Letters: Learning lessons from Texas; Taking action against rare diseases

Learning lessons from Texas

Recent events have shown the false promise of a state that wants to be its own nation. If Texans don’t like the images of thousands in line with a bucket or plastic jug at a single spigot they can thank their gerrymandered third world Republican command and control that keeps kicking them when they’re down.

To paraphrase Texas leadership, suck it up or die and if you’re crying and looking for a handout the city and country or any other public service owes you nothing. Sink or swim. Thank Ted Cruz for swimming in the Gulf instead of working to keep millions of his constituents from sinking. Thank Abbott and Perry for failing to upgrade their personal power grid. They say their anti-government appointed, unregulated, Electric Reliability Council Of Texas and windmills and a nonexistent Green New Deal are to blame.

This letter isn’t about Texas. We live in Pennsylvania. We have the same gerrymandered voting districts that keep anti-government, anti-science, anti-democratic election, change-the-rules-at-the-end-so-we-can-win people and policies in place. If they manipulate the courts they’ll tell us all to stand up or die — we owe you nothing — it’s the windmills — don’t try to vote if you’re Black or brown or wrong-minded white.

Corman and Benninghoff and their Capitol attacking terrorist supporters and colleagues will be telling all Pennsylvanians, we won’t let you vote and, whether you voted for us or not — we owe you nothing. They are nominating Pennsylvanians for Third World statehood.

Taking action against rare diseases

Feb. 28 is Rare Disease Awareness Day. Before 2010, this date was not on my radar. But that changed my senior year at Syracuse about to head to the NFL.

I was diagnosed with anaplastic astrocytoma, a rare brain tumor with a low survival rate, and went from being the 2010 NFL Draft Class top punter to a rare disease patient.

Quickly, I became aware of the heroes battling for me — the rare disease researchers who work tirelessly. I learned how rare disease research is under-funded due to limited financial incentive to make and market treatments for small populations.

I am fortunate and here today because of science. While I let go of my NFL dream, I found my purpose as executive director of Uplifting Athletes which supports rare disease research through the power of sport.

Founded by Penn State football’s Scott Shirley, inspired by his father’s rare disease battle, we have expanded to 23 student-led college football chapters, including the Nittany Lions and 16 of its alumni now in the NFL. All give voice to the critical need for research funding.

I am also lucky to have Brett Brackett, former Penn State and NFL player, as Uplifting Athletes’ general manager. Brett and I faced off twice on the field during college and 12 years later are teammates in action against rare diseases.

On March 30, we’ll host the Young Investigator Draft, Presented by CSL Behring, and award seven $20,000 grants to researchers. Thanks to the athletes who champion our mission.

Ballot questions are clear

As reported in the Centre Daily Times on Thursday, state Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff held a press conference in which they accused the Wolf Administration of using “prejudicial” language in the proposed constitutional amendments that will appear on the ballot in May. Read the text. The language simply tells it like it is. It is particularly hypocritical for Corman to claim that a change in the constitution is needed because “there are no checks and balances” when the state legislature is so gerrymandered that one party rule has become locked in. Trying to change the constitution to take away powers given to the governor and, instead, transfer those powers to the legislature is such an obvious power grab that different language can’t disguise it. Vote “No” on ballot questions No. 1 and No. 2.