Opinion category, Page 384
Letter to the editor: Historical review for Independence Day
Another Independence Day is upon us. Here’s a short review of why we broke away from England. It seems that Thomas Jefferson had a low opinion of King George III. The main problem was poor customer service. We oftentimes receive that same level of service now, but from our own...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: The politics of the Supreme Court
In the 1970 movie “Tora! Tora! Tora!” about the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the actor who played Japanese Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, the leader of the attack, said, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” Throughout our history,...
Sounding off: Raising age to buy a gun won’t stop violence
Eighteen is a very important number for teenagers. You are considered an adult in the eyes of the law. You could be drafted or enlist into the armed forces, and they would give you a gun. Eighteen-year-olds insisted that if they could be drafted, they should have the right to...
Greg Fulton: July Fourth and the American dream
We celebrate the Fourth of July as Independence Day because that is the date credited for when the Declaration of Independence was signed. The signing of the Declaration also represented the beginning of an experiment that the world had not witnessed before. It was the initial step in the creation...
Viewpoint 2: On Independence Day, we could do better
Independence Day is recognized across America as the day to celebrate freedom. As the popular song says, “I’m proud to be an American/Where at least I know I’m free.” Yet many people don’t feel terribly free. Some think the traditional American way of life is under attack. Others think that...
Viewpoint 1: Our freedoms are under attack
Recent headlines, from the Jan. 6 committee’s hearings to the Supreme Court rolling back the right to reproductive health care, profoundly implicate the freedom that many will celebrate this Independence Day. Opponents of democracy — a system that works best when it empowers people to have an equal say in...
Letter to the editor: Pro-life, then pro-strife
Hey lady, you gotta have that baby And sister, we don’t mean maybe. But when that bundle hits the floor, with a bawl and a shout You’ll find we’re pro-life while it’s inside, and pro-strife once it’s out. We packed the court, you can’t defeat us Oh, how we love...
Letter to the editor: Republicans not pro-death
I was dumbfounded after reading Harold Franklin Weaver’s letter “GOP not pro-life” (June 22, TribLIVE). His nonsensical rant attempted to label the GOP as hypocrites, but, really, paying “lip service to the fact that the Supreme Court is about to begin the process of dismantling Roe v. Wade”? He is...
Editorial: Why can’t Pennsylvania pass a budget on time?
The legislative process in Pennsylvania can take awhile. Government, after all, is not just about getting two parties to work together. It’s not even about the governor and the Legislature rowing the boat in the same direction. There is also the challenge of focusing 253 lawmakers on the task at...
Letter to the editor: Timing everything for trail extension in Export
I appreciated the editorial “Businesses and trails should be partners, not rivals” (June 15, TribLIVE). As a business owner and member of the Export Business Group, I see daily the value of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail as a recreational asset and as an opportunity to connect new customers to the...
Gary Franks: Republicans believe in God; Democrats, not so much
The Supreme Court has had to deal with three issues that seem to bring God back into the conversation. In all three, the inclusion of religious sentiment has prevailed. And I applaud the decisions. The three decisions affect prayer, school choice and abortion. On religion, America is changing. Until 2013,...
S.E. Cupp: The Trump movie is a horror show
It’s like something out of a bad Hollywood script. Our overheated action movie opens in the West Wing. An aide hears a noise coming from the hallway. She sees “the president’s valet in the dining room, changing the table cloth, ketchup dripping down the wall, a porcelain plate shattered on...
Rob Altenburg: Supreme Court hurts EPA’s ability to fight pollution
The Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia vs. EPA is a major setback and hobbles the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate the pollution that causes climate change, but it doesn’t stop Pennsylvania from taking necessary steps here at home. The court’s ruling may have far-reaching consequences...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Progress has lurched backward
This is not just another setback. Anyone who’s lived long enough has seen the Supreme Court issue a ruling they didn’t like. This is not that. No, what made the ruling that felled Roe v. Wade and its companion case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, more than just another disappointment, what...
Colin McNickle: Pa.’s private jobs conundrum
Pennsylvania’s private employment and labor force are trailing national gains and lagging far behind the fast-growth states as the economic recovery from the covid-19 pandemic continues, finds a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. And one of the root causes is the state’s latest exercise in its...
Letter to the editor: Safety trumps privacy
Here is a thought. Whenever there is a mass shooting, authorities check the shooter’s social media accounts and find all kinds of red flags. Why not check social media accounts as part of the background check for red flags? Some may say this would be an invasion of privacy. Doesn’t...
Letter to the editor: Who knows what’s next for women, and others?
Congratulations, Republicans. You have successfully removed women’s rights to govern their own bodies. Well done, indeed. With that pesky task completed, we can’t wait to see what you do next. Women being employed, driving or even being allowed to leave the house on their own might lead them astray. Surely,...
Letter to the editor: Stop corporate gouging
In 2021, oil and gas companies made billions in record profits and decided to give that money to executives and shareholders rather than help consumers by stabilizing gas prices. Exxon Mobil announced $23 billion in earnings in 2021, its highest in seven years. It is expected to generate $41 billion...
Lori Falce: The cautionary tale of Supreme Court precedent
We like to think of the law as something resolute as stone, strong as a diamond, immutable as iron. The law is the law. If it is flexible, what is the point? The law has to provide us the framework for society to function, and it cannot do that if...
Letter to the editor: What the real science world says about climate models
In his op-ed “The mathematical truth about climate change” (June 21, TribLIVE), Richard Krauland questions the validity of climate modeling. After much tortured reasoning, Krauland summarizes his arguments as follows: “Every single mathematical calculation actually serves to compound the error factor in the final answer. … Every complex computer model,...
Letter to the editor: Bridge accountability
Concerning the very, very concerning article about the “investigation” results released about the Fern Hollow bridge collapse (“Fern Hollow Bridge inspection troubling but did not suggest imminent danger, experts say”): Will we taxpayers ever get any true accountability from any of our “employees”? This article, the accompanying photograph and especially...
Laurels & lances: Signing up and paying back
Laurel: To celebrating a different kind of commitment. Senior year of high school can mean a lot of attention on next steps for some kids. There are big productions made out of the athletes who accept scholarships to play their sports for marquee colleges. Then there are the brainiacs who...
Letter to the editor: County Democrats need some new moves
Someone once said that doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. They must have been a member of the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee. Recently, the local party elected another white, stay-at-home, upper-class woman to be its party chair. This makes...
Letter to the editor: Roe v. Wade ruling sends women back to the past
Roe v. Wade overturned equals a big goodbye for American women’s freedom. Soon they will have us wearing burkas and veils so we don’t tempt those conservative upstanding males. I am so totally miffed. I’m 72-plus, so I don’t need to make any choices for abortion, but that doesn’t mean...
Editorial: Lawmakers should put teeth in police database law
In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer in Minneapolis ignited protests around the country, the state of Pennsylvania passed a law creating a database of law enforcement personnel records. The purpose was to prevent the shuffling of an officer with disciplinary problems...
