Letters to the Editor | Feb. 5, 2024

I’m no fan of social media and its effect on young people, but when Sen. Lindsey Graham tells Mark Zuckerberg and other social media executives that they “have blood on their hands” for social media-related deaths, I wonder where that outrage is when children are murdered by guns in school, at home, and on the streets. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of children killed by gunfire in the U.S. increased 50% between 2019 and 2021, with 2,590 gun-related deaths of children under the age of 18 in 2021. Where is Graham’s call for sensible gun laws? How can he not say the NRA and the gun lobby have blood on their hands? I am truly outraged by the mantra “guns don’t kill people.” They most certainly do. And if guns don’t kill people, where is the logic that a social media platform does?

Carol Weisl, Philadelphia

I am so dismayed and, yes, angry about Naveen Khan having to step down as a Voorhees Township school board member because of her husband’s objections to Israel’s current war against the people in Gaza. It was disheartening to see the board acquiesce in her dismissal without a single voice raised in opposition. Cantor Scott Borsky’s blind loyalty to Israel has resulted in a witch hunt against this woman.

Among the messages Borsky described as “vile and disgusting” are Khan’s husband, John Dzivak, calling Gaza a “death camp” (which it is), that “Israel is intent on wiping out Gaza” (which it is), and that “our sociopathic leaders should be put on trial for supporting Israel’s genocide” (which I agree with). Mayor Michael Mignogna’s response that he “stands with Israel” reminds me of those who called into question my citizenship and loyalty toward my country when I opposed the war in Vietnam. I will not allow Borsky or Benjamin Netanyahu to tell me to stand with Israel when Israel is killing entire families, destroying homes, invading hospitals, denying fuel, water, and electricity, and creating rampant disease and starvation. This is not the Judaism I was raised with.

Judy Rubin, Philadelphia

The Inquirer’s story on Pennsylvania’s newest public school, Pennwood Cyber Charter School, is filled with the same tired talking points from those who want to force children to stay in failing school districts. The headline, “Despite Pa. virtual schools’ poor academic performance, a new cyber charter is approved for the first time in 8 years,” is misleading. Parents choose a charter because their local school is failing, sometimes leaving a child several grade levels behind. Too often, when the child takes a statewide assessment at the cyber, the school hasn’t had the time yet to restore that child to grade level. It’s a horrific irony that districts and teachers’ unions that previously failed the child then cast blame on the cyber.

Groups with names like “Children First” call schools of choice “low-quality” while continually supporting district schools that have failed our children. Public charter schools have had their charter revoked and closed. Parents support charter schools because we want good schools. Still, the other side claims there isn’t any accountability for charters. They must be mistaking them for district schools because no matter how many generations of children they fail, they never close.

Letrisha Weber, president, Parents for School Options, Indianapolis

According to the World Bank, we will be unlikely to end extreme poverty by 2030 based on current rates of progress. This indicates that about 600 million people will continue to confront extreme poverty by then. Having the largest economy in the world, the United States needs to do something. By protecting the international affairs budget, the U.S. can help those in greatest need on a global scale. Fighting against global poverty not only facilitates job creation in the U.S. but also reduces tendencies toward extremism. Additionally, it positions America in a guiding role. So, now is the time to act. Encourage your representatives to sustain progress in securing the international affairs budget.

Yanlin Zhu, Philadelphia

Natural gas is a win-win for Pennsylvania, a point missed by PennFuture’s Patrick McDonnell. His op-ed called for the building trades to be part of “creative” energy solutions for our state. Let me be clear: We are. And, thanks to natural gas, we aren’t being forced to choose between climate progress and good jobs; we’re realizing both. This industry has provided billions to our economy and directly supports countless opportunities for our local workforce. The reality is that without natural gas development, we’d have fewer good-paying jobs in Pennsylvania.

A recent Marcellus Shale Coalition report outlined that over 120,000 jobs have been created in the commonwealth thanks to natural gas development. Many of these are family-sustaining, stable careers for union workers that otherwise would be lost to neighboring states. These good-paying jobs enhance trade skills across our workforce and communities, including mining, construction, manufacturing, and electrical work, to name a few. Pennsylvanians rely on stable and dependable energy every day — making it essential that we advance policies supporting an all-of-the-above energy approach. Our state is well positioned to lead America’s energy future, but this can only be a reality if we continue to support natural gas’ critical role in our economy.

Joe Dougherty, executive director, Energy Education and Awareness Council/Advocacy United

I am a longtime member of the Mütter Museum, and I’ve been very distressed by the developments of the past year. I visited recently and took in the new temporary exhibit, “Unhoused,” and was appalled. It’s a total mismatch for the museum. Homelessness is a serious issue and deserves to be presented with dignity and care. The Mütter had an opportunity to talk about the history of health challenges facing the homeless, like hepatitis outbreaks and exposure deaths, for example, or barriers to care. Instead, there’s an art project and some Post-it notes. It’s sophomoric at best and exploitative at worst.

The photos aren’t humanizing, they’re anonymizing. They portray real people and yet there’s no identifying information about the subjects. The photographer has been taking pictures of the Indigenous homeless population in Toronto. Where are the ethics of consent when photographing homeless Indigenous people experiencing mental illness and substance misuse?

Paying homeless people $10 for their signs and calling it art, displaying high contrast black-and-white photos of people experiencing homelessness, a wall of Post-it notes? Where are the resources for actually helping the homeless? There are two QR codes for local organizations — that’s it. It’s grotesquely misguided tragedy porn. If this is the leadership’s idea of a bold new agenda for an internationally beloved institution, they’ve failed.

D. Triose, Philadelphia

What the heck are we, the good ol’ U.S. of A, doing? Are we supposed defenders of freedom about to let Ukraine get gobbled up by Russia because some in our government want to play political games? Vladimir Putin said that Russian soldiers were sent to Ukraine on a peacekeeping mission, but I can’t see how indiscriminate bombing and leveling of cities jives with “peacekeeping.” This invasion is really because Russia is ruled by a power-hungry dictator with imperialistic dreams who couldn’t care less about the Russian people or anybody else. We need to stop this madman and this war before it escalates further.

Ukraine has fought back valiantly and is not asking for U.S. troops or the U.S. to get overly involved in the war. However, it does need ongoing moral, diplomatic, and financial support to allow it to better fight invading forces. Support for Ukraine should not be tied to addressing our southern border or dealing with the Israel-Hamas conflict, as those are completely different situations. Not providing ongoing funding to Ukraine would truly be a gift to Putin and make America look smaller and weaker on the world stage.

Kent Kingan, Malvern

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