Letters to the Editor | June 16, 2024

Many kids learn from their fathers how to catch a baseball, throw a football, which are the greatest films ever made, and how best to watch Philadelphia sports. My dad taught me all of that. But while other kids were learning how to hunt and fish, my father gave me something I consider much more valuable: He taught me the love of words. When I unwrapped Treasure Island as a gift for my 9th birthday, I sailed the high seas in pursuit of treasure with Long John Silver. Later, I protected the Western prairie in Shane and fought alongside Lord Toranaga in Shōgun.

Educationally, the contrast between my father and grandfathers couldn’t have been starker. My two Greatest Generation role models were self-taught men who never finished high school, while my father was educated in English literature. Yet, for all of them, no week went by without them holding a fresh book in their hands — often a mystery novel. When my father was cleaning out my Grandpop’s nightstand after his death, it was my dad’s book that was resting atop my grandfather’s reading pile. A few years ago, when I did the same for my father, the writing on top of his nightstand was mine.

Michael Thomas Leibrandt, Abington Township

Is it ironic? In trying to distance himself from flags flying at two of his homes — flags tied to the insurgent attack on Jan. 6, 2021 — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said the decision to display them was solely his wife Martha-Ann’s. In refusing to recuse himself from cases involving the insurrection or Donald Trump’s claims of presidential immunity, Alito wrote to Congress that Martha-Ann is a private individual who “makes her own decisions and I honor her right to do so.” So he honors his wife’s right to make her own decisions, but he does not honor the right of millions of women to make their own health-care decisions?

Martha M. Jablow, Philadelphia

Since Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts by a jury of his peers, it seems only fitting that his sentence includes 34 months working with people in the community. Organizations such as Disabled American Veterans, Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, and the American Civil Liberties Union come to mind.

Cheryl Rice, Erdenheim

The United States Postal Service kicked off its National Dog Bite Awareness campaign. Nationwide, 5,822 letter carriers were attacked last year, up 532 attacks from 2022. Pennsylvania had the fourth-highest dog attack number in the nation in 2023 with 334 incidents. One attack is too many, and unfortunately, there were 172 towns and cities across the state that had one or more bites, while Philadelphia (34), Pittsburgh (18), and Reading (11) topped the list. To protect our letter carriers who deliver in your neighborhood, I would ask our customers to please remember these tips: Make sure your gates are secure, and when accepting mail at your door, please make sure your dog is in a different room. Many screen doors break and cannot stop a dog, so please keep your pet away from the door. Also, please keep your dog on a leash. Thank you for taking these protective measures and ensuring your dog doesn’t bite the hand that serves you.

Paul F. Smith, U.S. Postal Service, Philadelphia

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