Letters to the Editor | Aug. 21, 2023

I am a resident of Ocean City, N.J., but I am also a responsible citizen of the Earth. The threats of global warming, climate change, and ocean level rise present an existential crisis for the world and all its inhabitants. The obvious way to fight this is the drastic reduction of the burning of fossil fuels. Decarbonization should be considered a national priority, requiring the fast-tracking of projects such as Ocean Wind I. Instead, however, there are organized attempts by members of the local government to slow down or stop the project via lawsuits, media blitzes, and false claims of harm to ocean life.

Posters have recently appeared in prominent locations on the Ocean City boardwalk with false depictions of what an offshore wind farm would look like. The mayor has admitted the local government’s sanction and support. More realistic depictions have been available for some time on the Ocean Wind website. Using the boardwalk to advance a political agenda is questionable; displaying false images deliberately misinforms the public. We should deplore these tactics and firmly oppose the myopic positions taken by some local leaders. We should all encourage thinking citizens of the planet to support reasonably conceived emergency decarbonization projects. We owe it to the world.

John Boland, Ocean City, N.J.

The proverb “misery loves company” seems apropos after the former president’s indictment in Georgia. How many alleged miscreants does a fellow need to feel miserable about himself? In this case, it seems that 18 others are the number of folks charged with witness intimidation, concocting a harebrained scheme to produce a slate of fake electors, asking the former vice president to accept said fake electors, providing individuals unauthorized access to election equipment, and the list goes on. And no, an election official cannot “find” 11,780 votes. That is election fraud. The coconspirators are looking at disbarment, for many are lawyers, financial ruin to mount a defense, and the disgrace of getting caught with their pants down. Voters don’t want third-rate schemes meant to defraud elections. Now the former president and his codefendants can truly feel collective misery.

Estelle Samberg, Warminster

Michigan 12-year-old Tashawn Bernard was taking the trash out when he was a victim of racial profiling. Lansing police officers should have investigated further and realized he was the completely wrong person. It has also been reported that the color of his shirt was not the same as the one worn by the man police were looking for. Saying that Tashawn was at the wrong place at the wrong time is not an answer. It is terrible that just doing chores outside your home in our current society can turn into a stressful situation if you’re a person of color. To be so young and having to go through this is unacceptable and should be a real wake-up call for police officers throughout America.

Alim Howell, Upper Darby, alimleemhowell@gmail.com

The presidency of Donald Trump caused a serious stain on our country’s democracy, and it will take many years to recover from its effects. Now, after four criminal indictments, Trump wants to return to the White House for another four years. How can sensible U.S. citizens vote for a man who caused the decay and deterioration of our country while in office? Countless governmental agencies were threatened, programs to aid the disenfranchised were discontinued, immigrant children were torn from their parents’ arms, the LGBTQ community was repeatedly harassed, racial violence was and is rampant, and women’s rights were ripped to shreds. Why would anyone want to reelect this man to govern our land?

Our country deserves a president who is decent and compassionate. Trump is a narcissist who should be avoided at all costs. An urgent concern of having a new Trump presidency is the war in Ukraine. Trump shares a benevolent relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and will, in all probability, form an alliance with Russia and withdraw all military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Innocent people will likely die. How can the U.S. risk another Trump presidency? Needless to say, climate change endeavors will be on the back burner for Trump, who is a climate denier. Mother Earth will not recover if serious global policies are not instituted. The future of our country depends on a Trump loss at the ballot box — or to see him in a prison cell.

Carol A. Pasquarello, Philadelphia

The recent Inquirer article, “Can Philly build green without displacing residents?” articulated a false assertion that planting trees causes gentrification in Philadelphia’s low-income neighborhoods. Of course, one could argue that clearing trash from streets and fixing up abandoned buildings also “cause” gentrification. I contend that it’s a housing system based on private profit that is the root cause of gentrification. Until Philadelphia adopts the principle that housing is a human right, and then deploys the power of the public purse to help house its people, gentrification is inevitable — trees or no trees.

The danger in the headline and subtext of the article is that it pits one human right against another. Absent a healthy urban forest, the changing climate will methodically disrupt the natural systems of air, shade, soil, and water that allow a city of 1.5 million people to even exist. On the other hand, without affordable, sustainable places for people to live, a city’s social environment will result in self-destruction. So? Make a serious and costly commitment to public investment in social housing and neighborhood justice and to nurturing the urban forest. Stop pretending we have the luxury of choosing one priority over the other. Let’s survive.

Terry Rumsey, president, Green Seeds, Media

In 1964, my freshman sociology professor at Temple University asked the class this question: Who breaks the law in our country? After much discussion, he gave us the following answer: “In our country, research shows that most of the laws are broken by those at the very top and those at the very bottom of our society. Those at the top feel that they have so much power and money that they can get away with almost anything, and those at the bottom feel that they have very little or nothing to lose. The vast majority of those in the middle obey the laws and the rules.” Today, nearly 60 years later, when I read the news about the crimes surrounding the 2020 presidential election and the growing trend of smash-and-grab department store thefts, I am amazed at how true the words of my wise sociology professor remain. Some things never change.

Rick Goldberg, Warminster

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