Letters to the Editor | Feb. 17, 2023

Philly fans were pumped for a Super Bowl win. The odds were in their favor. The city was ready. So many people, including me, expected the team to win, and the fact the game was so close makes the loss sting even more. How does a person cope with such a big disappointment? Dwelling on the loss won’t change anything. It is better to remember how people rallied behind the team and the positive feelings that generated. Also, look to the future. The team is young. The head coach and many players are coming back next season. When things don’t go your way, either in sports or in life, it’s important to learn what lessons you can from the experience and move forward. There is more than one opportunity to succeed. What matters is to stay positive and keep trying.

Steven Rosenberg, psychotherapist and behavioral specialist, Huntingdon Valley

Jonathan Zimmerman’s op-ed makes the point that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) courses really do not change biases. His assessment reminded me of my own education at two Ivy League universities. I was grateful for what I was taught at these universities. I was basically taught how to think. That said, I observed that many of my classmates who went on to medical, law, and business schools really graduated with the same judgments and attitudes they had when they entered as freshmen. Behaviors changed — in part because of changes in laws — but attitudes and values did not. This is a sad commentary on our entire higher education curricula. It is time to reevaluate.

Bill Pelle, former director of civil rights, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Haverford, bill.to.write@gmail.com

Another school shooting leaves me almost numb. How many more before we take action? Gun safety laws have proven to be an effective deterrent and the best option for reducing such episodes. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban worked well before it expired. Instead of thoughts and prayers and memorial gardens, how about asking those who control the legislative process and block meaningful gun safety legislation, why they continue to oppose such measures? Kim Ward, state Senate president pro tempore, not only stops Philadelphia from passing its own gun safety laws but promotes and passes laws that make it easier to own a firearm. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a staunch advocate of gun rights and the Second Amendment. U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy continues to block gun safety while promoting more pro-gun laws. These folks should be called on the carpet by the media and asked to explain their recalcitrance. Let’s hear what they propose to solve the problem of mass shootings.

Angus Love, Narberth, anguslove76@gmail.com

There was yet another mass shooting Monday, this time in Michigan. This is the second mass murder in our country through gun violence in the past month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause of death for American children is gun violence. Despite pleas from our citizenry, Congress seems immobilized to act. Meanwhile, “wokeness” and “critical race theory” are removed from school curricula practically overnight in response to a vocal minority who fear an informed citizenry. I wish guns could be taken from our streets as rapidly as books can be taken from our school libraries.

Jim McManus, Ocean City, N.J., jamc67@comcast.net

Reading about the Saudi investment in Jared Kushner’s private equity fund, I was surprised that equity funds can legally conceal the identity of their investors. Similar to mutual funds, equity funds invest in the stock market. Surely, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Justice Department, or Congress would want to mandate transparency. Otherwise, the market and American pensions can be subject to undue foreign influence. The lack of transparency can also make such funds ripe for money laundering. Here’s hoping someone closes this loophole.

Cheryl Haines, Jenkintown

Wokeness is a hot-button issue, and there are problems in universities where students have taken it upon themselves to overcorrect any actions they deem as racist, sexist, or traumatizing. And unfortunately, many colleges have gone along with this. These issues need to be addressed and academic freedom protected. However, comedian Bill Maher is wrong when he says wokeness at our colleges is equivalent to the Chinese Cultural Revolution, a time when several million Chinese died and millions more were subjected to inhuman treatment. The Real Time host holds up Jason Kilborn, a University of Illinois Chicago School of Law professor who faced charges of racial insensitivity over an exam question, as an example. But anyone can see that case in no way comes anywhere near what happened to the innocent Chinese. It is an insult to their suffering to claim that it does. The professor was placed on administrative leave with pay, and there were negotiations with the university regarding his actions. Further, he can sue the university to argue that his rights were violated. How is it helpful to make such inappropriate comparisons? Unfortunately, Maher has a big chip on his shoulder. Was he booed at some college show he gave?

George Magakis Jr., Norristown

Columnist Jennifer Stefano blatantly mischaracterized the Commonwealth Court’s landmark school funding ruling. We all agree that the court rightly concluded that every child must have a “meaningful opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and civically,” which requires access to a “comprehensive, effective, and contemporary” system of public education. But the decision in no way endorsed or even addressed school choice. Nothing in the 786-page ruling suggests that the “only way to ensure adequate and equitable funding to schools is to have education funding follow the child, not the school district.” Rather, the court repeatedly held that money matters and that the state must address deficiencies and gross inequities in school spending that violate our state constitution. The ruling expressly rejected the argument that increases in education spending do not lead to significant improvements in academic outcomes. Stefano’s attempt to use this well-reasoned decisive judicial ruling to support her own policy agenda is misguided and disingenuous.

Susan L. DeJarnatt, professor, Temple University Beasley School of Law

The Associated Press story “Rumors swirl about balloons, UFOs as officials stay mum” accurately portrays the pop culture phenomenon that the Chinese balloon has become and the various avenues of sources reporting on this issue. The large increase in discussion on social media, such as Elon Musk’s tweet about aliens, shows that the issue is considered a joke rather than a national security threat. As college students at Rowan University, we sought out different sources of information, including traditional print media and legacy television, as well as online news sources and social media. The lack of references to these UFO occurrences within traditional news outlets has left a void that is being filled by a mix of conspiracy theories and jokes about the topic. We believe this issue needs to be taken more seriously, and the onus falls on the White House to show more transparency in order to quell the multitude of conspiracies coming from fringe individuals and outlets. As the article mentioned, the White House has said that this is not the work of extraterrestrials. However, this is not enough to ease the minds of worried Americans, much less combat the rumors spreading across the internet. The White House needs to provide more information.

Rory Newman, Nick Dannenfelser, and Luca Jones, Glassboro

We now have multiple articles about improper possession of classified documents by politicians. What is lacking is an explanation of what the documents were. Why were they classified? Who classified them? Can and should the classification be challenged? Does the classification expire? Did their classification obscure information that should be available to citizens and reported by news outlets? Did the politicians have legitimate reason to maintain possession? Perhaps it’s time for The Inquirer to give the rest of the story.

Richard Smith, Lansdale, rgrantsmith@lansdale.us

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