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Opinion

Congress should protect our troops

Letters to the Editor

“Thank you for your service” is often heard from politicians who lack respect for U.S. troops and American honor. Now, as a new Mideast war places our soldiers, sailors and airmen in harm’s way, the Republican Congress shirks the Constitutional duty to declare war or halt what may be an illegal military action by our Executive branch to support Israel. Our ally Israel previously demonstrated willingness to commit war crimes against a helpless civilian population in Gaza, destroying civilian infrastructure, killing tens of thousands of children and subjecting civilians to siege ...

Slain trooper was protecting community

Editorials

The death of a Pennsylvania state trooper during a traffic stop on March 8 underscores how the lives of law enforcement officers are at risk even while performing some of their most basic duties. Cpl. Tim O’Connor was killed while approaching a car he had stopped after authorities were alerted about what was described as an “erratic driver.” O’Connor was shot to death while he was walking toward the car; it is believed that the driver fired from inside the vehicle. After firing the shot, the shooter, identified as Jesse Nathan Elks, 32, exited the car, walked a short distance ...

There is no problem of noncitizens voting

Letters to the Editor

The SAVE Act recently passed the House of Representatives and is currently under consideration in the Senate. It is intended to solve the problem of illegal noncitizen voting, which Republicans claim is rampant. This is bogus. There is no evidence of non-citizen voting in any significant numbers, and that isn’t because no one has looked for it. You may know of the influential Heritage Foundation. These are the same folks who brought you Project 2025. They maintain a searchable voter fraud database that is easily found with an internet search. For the period 2002 to 2025, the ...

War sometimes a necessary action

Letters to the Editor

It is no surprise that President Donald Trump’s recent military actions were met with some skepticism. Wars are unsettling to the public mood, destructive to property and deadly to humans. We naturally abhor those things. A Mirror reporter used two local professors to detail their doubts and displeasure with President Trump’s actions. However, the concerns of two does not constitute “lack widespread support.” But even that misses the point, wars are never popular — and they shouldn’t be for reasons cited above. But they are sometimes necessary. Reviewing history, I ...

Sediment abatement project appreciated

Letters to the Editor

On behalf of all the residents of the Fort Fetter section of Blair Township of Blair County, myself and immediate neighbors, I welcome this opportunity to say thank you to the Intergovernmental Stormwater Committee (IRC) as well as all other elected officials involved in the Beaver Dam Branch (BDB) of the Juniata River sediment abatement project. Phase 1 of this project appears to be almost complete and the restoration can not be more noticeable. Having lived in this neighborhood for 30-plus years, it is a heartheld thank you not only to the obvious aesthetics, but also to the flooding ...

Think energy is unaffordable now?

Opinion

The facts remain: Pennsylvania is the nation’s second-largest producer of natural gas, and the tri-state region is the world’s fourth largest producer. Both small “conventional” wells and large “unconventional” shale wells supply the state affordable and reliable energy. That could change drastically for tens of thousands of families in 2029 if the Department of Environmental Protection implements a federal methane reduction rule known as Subpart OOOOc in a rigid manner. Subpart OOOOc imposes sweeping new monitoring, reporting, and equipment mandates to reduce oil and gas ...