Opinion category, Page 463
Dr. Andrew Smolar: Why telling the truth matters
When I attended college in the 1980s, cheating on tests was forbidden. If you were caught, your reputation and record were ruined. Since then, academic cheating has become more common. Patients who are college students tell me that “only suckers” avoid shortcuts or won’t skirt the rules for A’s. I’ve...
Letter to the editor: Churches’ role in hatred, homophobia
Too often, “Christian” churches have been directly responsible for nurturing an environment of hatred and homophobia that enables, emboldens and excuses violence, discrimination and legislation against our LGBTQ community members. Christian churches must speak out loudly, boldly and frequently against such attitudes and actions, recognizing that all people are beloved...
Letter to the editor: Making Dilbert proud
I had the best laugh of this year reading the story “Quality assurance manager hired for Westmoreland elections, pay is $80K” (Oct. 21, TribLIVE). The $80,000/year salary ($20,000 more than first planned) and hiring of a “former controller with oil and gas company Huntley & Huntley” seemed off to me...
Letter to the editor: MLB hypocrites
The political activist known as Major League Baseball (MLB), along with the Pittsburgh Pirates, decided to punish the working citizens of Atlanta and move the 2021 All-Star Game. Fortunately, woke elements who subscribe to cancel culture are dealing with a phenomenon that doesn’t discriminate. The Atlanta Braves are the National...
Editorial: Turnpike’s PennDOT payments lower but results still felt
The Pennsylvania Turnpike has several ins and outs as it winds its way through Westmoreland County. On Thursday, another one was announced after years of lobbying by locals. The Turnpike Commission gave the official go-ahead to an interchange in Penn Township at Route 130. The specifics of when the project...
Letter to the editor: Providing love, care for rescued animals
Animal hoarding is a complex issue with far-reaching effects that encompass mental health, animal welfare and public safety concerns. I thank you for the recent coverage of the collaborative response to such a situation, “Dozens of dogs, cats removed from Carrick home; most in good condition” (Oct. 13, TribLIVE). Since...
Letter to the editor: Gun violence is killing and traumatizing our kids
I’ve already lost my brother to gun violence. I refuse to lose my son, too, amid a surge of shootings that are killing, injuring and traumatizing our youth at a scale I’ve never seen. A few weeks ago, my 14-year-old son and his friends were pulling up to the Haunted...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: An American Colosseum
In 2017, when Facebook allowed users to react to articles with an “angry” emoji in addition to “like” and other symbols, the change was good for business. The option to express anger kept more users engaged on the social media site. But when Facebook gave more weight to “angry” reactions,...
Sounding off: Is our Constitution in trouble?
“Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.” Lavrentiy Beria, the most ruthless secret police chief in Josef Stalin’s reign of terror, bragged that he could prove criminal conduct on anyone, even those not guilty of criminal conduct. America’s present-day Beria is Nancy Pelosi, and her proof is...
Mark St. Cyr: In opioid crisis, guilty must be held accountable
You might have heard of Pittsburgh native Michael Keaton’s new Hulu series “Dopesick.” The series follows Keaton’s Dr. Finnix, a doctor coerced by a pharmaceutical salesman to prescribe more opioids to his patients in a rural Virginia mountain town. Sound familiar? The series is based on Beth Macy’s 2018 book...
Maryann Gray: The anguish of unintentional killing — and how Alec Baldwin can learn to cope with it
Even as he is surrounded by loving friends and family, actor Alec Baldwin may well feel all alone in the world. In a split second, he learned how capricious life can be, and how we have far less control over ourselves and our world than we like to believe. By...
Letter to the editor: Bob Nutting’s genius
Some day, Pirates owner Bob Nutting will be recognized for his business acumen. Harvard will teach a course on his brilliant business model. He markets an inferior product to loyal fans year after year. Next year, $5 for those cheap hot dogs and $10 draft beers. Go Buccos! Joe Marmo...
