Letters: Aisha Wahab’s swearing-in is a reason to celebrate

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.

Wahab’s swearing-in is reason to celebrate

Re: “First Afghan American in Congress sworn in” (Page B1, Aug. 3).

Let’s celebrate an American moment.

I have been a resident of the Bay Area for more than 66 of my 75 years. From my childhood on, the diversity of its population has always impressed me and often filled me with pride. The swearing-in of Dr. Aisha Wahab into the 119th U.S. Congress further exemplifies the best of what America has to offer us all, especially when its citizens and its institutions are able to grasp the virtues inherent in this diversity and embrace them.

Both equity and inclusion can grow in that social environment and only strengthen our democracy.

David Fishbaugh
Fremont

Meta’s agreement falls short of protecting kids

Re: “Meta agrees to limits for kids” (Page A1, Aug. 27).

The settlement of the lawsuit against Meta deals primarily with guardrails for minors’ use of its platform. It does not deal with Meta’s use of addictive algorithms to hook kids on Facebook and Instagram.

In settling the lawsuit, the state attorneys general all but abandoned their original aim of forcing Meta to redesign its algorithmically driven engagement mechanisms. Those mechanisms are dangerous because they are constructed not simply to find out “What content would you like?” but instead to determine, “What content should I show that is most likely to keep you interacting with the platform?”

The settlement does provide a pile of cash and a bunch of guardrails — two-hour daily usage limits, blocking access from midnight to 6, and the like. Maybe that was the best the attorneys general thought they could get. Frankly, I wish they’d let the jury take direct aim at those addictive algorithms.

Jim Wolpman
Walnut Creek

WNBA transgender fight is a distraction

Re: “Small protest” (Page C2, Aug. 21).

Approximately 0.8% of the adult population in the U.S. identifies as transgender. There are 180 roster spots in the WNBA. The probability that a person from the transgender population would have the skill set to compete at that level is so small it is unworthy of discussion.

Despite this unlikely probability, under the guise of “protecting girls,” attention-seeking provocateurs and divisive agitators are attempting to leverage the popularity of the W to enhance their profile and undermine what is shaping up to be the greatest season in the history of the W.

These same “protectors’ are conspicuously silent, no public protests or T-shirts, about the attorney general of the United States openly defying the law by failing to release information about a decades-long child trafficking ring in order to protect the perpetrators. The “transgender debate” is a cynical and divisive culture war ploy.

Barry Gardin
Hayward

Solar panels could be key to modernize transit

A recent test project in Switzerland is proving that we can place removable solar panels right between railway tracks. The potential is massive. Swiss operators estimate this setup could supply up to 30% of their public transit energy needs, and nations like France and South Korea are already testing the concept.

Finding suitable land for large solar developments remains a major bottleneck in California. Track-mounted solar addresses this issue by taking advantage of space transit agencies already own. This approach avoids costly land disputes while simultaneously reducing weed growth along the rails.

As the Bay Area works to meet ambitious climate goals and stabilize public transit funding, local leaders should closely examine this model. Transforming our existing rail corridors into clean energy generators is a practical strategy to modernize transit and reduce emissions.

Anika Misra
Fremont

If Dems win midterms, it could be hollow victory

As the midterm elections approach and optimism grows among many that Republicans will lose their majority in the House, and maybe the Senate, let’s not pretend that Donald Trump will be neutered.

Perhaps the only positives are that a pathetic Mike Johnson and an only slightly less pathetic John Thune will no longer be in charge of their respective chambers. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely Democrats can do any better at the checks and balances role the Republican Congress willingly abdicated. Trump will simply increase his misuse of executive orders and other questionable tactics to continue to bypass Congress. Worse yet, he will use the last two years of his presidency to further enrich himself at taxpayer expense.

In many respects, I fear the last two years of his presidency will be far worse than the first two, even with a Democratic majority in Congress. So much for optimism.

Dan Weakley
San Ramon