Letters to the Editor

Get off the lawn

While some big businesses and many Republicans delay action on climate change and focus on denial, this certainly isn't the case for all companies. Royal Dutch Shell, Unilever, and more than 60 others have put out a statement calling on all governments to fight climate change by limiting carbon dioxide pollution. These businesses recognize just how serious the problem will be, and they want government action. That's just the opposite of what the climate-denial pack wants. The politicians need to be called out, and if they continue in their denials, they should be made to step down from public office. We need good, meaningful action - not road-blocking officials.

David Muir, Wynnewood

'Goo goo g'joob!'

There's an I-95 billboard for a weight-loss program that my friends and I find to be rather insulting, with its message that "Summer is Coming" and a photo of a huge walrus. If someone is overweight, does he need to envision himself looking as big as a walrus when he goes to the beach this summer? I understand that obesity is a serious concern in our society, but it seems a bit harsh to compare overweight people to walruses.

Emily Dabney, Philadelphia, dabneyemily@gmail.com

Collateral damage

Watching the sad proceedings in Boston honoring the victims of the marathon bombing, I wondered if similar rituals were conducted in the Middle East when U.S. drone attacks on terrorists killed ordinary citizens by mistake. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D., Mass.) said, "They hate us for what we stand for." But I wonder if ordinary Americans also might be targets due to their government's actions abroad.

Roy Lehman, Woolwich Township Joy in the morning

As I was reading my morning paper the other day, I thought how much I appreciate getting up in the morning and finding The Inquirer on my doorstep. I drink my coffee and read the newspaper from front to back, with the exception of the sports. The newspaper helps this 80-year-old lady to be well-informed, and I'm thankful.

Marie Hutchinson, Newtown

Actions louder

When Pope Francis apologized recently to victims of clergy sex abuse like me, I was unmoved. He has failed to take any real action to protect children, choosing instead to repeat the tired argument that the church is being singled out unfairly. In Philadelphia, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput also has apologized. But Chaput also chose to use $25,000 in church funds to post bail for a convicted felon, Msgr. William Lynn, and lobbies Harrisburg to protect the church from liability and exposure. Apologies have to be earned and are only one step in a long process of admitting guilt, repairing damage, and making good on real changes to prevent future harm. The Catholic Church isn't even close to taking any of those steps, so its hollow apologies cause more harm than good.

John F. Salveson, Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse, Bryn Mawr, salveson@abolishsexabuse.org

Golden goose

The Democratic candidates for governor want to add more layers of taxes on Marcellus Shale gas. The state's economy already benefits from royalties paid to landowners. And the Marcellus industry is the greatest employment and revenue success story in Pennsylvania now.

Gardner A. Cadwalader, Philadelphia

Actions louder

When I heard that Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) had recently tried to block tax benefits for alternative energy sources, I was disappointed. But I wasn't really surprised. Toomey voted to weaken the Clean Air Act and in favor of drilling in the Great Lakes region, which contains 20 percent of the world's available freshwater.

Doug Waterman, Lancaster, dawaterm@millersville.edu