Opinion category, Page 449
Letter to the editor: Live reindeer should not be part of holiday displays
My concerns about the reindeer display at the Sewickley Light Up Night were realized when I went to observe and document the conditions for myself. The deer — a mother and her daughter named Ginger — were standing for hours on concrete, with no hay or soft substrate underneath their...
Letter to the editor: Mask mandates and rising crime rates
Remember the days when only criminals wore masks to hide their identity? The current mask mandates are the perfect cover for those wanting to rob, rape, murder or commit any other nefarious crimes. Is it a surprise that crime rates have risen dramatically? Why is no one talking about this?...
Letter to the editor: Concerns about mining in Derry
Are you aware that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has given permission to Rosebud Mining Co. to mine coal on 3,012.5 acres of ground in Derry Township? Rosebud is awaiting a permit to open its first deep-shaft mine (Davis Mine). However, there are critical concerns. The area is directly...
Editorial: Why doesn’t PUC monitor more water authorities?
When it comes to how much public services cost in Pennsylvania, the answer can generally be boiled down to one thing: The state is divided into a lot more pots than necessary. The Keystone State has a population of 12.8 million. Illinois’ is close at 12.67 million. But where the...
Letter to the editor: Is anyone listening to God?
In a Christmas song, there is a line, “Do you hear what I hear?” I hear because God is talking to us. No one seems to be listening, because we do not want to know that the fear and suffering and death being caused by the coronavirus and all its...
Tom Purcell: The merry return of Christmas cards
Christmas card trends are telling — they speak to the mood of the country — and this year’s trend offers some positive news. According to The Washington Post, hand-written “snail-mailed” Christmas cards are all the rage, particularly among millennials who all of a sudden are spending more on Christmas cards...
Mark Hendrickson: The Biden administration’s ongoing ill-timed battle against fossil fuels
A few months ago, I wrote about President Biden’s anti-fossil fuel policies. Among other steps designed to restrict domestic production of oil and natural gas, the president canceled completion of the Keystone XL pipeline, banned drilling for oil in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and greatly curtailed the issuance of leases...
Cheri Gensel: Pa. union bills would give teachers back their voices
When I traveled to Harrisburg recently to testify at a public hearing on labor reform bills that are important to me as a teacher, I was nervous about some of the questions I might get from lawmakers who disagreed with me. What I didn’t expect was that they wouldn’t even...
Letter to the editor: Deputy AG Kirkpatrick should resign
Regarding the story “Pennsylvania Supreme Court hears arguments over school mask mandate” (Dec. 8, TribLIVE): It is no wonder lawyers get a bad name. All you have to do is read Senior Deputy Attorney General Sean Kirkpatrick’s new argument about Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam’s mask order. He twists the...
Letter to the editor: How about another impeachment?
Some naive letter-writers have joined a coterie of unscrupulous entities, including Big Tech, fake news and academia, who aligned themselves against President Trump. They provided a relentless barrage of unfounded aspersions and were able to sway enough android voters to defeat Trump. They now own President Biden and share responsibility...
Editorial: Court ruling addresses mask mandate, not safety
The legal back and forth is over and done. Pennsylvania’s mask mandate for schools is kaput. So now what? Now it is up to school districts to decide whether they are going to keep the kids covered or not. That, after all, is what so many schools and parents were...
Letter to the editor: Covid is what ‘ruins lives’
I have seen many dumb statements made on this page, but the letter by Michael Arnone is quite possibly the winner (“Don’t worry about the unvaxxed,” Dec. 2, TribLIVE). He says vaccine mandates are “ruining people’s lives” and that, since the vaccine works, the vaccinated shouldn’t care if others get...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 13
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 13....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 13
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 13....
Mona Charen: Can we talk about abortion without tearing each other apart?
Those of us who have long criticized Roe v. Wade for usurping the power of legislatures to make serious policy decisions must now contemplate the reality that We the People may yet get a chance to legislate on this fraught matter. Hold the brass bands. Are we capable of discussion...
Michael Torres: Pa. Democrats have a union problem
When Joe Biden kicked off his presidential campaign in April 2019 at the Teamsters Local 249 union hall in Pittsburgh, he declared himself a “union man,” sounding a theme that he repeated during his more than 25 campaign visits to the state. When Election Day came, however, Biden lost the...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: It’s time to do something about books
Once again, carnage goes to school. Once again, American students are used for target practice. But conservative leaders are on the case. Recognizing the ongoing threat to our children, they know it’s time for decisive action. It’s time to do something about books. And if you expected that sentence to...
Letter to the editor: An absolute cure for the virus of sin
Our media is saturated with news of “variants” entering our society, and this is causing global stress, anxiety and panic. Variant can be defined as “a form or version of something that differs from other forms.” Each Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the most important healing variant to arrive...
Editorial: Get vaccinated to save hospital beds
There are just too many covid patients and not enough care to go around. Hospitals across the state are reporting numbers that are pushing them to the edge. UPMC facilities are reporting that they are at or over capacity. Allegheny Health Network is similarly taxed. Excela is shifting or canceling...
Letter to the editor: Don’t leave Pa. seniors behind
Senior living communities in Pennsylvania have worked tirelessly over the lengthy covid-19 pandemic to protect their residents and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Unfortunately, while these communities have been quick to respond to the pandemic, the federal government continues to drag its feet in getting these caregivers the relief...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: A lesson on power from the smiling pope
The old silver coin that was cast to commemorate the election of Pope John Paul I is well tarnished now and still in the frame it was placed in nearly 40 years ago. Quickly dubbed “The Smiling Pope,” Albino Luciani died suddenly in 1978 after 33 days as pope. But...
Ari Mittleman: Jews need passionate allies
Gov. Tom Wolf visited the Tree of Life - Or L’Simcha in Pittsburgh on Dec. 6. Joined by Rabbi Jeffrey Myers and state Sen. Jay Costa, he announced an investment of $6.6 million in state funding to transform the devastated synagogue into a place of hope, remembrance and education. For...
Sounding off: Political posturing is not healing covid
Medical problems are best solved by medical guidance and practices; medical problems are seldom solved by political posturing. Political posturing does not heal; it creates deeper hurts and social damages. Watching news stories, reading Trib stories and letters to the editors, or driving by some local schools allows us to...
Brianna Amoscato: I took a moment in my classroom to learn tolerance
A poster with the word WEIRD written in purple ink hangs in my classroom, documenting one of the most important teachable moments of my career. At the beginning of the year, my third graders took part in a self-portrait project about the visible and invisible characteristics of ourselves. I showed...
Colin McNickle: Advice for Pittsburgh’s new mayor
Ed Gainey becomes Pittsburgh’s 57th mayor next month. And as per the Allegheny Institute’s long-running custom, it has compiled a list of recommendations for the incoming city leader and, by extension, Pittsburgh City Council. “While the city has exited distressed status and oversight, addressed its underfunded pension plans by using...
