Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Why charge the Amtrak engineer?

Why charge the engineer? What purpose is served by bringing criminal charges against Brandon Bostian, the Amtrak engineer whose train derailed nearly two years ago at Frankford Junction ("Judge orders engineer charged," Friday)? He is responsible for the accident that caused eight fatalities and injured more than 150 others. He made a horrible mistake with tragic results, but he is not a criminal and represents no threat to public safety.

Why charge the engineer?

What purpose is served by bringing criminal charges against Brandon Bostian, the Amtrak engineer whose train derailed nearly two years ago at Frankford Junction ("Judge orders engineer charged," Friday)? He is responsible for the accident that caused eight fatalities and injured more than 150 others. He made a horrible mistake with tragic results, but he is not a criminal and represents no threat to public safety.

Just because he has received no jail time or at least a fine does not mean he has escaped scot-free from the consequences of his actions. He has been out of work since then, has incurred heavy legal expenses, and carries a burden that will remain with him for the rest of his life.

|John Dawson, Bala Cynwyd, john_margedawson@verizon.net

Trump's adolescent behavior

As a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and parent, I am very familiar with teenagers' tendencies to see what they can get away with. For many adolescents, it is a natural part of the developmental process, but most avoid causing serious harm to themselves or others.

We now have a man in the White House who is constantly trying to see what he can get away with, who has been encouraged by the leniency shown him thus far, and whose wish to deconstruct the norms of our governmental processes could hardly be more destructive. Further, based on what is best described as malignant narcissism, he seems incapable of shame or remorse. The result is his blustering and bullying attitude when things do not go his way or there are attempts to challenge his statements. That he can lie and deny responsibility for statements is part of his attempt to push the limits as far as he can.

As responsible citizens, we must continue to point out his irresponsible and dangerous behavior to hold him accountable.

|Marc R. Inver, Lafayette Hill

Naive response to opioid crisis

Former Gov. Tom Ridge is probably sincere in his concern but seems blissfully naive that a requirement to label drug shipments will solve the illegal shipment of opioids and related compounds from abroad ("Close postal security loophole that fuels the opioid epidemic," Wednesday).

Criminal pharmaceutical firms will label such chemicals as "Christmas Candy" and "Girl Scout Cookies." Without random inspections and other intrusive measures to allow detection, it is naive to think that drug cartels will label their packages in a manner that would solve this problem in an open and transparent manner. The excesses of the Patriot Acts of the past two decades may give some reassurance that we have interdicted terrorism, but the overcrowding of our prisons and the increased frequency of fatal police excess should give us pause in granting more intrusions into American privacy that we claim to cherish.

|Ben Burrows, Elkins Park

Opposing organ harvesting

Kudos to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. On April 25, the House unanimously voted to pass Resolution 27, which condemns China's forced organ-harvesting practices and encourages "the medical community of this commonwealth to help raise awareness of unethical organ transplant practices in China."

For the last 17 years, the People's Republic of China has been harvesting organs from living prisoners of conscience - Falun Gong practitioners, primarily, and Tibetans, Christians, and Uighurs. A report published last summer indicated that a possible 1.5 million have been murdered for their organs, generating a lucrative business for the government and implicating all who support this abhorrent crime.

House Resolution 27 is critical in upholding our democratic values and protecting the integrity of the medical field, an important objective especially for Pennsylvania, home to some of the best health care in the country.

|Jessica D. Russo, Psy.D., adviser, Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, drjdrusso@gmail.com

Protect mail carriers from dogs

Pet owners' efforts are critical when you consider 6,755 U.S. Postal Service employees were attacked by dogs last year - an increase of more than 200 from 2015. In the Philadelphia District, there have been 34 dog attacks since Oct. 1, including 14 in the city.

My concern is for our employees and the public. Remember:

When a letter carrier delivers mail to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door.

Do not take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the dog; it might be viewed as a threatening gesture.

When a letter carrier feels threatened or a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a post office. When the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the owner's neighbors also might be asked to pick up their mail.

|Joseph Scherder, acting postmaster, Philadelphia