Sounding off: Letter-writers focus on Gaza, Fetterman, Parkway congestion, Tomlin

Ceasefire won’t work in Gaza

It’s clear that ceasefires have not brought peace in the Middle East, but instead prolonged the violence.

Over the past 80 years, terrorist groups have attacked Israel and frequently killed innocent civilians. And whenever Israel fights back to the verge of victory, the U.N. calls a ceasefire.

Ceasefires allow terrorists to get away with brutal violence without punishment. They also give terrorists the opportunity to re-arm and plan future attacks.

The real solution to ending bloodshed is to allow the fighting to continue until the bad guys are soundly defeated.

During World War II, the Nazis and Japanese were the bad guys, so the Allies bombed them unmercifully until they surrendered unconditionally. Now, both Germany and Japan are model members of the world community. If we would have allowed ceasefires during WWII, then we might still be dealing with the Nazi menace today.

The reason given for ceasefires is to protect civilian lives. Civilian lives were lost in Gaza because Hamas uses civilians as human shields by hiding their weapons and fighters near hospitals and schools. The only side deliberately targeting civilians is Hamas.

If we really want peace in the Middle East, we must stop ceasefires and allow Israel to completely obliterate the terrorists. Then Israelis and Palestinians could live together in peace and prosperity.

It’s disastrous that so-called smart people in government, universities and the U.N. don’t understand this.

Dave Majernik

Plum

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Fetterman, be a better man

Like many young Pennsylvanians, I’ve been disappointed to watch Sen. John Fetterman flounder in his elected role of representing us. We were told (by him and his family) that we would be getting a progressive champion of human rights, and instead we get a worse-dressed version of Sen. Joe Manchin, who built a career capitulating from special interest to special interest and ignoring the voices who spoke his name at the ballot box.

Sometimes it takes extra time to recognize a bully, and Fetterman’s recent tack of playing the victim from the left and the right while provoking both the left and the right is no different than the gaslighting style of an indicted former president. It’s gross, and it shows me that he isn’t taking his role seriously. I’m waiting for my apology.

Billy King

Dormont

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Look at causes when addressing Parkway congestion

I applaud the idea of improving the traffic flow along the Parkway East (“$142M in federal funding to address congestion, transit along Pittsburgh’s Parkway East,” Dec. 19, TribLive). We all know it’s a mess. But I think they are missing the mark.

Improving the shoulders so commuter buses will have a quicker trip, thus alleviating congestion, may help during rush hour, but how about the other 20 hours that it is congested?

May I suggest expanding the number of lanes of traffic on both sides of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel? Improve the on-ramps to help with merging traffic, and — a big one — increase the size of the tunnel itself. I don’t know if that is possible and what the cost would be, but that would help more travelers most of the time. The other big issue is that travelers always slow down driving up to the entrance to the tunnel. I don’t think that issue can ever be fixed.

I think the planners and engineers need to really study the causes, then come up with a solution that has a better chance of improving the situation.

Ron Giuliana

North Huntingdon

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Love the Steelers, but not Tomlin

Mark Madden’s column regarding the Dec. 16 loss to Indianapolis was spot on in every point (“Steelers’ loss to Colts another embarrassment for Mike Tomlin,” Dec. 17, TribLive). We have watched the loss of spirit, the poor decision-making, the relentless pursuit of mediocrity instead of excellence — since the opening kickoff against the 49ers.

Through it all, the Steelers continued to protect Coach Mike Tomlin at all costs, using every excuse and scapegoat in the book. After all, the team loves Tomlin.

I don’t like Tomlin … or Bill Cowher … or Chuck Noll … or the Rooney dynasty. I like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who win football games and put competitive players on the field.

A.M. MacGregor

Scranton

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Send some lottery proceeds to EMS providers

I’m sure most of us are aware of the mandate requiring the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to pay so much every year to PennDOT. We were reminded by the annual increase in tolls.

Those of us who keep up with the news are also aware of the dire financial crisis facing our EMS providers, with a case in point being the abrupt closure of Jeannette EMS, whose base was three blocks from my residence. They say every second counts in an emergency.

Here’s a suggestion: The Pennsylvania Lottery boasts, “Benefits older Pennsylvanians every day.” Well, the majority of those served by EMS are older Pennsylvanians. Why not direct some of the lottery proceeds to our EMS providers? The money could be allocated according to the population of the area served by a particular EMS.

Greg Stock

Jeannette

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Foie gras ban shows Pittsburgh’s compassion

I am in support of the recent ban on foie gras sale and production in the city of Pittsburgh, as it reflects our city’s progressiveness and commitment to a more compassionate future for all beings (“Pittsburgh bans foie gras, pauses efforts to bar fur sales, horse-drawn carriages,” Dec. 18, TribLive). With this ban on ethical grounds, we have joined the ranks of not only numerous places throughout the United States, but a growing list of 20 countries. This list includes countries like India, with a ban on both the sale and production of foie gras, and countries that have production bans like the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Norway.

Foie gras, for those unfamiliar, uses the cruel practice of gavage, where ducks and geese are force-fed enormous quantities of fat and grain through metal tubes inserted down their throats, leading to an unnatural swelling of their livers. This is both a physical and psychological torture that causes immense pain, respiratory distress and even death.

The cities, states and countries choosing to ban foie gras are a reflection of the conscious consumer that does not want to support animal suffering with their food choices and are demanding change.

Nicole Toney

North Side

The writer is a volunteer with Humane Action Pittsburgh.

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Consumers would pay bills for carbon regulation

The Dec. 14 op-ed “Legislators should come to table for Pa.’s energy future” (Dec. 14, TribLive) offers “a form of cap-and-invest carbon regulation for the power sector” as an alternative to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). However, cap-and-invest is just a scheme by another name to impose costs on society through higher electricity prices for no benefit.

Both would charge power plants for carbon dioxide they emit. Government bureaucracies would reap billions in revenue, and the politically connected and financially clever would profit. Paying the bill would be consumers already suffering from the inflationary effects of bad policy.

As the CO2 Coalition’s 2021 analysis of RGGI concluded, the environmental effect of such regulation would be too small to measure and the economic impact harmful to consumers.

The op-ed writers accept a false premise that carbon dioxide threatens to overheat the planet. However, predictions of climate doom rely on exaggerations of CO2’s warming effect and failed computer simulations.

In fact, CO2 is a beneficial gas necessary for life. Research shows that increased CO2 levels from human activity since the Industrial Revolution have increased crop production up to 140% and enhanced plant growth worldwide. More CO2 is good.

Gregory Wrightstone

Arlington, Va.

The writer is executive director of the CO2 Coalition and author of “A Very Convenient Warming.”