Remembering John Ullman
To the editor:
Your letter from the editor on AI [“ ‘The End of Creator’s Block,’ ” Aug. 28] reminded me of John Ullman, the managing editor of the Cape Codder back when it was a good newspaper.
John was the last person in the office to use a manual typewriter. Others in the office would come up to him to use the typewriter when a computer didn’t work.
He could come up with a story instantaneously. The editor, Malcolm Hobbs, would poke his head around the corner and say, “Quick, I need four inches.” John would bang out an article to fill the void.
What kind of garbage would AI come up with?
Hugh Daugherty
Eastham
The Supreme Court and ICE
To the editor:
The Supreme Court’s recent decision to lift restrictions on ICE raids in Los Angeles is alarming because it permits people to be rounded up in groups without any individualized probable cause. That principle is not new or unsettled: the Court has long held that you cannot detain people simply because of who they are with, where they happen to be, or the color of their skin.
The Court’s order allows ICE to sweep up entire groups of Latino workers and residents on the basis of race, Spanish accents, or occupation. To understand how dangerous this is, imagine the government authorizing raids where people were detained for “appearing Jewish” or “speaking Yiddish.” The country would recoil — and rightly so. The Constitution makes no such distinction. Both the Fourth and Fourteenth amendments require individualized suspicion and equal protection for every person.
By disregarding this bedrock standard, the Court weakens rights for all Americans. Even worse, it politicizes itself in a way that erodes the rule of law and undermines its legitimacy as the nation’s highest court.
Michael DeVasto
Wellfleet
A Family Connection
To the editor:
Re “A 400-Pound Terrapin Goes to the Library in Eastham” [Sept. 4, page A6]:
The artist Tom Considine was selected for the terrapin sculpture project not just because he quoted a better price than the other foundry but also because of his family’s connection to the Outer Cape. His mom and grandparents grew up in Provincetown. He grew up in Chelmsford and spent much of his youth traveling back and forth to Provincetown.
Mike Sarcione
Eastham
Letters to the Editor
The Provincetown Independent welcomes letters from readers on all subjects. They must be signed with the writer’s name, home address, and telephone number (for verification). Letters will be published only if they have been sent exclusively to the Independent. They should be no more than 300 words and may be edited for clarity, accuracy, conciseness, and good taste. Longer pieces (up to 600 words) may be submitted for consideration as op-ed commentary. Send letters to [email protected] or by mail to P.O. Box 1034, Provincetown, MA 02657. The deadline for letters is Monday at noon for each week’s edition.