Letter to the editor: False information on ivermectin
Ivermectin is considered a “wonder drug” by many doctors. It has been around since the 1970s, curing millions from many of the world’s worst parasitic infections. The two doctors who developed it were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Not only is ivermectin used in poorer counties for parasites, it...
Editorial: Kids rely on adults for safety – including vaccines
Getting a kid to take a shot can be more stressful for parents than for the children themselves. Don’t believe it? Watch a mom or dad holding a baby getting an injection at a six-month appointment. It’s clearly a bullet that the parents would take themselves if they could. It’s...
Letter to the editor: Help our special-needs workers
Parents of special-needs adults and facilities like Clelian Heights workshop must relentlessly fight for their children, while the government attempts to force them into a position that’s unsafe. My son brought home papers stating that a coalition had to be formed and experts in policy development needed to be hired...
S.E. Cupp: Conservatives delighting in Baldwin’s pain show how far we’ve fallen
He’s, admittedly, a fairly unsympathetic figure. Alec Baldwin, the actor, short-time talk show host, Donald Trump impersonator and longtime blowhard and villain of the right, has said and done some pretty lamentable things over the past few decades. He’s been sued for assault in several attacks on paparazzi. He was...
John Stossel: Lessons from Venezuela
Democrats say President Biden won “a strong mandate.” His government can do all sorts of good things! I don’t believe he has a mandate, but thanks to the selfishness of former President Trump, Democrats control Congress, and that may give them power to shove their worst ideas down our throats....
Emily Howe and Laura Chu Wiens: 4 ways Pittsburgh’s mayor must improve public transit
Pittsburgh depends on public transit. Recent Census numbers tell us that more than 50,000 Pittsburghers — more than 17% of our city’s population — use public transit to commute to work every day. Add students, the unemployed and other noncommuters, and the number of transit riders is much higher. In...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Power unrestrained serves only itself
As police misbehavior goes, it was a small thing. No one was killed, or shot, or even arrested. But in a sense, that gives it all the more impact. Shorn of the distracting emotionalism of bloodshed or false arrest, last week’s video recording of an incident between a subway rider...
Letter to the editor: Democrats destroying country
The Democrats’ lust for power has pushed America to the brink. They pushed a candidate (Joe Biden) who I believe is totally unqualified due to cognitive decline, and a vice president candidate who I believe was selected solely because of race and gender with no regard for qualification to potentially...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s not afraid
Trump’s not afraid of a werewolf Howling with sharp claw and tooth. He’s not afraid of a vampire either. Trump only fears the truth. Trump’s not afraid of goblins and ghosts Or bumps in the night that he hears. He’s braver than most game show hosts. But truth is the...
Letter to the editor: Stop judging unvaccinated without knowing facts
I am responding to all the sophisticated, morally superior people who believe that the unvaccinated citizens of this country are murderers, self-absorbed, stupid Trumpsters. I am not vaccinated because of health concerns. I fear the covid vaccine just as I fear the vaccines for flu, shingles, pneumonia, etc. We are...
Letter to the editor: Believing something doesn’t make it true
Letter-writer David Cassidy “No one has privacy anymore” Oct. 12, TribLIVE) says that if enough people believe something, it should be investigated. Let’s pretend a con man has convinced “enough people” that the moon is made of green cheese. Should NASA spend taxpayer money to investigate this claim, even though...
Paul Kengor: My year without baseball
Sitting in the lobby of a Washington hotel having drinks with friends, I glanced at the television and was pulled in by images of October baseball — the playoff season. It was the San Francisco Giants vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers. Classic. “It’s hard not to watch this,” I said...
Laurels & lances: Applause, plead, respite
Laurel: To unintentional stardom. It is rare that the people behind the scenes in a production get a moment in the spotlight, but senior Noah Kessler did just that when it became his job to clean the microphone between acts at the Highlands High School “Fall Follies” talent show. Little...
