Featured Commentary category, Page 57
Christopher Baxter: Support of free and fearless journalism can help preserve our democracy
The challenges and threats facing our democracy can seem so enormous and systemic that you might think one person, one article or one vote couldn’t possibly make a difference. But the biggest threat of all is giving in and believing all is already lost. This month we celebrate Democracy Day...
Cynthia M. Allen: Aging leaders like Biden, McConnell could take another path. This pope showed the way
In February 2013, Pope Benedict XVI did something truly remarkable: He resigned the papacy. In his letter of resignation he explained that physical strength “has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.” At 85, the...
John M. Crisp: Capital punishment — 2 choices for America
You wouldn’t think that it would be that hard to kill someone. History indicates that we’ve always been good at it. It took only one generation before Cain killed Abel in a fit of jealousy over divine approbation. Murder had been invented and we’ve never looked back. In fact, we’ve...
Ashleigh Deemer: Environmental priorities for Allegheny County executive’s first 100 days
Allegheny County will soon start a new chapter with the election of its first new county executive in more than a dozen years. It will be a big change and a new opportunity to prioritize environmental protection and public health in Allegheny County government. That’s why, earlier this year, the...
Greg Fulton: Remembering Stan Musial, one of Pa.’s finest ballplayers
It was 60 years ago this month when Stan “the Man” Musial appeared in his final game for the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the end of a career that found him chosen as league MVP three times, winning seven batting titles, being selected to the All-Star team more than...
Guy Ciarrocchi: The Cavalcante escape — a case study on the impact of Democratic policies
For weeks, the nation had its eyes on Chester County, Pa. — my home. The hunt for double-murderer Danelo Cavalcante captivated viewers, especially in suburban Philadelphia, because for us it was real life: helicopters zooming overhead, 911-alerts to shelter in place, body-armored police manning checkpoints and searching cars, schools closed...
Joe Guzzardi: Republicans have rare opportunity to secure U.S. border
Congress is back from its August recess, the weeks-long period away from its always contentious, mostly unproductive business. The House and the Senate have less than a week until the Sept. 30 deadline to pass a federal budget. On Oct. 1, a new fiscal year begins. If lawmakers cannot push...
Michael Reagan: GOP can’t survive the Only Trumpers
Too bad Donald Trump won’t attend the second Republican presidential primary debate Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Library. His friends and enemies in the media will miss him and the high ratings he automatically generates, but he’s leading by a huge margin in the polls and he doesn’t need the...
Shauna Shames: Moms for Liberty could have serious impact on presidential race
Motherhood language and symbolism have been part of every U.S. social movement, from the American Revolution to Prohibition and the fight against drunken drivers. Half of Americans are women, most become mothers, and many are conservative. The U.S. is also a nation of organizing, so conservative moms — like all...
Matthew Valasik and Shannon Reid: How local police could help prevent another Jan. 6-style insurrection
Some of the most prominent members of the Proud Boys, a far-right militant group that functions more like a street gang than a militia, have been sentenced to long terms in federal prison for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Experts...
Klaus W. Larres: Ransom or realism? A closer look at Biden’s prisoner swap deal with Iran.
Five American detainees have been released from imprisonment in Iran as the terms of the swap that set them free is drawing criticism. The Biden administration’s agreement with Iran for the swap could be seen as a simple business transaction to free five Iranians from imprisonment in the U.S. and...
Russell Zerbo: EPA/DOE money should be wisely spent on plugging wells
Pennsylvania has an opportunity to receive $33,695,097 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to plug small, conventionally drilled oil and gas wells with known owners. This federal funding could significantly reduce climate-changing methane pollution as well as smog-causing volatile organic compounds (VOC) and...
Jason Killmeyer and Erin Koper: Which way, Western Pa.?
