Go giant, Iowa

Jackson Pollock Mural worth $150 million (Civic Skinny, March 13)? Sell it. Build the $75 million Iowa City art museum. 

Then — like those art projects all over Iowa such as the giant Herkys in Iowa City, the giant ice crème cones in LeMars and the giant rabbit heads (?) in Council Bluffs (those things creep me out), the giant American Gothic couple in Indianola and the giant shovel at Meredith — let Iowans do what we do best: Go big.

I see an opportunity for a giant Jackson Pollock Mural contest. I think mural is Latin for big anyway. How many Iowans could pick the real one out of a line up? I wonder what the insurance cost is on that thing per year? Heck, all the bar in Windsor Heights needs to keep the giant Herky safe is a thick chain and padlock. 

End Branstad’s reign of error

There was additional information revealed recently regarding the controversial decision on Telemedicine by the Iowa Board of Medicine. The whole controversy has centered on whether the Planned Parenthood Telemedicine procedure is safe. A Polk County Judge ruled to stay the Board of Medicine’s decision against Planned Parenthood questioning the issue of safety. In response, abortion opponents lashed out at the judge with a veiled threat about a future retention fight.

In this latest round, Planned Parenthood suggested that Father Bognanno, a Catholic Priest appointed by Gov. Branstad, unduly influenced other board members by sending information questioning the safety of abortion pills. The information he circulated was generated by abortion opponents, and Planned Parenthood contends the material wasn’t medically sound. 

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a Catholic Priest who was a vocal opponent to abortion would attempt to persuade the Medical Board to rule against a procedure related to abortion.  However, the blame lies with Gov. Branstad for packing a medical board with ideologues who weren’t capable of making decisions based on fact rather than dogma. Branstad wanted a guaranteed outcome that would overturn the use of telemedicine and was willing to destroy the independence and credibility of the Iowa Board of Medicine to achieve his goal. Voters will have a chance to end his reign of error in 2014 and elect a governor who supports fact-based decisions.

‘Divorce’ by Billy Collins

Once, two spoons in bed; now tined forks across a granite table, and the knives they have hired (“Marriage, Divorce and Solitude,” March 6).

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