Letters to the Editor | Sept. 20, 2023

Danilo Cavalcante captured. Good. Hundreds of officers and federal agents were part of a manhunt that ended after two weeks. U.S. Marshals said, “Urban areas advantage law enforcement.” Cavalcante’s sister is possibly deported for not assisting with the investigation. Meanwhile, Dayron Burney-Thorn, a juvenile wanted in connection to the shooting death of my grandson, Nick Elizalde, remains at large for almost a year. So far, he has eluded capture, is considered armed and dangerous, and is believed to be hiding in the Atlanta area and being assisted by family.

Nick is dead. Burney-Thorn is alive and free. Are hundreds of law enforcement officers working 24/7 to bring this child killer to justice? Who determines the urgency? Who allocates the resources? Will someone pay a price for harboring this fugitive? State Sens. Kim Ward and Chris Dush ignore my phone calls. Their failure to support lifesaving gun laws while 1,600 Pennsylvanians die from guns each year is inexcusable. Nick was murdered. Do something. There is a $50,000 reward offered for information that leads to the arrest of 17-year-old Burney-Thorn.

Marge LaRue, Aston

The recent column by Helen Ubiñas stating that Cherelle Parker needs to “show who she really is” is slanted and disrespectful. I have had the pleasure of knowing Parker for many years and she has always shown who she is and never has appeared to change based on what title she has. She has always been responsive and helpful to people — be she a staffer to an elected official, a state representative, a City Council member, or a mayoral candidate. No matter who we are, we all have issues that come up, and Parker has not hidden or run. She has dealt with issues as a public figure, which is always harder since there is limited privacy. That did not deter her from doing what she could to represent her constituents. Parker is a real example of strength to people who aspire to become leaders.

David Krain, Philadelphia

I am disappointed but hardly surprised that Texas state senators voted to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton on all the articles of impeachment. A majority of Republican senators did what was easy and expedient, providing a negative example for the country. Sadly, the impeachment vote confirmed my cynical and disheartened view of Texas politics. The state’s top leaders (Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Gov. Greg Abbott) have been mean, vindictive, and insensitive to the needs of their constituents. Each has been using the MAGA playbook — placing political fortune above moral, ethical, and legal principles.

Watching Paxton’s attorneys during his impeachment trial provides ample evidence of this shameful tendency. Both the tone and content of defense attorney Tony Buzbee’s closing statement echoed Donald Trump’s vitriolic rhetoric lashing out against prosecutors who have indicted him. I hope voters across the country take notice and don’t follow Texas’ lead. I have lived in the Lone Star State since 1978. Most of that time I have been a proud resident. But not today. Like so many days in recent history, I am ashamed to be a Texan.

Richard Cherwitz, Austin, Texas

The way in which columnist Kyle Sammin lumps in New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s executive order on behalf of public safety with the storming of the U.S. Capitol to overturn a presidential election says something about where he’s coming from politically. As for his case in point, gun control, he doesn’t think gun restrictions really make people any safer. Neither does the NRA, of course. Predictably, Sammin brings up the Second Amendment. The folks who use that argument against gun control always leave out the part about the need for a well-regulated militia. Lujan Grisham saw a need and acted on it. More power to her.

Will Richan, Chester

Kyle Sammin’s heavily partisan columns are nearly always characterized by a nugget of righteous indignation obscured behind a fog of bothsidesisms and outright gaslighting, but he reaches new heights in his recent piece on the perils of executive branch “lawlessness.” He begins by launching an attack on New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and her executive order on public firearms, then attacks Vice President Kamala Harris, not for her actions, but for saying she might consider something similar. He then cites the pandemic-related executive actions (of course, mostly by Democrats) as creating a precedent for this “lawlessness.” Only near the end of his column does he even mention the two (Republican) governors most guilty of ruling by fiat: Texas’ Greg Abbott and Florida’s Ron DeSantis — and only then, ludicrously, in the context of what they might be tempted to do by those awful Democrats’ actions.

Abbott’s Texas raises a larger point: How legitimate are laws concocted by legislatures (mostly Republican) that have been so empowered (and entitled) by gerrymandering that they feel free to ignore massive majorities in their own states pushing for commonsense gun control and reproductive freedom? And why no mention of the lawlessness of Alabama’s state legislature for defying a U.S. Supreme Court order to add a second congressional district favoring minority representation? It’s only when one takes a step back that the breathtaking extent (and arrogance) of Sammin’s gaslighting becomes truly evident. How is it possible to write an impassioned screed bemoaning the rise of executive branch “lawlessness” without a single mention of the 91 indictments (most for actions while in office) faced by the leader of the party he clearly favors?

Stephen Collins, Huntingdon Valley

Shame on Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for lowering the standards of the U.S. Senate’s dress code. Instead of catering to the whims of people like Sen. John Fetterman (who is too uncomfortable in a suit and tie), Schumer should be upholding the dignity of the Senate. Americans don’t want to see their elected officials looking like slobs. Apparently, the expression “take pride in your appearance” has become a relic. Fetterman can dress to his heart’s delight on his days off. But if he has a problem with the dress code when the Senate is in session, then he doesn’t belong in Washington. This is a national disgrace.

JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater, Fla.

. . .

I voted for John Fetterman to be my United States senator, and would do so again. I am, however, disappointed in him for his lack of decorum and respect for his colleagues, as displayed through his extremely casual and embarrassing attire. I also feel let down by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, who has prioritized Fetterman’s penchant for inappropriate clothing by directing the staff for the chamber’s sergeant-at-arms not to enforce the long-standing dress code, which mandates that male senators wear a necktie and suit jacket when on the floor. One member should not have the ability to force 99 colleagues to bow to his wishes.

Oren Spiegler, Peters Township

Birds are important members of our ecosystem, performing vital functions for society. During spring and fall migration, birds following the Atlantic Flyway fly right through Center City. In fact, tens of millions of migrating birds can fly through Philadelphia in a single month. Birds are sensitive to light when migrating at night, which many of them do. Lights can disorient them, especially in bad weather when visible cues are obscured. When that happens, too often birds head straight for a building.

To help prevent collisions, many Center City buildings participate in Lights Out Philly. Buildings such as mine turn off their exterior lights, not necessary for security, from midnight until 6 a.m. during spring and fall migration. Our residents cooperate by turning off their apartment lights or using their shades, blinds, and curtains. Unfortunately, looking down Market Street after midnight, I still see too many buildings that unnecessarily keep on their decorative lights and huge, bright signs all night. They need to join us and turn them off. I hope that soon, all Center City towers will participate in Lights Out Philly.

Ned S. Levi, president, Murano Condominium Association executive board

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