Letters to the Editor | Sept. 18, 2025

We are back in the days of Joseph McCarthy. Back then, there was no social media to spread lies even more broadly and deeply than with the old media. We know what this is.

No one is safe: children at school, people at concerts and gatherings, people with brown skin, Muslims, Jews, people whose bodies aren’t binary, people who speak Spanish and other languages, people who were just living their lives and were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

No one is safe: people with problem pregnancies, victims of assault, people whose Medicaid has been snatched away, scientists doing research, universities that cave to an autocrat, people who need vaccines, the planet that can’t survive global warming unless we work together, really hard. Our country — where the rule of law was the norm for nearly 250 years until now.

At some point, the McCarthy era finally fizzled under the weight of hatred, but now it’s worse because Congress is under the foot of MAGA. We have to vote, but we also have to go to the streets to get our country back. We can’t wait for the world our grandchildren inherit will be indescribable.

Sandra Choukroun, Penn Valley

I appreciate President Donald Trump’s attempt to help cities control crime. I wonder if cooperating with mayors and governors of various cities and states in the form of federal funding for hiring and training police officers would provide a more permanent solution, instead of the cost and temporary status of sending in the National Guard without the consent of said mayors and governors. Threats and bullying are Trump’s methods of attempting to solve problems. Unfortunately, this only provides more division in our country, which is already splitting apart.

Ken Biles, Douglassville

Pam Bondi, the attorney general of the United States, is openly violating her oath of office by ignoring the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in 2017 in the case of Matal v. Tam, which reaffirmed a core principle of the First Amendment: “the government cannot suppress or punish expression based on its offensive nature or content.” In the aftermath of the horrific slaying of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, Bondi stated publicly that the U.S. Department of Justice would be “cracking down” on hate speech in response to controversial posts on social media and other outlets.

Bondi’s targeting of Donald Trump’s political enemies has become predictable. By pandering to the MAGA base, Bondi is shifting the focus away from the failings of the Trump administration and its assault on the rule of law. Her tenure in office has compromised the legal system’s foundational principles of integrity and impartiality. How is she still in this role?

Jane Larkin, Tampa, Fla.

As a former Philadelphia tour guide, I find the proposed rewriting of history at the President’s House more than disgusting. A possible solution would be to produce color brochures depicting the displays as they now appear and have costumed tour guides hand them to all visitors to the site. I will happily be the first to volunteer for this duty.

Steve Zettler, Philadelphia

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