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Letters to the Editor

Gun violence affects everyone

June is both National Gun Violence Awareness and Gay Pride month. One way the two are connected is the amount of gun violence inflicted on the LGBQT community. On a per capita basis, LGBQT+ individuals are targeted for violent hate crimes at a higher rate than other minorities. Research indicates that LGBQT+ people are roughly nine times more likely to be victims of hate crimes than non-LGBQT+ individuals. According to the Trevor Project, 40% of LGBQT+ youth reported having a firearm in their home, and the odds of committing suicide were about 17% higher than those who did not have ...

Clock keeps ticking

Clock keeps ticking In Manhattan, on a wall not far from Times Square, the debt clock ticks higher and higher. After climbing for so many years with no obvious economic fallout, it’s easy to ignore. Indeed, the clock was moved from its location on a busy street corner to a quiet passageway. The reality is that we really don’t have a “debt ceiling.” It’s a political creation with no fundamental economic meaning. No other country has one. But we do need a political solution, and many politicians have been concerned about our growing debt for a long time. They thought they had ...

Gabbard doing job by releasing reports

DNI Tulsi Gabbard is stepping down as director of national intelligence at the end of June, but the radical left had better be fearful of what will occur in her final weeks. Gabbard announced her resignation after her husband, Abraham, was diagnosed with what she described as “an extremely rare form of bone cancer.” She said she must “step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle.” Gabbard devoted her time at ODNI to wage a full-frontal assault on the entrenched intelligence bureaucracy, and she’s performed exquisitely. Before ...

Fossil fuel industry controls government

The world as we know it today was built on the back of burning fossil fuels. Unfortunately, this process has come at a tremendous cost. Emissions from burning fossil fuels are rapidly warming our world at a rate that has never occurred in the history of our planet. Why, then, do we continue to burn planet killing fossil fuels? One primary reason is the tremendous control the fossil fuel industry has over our government. The industry spends approximately $250 million dollars per year lobbying elected officials. The vast majority of this money goes to Republican officials and ...

Support urged for the Clean Streams Fund

Our state legislators should support the Clean Streams Fund in Pennsylvania’s Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget. Since its inception, this program has led to water quality and habitat outcomes throughout the Commonwealth, and continued support will benefit all Pennsylvanians, and perhaps most notably hunters, anglers and farmers. The programs funded by the Clean Streams Fund directly improve water quality through the implementation of practices like riparian forest buffers, streambank fencing, cover crops and manure management structures. These practices prevent pollutants like excessive ...

Altoona’s Wall needs to be saved

Altoona is lucky to have a replica of the Vietnam Wall at the Van Zandt VA Medical Center. Recently, I made a trip to the wall to visit with my cousin and friends who are always there on the wall. I could not find my cousin’s name, so I asked a man who was working on the Wall. He brought me to the office and searched panels stacked in a corner. He found the panel, one of a number that had been removed for repairs and re-cementing. We talked and I found out the VA provided the ground for the Wall, but no funds for upkeep or improvements. With all the American Legions and VFWs in ...