Letters to the Editor | Aug. 16, 2024

A thank you to The Inquirer for covering the Delaware River Floatopia event — an important story about clean water, environmental justice, and access to natural areas. However, a vital aspect of this story didn’t make the article. New Jersey and Camden County have acquired large land areas on the Delaware back channel and the mouth of the Cooper River, including Petty’s Island, Sadler’s Marina, and Cramer Hill Waterfront Park. These land and water areas are contiguous, comprising a huge natural area. With boat ramps at Pyne Poynt Park and Kramer Hill Park, waters are easily accessible. Over two million people are within 30 minutes of this natural area, and more people are discovering it. With the restoration of Sadler’s Marina and Petty’s Island, this area could rival Central Park or Millennium Park as a tourist destination — but billions of gallons of raw sewage are discharged into the river annually by Philadelphia’s antiquated combined sewer systems that flood during storms. Updating these systems should be a top priority.

Tom Kulp, Moorestown, tkulp@urbanpromiseusa.org

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Until the Philadelphia Water Department and local environmental agencies team up to implement a substantial plan to reduce sewage and bacteria overflow into the Delaware River, it is in the public’s best interest to stay out of the water. Recent increases in rainfall along with Philadelphia’s combined sewer system create a perfect storm for E. coli and gastrointestinal distress in swimmers who unavoidably ingest the sewage-tainted river water. It is understandable why many wish to dive into the river to seek relief amid soaring temperatures in the city; however, there exists plenty of safer alternatives such as local pools, fountains, sprinklers, and frozen treats. Philadelphia must establish a reliable system to monitor and control bacteria levels in its rivers — perhaps by upgrading antiquated sewer systems — before the Delaware River can safely be used by the public as a means for swimming and recreation.

Jennifer Mach, Philadelphia

An Associated Press article in The Inquirer noted that Fatha, the main force in “the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority,” recently signed a unity agreement with Hamas. Hamas murdered and kidnapped American citizens in its Oct. 7 invasion of Israel and has been holding hostages ever since then. Considering the Biden administration has given Palestinians nearly $700 million in the past 10 months, it’s deeply disturbing that the Palestinian Authority would befriend those who murder and kidnap Americans.

Moshe Phillips, national chairman, Americans for a Safe Israel

How is it possible that Americans are not outraged at the recent bombardment of the school in Gaza, which was housing displaced Palestinians? Dozens of innocent men, women, and children were killed by the Israeli attack. Body parts were scattered throughout the debris. Why is there an enormous sense of apathy in our nation? There is a collective failure in the international community to condemn the slaughter of these civilians.

Tensions continue to escalate, and cease-fire negotiations are not taken seriously. The hostages are still being held captive. A regional war in the Middle East may be imminent, yet our acceptance of the killings is staggering. How do any of us sleep at night? We are tucked in our warm beds while Palestinian mothers search for diapers and formula to feed their babies. We take daily showers and eat regular meals while the people in Gaza starve and search for a place to relieve themselves. Where is our humanity? Wake up, America! Our brothers and sisters are suffering unspeakable injustices.

Carol A. Pasquarello, Philadelphia

An Aug. 11 front-page article reported Israel’s bombing of yet another school serving as a shelter for displaced Gazans, killing at least 80 Palestinians — mostly women, children, and the elderly — who were asleep or at dawn prayers. In the last week, Israel bombed two other schools, killing dozens more children and women. Tamer Kirolos, the regional director for Save the Children, said of the al-Tabin school massacre: “It is devastating to see the toll this has taken ... Civilians, children, must be protected.”

I am an older, Jewish woman, but I remember as a teenager my mother telling me that Judaism was the way you live your life. She meant that as a Jew, you held all life precious. The relentless bombing and destruction, the use of starvation as a weapon, the use of continuous forced evacuations, all that Israel has unleashed in Gaza, this is not the Judaism I grew up knowing.

Given that Israel is unable to stop its revenge against the Palestinian people for the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of 1,143 Jewish soldiers and civilians, I expect the U.S. government to condition military aid, yet on the eve of the al-Tabin bombing, the U.S. State Department announced a gift of $3.5 billion in military aid to Israel. At the same time, the State Department notified Congress of its sale to Israel of $262 million worth of 6,500 Joint Direct Action Munitions, used to supposedly make bombs more precise. Every day and night, I pray this horrible war ends. It is not making anyone safer; it’s doing just the opposite.

Genie Silver, Wynnewood

Richard Nixon may have said it best in an interview after Watergate: “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook.” He continued with, “Well, I’m not a crook.” But he was, and several members of his own party forced him to resign or face impeachment. That was then. Fifty years later, the Republican presidential candidate is a convicted felon facing multiple indictments. Some might argue that covering up sex with an adult film star is not nearly as bad as Watergate. But what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, was far worse.

Watergate was done in secret during the dark of night. The insurrection was in broad daylight. Nobody was hurt in the break-in. Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted protecting the U.S. Capitol, and a protester was shot. Donald Trump continues to insist the 2020 election was stolen, and calls those convicted for their actions on Jan. 6 “hostages.” He plans to pardon them. He has said he would be a “dictator on Day One” if he wins. And promised a “bloodbath” if he loses. He has the full support of his party, and a game plan called Project 2025. Beware, as Joe Biden says, this is not your father’s Republican Party.

Randall Rousselo, Roscommon, Mich.

Don’t believe the inflation political campaign ads. Surely you’ve seen them, they’ve been all over the television lately. They try to provoke your anger about high prices, and then try to blame it (and all the world’s problems) on their opposing political candidate, in this case, Sen. Bob Casey. They accuse him of “excessive government spending” and that this excessive government spending causes inflation. It doesn’t.

Excessive government spending does not cause inflation. Inflation is caused by global supply and demand, as well as corporate price gouging. The other problem with these campaign ads bemoaning inflation is that inflation is no longer rising, it has stabilized since last year. The Federal Reserve will likely lower interest rates soon, another sign of decreasing inflation. We see this same campaign messaging every election cycle, whether or not the economy is good. Regardless of who the candidate is for the Democrats, the Republicans will always say they’re spending excessively, which causes inflation. Except that it doesn’t. Don’t believe the ads.

Dean Miller, Collegeville

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