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Embrace AI's good qualities but with several conditions
DEAR EDITOR:
Indictment, a useful word in the age of Trump, might have escaped my vocabulary if not for the low-end AI spell check function. Waiting to "discover," as 47 "discovered" groceries or the "b" in dumb, would have taken longer than his baseless, punitive lawsuits.
AI is noisy and dirty and sucks up water and electricity and a lot of open space. Its speed can help find cures for disease, improve travel and general safety, speed crime investigation, provide more accurate meteorological data and maybe even design interplanetary missions and equipment and improve data evaluations. I think the upside outweighs the potential downside, but with caveats.
For instance: Data centers must be more than a roof and walls on a cement pad stacked high with servers and a power line in and sewer out. They should include a closed loop filtration system to recycle water until a better circuit coolant is found.
Commonly an acre in area, roofs should include solar panels linked to local area grids to help mitigate brownouts and reduce costs for all grid users. Sufficient sound insulation and noise-canceling material should be incorporated in all building components with exterior surfaces to reduce ambient noise to a decibel level agreed upon prior to construction.
Citing considerations should involve a plebiscite of local land owners and residents, their political representatives and credible scientific evaluations. Allowing decisions, guided only by operators and politicians self-proclaimed morality, as influenced by PAC donations, will not suffice for permitting.
Before any decision is made on locating this very promising technology, an off/on switch operable only by human hands, must be the final guarantor of safety.
These are just ideas of an outsider who thinks they may be worth discussion among the involved parties. Red hats may rave regarding national security and unitary executive authority and tree huggers will fret about environmental damage, but I'm reasonably sure that in another century, people will regard quaint ideas embodied in these, by then, antique systems as we now regard VHS tapes. The times, they are a'changing.
JIM CARTWRIGHT
Canfield
Beware of the intersection of religion and government
DEAR EDITOR:
Religion has become cross-threaded in the minds of many. I can't recall this in catechism.
When people reference God in public, they are usually referring to a supreme, supernatural being who created and rules the universe.
The separation of church and state means that government and religious institutions must remain separate and independent from one another.
What happens when politicians cross that line to bring more followers into their flocks?
How many times in the past, for example, have we heard about President Trump's alignment with God?
Trump declares divine mission; he is on a mission from God and nothing can stop what is coming.
Being an avid reader, I was surprised to come upon these facts:
Nazi Germany's regular army, the Wehrmacht (specifically the Heer or land forces), wore embossed on their belt buckles the motto "Gott mit uns," or "God with us."
Their atrocities, therefore, were carried out, shockingly, under the heading "God with us."
Again, religion has become a cross-threaded in the minds of many.
The traditional opening phrase used by Catholics entering confession is "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned."
PAUL R. LAWSON
McDonald
Fracas at Trump rally gives Youngstown a black eye
DEAR EDITOR:
Youngstown is making national news. And not in a good way. A woman attending the recent political rally headlined by President Donald Trump and Sen. Jon Husted was beaten because some people didn't like the message on her shirt. So- called adults couldn't handle a T-shirt slogan.
The senator and president mocked her. The mob in attendance cheered. Police removed the woman -- not those who assaulted her.
Decency, tolerance and respect are always in short supply. But on that day, when a pumped-up crowd became an ugly, ignorant violent mob, it seems Youngstown completely ran dry of those qualities.
It's not a good look.
MARK PASSERRELLO
Columbus
Reflections on modern medicine and humanity
DEAR EDITOR:
MEDICINE n. 1. The science of treating and preventing disease.
Those words should read, "preventing and treating." Better to prevent than to treat.
We always want the patients to get better, hope for that, pray for that. But life isn't always cooperative. In vet school (University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine),
one professor told us, "Forty-five percent of your patients will get better no matter what you do, 45% will get worse no matter what you do, and 10% will be directly affected by your treatment." I don't know where he got that from, perhaps human medicine, or just animal medicine? So we try to add to the positive side, not the negative.
