Letter to the editor: Inhumanity of ICE raids hard to defend
I was appalled after reading the article by Paula Reed Ward about local ICE raids (“‘Lives shattered’: Emiliano’s vows to reopen after feds seize 16 in immigration raid,” Aug. 7, TribLive). The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on these restaurants were not done to simply detain “illegal aliens,”...
Letter to the editor: Alzheimer’s and early diagnosis, ASAP
My inspiration to work with the Alzheimer’s Association was my sister, who was diagnosed at 47; she passed away this past August at 57. We were a year apart, and she was my person; my best friend. Alzheimer’s runs strong in my family, and while I’m no longer fighting for...
Letter to the editor: Pride in America lost under Trump
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the recent Netflix documentary, “Miracle:The Boys of ‘80,” the story of our USA hockey team which miraculously defeated Russia 45 years ago in Lake Placid, N.Y. It reminded me that intense pride in America is an emotion I’ve totally lost under President Trump’s unbridled, authoritarian presidency....
Letter to the editor: Pa. needs statewide solution to housing shortage
Pennsylvania faces a housing shortage. Young professionals can’t afford homes near new jobs, families fail to bid for starter homes and seniors looking to downsize lack options in longtime communities. As the region’s economic center, Pittsburgh attracts workers and investment, but zoning regulations and red tape often make it easier...
Letter to the editor: A halftime show plan we can all agree on
Since the Super Bowl halftime show became a lightning rod for controversy, I would like to propose a new halftime show solution. Before the season, each of the 32 NFL teams will choose a musical artist that represents their city. The NFL team whose fanbase donates the most to food...
Letter to the editor: Planned Parenthood provides essential services
Everybody deserves the right to control their bodies, lives and futures. Lawmakers and public officials hostile to abortion want to attack Planned Parenthood and strip people of essential health care. Elected officials are supposed to help the communities they serve. Instead, these public officials are trying to shut down a...
Letter to the editor: Evil rules the world
Are you aware that a new batch of Epstein files has just been released, over 3 million pages, or were you too busy preparing for Super Bowl festivities? This trove of documents, with millions more still unreleased, has exposed the extent of Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and control among the world’s...
Letter to the editor: Donald Trump defined
During the five years in which Donald Trump has occupied the White House, many things have become known about who and what he is, his character, moral standards and fitness for office. The following is an incomplete list of the words that I think best describe the man America elected...
Letter to the editor: For Pitt, football is only a game
I am a longtime Pitt football fan, from the vindictive Southern officials in Pitt’s ’50s Sugar Bowl games, through the 9-1 ‘63 season, the woeful following decade until the arrival of Johnny Majors, Jackie Sherrill, Jimmy Johnson and all the good local coaches, foremost, Foge Fazio, Junkos, et al. We...
Letter to the editor: Trump acts while Dems do nothing
Every day we are inundated by the Democrats and their media acolytes with negative reports about President Trump and anything he is trying to accomplish. The Media Research Center’s survey covering Trump’s first year in office shows the AP has an over 90% negative reporting record on Trump. So here’s...
Letter to the editor: Why were protesters there, in Minnesota?
A loss of life at any time is tragic. What happened in Minnesota, a loss of two lives, is unthinkable. Watching this unfold on television brought to mind that although they have a right to “peaceably” assemble, the question remains, why were “they” there? Sonia Porco New Kensington...
Letter to the editor: In praise of Super Bowl commercials
Super Bowl season is always a fun time of the year, and not just for football fans. The very talented people who make the incredibly entertaining commercials outdo themselves every year. My favorite hands down is for our Pennsylvania Lottery featuring Gus (the second most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania.) on...
Letter to the editor: Is Trump trying to rig midterms?
I hope you remember that President Trump, in his flurry of efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, attempted to disenfranchise the entire commonwealth of Pennsylvania “because some counties contacted and permitted voters to fix mistakes with their mail-in ballot declarations while others did not.” Fortunately, Judge Matthew...
Letter to the editor: Support for drug overdose survivors
The Westmoreland County LOSS (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors) Team has added a DOSS (Drug Overdose Survivor Support) Team. The LOSS Team began responding to suicides in June 2023. Hundreds of families have been impacted by our efforts. We are hoping to expand our reach with the DOSS Team. LOSS/DOSS...
Letter to the editor: Don’t expect McCormick to protect Pa.
Over the past year, I have written many times to Sen. Dave McCormick about my concerns about democracy in the United States and seeing fascism arrive here. My letters to him included encouraging him to stand up for democracy and condemn political violence. He repeatedly sends me a rote letter...
Letter to the editor: Defendant transport responsibility belongs to police
Due to the increases in the lawful duties of the Sheriff’s Office, we are unable to continue the transport of defendants from the county jail to district judges for preliminary hearings. The responsibility for transporting defendants to district judges is with the arresting agency. The officer who signed the criminal...
Letter to the editor: Enforcing our immigration laws
America has been enforcing immigration laws since 1876. Every president before President Trump (except for Joe Biden) enforced our laws. President Obama put detainees in temporary cages; President Clinton used heavily armed agents to forcefully remove a 6-year-old kid in Florida and deport him to Cuba. There can be only...
Letter to the editor: Nonprofits need to pay up
PNC and UPMC have given the city of Pittsburgh large donations to purchase city vehicles. Let’s give them a hand. But I have a better idea that would double or triple the size of their donations. Make all nonprofits, large and small, in the city of Pittsburgh pay taxes instead....
Letter to the editor: Gainey on gaming board?
Regarding the article “Ed Gainey gets new job on Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board” (Feb. 6, TribLive): Couldn’t help but chuckle, and cry, about this announcement. So a mayor who for years came up with numbers for the city budget that had no basis in reality, according to the comptroller, is...
Letter to the editor: Firefighters should have a say on new station
I am concerned about the way recent disagreements between Hempfield Township supervisors and the volunteers who run the Adamsburg station of the Hempfield Volunteer Fire Department were handled by the supervisors. Initially, the supervisors had planned to spend over $1 million in new taxpayer funds on a new station without...
Letter to the editor: No one is above the law
At a Jan. 22 congressional hearing, Jack Smith testified, “Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power.” The Republican congressmen on the Judicial Committee chose not...
Letter to the editor: Trump doesn’t act like a president
Donald Trump’s supporters pretend puzzlement over the anger directed at him. They forget that, before Trump declared his candidacy in 2015, politicians did not ordinarily engage in bald-faced lies, cruel slanders, snarky contempt or foul language. Personally, I will refer to him as “President” when he starts acting like one....
Letter to the editor: Stopping ICE terror
It’s incredible to see the outpouring of support for Oakmont resident José Flores (“Fundraiser for family of Oakmont man detained by ICE raises more than $75K,” Feb. 2, TribLive). He fled Nicaragua and with an active asylum case, work permit and no criminal record, he worked at Oakmont Bakery. Nevertheless,...
Letter to the editor: Protect Pa.’s endangered species
I hear the call of chicka-dee-dee from the Carolina chickadee and the chirp of northern cardinals outside my window. These birds have opened my eyes to the nature and diversity around me, but they have no idea what may be in store for their endangered counterparts. Congress has proposed bills...
Bee Vang: What Clint Eastwood’s ‘Gran Torino’ got right — and what America refused to learn
There was a deep chill in the air the day President Donald Trump said he’d consider invoking the Insurrection Act after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in south Minneapolis. Something came to mind: Inhumanity follows atrocities as the “jackal follows the wounded beast.” That...