Tiny ticks can be big problems
Thank you for publishing “Ozarks a top hotspot for ticks in the U.S.” The article was an important reminder that those of us who live in the Ozarks share our beautiful outdoor spaces with a very real health threat.
I only wish the article had gone one step further by discussing the symptoms of tick-borne illnesses and what can happen when they are missed or treatment is delayed.
For me, this is deeply personal. More than a decade ago, while living in Bolivar, Missouri, I became incredibly ill and grew worse by the day. Despite symptoms consistent with tick-borne illness, my concerns were dismissed as "tick fever" and stress. I was even told that you couldn't get Lyme disease in Missouri. I eventually became so debilitated that I had to leave my teaching
career.
I spent years seeing specialists, many of whom seemed unfamiliar with tick-borne diseases in our region, before finally finding compassionate physicians knowledgeable about these illnesses. I continue to live with long-term effects following Lyme disease and tularemia.
Since then, I’ve connected with many others, from parents of young children to older adults, whose lives have been profoundly affected by tick-borne illnesses. More recently, I’ve heard from increasing numbers of people dealing with alpha-gal syndrome.
Prevention matters, but awareness must go beyond checking for ticks. Ozarks residents also need to recognize possible symptoms, take them seriously and know when to seek medical care. In a region now identified as one of the nation’s biggest tick hotspots, that knowledge could change lives.
Lori Geurin, Springfield
Some things better left unsaid
Actually covering the news accurately is hard. Having an opinion is simple.
Clearly our electronic “news media” has figured that out.
(Think about it: Back in the day, no one knew what Walter Cronkite thought ...)
Susan Kirkpatrick, Springfield
AI hacking was a warning
Please look up the reported Hugging Face AI-agent incident: agents in a closed setting allegedly found a path to the open internet, communicated, coordinated, and tried to cover their tracks.
If true, this is not a curiosity. It is a warning bell.
We are building systems more capable than we can reliably supervise, then placing them in a race led by people whose rewards come from moving fast, not from making the rest of us safe. The wealthy pursue influence, profit, and advantage; the great majority are asked to carry the risk on our backs.
That is not innovation. It is recklessness dressed in the language of progress.
AI may bring real benefits, but no benefit justifies gambling with everyone’s security, livelihoods, privacy, and future. We would not let a company test an unproven aircraft over a crowded neighborhood. We should not let corporations and governments deploy powerful autonomous systems without independent testing, strict limits, transparency, and real accountability.
The future is not something that happens to us. It is something powerful people are deciding now—unless we insist on having a say.
Slow down. Test honestly. Regulate firmly. Put human safety before private gain.
Some warnings arrive like thunder. Others arrive as a quiet message from a machine, sent somewhere it was never supposed to reach.
Jeremiah Trapp, Reeds Spring
GOP needs strong medicine
If you are a Republican who is unhappy with the MAGA Republicans, what can you do in this election? You don't want to stay home and you may find it hard to vote for Democrats.
The Republican Party needs to revive itself. A vote for Democrats is a big first step toward reforming the Republican Party. It needs strong medicine, and the way to get that is by rejecting the present Republican Party.
I encourage all Republicans who want a healthy Republican Party to vote for Democrats. Send a signal to the party leaders that you are fed up with the way things are. Then in two or four years, when the party has improved, you can return once again to voting for a revived and healthy version of the party.
Elliott Denniston, Webb City
Read up before voting
Coming Nov. 3, I trust that most folks are ready to go out and vote, with much to do with the propositions and amendments on the ballot. The tensions are high, the ropes of political tolerance might be taut. Nobody likes to find confusing language on the ballots. And also sometimes, as individuals, we have difficulty understanding basic language.
I hope that one of these days the legislature can again come together across party lines and work together rather than directly against each other as if it were a game, a contest, or even a war. It is neither. We, at ground level, seem to be able to work across the lines a lot better than our legislature is able to.
Regardless of whether we can come together in an effective manner before lunch time or not, I think it is nevertheless very important that we all clearly understand what is on the ballot before we go voting "Yes" or "No." Because that is black and white with no in-between.
I have watched the political ads on television and I have found some stretching or burying of the truth of facts, on both sides of the isle. I was enraged about a piece of legislation for the ballot, then I sought additional information, then I was turned around, oh boy.
Folks, please do not vote "Yes" or "No" on an amendment or a proposition without finding the official contents of that amendment or proposition beforehand. For things which are already put together and placed on the November ballot, I would strongly advise looking more directly at the idea itself rather than being moved by television ads and so forth. I looked up all the amendments and propositions on the Missouri Secretary of State's ballot measures portal and I already know how I am going to vote on each of those items on the November ballot.
I hope election day goes smoothly with a big turn-out.
Philip Boepple, Springfield
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Letters to the Editor: Ticks, AI both small things hiding big problems
