Letters: Election deniers in our state Legislature; Rohrbeck was a model to medical community
Election deniers in our state Legislature
Pennsylvania is known as a significant “swing” state for election purposes. To find out we have the highest number of election deniers in our Legislature is disheartening and frightening at the same time. That reality speaks to just how important our down ballot choices are to our representation. Do you want someone who continues to deny what 60 disproved fraud claims to speak for you? Where is the rational thought process to support that position? I support the right to differing opinions but they should be rational and fact based. The mere desire to match reality with one’s political opinion does not make it true. Benninghoff and Thompson are both staunch Trump supporters, which is their choice; however, it does not entitle them to deny what has proven to be true and fair. Don’t think for a minute that one’s mindset does not affect legislative decisions and colors the conversation with their constituents. It is human nature and we are all susceptible to believing what we think because we want to, not necessarily because it is true. It is not easy to challenge ourselves. We need to do that when we vote in the April primaries and in the general election. Remember, your vote is your voice. People have fought and died to support that right! Please don’t throw it away.
Christine Coleman, Boalsburg
Rohrbeck was a model to medical community
Dr. Charles (Chuck) Rohrbeck was a physician of exemplary quality. He had outstanding clinical skills and was a warm and caring doctor with all of his patients. Times have changed since he began in practice. However the essence of being an outstanding physician is still the quality that Chuck brought to our profession. He served as a model to the rest of the medical community.
After retirement he and Annette continued to serve State College through their volunteer and philanthropic activities. Retirement was just another way in which he could serve the community that he loved.
While the Rohrbeck family has had a great loss, so has our community. However, Chuck will continue to serve as an outstanding example to all of us.
Dr. David Werner, State College
Don’t count on the casino
Ask any opponent or supporter of the Nittany Mall casino about the project’s status and most of them will either say it is a done deal or it is still awaiting a decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Those who know the PA Supreme Court Justices have not yet decided and ruled about the casino’s license are correct!
Anyone driving past the long vacant Macy’s store at the mall will notice that both the parking lot and the building itself are beginning to crumble. Those things will not change this summer or even next summer because in the unlikely event the casino license is issued, an empty department store cannot be remodeled into a brand-new casino overnight.
Don’t plan to see construction starting there anytime soon. The PA Supreme Court’s calendars for both April and May have already been posted online and the planned arguments about the casino’s license are not included there. No arguments will be heard before September 2024 since the Court does not hear arguments during their Administrative Sessions. So there goes this summer!
Watch for the Court to deny the issuance of the license because of the many persuasive and valid legal challenges in the 247-page lawsuit filed in July 2021. The non-winning bidder launched the legal battle against the winning bidder because they are confident of eventual success when the final decision is made. Now is the time for the Nittany Mall to start hoping for a real anchor store. They have none right now.
Daniel Materna, Howard
Where is the accountability?
My network of colleagues and friends in State College and I were and continue to be disturbed and appalled on multiple levels about the incident the CDT (thankfully) wrote about on March 14: Rockview prison inmates complained of a racist hate crime (my phrasing, as it’s unproven).
According to the CDT, 45% of the inmates at Rockview are Black. Inmates reported that officers fashioned a “noose made of extension cord” in the guards office and they joked to Black inmates that it was to “celebrate Black Friday.” In other words, the guards decided it would be funny to emotionally harass the Black inmates with a joke about lynching.
How is this behavior acceptable in any workplace? Why were the guards who committed this despicable act permitted to return to work? And how is it permissible that Rockview conducted their own inquiry into the complaints, rather than an outside organization? I would be interested to learn more about the depth and breadth of their investigation into this hateful act. Where is the accountability?
This is reminiscent of the Stanford Prison Experiment, Abu Ghraib, and more. Systems needs checks and balances – accountability – otherwise, violence continues to perpetuate itself.
The precedent set here is this: as an inmate, my inferiority and lack of worth has been reaffirmed. This treatment is tolerated. If I’m an officer, I know I can get away with bullying and emotional harassment. Maybe I think to myself, “they deserve it.”
More must be done.
Meghan McGinty, State College
