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No Kings rally thoughts

Letters to the Editor

I was pleased to see that a Mirror staff writer included perspectives from both sides of the “No Kings” rally held in Blair County. Perhaps a short news piece isn’t the place to probe some of the more bizarre, vague, and unsubstantiated claims made by a few participants. Still, one comment deserves a closer look. One speaker drew a parallel between her ancestors arriving on the Mayflower “without permission” and today’s immigration debates. That’s quite a comparison. If the next group of would‑be immigrants shows up in a 17th‑century wooden ship after a two‑month ...

Education is to train future leaders

Editorials

The Hollidaysburg Area School Board engaged in a refreshing discussion April 8 about whether to approve for adoption a psychology textbook that eventually was approved — correctly — by a 6-3 margin. At a time when virtually everything is available to young people via the internet, should relevant — even if sometimes controversial — topics such as social justice and gender identity, including LGBTQ issues, be considered topics that would “poison” young people’s minds? If the information is presented correctly, as the course would seem to dictate, the answer should be ...

Protecting SNAP is protecting our future

Letters to the Editor

An increasing number of our neighbors are struggling to put food on the table as costs continue to rise. The budget reconciliation law (H.R.1), passed in July 2025, will only make matters worse. H.R.1 slashes $187 billion over the next decade from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, in exchange for permanent tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations. Many of our neighbors —including children, veterans, people with disabilities, and older adults — will lose access to SNAP, putting their health and ...

We must do more in Iran

Other Commentaries

In Western Civilization, Christian ethics still, in some ways, dominate society. Murder is wrong. Stealing is wrong. Lying is wrong. Iran is dominated by Shiite Muslims who, at heart, embrace Taqiyya, or religious dissimulation, in ways Sunni Muslims tend to reject. It is why more must be done to Iran. Taqiyya, in practice, means lying to the infidel. The Hadith, or traditions of the prophet, says “war is deceit” and commanders may use lies to advance their cause. The Iranian regime outmaneuvered the Obama administration with peace talks. To this day, Democrats insist Iran was not ...

Artemis II offers inspiring unity

Other Commentaries

National confidence, unfortunately, is in short supply these days. In this season of springtime renewal, Americans would do well to look up — literally. Artemis II, NASA’s first meaningful manned space mission in over a half-century, has taken the nation by storm this month. In so doing, it has provided a timely reminder of what a great nation, acting with confidence and clarity of purpose, can still achieve. Public polling confirms that Americans are a largely pessimistic lot. Our politics are fractured, our institutions mistrusted, and our birth and marriage rates have plummeted. ...

NFL Draft exposes crisis of homelessness

Editorials

In preparation for the vast crowds expected to flood Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft, proactive steps are being taken. Businesses are allowing — or encouraging — employees to work from home. Pittsburgh Public Schools will have students attend remotely. Allegheny County courtrooms won’t close down, but they won’t be working at full capacity either. The message is clear: With up to 700,000 football fans descending on the Steel City, locals who don’t need to be in the mix should stay home. But what if you don’t have a home? The area is nearing the end of months of effort to ...