Opinion

Skip to content

Monday, December 4, 2023

Keep reading by creating a free account or signing in.

Subscribe|Support Local News

Keep reading by creating a free account or signing in.

News Sports Betting Business Opinion Politics Entertainment Life Food Health Real Estate Obituaries Jobs

SUBSCRIBE

4¢ a day for 4 months

U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger faces international press at a news conference in Schloss Klessheim in Salzburg, June 11, 1974. Kissinger, the diplomat with the thick glasses and gravelly voice who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China, died Nov. 29. He was 100.

Why Henry Kissinger would have approved of MSNBC canceling Mehdi Hasan

The just-departed Kissinger helped the U.S., Israel and others control media narratives. The just-canceled Hasan fought to unravel them.

Will Bunch | Columnist

‘What a drag it is getting old’ | Editorial Cartoon

John Cole, For The Inquirer

During the Kenney administration, Philadelphia's economy barely grew. It's essential that Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker improves upon that track record, the Editorial Board writes.

Yet another item for the mayor-elect’s to-do list: addressing Philadelphia’s sluggish economy | Editorial

The Editorial Board

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., right, and Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., at an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden in September.

Letters to the Editor | Dec. 3, 2023

Letters to the Editor, For The Inquirer

Richard Jester (left), who uses marijuana to help with the pain he experiences from spinal stenosis, and his fiancée, Diane Estlow (second from left), wait in line at The Botanist in Williamstown, on the first day of recreational cannabis sales in New Jersey, Thursday, April 21, 2022.

Pennsylvania is surrounded by states where cannabis is legal for adults. We’re getting left behind.

Meredith Buettner, For The Inquirer

Why Henry Kissinger would have approved of MSNBC canceling Mehdi Hasan

The just-departed Kissinger helped the U.S., Israel and others control media narratives. The just-canceled Hasan fought to unravel them.

Will Bunch | Columnist

U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger faces international press at a news conference in Schloss Klessheim in Salzburg, June 11, 1974. Kissinger, the diplomat with the thick glasses and gravelly voice who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China, died Nov. 29. He was 100.

U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger faces international press at a news conference in Schloss Klessheim in Salzburg, June 11, 1974. Kissinger, the diplomat with the thick glasses and gravelly voice who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China, died Nov. 29. He was 100.

Why Henry Kissinger would have approved of MSNBC canceling Mehdi Hasan

The just-departed Kissinger helped the U.S., Israel and others control media narratives. The just-canceled Hasan fought to unravel them.

Will Bunch | Columnist

How West Virginia became ground zero in the war for the future of college in America

Will Bunch | Columnist

Students gather during a walkout in protest of an administration proposal to cut 9% of majors amid a $45 million budget shortfall at West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va., Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.

Black voters, accustomed to threats, were just dealt a devastating blow

Solomon Jones | Columnist

A banner along Spring Garden Street on Primary Day in May reminds Philadelphians to cast ballots for mayor, commissioner, city controller, and other offices.

A truce in the Israel-Palestine tweet wars

Jonathan Zimmerman | Columnist

The San Francisco headquarters of the social media platform X. Jonathan Zimmerman writes that users should not "go straight for the jugular" over online disagreements about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

On ‘The Golden Bachelor,’ older adults rappelled down cliffs and made out. I love it.

Jenice Armstrong | Columnist

ABC's "The Golden Bachelor" stars Gerry Turner.

Community members contribute their opinions about issues in the news.

Richard Jester (left), who uses marijuana to help with the pain he experiences from spinal stenosis, and his fiancée, Diane Estlow (second from left), wait in line at The Botanist in Williamstown, on the first day of recreational cannabis sales in New Jersey, Thursday, April 21, 2022.

Pennsylvania is surrounded by states where cannabis is legal for adults. We’re getting left behind.

Meredith Buettner, For The Inquirer

No-show witness

Too many Philly police are no-shows in court, derailing cases and undermining our justice system

Sandy Mayson, Aurelie Ouss, Megan Stevenson, and Lindsay Graef, For The Inquirer

Christopher Dascher with his daughter. Parking permits that allow houses of worship to use designated bicycle lanes as private event parking every weekend are making stretches of Center City dangerous for bike riders, he writes.

