WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang’s article on Asif Amin Cheema’s deportation was absolutely heartbreaking. I can’t understand why anyone would think deporting this gentleman was the right thing to do. No one is made safer by this, and no one’s life is made better. Instead, a family is torn to shreds, a young man’s life is made substantially more difficult, and a good father is exiled to a country he barely knows anymore. This is simply cruelty for the sake of cruelty, and the infliction of pain for the sake of inflicting pain.
How can rational, fair-minded people think to themselves, “Yes, great, this is what I want my federal government to do, and this is how I want my country to treat people?”
What has happened to basic notions of kindness and decency? What has happened to my country?
Andy Boyd, Wheaton
Divulge data centers’ environmental impact
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s call for a temporary moratorium on new and expanded data centers in Chicago is a sign Illinois can’t ignore the environmental and infrastructure demands of this rapidly growing industry. But the call should also prompt a broader question: How can Illinois make informed decisions about data center growth when it does not have data on how much water and electricity these facilities use?
The Chicago area is already the third-largest data center market in the country and fourth-largest globally. As artificial intelligence accelerates demand for computing power, that growth is likely to continue. Data centers can require enormous amounts of electricity and water to operate and cool their servers. Some facilities can consume millions of gallons of water per day.
There is no question data centers create jobs, attract investment and help keep our state competitive in the technology industry. But economic growth should not come at the expense of transparency.
That transparency was offered in the proposed Illinois Data Center Energy and Water Reporting Act, which would require data centers to annually report their water and energy consumption. Unfortunately, the legislation stalled in committee.
Chicago’s new regulatory measures show that concerns about data centers are growing. But local action isn’t enough. Power plants and water utilities already report environmental information. Data centers aren’t any different. The public has a right to know how shared resources are being used.
Illinois may ultimately decide that the economic benefits of data center growth outweigh its demands on our water and energy infrastructure. But that decision should be based on reliable data, not assumptions.
Emma Lu, Buffalo Grove
Outcomes-based training is win for ex-offenders, taxpayers
While I generally consider myself “tough on crime,” Uzoma “Zo” Orchingwa’s recent op-ed on modifying vocational training for ex-offenders by including some compensation upon verification of their training achievements makes sense. Recidivism statistics suggest that most of the formerly incarcerated want to get back into the legitimate working world.
A few years ago, I had my car towed from the Eisenhower Expressway. Riding to the repair shop, the tow-truck driver shared how he had been released from prison years ago after shooting and wounding a rival gang member.
The man told me he had a wife, children and close friends and that he helped support his local church. He wasn’t 100% sure if he had been taught how to earn a commercial driver’s license and operate a truck at a much earlier age, if his life would be that much different, but he believed he might never had “held a gun.”
Some deserve imprisonment. Yet, upon release, people should be given a meaningful opportunity to prove their worth to the community. Closely monitored, incentivized job training may not only save taxpayers money but also save lives.
Terry Takash, Western Springs
Keep focus on American’s detention in China
I’m pleased I had to withdraw the op-ed I submitted against the U.S. State Department’s seeming passivity on China’s arrest and detention of American citizen Min Zin and the lassitude of the U.S. media toward the scholar’s plight.
Last week, the State Department designated Min Zin as “wrongfully detained” and formally called on China for his release. The New York Times gave this news prominence. I found some hope with both actions.
The State Department’s designation suggests a solution is at hand, especially with the White House preparing to welcome President Xi Jinping next month.
In my op-ed, I had argued that even in a news environment filled with complex crises, the long, harrowing struggle of Myanmar’s citizens against vicious usurpers deserves prime time. Perhaps that time is now, as Min Zin needs ongoing support and coverage.
Born in Myanmar, he was, from an early age, committed to replace a cruel junta with a democratic government. At 14, he attended his first peaceful demonstration. The military, noting his participation, ordered him expelled from school.
When he persisted over the years, he was harassed. Finally, when armed soldiers threatened his family, he fled, first to Thailand, then to the United States, where he studied political science at University of California Berkeley. (His pending Ph.D. dissertation concerns the civil-military relations and political transition in Myanmar.)
As the press for democracy continued, Min Zin paid heed. In 2016, he established the Institute for Strategy and Policy — Myanmar think tank considered to be among the most respected academic authorities on the complex geopolitical ties between Beijing and Naypyidaw, the administrative capital of Myanmar.
When the military executed a vicious coup in 2021, throwing the country into civil war, Min Zin worked from Thailand, where he could continue research.
He does not belong in jail. He belongs in headlines. I trust Americans will be enthusiastic about the State Department support and will continue to engage and press for his freedom.
Susanne Dumbleton, professor emeritus, DePaul University