‘America’s 911 system is dangerously out of date’
Rebecca Neusteter at Time
Many Americans “may be surprised to learn a sobering truth: The 911 professionals who answer the phone are often unable to automatically pinpoint a caller’s precise location and cannot always rely on callers themselves,” says Rebecca Neusteter. The U.S. “has let our 911 emergency response system languish for decades, failing to make the necessary investments to bring it into the digital age.” Updating “911 technology should be a national priority, and Congress must provide sufficient funding.”
‘The Trump administration is claiming success in drug strikes. Not so fast.’
Daniel DePetris at the Chicago Tribune
“Cartels in Mexico and gangs in Ecuador are now considered to be in the same league as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State — this, despite the fact that cartels have no political ideology and are predominantly concerned with making money,” says Daniel DePetris. But “boat strikes don’t seem to be doing much of anything to reduce the flow of drugs.” By “waging an actual war on drugs, the powers that be in Washington are confusing tactical accomplishments with strategic ones.”
‘It’s time for America’s workers to take their power back’
Fred Redmond at Newsweek
This “Labor Day, it is important to remember that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot at the American dream: a good job with decent wages to support a family, and the chance to one day retire,” says Fred Redmond. Families are “stressing over every expense,” and for “Black workers and other workers of color, that dream is moving further out of reach.” Unions “fight for economic justice and for racial justice,” and “those fights are not separate.”
‘Sexual strangulation is derailing a generation of girls’
Debra Soh at The Globe and Mail
What was “once considered aggravated assault is now an accepted part of modern dating,” says Debra Soh. Sexual choking “has become so normalized” that “both sexes believe the practice is benign, which is a myth that pornography, social media and sex educators promote.” But “there is no safe way to partake in choking, because it doesn’t require much pressure on a person’s neck for unwanted side effects to happen, including memory loss, headaches, stroke and brain damage.”
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
