Letters to the Editor | Aug. 19, 2024

Last Monday, as most Mondays during the summer, a small group of veterans and I participated in a therapeutic garden program in North Philadelphia. While we picked cucumbers, green beans, and Swiss chard, which are then distributed to the local community, we were treated (said quite sarcastically) to the rumblings of the Italian air force. For a half hour, these weapons of destruction, not to mention ravagers of the environment, blasted overhead, disturbing both the peace of the day as well as the psyches of several of the veterans gathered there gardening.

While many may see this performance as enjoyable or entertaining, it is wholly irresponsible to fail to consider the tens of thousands of veterans with PTSD who call Philadelphia home — in addition to the countless more civilians who also cope with PTSD, many as a result of having lived through gun violence and some after having fled war-torn countries — all of whom may be triggered by such loud and surprising displays. The city should consider the interests of all its residents, including the untold but extraordinary number of those coping with trauma.

Cherie Eichholz, Lansdowne

Regarding yet another false claim by Donald Trump, this time asserting a crowd photo from Kamala Harris’ campaign rally in Detroit was created using artificial intelligence, Americans, for the most part, have become numb to his lies and deception, but his disturbances of the mind, which manifested years ago, go beyond spin and revision and merit serious scrutiny by medical professionals.

Who can forget when Trump, not long after being sworn in as president in 2017, claimed that the president of Mexico paid him the “ultimate compliment” when he called Trump to praise his border policy? That same summer, Trump boasted that he also received a call from the head of the Boy Scouts after he spoke at the National Scout Jamboree. Trump claimed he was told it was “the greatest speech that was ever made to them.” Neither of those phone calls happened. Whether or not Trump’s breaks with reality qualify as a classic delusional disorder is a question for mental health experts. Absent a diagnosis, the electorate must decide if it’s worth the risk to allow someone with demonstrable psychological impairment to have control over the launch codes for nuclear weapons.

Jane Larkin, Tampa, Fla.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza is now reported as 40,000, yet U.S. media and possibly the public have moved on despite our American weapons being used to continue the devastation. The land areas of Philadelphia and the Gaza Strip are very similar, although the populations are different. Philadelphia has 1.6 million and Gaza has 2.1 million people. Allowing for this difference, I calculate that it’s as if 29,000 Philadelphians had been killed — with many more injured, orphaned, etc. — over the course of 10 months. How would we feel about the perpetrators being given yet more weapons to continue the slaughter?

Joan Hazbun, Media

Our country’s 250th anniversary is coming, and major crowds are expected here in Philadelphia. And rightly so. People already come from across the world to take in the most historical urban setting in the country. We don’t need designated walkways or new signage suggesting routes, and maps and information supplied at the Visitor Center are more than adequate. Rather than build new venues, we can make the existing infrastructure function easily with consistent maintenance.

But as a professional guide who leads groups and individuals across our city 12 months a year, I see one huge problem on every tour: We don’t have enough available restrooms for our visitors. This is a simple and basic courtesy. We have buses with flocks of visitors that arrive daily to the Constitution Center, and on some days no services there are open. The Independence Visitor Center, a block away, does not open until 9 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. Buses arriving early after long bus trips, or visitors wanting to walk before or after these times, have no options to relieve themselves, or even wash their hands.

We do not need new structures or a new building, we already have facilities built on Fifth and Chestnut Streets, but they are shuttered. Open them! Another commonsense suggestion is to have services at the Transportation Center open seven days a week while also expanding the Independence Visitor Center’s hours. These are courtesies that would truly welcome visitors and make their experience more pleasant.

Steve Maurer, certified master guide, Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides

Tens of thousands of older Americans fall every day, which can lead to prolonged pain, broken bones, hospitalizations, and even death. These in many cases preventable falls greatly increase the financial strain on our health-care system, with annual costs associated with falls estimated to reach $100 billion by 2030. Unfortunately, accessing preventive care remains a challenge for many seniors. Congress can help change that by supporting the Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly (SAFE) Act (HR 7618). This bipartisan legislation would help Medicare beneficiaries access a no-cost fall risk assessment from a physical or occupational therapist as part of their Medicare wellness benefits.

The SAFE Act aims to ensure older Americans receive a fall risk assessment from a falls expert to prevent accidents, injuries, and hospitalizations. Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy, where I work, strongly supports the SAFE Act to allow older Americans to live safer, more independent lives. We urge Rep. Dwight Evans to cosponsor the SAFE Act to improve access to life-sustaining, preventative physical therapy services for older Pennsylvanians.

Shane Bucher, physical therapist, Philadelphia

A U.S. Supreme Court that defies the core principles inherent in our Constitution is not a new thing. Consider two of the most historically appalling court decisions. In 1857, the court heard the case of Dred Scott, a slave whose “owner” had relocated to a free state. Scott sued for his freedom. He claimed that, since he had been living in a state where slavery was prohibited, he should be freed. The court ruled that enslaved people were neither citizens of the United States nor entitled to protection under the law. The repellent Dred Scott decision was overturned by two amendments to the Constitution: the 13th, which abolished slavery, and the 14th, which declared that anyone born in the United States was automatically granted citizenship and was entitled to equal treatment under the law.

Continuing the court’s racist trajectory, in 1896, justices ruled that segregation did not violate the Constitution. The court maintained, disingenuously, that if equal services and amenities were offered, there was no problem. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896 was eviscerated by the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, which declared that the “separate but equal” provisions were unconstitutional.

Now, here we are in 2024, with a majority on the Supreme Court declaring that Richard Nixon was right: If the president does it, it is not illegal. How did we get here? Two presidents who lost the popular vote named five justices who could change the law of the land. Our democracy deserves better than a Supreme Court that permits egregious violations of conduct among its members and endorses lawlessness by presidents while gutting the rights of American citizens.

Suzanne Bush, Gwynedd Valley

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