Letters to the Editor | April 4, 2024

To the retired superintendent who wrote a recent letter to the editor, I would ask this: What does “American history,” a subject he believes deserving of public education, mean to him? Is it only the events of 1776? This American wants students to understand Black and Asian history, women’s history, and our history of contributing to global warming. Our culture is not monolithic, but richly diverse due to our indigenous, enslaved, and immigrant history. How about we highlight and celebrate that in our public schools?

Susan Henick, Wyndmoor

The United States must stop sending weapons to Israel. It is killing indiscriminately.

Teri Tegtmeir, Honey Brook

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the bombing of aid workers in Gaza “tragic.” He’s right. But he doesn’t complete the sentence. He omits how what happened is a result of Israel’s indiscriminate bombing. And guess who provided those bombs? President Joe Biden can’t have it both ways. You can’t demand a cease-fire and then help arm the country that’s bombing and starving innocent people. I’m not anti-Israeli. I’m not pro-Palestinian. I see injustice and want it stopped. Imagine you’re watching a bully beating up a weaker kid. You wouldn’t hand the bully a bigger stick to use. People watching that scene would rightfully consider you an accessory to the assault. When will my country stop arming bullies? Skip all the partisan rhetoric. We have a choice.

Barry Adams, Malvern

I want to thank Timothy K. Lewis for taking the time to vouch for the qualifications of Adeel Mangi for judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third District. As Judge Lewis said in his Sunday op-ed: “Mangi is eminently qualified for the position. And if he is confirmed, he would be the first Muslim in our nation’s history to sit on the federal appellate bench.” I would like to know the reasons and the names of the senators responsible for the hostility Mangi experienced at his confirmation hearing in December. I would hate to think it was because he is Muslim. If he is not confirmed, it would be a service if The Inquirer could direct me to the place where I could learn the names of those senators who voted no. That would be valuable information.

Mary A. McKenna, Philadelphia

My neighborhood is changing, as neighborhoods will. The Northwest section of the city stretching from Wissahickon Hills through Roxborough and Manayunk to Andorra has long been a greener, less densely populated part of the city. There was a green ribbon of trees that graced backyards, stretching out to connect with the backyard of the next street. If you were lucky, a deer or fox might be seen. Now, the buildings are taller and stretch across that previously green space. Buildings are built behind buildings. Habitat, cooler temperatures, and areas for play have all given way to asphalt and concrete. As the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation endeavors to increase our canopy and preserve the “urban forest,” it is instead slowly being taken over by developers and unprotected by the city. This will someday be recognized for what it is: an erosion of quality of life, a contribution to climate change, and the destruction of habitat.

Nancy Maguire, Philadelphia, drnancymaguire@verizon.net

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