Walking through downtown Pittsburgh, the words “Reduced Rates” above so many “For Lease” signs catch our attention. Our downtown feels worse, and it is worse. Shootings, public drug use and vagrancy have surged. But so do other parts of the city and county: West End. Banksville. Duquesne. McKeesport. We’re not...
William Enyart: Planned cut to VA funding for ambulances would harm our nation’s veterans
Unless stopped, the Department of Veterans Affairs is set to knock over a domino that might drastically harm veterans’ health care and then spread to the general community. In a cost-cutting measure on track to take effect early next year, the VA plans to sever a critical link between veterans...
Rich Fitzgerald: Pa. leaders and presidential hopefuls should commit to aiding America’s caregivers
Pennsylvanians have a long tradition of taking care of our neighbors, all the way back to our founding. Today we continue that tradition, especially when it comes to caring for those who can’t take care of themselves. A little over a million Pennsylvanians act as caregivers for their friends and...
Cal Thomas: British to be forced to drive electric
LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has rejected appeals from the Conservative Party to extend the deadline for requiring all new car sales in the UK to be electric by 2030. The Tories say the goal is impossible to meet. Government ministers, who have embraced the “climate change” faith...
Elizabeth Kryder-Reid: The importance of shining a light on hidden toxic histories
Indianapolis proudly claims Elvis’ last concert, Robert Kennedy’s speech in response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and the Indianapolis 500. There’s a 9/11 memorial, a Medal of Honor Memorial and a statue of former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. What few locals know, let alone tourists, is that the city...
Nathan Benefield: Pennsylvanians deserve truth on education spending
Pennsylvania’s Basic Education Funding Commission has begun holding hearings on how to remake the state’s public schools funding formula after a state court determined that the existing formula violates the state constitution. To make informed decisions, the commission, lawmakers, parents and voters need accurate information. Unfortunately, misinformation about public education...
Elwood Watson: The puppet of the House
Get your popcorn ready, because a gut-wrenching level of drama has gripped the House of Representatives! To quote Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, “The Republican Party is currently in a civil war.” Last week, Speaker Kevin McCarthy slid over to a lectern and called for an impeachment inquiry into President...
Cal Thomas: Sex and the city, political edition
The Republican Party, the party that for years has styled itself as the party of “family values” and “traditional marriage” has lost all credibility on these issues. Not only do polls show a huge majority of Republicans supporting the thrice-married, serial adulterer Donald Trump, but now three Republican women have...
Commentary: How are Russians overall reacting to the war in Ukraine? With indifference.
“The special military operation in Ukraine unified Russian society. An absolute majority of Russians support the special military operation.” In September, this war propaganda trope will become a part of the official school curriculum in Russia. It will be among many other lies about the war in Ukraine that will...
Erwin Chemerinsky: When is it wrong to urge social media platforms to take down false information?
A recent decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit puts in jeopardy one of the few tools that exist to deal with false speech on the internet. The court ruled that the White House, the FBI, the surgeon general’s office and the...
Peter Kastor: Hunter Biden joins other presidential children who stained White House reputation
Hunter Biden, the surviving son of President Joe Biden, was indicted Sept. 14 on gun-related charges — facing a possible criminal trial while his father is campaigning for reelection. The charges relate to Hunter’s alleged lying about his drug use when he purchased a gun in 2018. And a conviction...
Cal Thomas: The ‘hypocrisy’ label has lost its power
There was a time in bygone America when calling someone a “hypocrite” or claiming they were guilty of hypocrisy was equivalent to branding them with a scarlet letter or the mark of Cain. Today, in an era of opinion polls, trendsetting and ever-shifting political winds, hypocrisy means little to nothing....
Natalie Florence and Heather Ross: Shelters can help homeless by providing quiet and privacy, not just a bunk and a meal
The city of Phoenix set heat records in summer 2023, with high temperatures that topped 110 degrees for 31 consecutive days and at least 54 days in total. In such conditions, providing basic services — including cool spaces — for people experiencing homelessness is lifesaving. In 2022, 420 people —...
