Gamecock women’s NCAA basketball championship brings honor to USC and South Carolina | Opinion
Way to go, Lady Gamecocks!
Congratulations to our University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball team and Coach Dawn Staley on a record breaking 38-0 season and for winning the National Championship.
What an awesome feat.
Shout out to Coach Staley for also winning Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. Thank you Lady Gamecocks for the hard work, dedication, determination, spirit and love you’ve shown during this season.
Thank you also for providing all Carolina “fams” with exciting games and wonderful memories, and for representing not only the university, but the state in an amazing, inspirational way.
Look forward to more next year. Go Gamecocks.
Barbara Boylston, Charleston
Electoral College worries?
If you think the Electoral College is an out-dated and anti-democratic institution, you are urged to contact your legislators to pass the National Popular Vote Compact.
Sixteen other states have already passed this legislation, which guarantees that the people pick the president.
It requires state electors to vote for the candidate with the most votes nationwide.
That’s democracy. Details: Nationalpopularvote.com.
Carol Brown, Beaufort
A less violent future?
South Carolina is not just holding on to the death penalty, but actively discussing whether electrocutions and firing squads are cruel and unusual.
The scientist in me doesn’t understand why we hold on to capital punishment, which has been shown to be ineffective, outdated and costly.
Where is the entrepreneurial spirit to find better solutions? Where is our grit to let go of old ways?
The Christian in me doesn’t understand how we can ignore Jesus’ teachings so easily. How can we dismiss the power of God to bring change in each and every one of us?
The human being in me can’t help but cry when somebody is killed by the state in my name.
I think about that person being executed, and all the innocent people punished as well. Parents, spouses, children and friends.
I think of the wardens who are reporting about the life-altering trauma it causes them. Where is our sense of society to protect them from harm?
I still believe that we can move toward a less violent future restoring justice and reducing crime without killing and torture, if we wish to do so.
I’m sharing my thoughts as an invitation to take a moment and reflect about your stand on the death penalty.
My hope is, of course, that the era of death will come to an end in South Carolina.
Sabrina Setaro, York
AI protection vs. innovation
The National Association of Attorneys General recently convened to discuss measures to prevent child abuse using artificial intelligence technologies.
I’m glad to see our attorneys general having this important conversation. This presents an opportunity to get our approach to solving AI harms right.
Most — if not all — of the risks associated with AI are not new.
Fraud, abuse and many other forms of harm certainly present renewed challenges in light of the internet and advances in AI, but our existing legal framework is more than adequate to deal with them.
Enforcement, not crafting new and potentially dangerous policy, will be key.
At a time when AI is so new and so many of its potential uses are still unexplored, it’s exceedingly difficult to craft comprehensive and effective policy to regulate its use.
Rushing this process will not only result in ineffective solutions, but doing so risks stifling AI’s development and preventing it from reaching its full potential.
Furthermore, embracing the advantages AI offers necessitates proactive education and training across all industries to ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation, or risk being left behind in its transformative impact.
Rep. Tom Hartnett Jr., R-District 110, Mt. Pleasant
