Letters to the Editor | April 19, 2024

On April 10, Muslims celebrated Ramadan’s conclusion with our Eid al-Fitr holiday and reflected on a month of sacrifices. Yet, no Muslim expects to sacrifice their life while celebrating during Eid. I was saddened to hear that on such a joyous occasion, three of our neighbors were injured when two groups exchanged gunfire while 1,000 people gathered in a West Philadelphia park. I thank the police officers for their swift action. I pray for the recovery of all those injured and that justice is served. As Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, has said, if we want to have peace, then we must have justice on every level of society.

Ataul Wadood Bhatti, Philadelphia

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions are working against his country’s best interests. Through his broad destruction in Gaza, he isn’t accomplishing a military goal. Instead, he invites the children he traumatizes today to become the terrorists of tomorrow. When he bombs a foreign embassy in Syria, violating a central tenet of international diplomacy, he invites retaliation — which failed primarily because of actions by Israel’s allies like the United States.

Finally, when Israeli forces attack the World Central Kitchen’s humanitarian work in Gaza, killing seven volunteers who were providing food and aid, Netanyahu shows himself to be utterly devoid of decency, and he brings further world condemnation upon himself. Let’s be honest: Before the atrocities of Oct. 7, Netanyahu was on the verge of being unseated as prime minister. His subsequent actions have little to do with bringing the Israeli hostages home. They have everything to do with his being a “war leader” who would rally his country and the world around him. Considering his policies and actions, he is clearly failing. As an American Jew, I certainly value Israel’s continued existence. To that effect, Netanyahu must resign.

William M. Dingfelder, Philadelphia

There was an assumption among many progressives and government reform folks that Democrats would change things in Harrisburg now that they control the House. The expectation was that they would help end corruption by responding to the desire of the public to clean up state government. After a year, I’m not convinced this assumption is valid. As a Democratic committeeperson and two-time candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, it pains me to doubt it, but I do.

An example is the rules established every session by each chamber of our General Assembly; rules that we can hope to change. When popular reforms, passed unanimously by a committee in the House, can be left to die without a vote of the chamber, something is wrong. House Republican leadership did exactly that to the gift ban bill in the last two sessions. It remains to be seen if it will fare any better in the House under Democratic control, but this past year offers little hope. So far it hasn’t even been given a vote at the committee level, the prerequisite for an actual floor vote of the entire House.

Legislators have the power to make bribery illegal by passing the gift ban bill, House Bill 484. House leadership has the power to change rules that not only thwart the will of the public but frustrate the majority of the House members themselves. We hear at the national level that democracy is under attack. It doesn’t truly exist in our state government now.

Stephen Snell, Red Lion, Pa.

The Friends of the Wissahickon play an integral part in keeping this beautiful oasis safe and clean. This verdant valley is within Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park system. People with all levels of physical ability can enjoy this area of scenic beauty. It’s a great spot for grandchildren, grandparents, and everyone in between. I had the privilege of working in this area as a patrol officer, and Wissahickon Valley Park is an alluring place to visit in all seasons.

Within the park, you can walk a dog, ride a horse, take a run, ride a bike, or just meander along its numerous paths and trails. The main trail is a road-sized gravel path known as Forbidden Drive that parallels Wissahickon Creek. If you desire a rougher and quieter hike, you might try the multilevel trails that run alongside the creek on both sides. When off-duty, these are the trails I liked. The people who come to this area are friendly and helpful, and although the boys from the 92nd no longer patrol this park, it is a safe place. Come on over and enjoy this special area.

John J. O’Hara, Berlin

Bill Barr, attorney general during the Donald Trump administration, has called the former president a “defiant 9-year-old” whose “verbal skills are limited” and in need of people around him to “help keep him on the straight and narrow.” Yet, Barr has effectively endorsed Trump, saying he will support the Republican ticket. This is the same Barr who resigned over false claims of voter fraud being peddled by Trump and his minions. Despite saying that voting for Trump is like “playing Russian roulette,” he claims that voting for Joe Biden would be “national suicide.” I am at a loss.

The former AG says he will support a person facing 92 felony counts — who has been found to have committed rape and fraud and has at least half a billion dollars in judgments against him — over Biden. What the heck goes on in the minds of Republicans like him and Chris Christie? They know Trump is a train wreck, yet cannot go the distance and actively try to keep him out of office. These men should take a lesson from strong Republican women like Liz Cheney and Lisa Murkowski, and do what is right for America. Do whatever it takes to keep that criminal away from the White House.

Jim Lynch, Norristown

While celebrating Earth Day this weekend, there is something important to keep in mind: There is a raging clash between the Biden administration’s efforts to get us to zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the efforts by the oil company giants to increase fossil fuel consumption. In 2023, that consumption injected 37.4 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, driving the carbon concentration in the atmosphere to 419.3 parts per million, a 50% increase over its preindustrial level. The temperature also briefly reached 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, a limit scientists say would be dangerous to exceed.

John Kerry, former U.S. climate change envoy, recently said that despite all the carbon reduction promises made at the Paris Agreement in 2015, carbon reductions only amount to 7.5% when, by now, they should have been cut by 30%. He and many scientists agree that we are not doing enough, fast enough, to get to zero by 2050. According to the International Energy Agency, the fossil industry intends to increase fossil consumption by 2% per year into the future. If they succeed, scientists say it may increase the global temperature by around 4 degrees Celsius, or 7.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The planet will survive — in a deeply altered state — but it’s possible humans may not.

Richard Whiteford, Climate Reality Project, West Chester

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