Hits and Misses
MISS: It’s easy to laugh at some of the more excessive examples of political correctness on college campuses, whether it’s the operators of a cafeteria being accused of cultural appropriation and insensitivity for the way they prepare General Tso’s Chicken, or the simple act of opening a door for someone being branded a “sexist microaggression.” But what has recently unfolded at Harvard University is no laughing matter. The campus newspaper, the Harvard Crimson, recently reported on a rally denouncing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). Not unreasonably, ICE officials were contacted for comment (they declined). Now, some students have launched a petition drive taking the newspaper to task, arguing that it showed “cultural insensitivity” by trying to contact ICE. It’s baffling that Harvard students, who are supposed to be among the best and the brightest in the country, don’t understand this bedrock tenet of American journalism, which is attempting to get both sides of the story when reporting on controversial issues. Perhaps it’s time for Harvard’s curriculum specialists to add a media literacy course to the university’s offerings.
HIT: On Oct. 25, the Washington City Mission celebrated the first anniversary of its Women With Children Shelter, and the need for it has most definitely been demonstrated. Helping with women who are recovering from addiction and have children in tow, it has been full since it opened its doors, and has a waiting list of over 60 families. The women who have taken up residence there say they have found a sense of community and support they were unable to find in the outside world. One resident told the Observer-Reporter’s Katie Anderson, “We’re all struggling with the same things and working toward the same goals. If we see somebody slipping, we say something. You can be open with these people. Most people that come here don’t have family, but you build these relationships and they become your family.” May the good things happening at the shelter continue for many more years.
HIT: Congratulations should be extended to Hiller, a K-9 assigned to the Trinity Area School District Police Department. He and Ben Shaffer, a Trinity police officer and Hiller’s handler, recently took first-place honors in a competition sponsored by the U.S. Police Canine Association in Delaware. During the two-day competition, Hiller excelled in such areas as obedience, agility, evidence search and criminal apprehension. According to Shaffer, Hiller “has to have personality traits above and beyond a typical police dog that’s on the street because he’s in a school setting. His mental clarity and his personality are phenomenal.” Hiller can sometimes be seen at Trinity extracurricular events and in the halls of the district’s buildings. Trinity students and parents should be glad that a K-9 like Hiller is part of the district.
MISS: A Port Authority bus being swallowed by an enormous sinkhole in downtown Pittsburgh Monday was, without a doubt, a heck of a news story. Just imagine being on board the bus, which went back and forth to Bridgeville, and all of a sudden the ground below you gives way. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, but the image of the bus sticking out of the ground was a perfect illustration of the neglect our infrastructure has endured. It’s been said that the United States has basically skipped infrastructure spending for a generation. We’re overdue to make the necessary investments to maintain our roads, bridges, dams, levees, drinking water and more. Our economy – and our safety – depend on it.