When you practice more than just a few years (I'm in my 46th), you eventually gain enough experience that you recognize certain clues in a case that warn you, "This could go bad." And, if you are an optimist, you hope for a return to normal health. Another bit of advice they tried to teach us is, "Always paint a darker picture for the owner than the case really is. That way, if the patient does well, you are a saint, and if it goes bad, you can say you warned them."
It's hard to call it when you believe it's time to, "Pull the plug." Pet owners, when their pets are on their last legs, inwardly hope that Buffy will just pass away in his sleep, and relieve you from making the decision to euthanize. That rarely happens. So, more often, it falls on you.
HUMANE a. Kind, merciful, etc. The founders of a local humane rescue facility had this motto: "Our purpose is not to preserve life, but to prevent suffering." I'm OK with a little suffering, if it gets you back to normal, like having a broken leg. Unless you're a horse.
Like the Rolling Stones song, "You Can't Always Get What You Want," what we often need is just a little help. Antibiotics help your immune system fight off infection. Vaccinations help prevent common diseases; endemic diseases that may never be eradicated. Proper nutrition, water, shelter. Not much to ask. Yet we see starved dogs and cats often. Society stinks. Humans can be the worst creatures on earth. I'm beginning to believe that eliminating 90% of the world population is not such a bad idea (see Georgia Guidestones).
DONALD K. ALLEN
Youngstown
An American healthcare crisis is coming on Oct. 22
DEAR EDITOR:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a dangerous new rule beginning Oct. 22 that will threaten the healthcare of millions of Americans. The rule, "Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments," will effectively end Americans' ability to personally import their prescription medicines.
Importing prescription drugs from licensed international pharmacies is the only lifeline for seniors on limited incomes, people with high-deductible health plans, and the uninsured. That's why CBP and the FDA have allowed it for decades. Due to the much lower cost of medications in Canada and other countries, imported medicine is their only option.
Many imported drugs can be less than half the U.S. price. These necessary medicines prevent blood clots, treat diabetes, and much more. This CBP rule will cut off access to the only affordable prescription drugs for millions, and that will lead to unnecessary harm and preventable deaths.
I ask readers to immediately call or write our senators and U.S. representatives and demand they stop CBP from implementing any rule-making that restricts Americans from importing personal-use prescription drugs from licensed pharmacies in Canada or other countries.
HARVEY SNELL
Waterford, Pa.
Livestreaming executions serves no good purpose
DEAR EDITOR,
The announcement of the intention to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter demeans the lives of every victim. It glorifies and mimics the twisted ideology of the perpetrator. It plays into the hands of our nation's adversaries -- something any person of reasonable intelligence understands.
Death as spectacle has no place in a civilized society. The execution of the convicted is already a horribly grim consequence. It should not become dystopian entertainment.
As a member of the clergy I can assure you it is definitely not something a Christian nation would do. Jesus Christ calls us to seek justice -- not retribution.
Studies have shown the claim that public execution deters violence is demonstrably false. It is apparent to this writer the Trump administration's latest stunt has been orchestrated to distract us from the evil hidden behind fake patriotism.
JACK ACRI
Pastor, First Federated Church
North Jackson
Rulli lacked any substance in manufacturing column
DEAR EDITOR:
Michael Rulli's Op-ed "Ohio manufacturing is back" sounds like it was written by Trump's press secretary, not illiterate Trump himself or Rulli. It brags of Trump actions and we assume Rulli's willingness to go along. It does not refer to anything Rulli has actually done nor does it give any evidence that any of these actions has improved manufacturing in Ohio. Have any of these companies bought land in Ohio? Broken ground at the site of a new factory? Applied for building permits? The answer to those questions is no. More telling is the editorial above Rulli's titled "Why is job growth slowing in Ohio?"
Trump is a vindictive bully. Many companies, and other countries, would rather pledge millions in future investments and wait until Trump "goes away" rather than incur his wrath.
