Letters to the Editor | March 2, 2023

The editorial calling for the name change of Taney Street to honor Caroline LeCount, a 19th-century Philadelphia civil rights and education leader, was good to see, but I write to correct an error. The editorial said Octavius Catto, the man she was planning to marry, was a Union army officer. He was not. His military designation was in the National Guard and came after the Civil War ended. He and about 90 other Black Philadelphians sought to enlist in 1863 but were turned away. He never served in the Union army but was a highly effective recruiter of Black troops from 1863 on.

Murray Dubin, Philadelphia. The writer, a coauthor of “Tasting Freedom” — a biography of Octavius Catto — spent 34 years as a reporter, editor, and national correspondent at The Inquirer.

Regarding United States aid to the Jewish state of Israel, which was recently questioned by a letter writer: Israel receives mostly military aid from the U.S., and all of the money is spent here. It creates hundreds and perhaps thousands of American jobs, and it helps the United States military, as Israel often improves what it buys and shares those improvements with its American allies. Israel shares new technologies with Americans, including specialized battlefield bandages to save wounded American soldiers, and deflectors that repel attacks against armored personnel carriers. Israel shares intelligence about terrorism that could endanger U.S. troops and civilians. Gen. Alexander Haig called Israel: “The largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk, does not carry even one American soldier, and is located in a critical region for American national security.” Americans get a lot for our money.

Steve Feldman, executive director, Greater Philadelphia chapter, Zionist Organization of America

As a former Republican mayoral candidate endorsed by The Inquirer in my primary in 2011, I take umbrage that you ignored Republican mayoral candidate David Oh by claiming that the May 16 Democratic primary will be “when the race should be all but decided.” When you endorsed me 12 years ago, the Editorial Board said that my “most important contribution would be to jolt the city GOP into becoming a true opposition party.” Well, we are that true opposition party. Our former city commissioner is now the acting secretary of the commonwealth, and our mayoral candidate is a three-time City Council member who has a chance to pull off an upset. Do better. Encourage voting in the general election season, where Democrats, Republicans, Working Families Party, and other third parties and independents make their case for serving Philadelphians.

John Featherman, Philadelphia

Jennifer Stefano’s column discusses the peril that the police face. However, she slants her commentary by not mentioning possibly the main reason for this peril, which is the proliferation of guns on the streets and the easy access to weapons. Stefano states that the “progressive left’s ideas and policies” discourage recruitment of police officers. She does not mention that the obstructionist right pushes back on any attempt to enact commonsense gun laws. She does not mention the violence toward police officers by insurrectionists on Jan. 6, 2021, when more than 140 police officers were injured, with one dying. Stefano rightly lauded Temple Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald, but should acknowledge that he was killed by someone who should not have had access to a gun — not by Black Lives Matter or the “progressive left.”

Marlyn Alkins, Warrington

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