State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

letter to the editor

  • A Johnson County Manager?

    The new by-district county supervisor election system mandated by the state is underway in Johnson County. Many candidates are running, and at least one incumbent will be ousted. With new people come new policies, including a proposal to adopt a county manager. This idea would have consequences. The shift to district-based elections is already a… Read more

  • No, We’re Not In An ‘Ideological War’

    There is little to say about the death by gun violence of Charlie Kirk. Too many U.S. citizens die of gun violence and the Congress can, and should do something to prevent more death and destruction. On the other hand, Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Brad Sherman, find things to say, In a Sept. 16, “Letter… Read more

  • Support Our Veterans

    I respect Republican Senator Joni Ernst for her service as the commanding officer of a transportation company during the Iraq War. I also don’t know how an accomplished military officer got tangled up with the DOGE caucus yet she did. She has been a cheerleader, saying, “DOGE will sweep over this city (Washington, D.C.) and… Read more

  • The War is Over

    A Confederate flag is on display near where I live. These flags are sprinkled around the state like confetti from a party with too few guests. I have this to say. I served in the U.S. Army and protected the right to free speech. Flyers of these flags can go on. I protected their right… Read more

  • 50 Years of Letters

    I wrote my first letter to the editor of a newspaper in 1974, so I’m approaching my 50th anniversary of letter writing. What do I make of this? I appreciate the editors of the Cedar Rapids Gazette for publishing a daily letters section. Fewer daily papers do that in 2024, if they even remained in… Read more

  • Writing in Public

    My first letter to the editor of a newspaper appeared in the Quad-City Times on Dec. 30, 1974. I had just returned to my home town from Europe after college graduation. I did not like the culture I experienced in Davenport. The letter was a way to express my opinion in public and garner feedback… Read more

  • Listening is Important

    The first funnel of the Iowa legislature is March 3, so it’s time to look at what our representatives Dawn Driscoll (SD46) and Brad Sherman (HD91) have been up to. No doubt they won the 2022 midterm election, despite failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s warning about election integrity during a recent trip to Iowa.… Read more

  • Super PAC Hammering Bohannan

    The election will be here before we know it and voters are forming into camps. I encourage anyone eligible to vote to do so. We should participate in our country’s governance because we can. What I can’t abide is the money in politics. It is like the wind yet what you hear is the sound… Read more

  • Single-issue Politics are Bad for Iowa

    In Iowa there is more to living in society than any single issue or election. Unlike members of the Congress, we aren’t in a constant state of campaigning. We view those with whom we interact as people first, which makes life more tolerable. There are cultural nuances where we chose to live. Some voters I… Read more

  • Iowans Need a Voice not a Parrot

    It’s time to elect a Democrat in the First Congressional District, one that will listen to voters after arriving in Washington. That person is Democrat Christina Bohannan. With the close election of Nov. 3, 2020, decided April 1, 2021 when Rita Hart withdrew her contest from the House Committee on Administration, Mariannette Miller-Meeks had a… Read more