Letters to the Editor | April 2, 2024

It was her eyes. Op-ed writer Raegan Farlow’s eyes, captured in a portrait by photographer Jessica Griffin, showed resignation and hopelessness. Her gaze not only reflected her ride on the El after a man was found unresponsive — a needle in his arm — in one of the cars, but her stare was the culmination of seeing life’s horrors play out in our city. It’s the decades of school shootings, the killings in churches, concerts, supermarkets. It’s seeing and hearing drug deals done out in the open, carjackings by young teenagers, and tweens with guns. These are all symptoms of a soul death in our culture. After the shock has abated, Farlow and thousands and thousands of other kids will be left with PTSD, and everything that brings. Maybe someday, this same young vibrant woman will write about her flashbacks, the visions, the nightmares, and the feelings of being inured to human suffering — even her own.

Vicky Benedict Farber, Narberth

On Sunday, the Editorial Board presented a list of Republicans critical of former President Donald Trump. Yet, none of them, even the ones who were part of his cabinet or staff, provide any specific instance where Trump’s judgment led to a negative outcome for Americans. Fairness requires a few of the critics to present proof of their negative feelings toward the president. I find that odd, don’t you? The bottom line: Trump delivered peace and prosperity for Americans. He was as true to confronting and meeting his stated priorities as a candidate as any president in my lifetime.

Facts revealed the entire Russian collusion charge was overblown, ginned up by Democrats and megaphoned by the media. It appears the prosecutors of his current cases in New York and Atlanta have the flimsiest of cases. If things hold, voters will have a unique opportunity to compare the body of work of two candidates who have held the identical job. Hopefully, they’ll be able to make the decision in an election where both parties demonstrate zero tolerance for cheating and work hard to achieve that goal. Perhaps that’s why the leftists, liberals, and Democrats seem so frightened.

Stewart Bolno, Philadelphia, stewbolno@comcast.net

In the article “Former Villanova football player found not guilty of attempted rape,” reporter Vinny Vella describes the events that led a jury to acquit former Villanova student Iyanu Elijah Solomon of rape. The article does not identify the woman who made the allegation, explaining that The Inquirer “does not name victims in sexual assault cases without their consent.” Set aside the question of whether it’s fair for the local newspaper of record to grant his accuser anonymity in an article that identifies Solomon by name 19 times. By deeming the accuser — even after Solomon’s acquittal — a “victim” as opposed to a complainant or alleged victim, The Inquirer effectively casts doubt on the merits of the jury’s verdict in its news coverage. After all, if the woman was a victim, then Solomon must have committed the offense of which he was charged. On social media, Vella maintained that the post-acquittal language represented “an Inquirer policy.” Then that policy deserves reconsideration. At the very least, if the paper believes the complainant in this case is a victim despite the jury’s verdict, it should have explained why in the article.

KC Johnson, professor of history, Brooklyn College, kcjohnson9@gmail.com

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