Houses of worship shouldn’t get to park in bike lanes on weekends

Christopher Dascher, For The Inquirer

A man sitting on a bench with a rainbow flag. A Florida International University study titled "Anti-LGBTQ Hate Crimes in Miami" found that, in 85% of incidents reported by study participants, crime victims did not report to police what they experienced. Ninety-five percent of victims reported being victimized because of their queer identities.

Hate crimes against LGBTQ people have risen. Just check my inbox.

Victoria A. Brownworth, For The Inquirer

A group of protesters marched from the Parkway Central Library to 12th and Market Streets. The protesters were against the banning of books among other educational issues, during the Moms for Liberty convention in Center City, Philadelphia, Friday, June 30, 2023.

Lessons for today from teacher witch hunts of the early 1950s

Nicholas Toloudis, For The Inquirer

Opinion submission guidelines: Op-eds, commentary, and letters to the editor

Tips for pitching The Philadelphia Inquirer's Opinion section.

Staff Reports

From Our Editorial Board

These opinions were researched and written by a group of journalists who work separately from the newsroom to debate matters of public interest.

During the Kenney administration, Philadelphia's economy barely grew. It's essential that Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker improves upon that track record, the Editorial Board writes.

Yet another item for the mayor-elect’s to-do list: addressing Philadelphia’s sluggish economy | Editorial

The Editorial Board

Southwark Elementary School in South Philadelphia is closed because of asbestos. The Separations Act, which requires public entities to contract with multiple laborers, can slow school repair projects.

It’s time to overhaul the outdated, 110-year-old law that slows down building projects in Pa. | Editorial

The Editorial Board

It is an encouraging sign that incoming police commissioner Kevin Bethel seems to understand that police accountability and public safety are intertwined, writes the Editorial Board.

Philadelphia’s next police commissioner must balance public safety and accountability | Editorial

The Editorial Board

The U.S. Supreme Court released its first code of ethics in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices, but the new rules are essentially toothless, writes the Editorial Board.

U.S. Supreme Court ethics should not be an oxymoron | Editorial

The Editorial Board

During its last meeting under a GOP majority, the Central Bucks School Board agreed to pay $700,000 to outgoing superintendent Abram Lucabaugh. It passed a policy limiting participation by trans athletes in scholastic sports. The moves were a final insult to taxpayers and students, writes the Editorial Board.

Voters sent a clear message: Extremists don’t belong on school boards | Editorial

The Editorial Board

Special Reports

America’s maternal care system dehumanized me. I became a doula to change it.

I’m a Black doula who took charge of my birth. Now I’m taking on America’s $111 billion maternal care industry.

MaryNissi Lemon, For The Inquirer

MaryNissi Lemon of Lemonlife Doula and Birthing Services explains what it will look like when the baby’s head crowns during the childbirth education class at the Garsen Center, 4704 Leiper St. Phila., Pa. on May 22, 2022.

MaryNissi Lemon of Lemonlife Doula and Birthing Services explains what it will look like when the baby’s head crowns during the childbirth education class at the Garsen Center, 4704 Leiper St. Phila., Pa. on May 22, 2022.

America’s maternal care system dehumanized me. I became a doula to change it.

I’m a Black doula who took charge of my birth. Now I’m taking on America’s $111 billion maternal care industry.

MaryNissi Lemon, For The Inquirer

How I ended up alone in a cell for 45 days

Akeil Robertson-Jowers, For The Inquirer

Philadelphia artist Akeil Robertson-Jowers painted "US#1" while incarcerated. He created the piece in collaboration with other incarcerated men.

5 medical professionals on why they stay as hospital workers flee post-COVID

Mary Adamson, Maureen May, Uhura Free Russ, Latoya Charise Nesbitt, Carlos Aviles, and Jonathan Ley

Mary Adamson (center), an ICU Nurse at Temple University Hospital, with other Temple nurses. Adamson wrote a piece about all of the nurses that remain in the profession.

Six Philadelphians reflect on Black History Month and their hopes for the future | Opinion

Inquirer Opinion Editors, For The Inquirer

Protesters calling to defund the police march down East Market Street near Eighth Street in Center City Philadelphia in June 2020. Protests against racism and police violence continued in Philadelphia for a second week after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

In their own words, 7 moms whose kids were killed by gun violence share what they’ve lost

Helen Ubiñas | Columnist

Movita Johnson-Harrell.

© 2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC
Terms of Use/ Privacy Policy/ Cancellation Policy/ California Notice/ California residents do not sell my data request
California residents do not sell my data request