Letters to the Editor | May 14, 2023

Safe injection sites are a hot button issue that produces strong opinions and reactions. That is just the nature of trying to tackle a complex and complicated issue that doesn’t have an easy answer. What’s not an answer is outright banning them, as lawmakers in the Pennsylvania Senate are proposing to do with SB 165. We should debate the efficacy, the positives, and the negatives. The sites allow people struggling with addiction to use drugs under the supervision of medical professionals. The drugs are not provided, nor are they purchased on location. Medical professionals who assist use it as an opportunity to expose users to recovery options they may not have had or known about. Sites have existed in Europe, Australia, and Canada for some time now. New York opened two sites in Manhattan in 2021. Proponents of safe injection sites highlight the benefits, which include reducing the number of overdose deaths, providing access to health care and support services to people with substance use disorders, and reducing the spread of diseases such as HIV/ AIDS and hepatitis C. Opponents are concerned that opening safe injection sites will bring more drug use to affected communities, increase crime rates, and negatively impact property values. What matters most is that local authorities ensure the community’s residents have a say and a voice in the decision-making process. Only through trust building can we produce a collaborative approach that meets the needs of individuals struggling with addiction and the surrounding community.

Jason Dawkins, state representative, chair of the Pennsylvania House Labor and Industry Committee

What is it going to take for all state representatives who are not supporting gun safety laws to get on board? How many more times do we have to see the news of the day be “Two more dead from gun violence” or “Child shot sibling accidentally with weapon that was not properly secured”? I’m a Vietnam combat veteran who has hands-on experience using automatic weapons in the environment that these weapons are intended for: a combat situation on behalf of the American government. Ownership of a weapon should never be taken lightly; weapons were developed and produced to kill. As a veteran, a father, a brother, a friend, and a husband, I’m asking you to please get behind the current effort to develop smarter gun legislation in Pennsylvania. Call and ask your representative to support the Lost and Stolen Gun Reporting bill to make our streets and homes safer.

Rocco Mastricolo, Springfield

Watching Donald Trump spend two hours on CNN repeating multiple lies about the many legal perils that face him, the day after a jury essentially declared him to be a sexual predator, was a bizarre public spectacle. Watching Trump talk about how he would pardon convicted rioters, blaming Nancy Pelosi for not protecting the U.S. Capitol, continuing to blast E. Jean Carroll — and getting applause and laughter while doing so — was revolting. It is astounding how Trump continues to show how unfit he is for any position of responsibility, much less president. And yet, some people still support and enjoy his bad boy, class clown, bully behavior. Why did CNN put this man on TV? Did the network not think he would use this as a forum to spread lies to millions of people who could not help but rubberneck this car accident of a “candidate”? Are ratings worth helping this man spread his disinformation? When someone clearly did everything he could to overturn an election, is it really in the public interest to give him a forum? Responsible media outlets have hard decisions to make in their coverage of Trump this election season. Responsible journalism is more than giving airtime to the spectacle that is the disgraced former president.

Tom Buglio, Malvern

Let’s face it, becoming distracted at work is easy. Sunny afternoons, Taco Tuesdays, and the latest merchandise drops at T.J. Maxx can consume one’s attention. When you are the defensive coordinator of the 2023 NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, however, one would expect that entering the second half with a hobbled opposing quarterback and a 10-point lead would energize you to focus and put your players in the best position to succeed. It did not. Multiple interviews with Eagles defensive players suggested they were not placed in the best positions to be successful in the second half of the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. Then came the revelation that Arizona Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort had impermissible contact with defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon after the Eagles beat the 49ers in the NFC championship game. Tampering, a word most often used in the English language regarding something illegal, was “resolved” on draft night with the Eagles and Cardinals swapping third-round draft picks and Arizona acquiring a 2024 fifth-round pick from Philadelphia. Let me be one of the first to welcome Gannon to Arizona.

Michael Thomas Leibrandt, Abington

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