And how we might lose that. This year marks the 100th anniversary of two U.S. Supreme Court cases often characterized as miscarriages of justice. Those cases, however, also led to us having greater First Amendment protection of free expression. There’s a medical line, “The operation was a success, but the
Read More →A lot more is at stake in terms of self-governance and dealing with inconvenient truths. You’ve likely seen the TV ad in which John Delaney, a hard-working, earnest campaigner for the Democratic Party nomination for president, says, in essence, he is different from others who have sought the presidency because
Read More →The Iowa caucuses, Feb. 3, 2020, will again provide Iowa a chance to serve the nation — to usher in GOP alternatives to Donald Trump and to heal fractures in the Democratic Party. Yeah, sure. The vision for the caucuses is anything but 20-20. While the Iowa press proclaims Iowa,
Read More →Can we keep it? Given the Trump phenomenon, the question “Could it happen here?” keeps popping up in political commentary. Such commentary often refers to the 1935 novel by Sinclair Lewis, “It Can’t Happen Here” — written when Hitler was in control in Germany, Mussolini in Italy, Stalin in Russia
Read More →There’s little reassurance in scholarly, religious or glib comments that “we’ll survive.” Maybe instead of wishing one another “Happy New Year” for 2019, we should say something like “Stay sane” or “Peace be with you.” Such alternative hopes may seem particularly appropriate because of the concerns of the day, but, really, each day of
Read More →And a word from the massacre generation This holiday season comes with the gut-wrenching fact that — really — there have to be better ways to share fellowship and mutual concerns than for us to grieve in a place of worship or other community center. But that is where we go to share condolences about
Read More →A testimony to the Cowles-Willkie friendship and their civil rights advocacy stands at 900 17th St. in Des Moines Talk about good timing! Consider the recent release of “THE IMPROBABLE WENDELL WILLKIE, THE BUSINESSMAN WHO SAVED THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND HIS COUNTRY, AND CONCEIVED A NEW WORLD ORDER.” The book,
Read More →Consider which incumbents should be promoted to “citizen.” A bizarre day, indeed — providing thoughts for this round-up of current events. First off, it began with a Des Moines Register news report that Gov. Kim Reynolds’ campaign to stay in office has the theme “Iowa is No 1.” That’s according to a survey that
Read More →Acolytes shout ‘Hallelujah! Amen!’ A trinity of points to open this theological treatise: First, here’s a line from a commercial popular before many readers of CITYVIEW were born: “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.” The commercial for Vicks Formula 44 first aired in 1984, featuring Chris
Read More →From Tigranes to Trump. To cope with frustrations over “Fake News,” we might consider what “Fake” isn’t and what “News” is. As for what “Fake” isn’t, many antonyms say it is not genuine, honest, accurate, true, sincere, legitimate, etc. What’s proclaimed as “News” in TV promos and in press headlines has pitfalls of its
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