Opinion category, Page 21
Letter to the editor: Trump continues to show lack of grace, dignity
One could never have imagined the president of the United States calling a female news reporter “Piggy” in his non-answer to her legitimate question about the Epstein files. But that is what Donald Trump did recently. Every president faces sharp questions from the press. Every other president in my long...
Letter to the editor: Without courage to take ownership of words, they’re meaningless
As usual I have a lot to rebut from the pro-MAGA Trumpers who write here. I don’t have the space to do it this month, so I will just do a general all-encompassing disagreement. I find the folks who write here in support of President Trump and his actions to...
Editorial: Pennsylvania’s CROWN Act protects identities and restores hope
Imagine one of the most defining aspects of who you are. Maybe it’s your eye color or your height. Maybe it’s your name or your blood type or your language. Whatever it is, it’s part of what makes you distinctly you. And the law says it is OK for you...
Letter to the editor: Community solar with guaranteed savings
Want an option for energy but can’t afford the upfront cost of individually owned solar? Community solar might be the answer. Community solar would provide solar energy with guaranteed savings for all who subscribe to it. It builds on Pennsylvania’s history of being an energy leader. It creates dual-use opportunities...
Letter to the editor: Our legislators have forgotten how to compromise
Although the Pennsylvania budget is finally a done deal (after 143 days) and the federal government is operating (after 43 days), we the voters need to remember the perfectly pitiful job that our legislators performed during this time. Both state and federal representatives were being paid while not doing their...
S.E. Cupp: Can MAGA go any lower defending Donald Trump?
I remember it well. It was Oct. 7, 2016, a Friday. That afternoon The Washington Post dropped a bombshell, the perfect October surprise, just a month before the presidential election. Earlier in the week, Hillary Clinton had been hammering Donald Trump on the news that he may not have paid...
Letter to the editor: We need community pharmacies
For 100-plus years, independent retail, or community, pharmacies have been the backbone of small, rural communities. Unlike chain pharmacies, independent community pharmacies are small, personal and family-oriented. When you walk into an independent community pharmacy, the staff know you by name and they know your family; they know the inner...
Dr. Robert R. Redfield: We need an urgent and unified response to the coming Alzheimer’s crisis
In the early 1980s, men and women in the prime of their lives began arriving at Walter Reed Medical Center, wrecked by a disease for which we had no name, no cause and no hope. As an infectious disease doctor there, I saw patient after patient bedridden and dying by...
Letter to the editor: Democrats’ video urging insurrection is treasonous
A handful of Democrats with former military ties have produced a video urging current military members to refuse to obey “illegal orders” issued by President Trump. This is an open call for an insurrection, and these congress members (two from Pennsylvania) should be arrested immediately and charged with treason. John...
Letter to the editor: Freeport students go above and beyond to honor veterans
Freeport High School recently hosted a moving tribute to veterans who are family members of current students. The event began with a stirring rendition of the national anthem by the school chorus, directed by Tom Koharchik — himself an Iraq combat veteran, adding depth to the moment. Elizabeth Smetak and...
Lori Falce: From Nelly Bly to Mary Bruce, women journalists don’t tiptoe around
Sit still. Be quiet. Don’t ask questions. These are the mantras of a little girl’s childhood. I learned a lot from my grandmother, like how to make chocolate cake and when a tomato is ripe enough to pick. My mother taught me to flatter a man into thinking my ideas...
Laurels & lances: Reaching out & lashing out
Laurel: To seeing the problem. When you talk about bullying and programs to address it, the scope is generally broad. The instinct is to talk to the whole school or the whole class. You want to tell bullies not to bully. You want to tell the bystanders to speak up...
Letter to the editor: Trump continues assault
President Trump continues his assault on Americans using intimidation, humiliation, name-calling and lies. It’s easy to fact-check Trump. He says prices are down, tariffs are not taxes, he has no knowledge of who the DOJ is indicting, the 2020 election was fraudulent, the only solution to illegal immigration is the...
Paul Kengor: Drunk and stupid at the Pitt-Notre Dame game
“Drunk, fat, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.” Such were the immortal words of advice from Dean Wormer to Kent “Flounder” Dorfman in the 1978 epic “Animal House.” I have an addendum to Wormer’s advice: Drunk and stupid is also no way to go through a...
Stephen Mihm: Threats of nuclear testing ignore its terrifying history
Should the U.S. and Russia resume nuclear testing? The answer to that question must be a resounding “No.” Yet President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, eager to project strength, have raised fears that they may be moving to revive the dangerous practice. While the significance of testing nuclear...
Jonah Goldberg: Presidents can no longer be trusted with pardons
Ours is a system of “checks and balances.” The president can do this or that, but the courts and Congress can put a stop to it. When the courts rule that the executive branch can’t do something, Congress can write a new law saying the president can do it. When...
Letter to the editor: Rather have Pelosi than Trump
To the writer of the letter “Good riddance to Pelosi” (Nov. 14, TribLive): I am a Democrat, and I never liked her either. But I would rather have Pelosi on my side fighting against a so-called president who has been convicted of 34 felonies and who would rather send $20...
Letter to the editor: County’s paper ballot move political theater
This summer, 5,000 Westmoreland County residents, or 1.4% of the county population, signed a petition asking for paper ballots after GOP officials questioned electronic voting. In September, the county approved the change and spent over $40,000 to implement it. In November, of over 106,000 ballots cast, only 3,996 were on...
Editorial: Why won’t lawmakers consider a gift ban?
Why can’t Pennsylvania just have transparent government? Why is it so hard for the people to know who really is paying for the laws, the lawmakers and the influence? For nine years, March on Harrisburg has been — quite literally — marching on Harrisburg. The organization has returned to the...
Letter to the editor: County council’s leg shackles decision risks public’s safety
Recently Allegheny County Council voted to continue the ban on Allegheny County Jail correctional officers’ use of leg shackles on hospital runs by voting 12-2. One of the council members is in denial and continually cites state escape statistics showing no escapes when she knows there have been three incidents...
Christine Flowers: There’s a wholesale inhumanity happening now in immigration courts
Whenever I post something about a person who has been granted asylum, or who has obtained their green card, or who has become a U.S. citizen, people congratulate that person, and say “welcome to the country.” Many of the comments are incredibly warm, and they make me very proud of...
Cal Thomas: Republicans are failing to communicate
In the 1967 film “Cool Hand Luke,” the “Captain” says to Luke (Paul Newman): “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” The same could be said of the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress. While they have much to brag about — from a closed border, the deportation of...
Letter to the editor: Do the right thing and help those who need it
We all have a choice to do the right thing or not. All the millionaires, billionaires, trillionaires and zillionaires are very fortunate. Helping those who need help might not get you to heaven, but it’s a good start. Let me end with this: Way to go! Kudos! Don’t let me...
Letter to the editor: Free the Pittsburgh elephants
In April, I visited the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium and recorded hours of footage of the elephant paddock. With a mission for detecting abnormal signs and symptoms, what I found was deeply disturbing. In my opinion, these five intelligent creatures (Angeline, Savannah, Tasha, Victoria and Zuri) are suffering tremendously, driven...
Letter to the editor: Unfair license suspensions
A decade-long breakdown in Allegheny County’s Department of Court Records happened. Over 1,000 local residents are now receiving notices that their licenses will be suspended years after their court cases ended — in some cases, as long as 12 years ago. Here’s why this is a big deal, and what...
