Living in Society
Politics mostly social commentary.
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I received a phone call from my friend Ed, with whom we founded the Eastern Iowa Chapter of Veterans for Peace. He wondered if I was going to walk in the Iowa City Pride Parade. I bought a new t-shirt for the occasion although had planned to walk with the Democrats. I could switch, so… Read more
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When I accepted employment as a poll worker, I decided to buy a new shirt—one with a collar. I’m not one to spend much time on presentation, yet the white shirt with blue vertical stripes made me look more professional. I wore it on primary election day when I began a fifteen-hour shift greeting and… Read more
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I knew what to expect from Nicholas Enrich’s Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower’s Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID because I followed news of the agency shut down in real time. Enrich details his experience immediately following President Trump’s second inauguration when contracts were canceled, staff were placed on administrative leave and… Read more
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After my 15-hour shift as a poll worker I was too agitated to sleep. I stayed up until I knew the results of the main races I was following, about another 60 minutes after arriving home. These are the main results in which I was interested: The numbers are such that Republicans don’t stand a… Read more
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Republican Representative Ashley Hinson’s first U.S. Senate television ad, “Believe,” makes claims voters should question. She says “veterans deserve a hell of a lot better.” They do. Yet in 2022 she voted against the EVEST Act, which automatically enrolls eligible discharged veterans in VA health care (HR 4673, Roll Call 14). She also opposed the… Read more
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Not long after the Kennedy assassination, Mother found me a job as a newspaper boy. Before dawn, I rode my bicycle to pick up a bundle of Des Moines Register dailies and deliver them. The homes were spread out because the Register was not our local paper. It was the route that was available. My… Read more
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I want to say something about artificial intelligence’s intrusion into life. Because the emerging technology is rapidly changing since public awareness of it increased a few years ago, whatever I might say seems unlikely to persist in relevance for long. For now, people I know reject it as something of value. Evidence is everywhere. May… Read more
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Faith Wilmot died on Jan. 10, 2026 in Coralville, and her Celebration of Life was on Saturday, May 25, at the Unitarian Universalist Society. Faith was one of our small gang of locals who did politics. We met during the 2004 John Kerry campaign for president. Faith was for Howard Dean. She was a lot… Read more
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Last week I worked three six and a half hour shifts as a poll worker for the Johnson County Auditor, helping with drive-through voting. This operation is conducted in a parking ramp located next to the county administration building. If a person is sociable, the work interacting with voters can be engaging. If less so,… Read more
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The primary season has been a prelude to an important election in the history of our state. Since Republicans gained majorities in the Iowa House and Senate in 2016, along with the governorship, they have been hammering away at our freedoms. Energy is building to reverse policies created since then. 2026 may be a decisive… Read more
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