Living in Society
Politics mostly social commentary.
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The United States is a country where we constantly balance security and liberty. During my youth, we were taught to believe that a large nuclear weapons arsenal, with a triad of land-based missiles, aircraft-dropped gravity bombs, and submarines would deter the Soviet Union from attacking us. When the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 happened, we… Read more
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Can Democrat Christina Bohannan beat Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks during the second contest between them in 2024? One can only hope… and do everything possible to see that she does. Going into her sixth campaign for the Congress, Miller-Meeks has become a wing-nut institution. Iowans deserve better. When Miller-Meeks first ran against Congressman Dave Loebsack in… Read more
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Like many of our readers, I traveled to Des Moines and Washington, D.C. to advocate for issues. I remember visiting Congressman Dave Loebsack in Washington, shortly after his 2006 election to the Congress with a list of a dozen issues to cover. It was quickly clear which issues most interested him. Because I had gotten… Read more
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The numbers vary among different legislators and political activists, yet somewhere between 65,000 and 90,000 registered Iowa Democrats did not vote in 2022. It seems like an easy problem to solve. Reach out to those voters, the ones that still live in the state or district, and encourage them to vote. Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy… done before… Read more
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One of the issues discussed at an Aug. 17 meeting in Shueyville, with representatives of the Iowa House Democrats, was registering high school students to vote. There are processes and conflicts in doing so within some school districts. To hear attendees tell about it, it was a struggle. State Representative Elinor Levin nodded when I… Read more
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On Thursday, Aug. 17, the Iowa House Democrats People Over Politics tour of conservative districts came to House District 91. About 20 people, all residents of the district, attended the town hall-style meeting at the Shueyville Community Center. About all we had in common was that we were Democrats who held a deep dislike for… Read more
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The Mason City and Urbandale school districts have both been in the news because of their efforts to comply with the new Iowa law which restricts what school children can read in class or in the school library. While this is a specific initiative driven by a small number of conservative groups, it seems appropriate… Read more
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I want you to hear it directly from me: I’m running for Congress against Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks. In a moment I’ll ask you to endorse my campaign, but first I want to tell you why I’m running for Congress: When I think about why I want to represent Iowa’s 1st district, I think of my… Read more
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On Tuesday, Aug. 8, President Joe Biden created Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni, a national monument encompassing almost a million acres surrounding the Grand Canyon. At the signing ceremony, Biden said, America’s natural wonders are our nation’s heart and soul. That’s not hyperbole; that’s a fact. They unite us. They inspire us. A birthright we pass… Read more
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One of the worst kept secrets in Iowa’s First Congressional District is that Christina Bohannan intends to run against Mariannette Miller-Meeks again in the 2024 general election. All Spring and Summer I’ve been pointing out at in-person political meetings there was no declared candidate for the Congress. Half a dozen different times I was rebuffed,… Read more
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