OPINION: Talk of the Town

People need to think for themselves

People who analyze data have a saying: “Garbage in, garbage out.” If the information a person is analyzing is flawed, the conclusions drawn will be bogus.

This is the danger with artificial intelligence.

AI may be useful if the question(s) being researched and the resources available to AI are well defined and specified by the user. However, when AI is allowed unrestricted resources, valid results become mixed with mistakes, misinformation, opinions and conspiracy theories. Pick your rabbit hole.

Before we jump down the AI rabbit hole, we need to think — who is deciding which resources AI can use, and what is their agenda?

We cannot blindly allow AI to start thinking for us.

We need to get back to thinking for ourselves.

Paul Gooris

La Jara

We need common-sense gun restrictions

In regard to gun violence in America. It’s not about being Republican or being a Democrat. It’s not about being young or old. It’s not about being religious or being agnostic. It’s not about thoughts and prayers or accusations of politicizing the issue. It’s not about a person’s sexual orientation and definitely not about being trans, as in Minneapolis. It’s all about the overabundance of guns.

As a defense of our out of control situation in our country we so often hear, “Guns don’t kill people.” But people with guns kill people. In most instances of the rampant violence we hear about almost every day it is unstable people with access to guns who cause our grief whether at churches, schools, businesses, night clubs, on the road, or any other public or private place. And the more powerful the weapon the more people can potentially be severely injured or killed with corresponding lives changed forever.

We can change this if we have politicians with the will to change this. Right now we don’t. One party in particular offers up “thoughts and prayers” after every incident but they offer almost nothing else in the way of progress toward ending the cycle of violence we are caught up in. Research the candidates before elections to find out their stances on common-sense gun restrictions, red flag laws and gun purchase waiting periods. These measures will not keep guns away from law-abiding citizens such as hunters, target practice enthusiasts or those with a legitimate desire for protecting their homes.

Gun laws are not perfect. There will still be occasional acts of violence. But just like traffic restrictions don’t stop all accidents, they do prevent many. We need candidates who won’t be satisfied with doing nothing to change our current gun violence epidemic.

Ron Schwartz

Albuquerque

Federal health policy is bad for New Mexico

The Journal has done a very professional job of informing New Mexicans of the health care issues our state is facing. From front page articles describing the damage the Big Beautiful Bill will inflict on New Mexico hospitals and Medicaid recipients, to op-ed pieces discussing the need for more medical professionals and a re-evaluation of our tort laws, the Journal has informed New Mexicans of the challenges we face.

Unfortunately, there are new challenges coming from President Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. They have gutted important committees, thus possibly preventing the administration of needed vaccines in New Mexico. Vaccines have saved lives and relieved suffering for millions of people, yet Kennedy has eliminated funding for certain vaccine research. Trump and Kennedy have cut funding to numerous research projects supervised by the National Institutes of Health that will set back medical research by decades. They have decimated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, firing the leadership and staff that has true science and medical backgrounds and replacing them with political appointees lacking all the needed knowledge and experience. This is leaving the country’s medical professionals without the guidance and information they need to plan and prepare for medical emergencies as they arise. The secretary has also cut the staff that investigates food processing and contamination, potentially allowing for more food-borne illnesses to enter our food supplies and endangering our lives.

All of these changes are not only threatening the health of New Mexicans today, but could be endangering lives to come through the lack of research and science.

It is time to return sound medical and scientific leadership, research and information to the Department of Health and Human Services and protect the lives of New Mexicans.

Arthur Flicker

Albuquerque

Republicans need to stand up to ignorance

As a physician with training in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Colorado, a master’s degree in public health from University of California, Berkeley, and a health policy fellowship from Stanford/UC San Francisco, I’m appalled by the recent actions of the executive branch of our government. Firing the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not in the country’s interest. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is decimating medical research and science-based clinical practice. The entire vaccination advisory committee has been replaced by disbelievers of vaccinations as effective prevention of disease. Vaccines do not cause autism. The alternative fact that there was a link between vaccines and autism was the result of fraud and the lead proponent has lost his medical license.

Messenger RNA is a molecular bridge with regard to our genetic structure. Eliminating its use in research will adversely affect the treatment of infectious diseases, cancer and other serious illnesses. Bad politics should not be the basis for managing basic science and medical care in the U.S.

I’m asking all registered Republicans to stand up to ignorance. Please, contact your legislators and let them know that you don’t support the dismantling of research and clinical services by an incompetent department director. Let’s not bring back measles, COVID and polio. We are not Luddites.

Dr. Bob Larsen

Santa Fe

Read for your rights, oppose censorship

The American Library Association (ALA) theme for this year’s Banned Books Week, (Oct. 5-11) is a timely call to action to protect the First Amendment, given misguided efforts to censor books in public-school libraries in New Mexico.

In a recent op-ed, New Mexico state Sen. Ant Thornton, R-Sandia Park, (SD19) and Rep. Stefani Lord, R-Sandia Park,(HD22) encourage parents to push for censoring books in public-school libraries under the thinly veiled guise of a rating system.

We can all agree parents need to be engaged with their children’s learning experiences. Yet, parents who push for censorship often blatantly disregard the rights of parents who do not share the same values and opinions, even when it doesn’t impact them personally. For example, claiming that simply having characters in books who are lesbian, gay, or transgender constitutes “X-rated content.”

Who can best support children and parents on this issue? Fortunately, there is a set of skilled professionals who already do this: public-school librarians.

They are trained experts skilled at guiding children and parents to select books that reflect their interests and that are developmentally appropriate. Libraries are organized to facilitate access and clearly label materials so families can make informed choices for themselves. They are viewpoint neutral.

A rating system is a prejudicial labeling system that does not inform but instead deters access, according to the ALA: “...the prejudicial label is used to warn, discourage or prohibit users or certain groups of users from access to the resource.”

How should we respond? Join the ALA’s Read for Your Rights campaign and speak at your local school board meeting in support of public-school libraries and librarians. You can also call your state senator and representative to tell them you support public-school libraries and librarians and oppose efforts at censorship.

Regina Dickens

Albuquerque