Letters: Action needed to prevent gun violence; Reject candidates who hide from public scrutiny

Editor’s note: The CDT welcomes letters endorsing candidates in the May 16 primary election and will accept letters that are received by May 11. Letters are subject to editing, must be based on facts and should avoid attacks on other candidates.

Action needed to prevent gun violence

As of April 19 there have been more mass shootings (170) in America than days in the new year. Week after week we amass additional evidence of the fear and violence gripping our nation: Two young people are shot for innocently approaching the wrong house; Four dead, 32 injured, at a birthday party. ... Where will it end?

Some Republicans and the NRA believe the answer is escalation: More guns for all! Unfortunately, history has shown that aggressive escalation breeds more violence and death, whether a war between nations, a family feud, or a bullied teen. Gun violence is escalating in our country: According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, one in five Americans has been personally threatened by a gun. And the CDC reports guns as the leading cause of death for children and teens ages 1-19.

Let’s train, license and background-check gun owners. I need training and licensing to drive a car or boat, and background checks to volunteer with children, so this can be extended to guns.

Let’s ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines. They are military tools that have no place in Pennsylvania’s hunting culture.

Let’s support a national gun buy-back program to reduce the estimated 265 million+ firearms, many unsecured, in homes and apartments.

Let’s vote for local, state and national politicians who understand that the right to bear arms comes with serious responsibilities for their use. Only then will I feel safe at a concert, party or store.

Reject candidates who hide from public scrutiny

The April 23 Centre Daily Times reported that many candidates for the State College Area school board refused to attend a League of Women Voters forum. Public events such as these are crucial for examining candidates’ qualifications and policy agendas.

My perspective on this comes from the experience of my mother, who served on a school board from 1977-1990. She and board members across San Diego County lost their seats to candidates who participated in an orchestrated “stealth campaign.” Conservative religious groups devised this strategy to elect extremist candidates.

The Christian Coalition’s Ralph Reed explained the strategy in these words: “It’s like guerrilla warfare. If you reveal your location, all it does is allow your opponent to improve his artillery bearings. It’s better to move quietly, with stealth, under cover of night.”

Fortunately, this tactic rarely works twice. In San Diego, the next round of elections identified and defeated extremist candidates across the county.

In Centre County, we should reject candidates who hide themselves from public scrutiny. Let the lesson be clear to any future contenders who dodge the League’s forums.

For this month’s election, that means supporting the “Slate for State”— Amy Bader, Gretchen Brandt, Anne Demo, Daniel Kolbe and Aaron Miller. All five school director positions in the State College Area School District should be filled by people unafraid to show themselves in public.

Candidates committed to ‘We Are’ spirit

With the Penn State Board of Trustees election just around the corner, the alma mater of countless Pennsylvanians stands at a precarious crossroads; the reputation and future of the school I and many others love so dearly are on the line. Penn State’s national rankings have slid. Its top scientists are leaving for other institutions with better climate research programs. Employee morale — which should be a point of pride for an institution known by its “We Are!” rallying cry — has fallen, according to Faculty Senate reports. Meanwhile, faculty struggle to secure commitments and investment from leadership, and when students bear the brunt of this tension and underinvestment, educational quality suffers. Penn State, if it is to retain its status as the belle of the commonwealth (and, indeed, as a top university), needs bold, forward-thinking leadership to orient the school toward a durable, equitable future.

I encourage my fellow alumni to consider voting for the PSU Forward candidate pool. Ali Krieger, Uma Moriarity and Melinda Kuritzky are exemplars of Penn State’s excellence, and they have the talent and know-how to secure the bright future that Penn State deserves. By investing in faculty and students with commitments to equity, climate policy that walks the walk, and excellence in employment practices, PSU Forward can — and, with the help of voting alumni, will! — make the “We Are!” spirit a reality for years to come.