Opinion category, Page 26
Letter to the editor: Extinguishing the monarchs
They came. Migrants from Mexico, in their orange and black. Making their way through Texas and Louisiana, stopping in Florida and traveling up the East Coast, as far as Canada. The monarch butterfly, one of nature’s many miracles. They came. In the dark of night, wearing protective gear. Broadcast spraying...
Editorial: RFK Jr.’s vision for the CDC should alarm Congress
Susan Monarez’s 28-day tenure as the nation’s top public health official was doomed from the start. Her boss, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., wanted her to do two things: champion his dubious anti-vaccine agenda and uphold “gold-standard science” at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recognizing the conflict, Monarez chose...
Letter to the editor: Kirk not responsible for his death
The headline “Kirk’s campus event polarizing” on page A7 of Thursday’s print edition is a bit perplexing as a continuation of the front-page story by the Associated Press. Nowhere does the article quote Utah Valley University students at the event expressing such an opinion. Much of the mainstream media chimes...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 15
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 15....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Sept. 15
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Sept. 15...
Letter to the editor: Long past time for a gun violence solution
Senseless, hate-filled violence occurs daily from people on both sides. The two parties need to find common ground with policy, particularly gun reform. Gun reform is not gun control. It is a common ground. Children are dying, as are political podcasters who spewed hate. I do not applaud the senseless...
Letter to the editor: Kirk was far from hateful
And so another act of political violence has taken a life; and a wife and two small children are left without a husband and father. That scenario alone, without delving into the whos, whats and whys, should be enough to make normal people feel somber and sad for our country...
Editorial: State budget crisis is forcing Westmoreland Co.’s hand
Westmoreland County Commissioners are putting the brakes on spending. That makes sense. The county is not exactly swimming in cash. In December 2023, commissioners pivoted toward a last-minute tax increase to address shortfalls. Both the Republican majority and Democratic minority on the board agreed the county was in financial difficulty...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s response to Kirk’s death hypocritical
In his response to the murder of Charlie Kirk, President Trump said, “It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most...
Letter to the editor: Kirk’s assassination a bellwether event
We live in confusing times, with Charlie Kirk’s political assassination serving as a bellwether event. Is there truth? Is there absolute truth? Where does truth emanate from? Is the United States a Judeo-Christian enterprise guided by natural law? If you enter a debate, one deconstructs your opponent’s argument, exposing the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Pittsburgh must be itself
As Pittsburgh’s leaders search for a path to a happier and healthier city, they can find some solid advice in Alan Ehrenhalt’s recent article in Governing magazine, “A Message to Struggling Cities: Be Yourself.” “When it comes to generating a revival, trying to copy what has succeeded somewhere else usually...
Angeles Ponpa: Why young people don’t run for office
One of the first lessons I learned when I tried to run for local office is that politics is less about ideas than it is about paperwork. I was in my early 20s, excited to run for alderman. I thought I could bring fresh energy to my community. At the...
Ro Khanna, Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride: Revive America’s innovation economy before it’s too late
For decades, the United States has been the world leader in innovation. Generations of business, political and educational leaders evolved a balanced system of public-private partnerships, deep science funding and support for small and emerging businesses. All Americans had a hand in creating a culture that celebrates a unique level...
Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin: Who was Charlie Kirk? The activist who turned campus politics into national influence
The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed attention to the climate of political violence in the United States. To many, Kirk was not just another partisan commentator. He was one of the...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s ‘accomplishments’
The letter “Instead of right and left, let’s look at what Trump has accomplished” (July 25, TribLive) didn’t mention any accomplishments. It seems that if you don’t go along with President Trump’s every whim, you have Trump derangement syndrome. Let’s go over Trump’s accomplishments. War in Ukraine is still raging....
Letter to the editor: Kirk’s death should not be celebrated
The assassination of patriot Charlie Kirk was horrific and devastating. While most Americans are mourning this loss, there are some celebrating this killing. My friend was at a doctor’s office when they announced that Kirk was dead. She was in shock and saddened by this act of hatred. A man...
Editorial: Politics should not have a body count
When we look at our history, it is a timeline where the major marks are often political and frequently violent — and too regularly both. This is not unique to America. It is not a problem of modern history. It is global and timeless. Assassination has changed the face of...
S.E. Cupp: Kirk assassination shows that America is broken
Charlie Kirk was in the middle of a college campus, as he had probably been hundreds of times before. He was surrounded by a mix of supporters and critics of the influential MAGA youth leader. The large, all-caps block writing above his head read, “PROVE ME WRONG.” Kirk’s project was...
Cal Thomas: The girl on the train
She fled Ukraine for fear she might be killed in the war with Russia and came to America where she thought she might be safe. She was wrong. Iryna Zarutska, 23, was sitting alone on a train in Charlotte, N.C., when a security camera showed a man getting up from...
Derek Dressler: Killing pundits is killing our nation
What can be said that hasn’t already? Political violence has no place in ordered society. It is a hallmark of this nation — since its forebears’ earliest thoughts — that the most powerful tool in politics was the pen, not the sword. In 1787, James Madison wrote of political violence...
Letter to the editor: Heartbreaking future of America
I was away from Westmoreland County for the two weeks traveling in South Africa. Our tour guide was a white South African who lived through apartheid. He is none too pleased with the U.S president, as he sees the kind of tyranny he lived with during apartheid. The disparity between...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh needs commuter rail line
When I visited Pittsburgh this summer I was very impressed with its public transportation network, Pittsburgh Regional Transit. However, I feel as though it is missing a key element: a commuter rail line. Said commuter rail line should replace the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway and run all the...
Lori Falce: Finding a solution to political violence is science fiction
One of the best things that my husband gave me was an introduction to “Doctor Who.” Yes, I know, you are here for the politics on a week where the news is kind of noteworthy. But trust me, we’ll get there. We just have a slight sci-fi detour. I resisted...
Editorial: Cleanup & questions
Laurel: To cleaner water. When you live near waterways, you know that sometimes things end up there that shouldn’t. It might be trash. It might be chemicals. It might be sewage. But often it’s tires. There is no way of knowing how many tires end up in rivers, lakes or...
Letter to the editor: Trump and Hitler? No comparison.
As one whose parents were Jewish Holocaust survivors, I am offended by those writers and political pundits who use references to Hitler and Nazism as an anti-Trump talking point (“Republicans following orders,” Sept. 3, TribLive). By doing so they negate the actual horrors of those who suffered under the Nazi...
