Catching the Violent Criminal

I have floated the idea of using checkpoints to catch violent immigrants. Tonight, I have a couple of thoughts — and then I’ll offer an alternative solution.

Thought One: ICE would likely abuse a checkpoint system, engaging in racial profiling and detaining people who are not violent criminals — including U.S. citizens. This is not hypothetical; ICE has already done this in other contexts, so there is little reason to believe they would behave differently under a checkpoint system.

Thought Two: If there were to be a checkpoint system, it should target all violent offenders, not only immigrants. In a typical year, more than 1.2 million violent crimes are reported, and a large share of those cases are never cleared by arrest. Based on clearance rates, that means hundreds of thousands of violent offenders remain at large — and these offenders are overwhelmingly U.S. citizens.

What if we placed our “checkpoints” in retail and other public places? For example, what if we ran quick background checks on anyone entering a bar? When I’ve been pulled over for traffic violations, the officer runs a background check on me in minutes. Bars could do the same, perhaps with police staffing the checkpoints so the cost does not fall on the businesses.

And when someone gets a driver’s license or state ID, is a background check required? Not to my knowledge. Since nearly everyone needs a driver’s license, this would be a logical place to run checks.

Banks? Most people need bank accounts. We could require background checks before someone opens one.

The Brain Drain and Norway's Gain

It's a brain drain, of sorts -- a brain drain. More than 10,000 doctorate-level scientists have left the employ of the U.S. government. And that's not just by accident. Most of them were fired. Who knows where all they've landed-- in unemployment lines, in the private sector, and in career changes. Perhaps some of them have found positions at the U.N.

A small sample -- a very small sample -- of them have found their new home in Norway, a country that respects climate research and wants to be part of the fight against climate change. Last summer, Norway announced a program to attract international talent, realizing it did not have all the resources to solve the problem on its own. So far, 27 international scientists have come to Norway on the program, including 23 from the U.S.

(Blogs)

 

 

Perhaps You Knew That

Tonight, kindly words for the University of Utah and its AI programs. Perhaps you know the school ranks as one of the nation's top research universities. Perhaps you know it is one of the country’s top centers for AI‑driven health research. The sovereign AI factory is truly unique. Perhaps you know that. The U operates one of the only sovereign AI factories in the country — a secure, state‑controlled AI supercomputing environment. This triples the university's computing capacity, enables advanced medical and scientific breakthroughs, supports statewide innovation, and provides secure infrastructure for public‑entity data. This is a rare, nationally distinctive asset. The University leads a statewide network coordinating AI concerns. Very few states have anything comparable. Did you know that? Perhaps you did. The school provides industry partnerships -- anchored by global leaders. This positions the University as a regional AI powerhouse. Through workshops and seminars, AI literacy programs are offered to all faculty members and to every student, regardless of major. This puts it ahead of most U.S. universities. Perhaps you already knew that. But if you didn't, you do now.

(Blogs)

Data Centers: Consuming Our Water and Polluting Our Air

Utah is swamped with data centers, each swallowing up water. About 40 of them stretch from Ogden to St. George. Now, two large data centers are being proposed for Millard County. How much water might they use? The Utah Rivers Council estimates such large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day-- enough to serve a city with 40,000 people for a year.

Utah should be concerned. This is arid desert country. We should be very protective of our water as it is a precious commodity. 

Of the two projects in Millard County, one says it will have a closed-loop cooling system, using non-water fluids and thus resulting in 90 percent less water use. These two claims, however, come from the company and have not been independently verified.

The second project in Millard is expected to be the largest data center in the nation. It too will have a closed-loop heating and cooling system. No water usage estimates have been released for it.

Company officials at the larger data center have said it will have its own power plant. Owners of the other center-- the Creekstone/Creek Energy project-- have hinted at the same, but that has not been confirmed. The larger project-- the Joule center-- is to be powered by 69 natural-gas generators per building. Since six buildings are proposed, that adds up. With that many generators running night and day, it means toxic emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxides, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter all being poured into Millard County and Utah's air.

(Blog)