Letters to the Editor | Jan. 14, 2024

Nick Elizalde, my grandson, was shot and killed at his Roxborough High School football game on Sept. 27, 2022. Since Nick’s murder by children with guns, nothing is the same for our family. We are joyless. Our days begin and end in sorrow. Now, Philadelphia Mayor Parker has charged Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and Managing Director Adam Thiel to deliver a public safety plan within 100 days. At 2023 rates, that’s more than 100 homicides from now.

And in the Pennsylvania Senate, nothing has changed while the slaughter of innocents continues. It’s been 228 days. Why won’t Judiciary Committee Chair Lisa Baker bring lifesaving gun safety bills to a vote? What is Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman doing to ensure our safety? Where does President Pro Tempore Kim Ward stand on our right to live? Does State Sen. Cris Dush’s Second Amendment Caucus protect us from gunfire? To Pennsylvania voters, I say this: Wield your power. Pledge to vote to elect only lawmakers who will work to end gun violence. Demand our elected officials act to save our children. Do it for Nick.

Marge LaRue, Aston, laruehouse@verizon.net

Columnist Kyle Sammin’s screed against using the 14th Amendment to keep Donald Trump off ballots this year is flat-out wrong. In a fundamentally democratic society, elections enable voters to decide between candidates who are basically decent, ethical, and law-abiding, who honestly promote differing plans and policies to support rational democratic governance. That has worked for nearly 250 years, albeit with many hiccups. No candidate is, ever was, or ever will be perfect — that’s humanly impossible. But there is an underlying standard of conduct, behavior, and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution and its laws that most citizens accept.

Now, we have a former president who, by any standard, is profoundly dishonest, unbelievably unethical, and extremely irresponsible. His disgraceful lies and behavior following his 2020 loss, leading to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, was clearly intended and planned to subvert the Constitution and keep him illegally in power — the embodiment of insurrection. His depraved action, without precedent in U.S. history, makes him inherently unfit to be an option for any public office. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was created to stop unprincipled, evil people like Trump from being a choice. There are other legitimate GOP candidates, so no citizen would be disenfranchised if Trump is constitutionally excluded.

Ron Dunbar, Philadelphia, admin@dunbar7.name

The world is watching in horror at the ongoing carnage in Gaza. Let us respectfully call upon His Holiness, Pope Francis, to immediately go to Gaza, to the Rafah border crossing. It may be our only hope for peace. There is nothing more Christ-like than walking with, and comforting, the afflicted. It is time for religious leaders of all faiths to also take this step to save precious lives and for the benefit of humanity.

Andrew Mills, Lower Gwynedd

Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.