures almost 3 degrees above...
