Vote-by-mail’s not the reason Republicans are losing elections
I find it amusing that Kevin Coyne, chair of the DuPage County GOP, has concluded the only reason DuPage Republicans are losing elections is because they don’t vote by mail.
Like most of the Republicans left in his party, he refuses to admit that his is now a party of insanity. Many Republicans have jumped ship to the Democratic Party, wandered off as independents or become non-voters out of disgust. Some did so during President Trump’s first term; still more in his latter.
No, it must be that all-powerful vote by mail and not because Trump rejected the outcome of the 2020 elections, incited a violent insurrection on Jan. 6 and then pardoned the participants, hobbled emergency and health agencies like FEMA and the National Weather Service, and gutted the EPA so polluters are fully free to poison our air and water for greater profits.
It can’t possibly be because the president rolled back decades of progress for civil and human rights, shut down the heinous “Sesame Street” or diverted money from seniors’ Meals on Wheels so millionaires can be a given a greater tax break. He’s made it so it’s now OK to threaten universities and oppose law firms you don’t like, to accept foreign gifts for personal favor and to sell U.S. citizenship, for which many veterans gave their lives, for the bargain price of $5 million.
No, Republicans losing elections must be the result of something else. So, yes, Kevin, please sign your entire party up for vote-by-mail. It’s a great plan — for the rest of us, who live in the world of the sane.
Alton Mitchell, Naperville
Chromosomes not a simple solution for trans sports issue
I am writing in response to the letter, “Chromosomes should dictate who competes against who,” which ran in the June 15 edition of the Naperville Sun.
The idea that “chromosomes should dictate who competes against who” in sports competitions is overly simplistic and does not reflect the reality of genetic diversity in human beings.
Chromosomally, sex is not easily defined. There are many chromosomal variations other than XX or XY, including XXX, XYY and XXX, and many more. What about women who have Turner syndrome or only have one X chromosome or men with Klinefelter syndrome with an XXY karyotype? Should we bar them from sports too?
The vast majority of people have not had their own genome sequenced. The original letter writer herself may even have a chromosomal variation other than XX and may never know it.
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There is no one way for women’s bodies, and genes, to be. Trans people belong in sports and denying them the right to participate based on their chromosomes is discrimination.
Amanda Zambito, Naperville
Government cuts to research, health funding will hurt Illinois
Growing up in Naperville deeply influenced my path. The opportunities I had at Naperville School District 203 ignited my passions for science and service. Later, federal research experiences shaped my future.
When I approached graduation from Lake Forest College, I felt lost. How could I blend my passions into a career? I found the answer during a research internship at Rush University on a project funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. Today, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I am a doctoral candidate in epidemiology, the field that works to understand and reduce disease. My research and training are largely supported by the National Cancer Institute.
Epidemiologists help fight cancer by collecting and analyzing data on cancer cases and deaths. For example, epidemiology research supports the 2022-27 Illinois Cancer Control Plan to reduce cancer, promote prevention and improve care.
My research explores why people get colorectal cancer at different rates. While overall rates have decreased since the 2010s, cases in people under 50 have increased by 44% in Illinois over the past two decades. At all ages, Black Illinoisans face the highest rates. Despite great strides, we have a long way to go in the fight to end cancer.
But I fear for the future of this fight. This year, federally mandated cuts to the National Institutes of Health’s budget will eliminate essential resources like staff, buildings and utilities. Public universities in Illinois are facing a $71.5 million loss in funding, devastating science infrastructure and destroying jobs. Additionally, Illinois universities have had millions in already-awarded grants canceled (including more than $1 million at Rush). These cuts pause essential research, threaten economic growth and undermine the training of the next generation of scientists.
Dwindling research funds are not the only threat. In March, the Centers for Disease Control blocked $449 million awarded to the Illinois Department of Public Health. With these cuts, we lose support to fight chronic diseases, like cancer, and infectious disease, like the flu and COVID-19.
This is not an issue of political affiliation. Sweeping cuts threaten the research and resources needed to fight disease, leaving everyone’s health at stake. Please contact your local, state and federal elected officials and tell them you oppose cuts to science and public health funding. You can also express support by signing the Citizens for Science Policy pledge at tiny.cc/sciencepledge.
Zoe Walts, Naperville
Army’s 250th anniversary a milestone well worth celebrating
Hmm, was the recent U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary overlooked? There was lots of coverage and criticism of the June 14 parade but not much in the way of gratitude for the U.S. Army.
Although there’s a lot of political turmoil right now, let us never, ever forget that freedom is not free. I’m not going to talk about political views but just be sure to thank all of our military folks and especially the U.S. Army, whose soldiers have protected our freedoms for 250 years!
Maybe what was overlooked is that our military are the ones who really guard the gates of freedom around the world for all of us. They are the ones who enable the rights we all enjoy, especially the right to free speech, and have been doing so from 1775 to 2025.
Whatever our political views may be, I think we should be both mindful of and thankful for the Army’s faithful service to our country. They did a great job in the parade and made us proud.
May God continue to bless our country and all of our military.
Mike McGrath, Naperville
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