Letters to the Editor | Nov. 29, 2023

Our church, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Germantown, held a gun buyback this fall. We were aware of the research that gun buybacks do not reduce crime (as Jerry H. Ratcliffe and Marc Huffer wrote in their op-ed). However, we went ahead anyway. Why? Because it is something anyone can do, especially gun owners. You do not know the background of those who bring their guns to the safety of a church. But when you hear of a granny bringing a gun to your church to keep her grandchildren safe, you know you have made a small difference. We brought in 118 guns. All efforts to remove guns from the streets of Philadelphia are worth the work.

Phoebe Griswold, Philadelphia

I am writing to request that The Inquirer commit to printing full, honest, fair, and accurate coverage of the dire situation in Palestine. The killing of Palestinians is being committed by the Israeli government with the full support of the U.S. government. The voices of Palestinians are silenced by the mainstream media while relying on Israeli and U.S. government officials to comment daily. Journalists have been killed, children are slaughtered, cities are destroyed, and entire people are characterized as terrorists. The U.S. government has yet to join with countries far and wide in calling for a cease-fire. Where are the voices of Palestinians in your coverage? Where is the investigative reporting that shows the dollars and cents of U.S. military and security assistance for the Israeli government? Where is the long history of the oppression of the Palestinian people? The Inquirer needs to get bold and get real.

Deborah Gausmann, Philadelphia

I was so saddened to hear of Rosalynn Carter’s death. Over the past 40 years, thanks in large part to her, public perception of mental illness has improved significantly. During Jimmy Carter’s presidency, Rosalynn worked on the President’s Commission on Mental Health. In 1980, the Mental Health Systems Act was passed, but the Reagan administration repealed most of it. Mrs. Carter never gave up, though, and continued her work with the Carter Center’s Mental Health Task Force. Carter believed in early intervention and the possibility of recovery: “Mental illnesses are diseases like any other. They can be diagnosed and treated, and the majority of people who have them can lead fulfilling lives, working, going to school, and being productive members of their community.”

I live with bipolar disorder and owe Carter a huge debt of gratitude for the progress she made in advancing society’s understanding and acceptance of mental illness. I have access to effective medications and therapy, and I’ve had a fulfilling and productive life for the past 18 years. I see attitudes slowly shifting, and that is a hopeful development. But we still have a long way to go. Therapy and medication remain out of reach for too many uninsured people. Stigma lingers. Societal stressors have more people than ever struggling with their mental health.

It is up to us as a country to keep this vital issue on the front burner. Everyone has someone in their lives with a mental illness (20% of all adults have a mental health diagnosis). As the tributes to this extraordinary woman pour in, perhaps the best way to honor Rosalynn Carter’s memory is to take up the mantle of the cause she held so dear. She spent her public life turning her compassion into action. We should do no less.

Elise Seyfried, Oreland

Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson’s rise to the office of City Council president is a great development for IBEW Local 98 and all working people in the city of Philadelphia. We look forward to working with him and Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker in the new year.

Mark Lynch Jr., business manager, IBEW Local 98

Cheers to the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club and Ellis “El-Dog” Ferrell Jr., the club’s founder. It is heartening to be reminded that we are surrounded by more altruistic heroes, private citizens, and politicians, working quietly behind the scenes than there are ne’er-do-wells who all too often appear loudly in front of the scenes. What a great legacy El-Dog is creating for our city. The benefits for the young people — and the responsible, caring, and talented adults they will become — are a shining light for everyone and the great, fighting city of Philadelphia.

Barry Beck, Turnersville

Please, stop with the Overdose Prevention and Community Healing Fund grants. They just nibble around the edges, targeting the least of the symptoms. It’s not the best use of the money. I live in Kensington — in the heart of the city’s opioid crisis. I see and live in this mess every single day. It’s beyond horrible. It’s past time to get serious with change. Please, take this grant money and put it toward getting these lost souls off our sidewalks. Put them into treatment, with a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. Really help them, their families, and the residents forced to live amid this nightmare. Embrace the spirit of this season and do the right — and decent — thing. The children in our community see unspeakable horrors daily. Please show them that Philadelphians also have love in their hearts.

Alfred R. Klosterman, Philadelphia

With the movement toward “parental rights” and more clout for school boards, teachers are living under duress. The only things board meetings seem to focus on these days are unnecessary book bans, the elimination of civics courses, and holding kangaroo courts. Teachers are hamstrung on what they can and cannot teach. In several states, they can’t discuss LGBTQ issues or teach African American history.

In some states, as columnist Jonathan Zimmerman points out, teachers are fired when only one parent files a spurious complaint. This happened in Florida, where a parent was responsible for the dismissal of a principal who allowed the showing of the statue of Michelangelo’s David as part of a Renaissance art curriculum. The parents considered the artwork to be “pornographic.”

It is no wonder we have a teacher shortage. In European countries, teachers have the same professional respect as doctors and lawyers. In our country, it’s a completely different story. If we do not turn ourselves around, we will end up with an educational void that, in turn, will affect our economic and societal growth.

Bill Pelle, Haverford, bill.to.write@gmail.com

Since the Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1954, hate groups have been finding ways to undermine public education across the country. As a grandparent who has been observing these trends for half a century, the Brown decision remains at the heart of every one of those efforts. Why? Because the decision helped the generations of students who came after the court’s ruling find out that people who didn’t look like them were human, too. It made children question the prejudices taught at home and in church.

The idea of introducing children to new ways to think about people of color, religious beliefs, and various sexual and gender identities is terrifying to a closed mind unsure of its own identity. As a nonconservative person, I must disagree with columnist Jonathan Zimmerman’s conclusion that this is about “parental rights.” It isn’t. It’s about the rights of our children to learn about the world they will live in, be able to grasp difficult facts about humans, and be better, less fearful humans than those in previous generations. It’s about their right to learn.

Mara Obelcz, Hatfield, momobelcz@gmail.com

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