Convey the ancestors house
My first response after studying concerning the Native Individuals’ considerations over museums holding on to the stays of ancestors (RN&R, July 2023) was that almost all Individuals have the identical factor occur to their distant ancestors in Europe. I don’t care if my Druid grandfathers are exhumed in Britain or French archeologists acquire historic Gauls’ skeletons and show them in museums. (And) as a Catholic, it’s a practice in my faith to revere the bones of Saints as holy relics. Skulls and stacks of human bones are displayed in catacombs in lots of locations in Europe. However I don’t reside subsequent to the outdated graves and my linage shouldn’t be in a direct line with these long-dead folks. In response to the story, Native American custom is to permit their lifeless to relaxation in peace undisturbed endlessly. It’s time we revered their tradition and return Indian stays for reburial.
– Kevin Powers, Fernley
Boycott bullies who disrupt conferences
Possibly it’s time to call the bullies at native conferences (RN&R, July 2023) and expose them. A pleasant piece about who they’re and what companies they run would assist the general public make selections on whether or not they need to proceed enterprise with such hate-filled folks. – E.D.P., Reno
Gun management works elsewhere
In response to April Pedersen’s “weapons are endlessly” letter (RN&R, July 2023), one solely wants to take a look at how we did really ban assault weapons nationally beneath the Violent Crime Management and Legislation Enforcement Act of 1994. Or have a look at international locations the place the residents determined “sufficient is sufficient” (New Zealand, for instance). Banned weapons are first rounded up utilizing buy-back packages. Over time, extra banned weapons are eliminated as they’re confiscated as a part of crime investigations. Primary logic: if it has been executed earlier than, it may be executed once more, if we select to take action.
– Michael Rottmann, Reno
Scorching August site visitors cones
Yearly the Metropolis of Reno and the RTC look ahead to the Scorching August Nights (RN&R, August 2023) occasion earlier than they begin tearing up the streets and make Reno and Sparks into an impediment course of development tools, holes within the highway and site visitors cones. I actually assume the engineers get a giant chortle out of that earlier than they in all probability go on trip and depart the remainder of us to cope with the outcomes. – Manny Rodriquez, Reno
AI is a harmful know-how
One of many risks of Synthetic Intelligence (RN&R, August 2023) comes from extreme reliance on it with out verification. As an illustration, a New York federal decide just lately sanctioned attorneys who submitted a authorized temporary written by the substitute intelligence instrument ChatGPT, which included citations of non-existent court docket instances. People are lazy sufficient by nature with out AI encouraging us to be even much less diligent. One other even better hazard is the rising capability to create deep pretend movies which are just about indistinguishable from actuality, with the flexibility to alter the result of elections. Within the worldwide area, I can simply see international locations even going to conflict based mostly on provocations that by no means occurred, credibly faked on a pc. And a few of the instruments utilized in social media to extend person engagement could be repurposed to incite mass concern. So I can see (actually) explosive outcomes coming from unhealthy actors utilizing AI to control human feelings.
Then again, possibly AI will solely be used for good, maybe to make much more lovely pet and kitten movies for YouTube.
– Gary Marks, Reno
Trump and his minions trash democracy
Former President Trump has now earned his fourth strike as a public official however nonetheless insists on standing as much as bat. The truth that his supporters connect no significance in any respect to his wild swings on the plate signifies that a big minority of the voters have change into incompetent residents, unable to acknowledge the distinction between proper and fallacious, good and evil. Traditionally, the lack of discernment by the “mob” of citizenry turns into a canine whistle for the rich class to claim an unique proper to manipulate. That’s precisely what is going on in America. Trump supporters have backed virtually fully away from consideration of the large proof of legal exercise rolling out into the general public view over the previous few months. They imagine the propaganda narrative “I alone can do it,” not the historic, authorized, political, and constitutional proof that he can not do it alone, particularly whereas breaking the regulation. Democracy by very definition requires that everybody be a collaborating hero, not only one rich white man, and never only a single flock of obedient sheep.
— Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, Utah