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 witness the growing rifts that result from making a medical problem into a political issue — the gains are few and the losses many.
I understand the fervor of those who rail against the governor’s mandate; I respect their right to express such views. But I have a few concerns about how they are going about their expressing — disrupting school board business meetings differs from carrying a sign or poster in a peaceful demonstration. Calling public officials cowards or (from the anonymity of a crowd) flat out threatening that “there will be blood” takes the whole business in an unsavory, nonproductive direction.
In the story “Hempfield parents ask school board members to join their fight against mask mandate,” one student was quoted as saying he did not want to be told what to do, an endgame position. Last year, when schools reopened in a hybrid model, there were few objections to wearing masks because masks and vaccines were the medical solutions that started to diminish the surge and bring down infection numbers.
Today is really not that different — we are in a resurge, driven by variants. The identifiable solutions are vaccination, wearing of masks indoors and cooperation in uniting against covid and not berating and being angry with others.
Collin T. Wansor, Hempfield
Gun lobby distracts from issues
In his letter to the editor response titled “Mandatory reporting of lost, stolen guns unconstitutional,” Jonathan S. Goldstein cites an obscure and barely relevant court decision in an attempt to distract from common-sense gun safety policy.
Sixteen states already have laws that require gun owners to report missing firearms to police, including every single state that borders Pennsylvania. These laws were enacted as far back as 1990, and new states continue to enact them, including some as recently as this year. These laws have been shown to be effective at reducing illegal gun trafficking and straw purchasing, which in turn reduces gun violence.
The author’s assertion that these laws are unconstitutional begs an obvious question: How have the laws in these 16 states been allowed to stand if his argument were true?
Merits — or lack thereof — aside, the author’s ability to provide objective legal analysis of this subject is questionable at best. On his website, he proudly advertises himself as the recipient of an award from the National Rifle Association. Is it any shock that a legal shill for the gun lobby would concoct a strained legal argument opposing common-sense gun safety policy that is supported by responsible gun owners?
The truth is, not only are lost and stolen firearm reporting laws perfectly constitutional, they also help to save lives. Truly that should be our priority. Therefore, I suggest your readers contact their legislators to support such a law in Pennsylvania.
Todd Henkelmann, West Deer
Dr. Oz, worst kind of snake oil salesman
Regarding the article “Dr. Oz calls Keystone State home as he ponders U.S. Senate bid”: As a retired medical writer who probably spent thousands of hours plowing through medical journals, I find the debate over Dr. Oz’s legal residence much less relevant than the fact that he has long used his professional credentials to advocate therapies that have not only been discredited but also debunked in clinical studies … you know, those lengthy reports where doctors treat and observe many patients, have the data reviewed by independent third parties, and publish the results.
Oz lost me when he would show up on his TV show dressed in scrubs; had he rushed out of the OR to do his program? If so, he should know that his scrubs might be infected and should be discarded. That would be like a high school girl showing up at a formal dance wearing her cheerleader outfit.
Oz’s behavior is similar to “Jeopardy!” host Mayim Bialik citing her doctorate in neuroscience to peddle so-called brain supplements that, if you squint really hard and read the fine print during the last seconds of the commercial, have not been evaluated by the FDA … you know, that pesky group that likes to read clinical studies before approving treatments.
If anyone is going to move to Pennsylvania to run for the Senate, why not Washington journalist Robert Costa? At least he has legitimate ties, having grown up mostly in Bucks County. And, unlike some recently elected senators, Costa surely already knows “how a bill becomes a law.”
Jim Vespe, Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Bottom line — done with Pirates
I have been a loyal follower of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1954, through good times and bad. But over the last several seasons, it’s been nothing but bad. Their latest roster debacle, the trading of recent Gold Glove winner Jacob Stallings, for another assortment of ne’er do wells and players from Rudolph’s Island of Misfit Toys, is not how you build a competitive baseball club.
The truth of the matter is that Bob Nutting and his faithful companion, Ben Cherington, are more full of it than a cow pasture. Their only interest is their bottom line.
Well, here’s my bottom line: I’m done … finis. No more tickets; no more merchandise; no more contributing to their TV coffers; no more nothing. Who’s with me?
Alvin Moore, White Oak
Charge negligent gun owners
The Oxford High School shooting is just another preventable tragedy caused by negligent parents who did not secure firearms. While the parents in this Michigan shooting have been charged, it is time the states impose laws to charge individuals who allow their deadly firearms to be used in a crime with conspiracy in the crime committed.
Maybe when parents or other negligent gun owners are charged with conspiracy to commit murder, they will take responsibility for the ownership of their deadly weapons. The right to bear arms brings with it the responsibility to keep weapons out of the hands of someone not authorized to use it. Failure to be a responsible gun owner should come with being punished.
The only way to force responsible gun ownership and to prevent unauthorized use of owners’ weapons is to begin charging them with a crime that imposes serious consequences. This is my opinion and suggestion to stop preventable killings. I would like to hear from government officials on their plan of action.
Anton Uhl, West Deer
Why we do need to worry about the ‘unvaxxed’
In his letter “Don’t worry about the unvaxxed,” Michael J. Arnone asked why vaccinated people, if they believe the vaccine works, care if others are not vaccinated? Here are four reasons why it matters:
• Children under the age of 5 are not yet able to be vaccinated. Do you want to be responsible for a toddler becoming sick (or worse)?
• There are those for whom the vaccine will not help because they cannot produce the necessary antibodies. Are you OK with infecting someone who is immunocompromised?
• No medical scientist, even the most pro vaccination, ever said the vaccines were 100% effective. They offer amazing protection against covid-19, but vaccinated persons can still get infected by you.
• Lastly, and maybe the most important, mutations/variants develop only in infected people. The unvaccinated are many times more likely to become infected. The more unvaccinated there are, the more disease there will be, and the likelihood of more variants being produced becomes greater. The more variants there are, the greater the chance that one of them will mutate to a disease where the vaccines become less effective or don’t work at all.
By not getting the vaccine, you are not only endangering those around you, you are increasing the possibility that this pandemic will last much longer than it needs to.
Robert Charlton, Springdale
Why isn’t Ward investigating 2021 election?
According to the article “Senate GOP hires firm to review Pennsylvania’s 2020 election,” Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward wants a forensic investigation to determine what flaws exist in our election system and to fix them through legislation, at a cost of up to $270,000 of taxpayer money.
But wasn’t it Ward who voted in favor of Act 77 when election reform was passed by state leaders in 2019? So why would she now be so concerned with something she voted for two years ago? If Ward felt there were flaws, why did she vote “yes” to Act 77?
Furthermore, why is she only scrutinizing the 2020 election? Why isn’t she also focusing on other races in the 2021 elections? Ward makes no mention of investigating possible flaws in the 2021 Westmoreland County elections for clerk of courts, district attorney, coroner or prothonotary. Isn’t it funny that there were no alleged problems or suspicion of impropriety in the 2021 elections, just 2020?
It is incredible that Ward would think there were flaws in the 2020 election only. Is it because she didn’t like the results? Her call for an investigation is nothing but a waste of our money — in my opinion, due to the current political lean, and playing to a particular crowd in hopes of getting future votes.
Perhaps Ward should explain why she feels there might have been problems in 2020 but not in the 2021 statewide elections. Nothing significantly changed for voters between 2020 and 2021. But she focuses solely on 2020. Strange indeed.
Robin L. Rosewicz, Lower Burrell