Opinion category, Page 247
Tom Purcell: The delicious history of pumpkin pie
I love pumpkin pie. It reminds me of so many happy family gatherings when, after clearing the Thanksgiving table, we’d enjoy pumpkin pie, coffee and deeply satisfying conversation well into the evening. My mother’s pumpkin pie has a thick, fluffy crust. She bakes her pies “well done” with a slight...
Jackie Calmes: The GOP shutdown drama in Washington costs us plenty, even when Congress averts a stoppage
Tired of Congress’ repeated partisan standoffs every time a big fiscal deadline approaches, like last week’s? Weary of the breathless cable coverage of looming government shutdowns or debt defaults, knowing the partisans (almost) always come to some 11th-hour compromise, as they did last week? Or have you tuned out by...
Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis and Anita Prizio: Opening the door to people-based economic development in Western Pennsylvania
They say that, when one door closes, another opens. Western Pennsylvania lost its bid for a regional hydrogen hub this October as the Decarbonization Network of America (DNA) hydrogen hub project failed to win federal funding from the Department of Energy. It’s a hit to business leaders and the oil...
Letter to the editor: Democratic Socialists of America part of anti-Israel protests
I read with great interest the article “Who is leading protests against Israel?” (Nov. 17). I was surprised that the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) was not mentioned. Other news sources have identified the DSA as organizing the massive pro-Palestine/anti-Israel marches in New York City. They were also involved in...
Letter to the editor: Trump should be in jail
I have to agree with those saying that Donald Trump is being treated unfairly during his indictments — anyone else would already be in jail, fined and treated like the pariah they are for such unlawful conduct. I strongly urge everyone to read the actual court document from Jack Smith...
Letter to the editors: Experience, qualifications more important than being pro-choice
Holy Nightmare, Batman! The Democratic voters in Allegheny County put an inexperienced, unqualified person in an executive position that oversees a budget of billions and 7,500-plus employees. But of course she is pro-choice … like it matters! Joe Marmo Cheswick...
Letter to the editor: County should aid Independence Health System
Westmoreland County has tens of millions of unspent “covid dollars.” Our politicians are currently debating how to spend this money. One of the most affected “industries” of the pandemic is our local health system striving to compete with UPMC, AGH, etc. Independence Health System (formerly Excela) finds itself tens of...
Editorial: In Allegheny County, party politics is more complicated than it seems
It might seem like politics is utterly binary. It is black and white — or more aptly, Democratic blue and Republican red. The increasingly ugly and polarized divides at every level of government bear that out. People bracing themselves for uncomfortable conversations with relatives on Thanksgiving is another measure. But...
Letter to the editor: We’re at critical mass, and we must slow it down
In nuclear physics, a critical mass is the smallest mass of a fissionable material needed to produce a self-sustaining chain reaction. In general terms, a critical mass is the number or amount of something (or anything) that is needed to cause a particular result. In the U.S., we have reached...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 20
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 20....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 20
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 20....
Letter to the editor: River can bring prosperity to Kiski valley
Living in the Kiski area for about six years now, it appears to me that there are many roads to prosperity if we choose to take them. River frontage is a valuable commodity for any area. We have a river that is compatible for fishing and boating. If the riverfront...
Letter to the editor: Israel hasn’t behaved as an ally
I commend the writer of the factual letter “U.S. complicit in crimes against humanity” (Nov. 10, TribLIVE) about 75 years of crimes against the Palestinian people. However, she fails to point out Israel’s history of blatant deception, duplicity and actual treachery against the U.S. itself. I am constantly amazed how...
Editorial: The Kiski School is latest to struggle with coeducation
Coeducational learning has a complicated history in America, and it always has. Harvard opened its doors in 1636. It went without saying that this classically English college, intended to educate Puritan ministers, was focused solely on teaching men. The University of Pennsylvania was the first college in the Keystone State....
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Bar fights holding Republicans back from helping America
The philosopher George Santayana captured the essence of bar fights when he wrote, “… if men have nothing else to fight over they will fight over words, fancies or women, or they will fight because they dislike each other’s looks, or because they have met walking in opposite directions.” But...
Erwin Chemerinsky: Supreme Court finally has a code of ethics, but it has a fatal flaw
Although it is welcome and overdue that the Supreme Court finally adopted an ethics code for its justices on Monday, the approach is seriously flawed in that it includes no enforcement mechanism. Instead it continues to leave it to each justice to decide whether to be recused in a particular...
Carl P. Leubsdorf: 60 years ago, in Dallas
It was one of those mild November days, typical of Washington autumns, the temperature pushing 70. Because I worked nights, I was trying to nap between picking up the 3-year-old at play school and her older siblings at 3. But excited voices interrupting the music on my favorite oldies station...
Sounding off: Biden, Trump, Middle East, gun laws among topics on readers’ minds
Biden not ‘destroying America’ I take most letters to the editor with a grain of salt, but “Biden destroying America” (Nov. 6, TribLIVE) was so off the grid I decided to look up the writer’s “facts” Regarding “opening our borders to millions”: There have been a lot of mistakes made,...
Letter to the editor: Data will show benefits of CNX agreement
Our modern world is driven by data. Hospitals use it to predict patient needs, engineers use it to analyze traffic patterns; the examples are endless. And in Pennsylvania, a public-private partnership between state government and CNX will use real-time environmental data of natural gas development to inform the public and...
Editorial: More disclosure from Pitt, Penn State is progress
Pennsylvania residents should expect a certain degree of openness from the institutions that serve them. Lawmakers should not just debate legislation openly, but they also should be crystal clear about the funding that keeps them in office. Counties and municipalities should govern in the light of day. School district decisions...
Letter to the editor: Kudos to Valley High School Drama Club
Kudos to the Valley High School Drama Club for presenting a drama based on a true story. We often hear the pejorative, “kids these days.” However, if “adults these days” provide the appropriate guidance/opportunity, “kids these days” can rise to the challenge. It is the fashion for high school theater...
S.E. Cupp: Blame Trump for the fist fights on Capitol Hill
In San Francisco federal court on Tuesday, David DePape tearfully told a jury how he’d become radicalized by far-right conspiracy theories he’d devoured on YouTube podcasts. He’d listen all day, he said, ultimately coming to believe in the kind of baseless political quackery that’s come to define a wing of...
Guy Ciarrocchi: The parties have irreconcilably different visions for America
“It’s so nice to have Representative Jones, who’s a Republican, and Representative Smith, a Democrat, with us today. Even though they belong to different parties, we know that we all want the same thing for our community, and our nation.” As the former CEO of the Chester County Chamber, I...
Letter to the editor: Republicans must pull together
I hope new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson can pull the Republicans together. They used to be conservative and would fight for their principles. I realize that compromise is sometimes necessary, but there comes a time to stand firm and fight for their beliefs. Many Republicans are either RINOs...
Letter to the editor: Think before voting for Trump
In an interview on Univision on Nov. 9, Enrique Acevedo asked Donald Trump about the legacy of his three Supreme Court justice nominations. Trump said: “We were able to stop a very radical agenda … killing babies after birth, killing babies in the ninth month, etc. … “Many great decisions...