That they will shutter their plants in India or Japan to relocate at the Southern Park Mall is laughable. I hope voters are not fooled. Mikey is just sucking up to master, who probably couldn't pick Rulli out of a lineup . Come to think of it …
STEVE SOLAK
Youngstown
Don't fall for lie-filled ads; vote for Acton and Brown
DEAR EDITOR:
Vivek Ramaswamy and Jon Husted are trying to buy their elected offices. Their billionaire friends are dumping millions of dollars into Ohio, giving us endless ads of lies and half-truths. (In the past, Husted has had shady dealings with FirstEnergy. Vivek loves Ohio so much that in 2024 he moved his two-plus billion-dollar company to Texas. Both men are lacking in character.)
Don't be brainwashed by zombie ads. We have two excellent candidates who will work hard for all of us, not just the outlandishly rich. Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown should win because they are intelligent, empathetic and have had valuable experience in government.
BECKY MURRAY
Poland
Leave Mark Hanni alone, but do not vote for him
DEAR EDITOR:
I would like to challenge the mean-spirited critics of Mark Hanni's current campaign signage, which features the admittedly unlikely trinity of Jesus Christ, Donald Trump, and, well, Hanni himself. These holier-than-thou carpers apparently object to Hanni's juxtaposing of Jesus and Trump, a person who, according to them, has been a serial philanderer/adulterer, a pathological liar, a cheat, a self-serving egomaniac, and, as of late, a warmonger. These pious complainers are, however, forgetting some important Bible school lessons from their younger years.
Jesus was, in fact, notorious for rubbing elbows with prostitutes, tax cheats, women caught in adultery (strangely, most of the men seem to have been exempt), lepers, poor people, foreigners and various and sundry other biblical scoundrels and "losers." In fact, Jesus even used a grifter like Trump as the protagonist in one of his parables (Luke 16:1-13) to make a point about true discipleship.
So, let's lay off Hanni. He's entitled to wear his politics and his religion on his sleeve. Furthermore, as an avowed "constitutionalist," he knows that the First Amendment guarantees him freedom of religion and speech. (That it also guarantees freedom from religion is just a quibble.) I don't think the Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, atheists or agnostics out there have anything to worry about with Hanni on the bench (though it is a bit troublesome that "constitutionalist" Hanni believes, despite what the Founders wrote and did, that they didn't really mean to keep church and state separate). Again, a mere quibble.
Hanni has said publicly that people who don't like the signs -- who find them to be incredibly presumptuous and borderline blasphemous -- should simply express their displeasure and disapproval by NOT VOTING FOR HIM!
I couldn't agree more.
J. E. JOHNSTON, SR.
Poland
Trump's war in Iran backs US into a corner
DEAR EDITOR:
Iran's economy is in shambles, but we are facing their leader and people who are worse than the previous leader that Trump had killed.
The leader our president had killed had issued a fatwa saying that Iran would not develop nuclear weapons. The new supreme leader, his son, hasn't followed the fatwa and has not issued his own, so now we face a serious question about pursuing nuclear weapons. Remember President George W. Bush claimed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, none of which were found.
Trump's war in Iran this year has bolstered military hardliners in Tehran and enabled them to project greater power over the Persian Gulf and global oil markets. We are being backed into the corner.
HAROLD WILSON
Austtintown
Canfield Fair Board should reconsider fireworks shows
DEAR EDITOR:
We've been told household pets such as dogs and cats can react very poorly with anxiety when outdoor fireworks are being shot off. In recent years suggestions have been given as to how to allay their problems.
It was a very poor decision on the part of the Canfield Fair Board to end with fireworks Monday night at the fairgrounds. It spooks the animals, and I'm sure no one would want to see a 2,000-pound steer break through his stall and go running through the midway in a confused crisis mode.
My husband sat on the porch watching the animals being cleared out as soon as possible beforehand up state Route 62 and beyond so that this would not affect them negatively in their psyche to spook them.
Please reconsider for next year and stop fireworks.
KIMBERLY CAPEL
Austintown