Full disclosure: I was never a fan of Pete Rose, seeing him as a talented baseball player who was overly aggressive and threatening on the field, much like another infamous, flawed player, Ty Cobb, a truly despicable guy.

However, in reading some articles about Rose’s recent death, I’ve been given pause. He has been referred to as a “degenerate gambler.” Yet, actor Matthew Perry and countless other addicted public figures are mourned as tragic victims of a deadly illness: addiction.

Ask any addiction expert and they will tell you compulsive, destructive gambling is as tragic an illness as any other addiction. If one is, they all must be. Until we start calling deceased drug addicts “degenerates,” let’s give Rose and others like him the same respect offered to other who suffer from the illnesses linked to every addition, if, in fact, the conditions tormenting those persons are actual diseases and not simply reckless, selfish and stupid habits.

Lou Manfredo, Deptford

V. P. debate: Purpose vs. Performance

After watching the recent vice presidential debate, I think Republican candidate JD Vance managed to make himself look really decent. And, that’s part of the reason why I’m terrified of him becoming vice president.

When former Vice President Mike Pence was governor of Indiana, I thought he was too conservative for the state. But he was 100% sincere about his beliefs and you knew where he stood. JD Vance is a chameleon who will mold himself into whatever he needs to be to advance his own ambitions and agenda.

Some people live their life looking for purpose, while others live their life looking to perform. The main difference between Pence and Vance is one lives for purpose, while the other lives for performance.

Vance is the perfect fit for a transactional opportunist like Donald Trump.

Evan Grollman, Camden

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