Letters to the Editor | May 13, 2025

John Cole’s recent editorial cartoon (“We’ve got issues”) says it all. There is so much chaos in Trump 2.0 that we feel our brains are under constant attack. Donald Trump is everywhere — even on a very old rerun of NCIS, which involved rights and sending people to El Salvador. Is there no escaping Trump? The Eagles are at the White House. At least we know the Sixers won’t be there this year. I hope our nation is smart enough and strong enough to survive Trump and his assault on our democratic way of life. If we are not careful, we will lose the rights we say we cherish amid the chaos and tumult.

Sheryl Kalick, Philadelphia

It will be interesting to see if LGBTQ Catholics make any headway under Pope Leo XIV. Presently, we are not treated as first-class citizens. Right now, LGBTQ Catholics can enter the church without being able to receive the Holy Eucharist if they are in same-sex relationships. It is my hope this will change. LGBTQ Catholics have for too long had to suppress. Where there is suppression, there is no healthy parish. There is no healthy society — and “inclusion” is a farce, and “social justice” is a farce. Like race, sexual orientation is not a choice.

William J. Pelle Jr., Haverford, bill.to.write@gmail.com

The Inquirer headline, “McCormick defends Fetterman,” prompts the question: From what? Is it the right to hold a very important public job while obviously in need of an impartial evaluation? It’s not a crime or his fault if John Fetterman is having mental health issues, but the system is broken if it is so clear he needs help, and there is no requirement for him to get that help. He’s a U.S. senator, for goodness’ sake, not the owner of a lemonade stand. Being fully capable of doing the job should be a requirement. This should all apply to every public position, but it is very apparent that mental health and stability play no part in who can be elected.

Ted Swirsky, Erial

Alina Habba, Donald Trump’s acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, issued this statement about the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for protesting a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in his city: “He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.” Get that? No one is above the law. If Habba really believes that, if she possesses the integrity that belief implies, then she would never have accepted her current job, or any job, from Trump.

Michael Robinson, Riverton

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