Letters to the Editor | July 20, 2025

John Fetterman has been called a maverick. He shunned the clothes and trappings of typical politicians. I began following his career when he was mayor of Braddock, Pa. He was an outspoken supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016. In May 2022, Fetterman had a stroke while campaigning for U.S. Senate. Based on his reassurances, I voted for him six months later. In February 2023, he announced that he was entering a hospital for treatment of clinical depression. He didn’t return to the Senate until two months later. I noticed he was moving away from his progressive roots. I was horrified that he was the first Democrat to visit President-elect Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago. He has also voted with Republicans on several occasions, and told Democrats to “Stop freaking out over the president.” Earlier this year, Fetterman had the record for having missed the most votes this session, yet when questioned by a Zeteo reporter about this, his response was, “I’m devastated by your inquiries.” When voting on Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act, he said he just wanted “to go home,” and that he had already missed his trip to the beach. What’s going on?

Donna Greenberg, Philadelphia

Democratic representatives in the state House should support, and Gov. Josh Shapiro should sign, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. The Republican-controlled state Senate has already passed it with bipartisan support, but House Democrats seem to be causing some delays. It’s past time to protect our girls and women. In fact, this violation of girls’ and women’s rights should never have happened. Men are, on average, bigger (15%-20%) and stronger (33%) than women. Therefore, pitting males against females is a direct threat to women’s health and well-being. Furthermore, allowing the presence of naked males (or females) in the locker rooms and showers of the opposite sex is a crime. It’s called “indecent exposure.” Women have already suffered enough physical, emotional, and legal injuries, plus lost awards and grants, due to this misplaced empathy for males who want to identify as females. And to that point, many support a separate category for transgender athletes. So why continue to allow girls’ and women’s rights to be so unfairly and unnecessarily violated? Pass the bill now.

Lynn Landes, Philadelphia

Now that the University of Pennsylvania has “settled” its situation with the Trump administration, it seems no one has commented on the constitutionality of the process that led to it. In a normal administration, if a president were alleging a violation of federal law or statute by an entity, the U.S. Department of Justice would be consulted, and it would advise whether the government should bring that entity to court. Both sides would present their case, and a judge would determine guilt, if any, and the scope of punishment.

This is not what’s happening again and again under Donald Trump. Instead, the president simply proclaims, in an executive order, that he has noted an ill-defined violation of such law or statute, and threatens punishment. In Penn’s case, as in most, the punishment is an unconstitutional hold on congressionally mandated funding. The accused party is then forced to meet and settle. Trump has now assumed the role of prosecutor, judge, and jury. This whole process is outside the bounds of our rule of law and an offense to our democracy. Why haven’t we stopped it?

Ed Devinney, Delanco

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