Posted November 18, 2024in Stray Thoughts
I was asked to speak last week at the annual conference of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. My remarks boiled down to a simple message: The public needs more information *about* their governments, not more secrecy *from* their governments. I explained a troubling trend I see worming its way
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Posted November 13, 2024in Stray Thoughts
Last week, I bumped into an Appanoose County woman I have known for several years. She thanked me and the nonprofit organization I manage for shining the spotlight on the actions of Centerville Community School District leaders. This mother told me I was responsible for her spending part of a
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Posted October 28, 2024in Stray Thoughts
It’s a challenge, but not impossible, to find topics on which Republicans and Democrats share the same view these days. Here’s one: Election Day means we can all celebrate the end of those infernal television commercials. My tolerance for these ads has never been high. One reason is the way
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Posted October 14, 2024in Stray Thoughts
A family acquaintance was on Vice President Dick Cheney’s Secret Service detail during George W. Bush’s presidency. His Christmas photo one year was a portrait of him, his wife and Cheney together at a White House reception. Back then, the agent entertained us with stories of people lining the streets
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Posted September 30, 2024in Stray Thoughts
Talk about lousy optics — and I am not referring to out-of-style eyeglasses. Public perception is the topic for today. There were a couple of recent news nuggets that illustrate in different ways an uncomfortable fact of life in Iowa — that too many state and local government officials are
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Posted September 23, 2024in Stray Thoughts
Thirty-three years ago on a snowy Friday in November, the nightmare of mass school shootings shocked Iowa like it has never been shocked before. It was 3:40 p.m. A former University of Iowa graduate student with a brilliant scientific mind, and a .38-caliber revolver, walked into a conference room in
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Posted September 09, 2024in Stray Thoughts
I have fielded a bunch of emails, text messages and phone calls in the days since the school shooting in Winder, Georgia. Each one is from Perry, Iowa. Each one had the same question for me and the Iowa Freedom of Information Council. Each one came from a parent, teacher
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Posted August 26, 2024in Stray Thoughts
We are in the home stretch of another presidential campaign, and it is important for voters to be alert for the unintended consequences of candidates’ promises. Office-seekers and their supporters like to portray issues in terms of absolutes — as in, my position is the very best way to address
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Posted August 19, 2024in Stray Thoughts
Here we go again. Don’t be surprised if there is a hard-fought campaign between now and the November election over a guy named David May. You may not recognize his name. But you will in the weeks to come. May is the newest member of the Iowa Supreme Court. His
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Posted August 05, 2024in Stray Thoughts
During the 40 years I was a newspaper editor/manager, I strived to ensure the staff incorporated context into their articles. Sometimes, in a journalistic shorthand, that was described “the Iowa angle.” If there was a mass murder in Iowa, I would dip into my stash of clippings and find the
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