Submitted by Liz O’Hara Iowa’s Republican lawmakers are relentless in their drive to create a firearms free-for-all in our state. First, they ignored overwhelming public opposition and passed the gun lobby’s constitutional amendment, making “any and all” restrictions on the right to bear arms subject to “strict scrutiny” by the courts. They tried to assure […]
Letters
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Letter to the editor: Miller-Meeks voted against coronavirus relief, and against her constituents
By Trish Nelson, Iowa City Second-district Republican Marianette Miller-Meeks voted against coronavirus relief despite adding her name to a letter sent from freshman House Republicans to then President-elect Biden. In part it read, “we hope to work with you to extend targeted, meaningful coronavirus relief for families…” What is the point of offering help if […]
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Letter to the editor: Iowa Republicans are trying to create a permanent conservative autocracy
By Kenn Bowen, Iowa City A bill (SF 413) has passed both chambers and been put on the governor’s desk for her signature. She will sign voter suppression into law. According to the statewide statistical report published by the Secretary of State’s office, 430,116 of the 562,606 registered Democrats who cast a ballot in the […]
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Letter to the editor: Free speech and politics in Iowa
By Christina Bohannan, State Representative, Iowa House District 85; law professor, University of Iowa As a law professor, I am a strong defender of free speech. Defending free speech as a constitutional principle means defending the right of people to speak even when I disagree with their message. As a Democratic State Representative from Iowa […]
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Letter: Those affected by police violence have had no voice in Iowa City’s police reform planning
By Nicholas Theisen, Iowa City Why aren’t we centering the victims of police violence? This was the question I was left with after Tuesday night’s Iowa City Council meeting, in which council approved a Law Enforcement Liaison Partnership Agreement with CommUnity and Foundation 2, organizations that provide crisis services to the local area. City Manager […]
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Letter to the editor: Staffing problems at UIHC are dire
By Matthew Peirce, Des Moines If you live in Iowa, you have an interest in what goes on at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. UIHC is the most comprehensive health care center in our state, serving all our residents and those from large swaths of neighboring states. I underwent major […]
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Letter to the editor: Iowa’s 2nd District dispute should be settled by the House
By Dave Bradley, West Liberty Rita Hart has filed a challenge to the micro-sized win by temporary congress member Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the U.S House. This is in accordance with the rules for settling election disputes at that level. Miller-Meeks claims Hart’s challenge is illegal. It seems like that claim is bogus on its face […]
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Letter to the editor: Iowa needs to count all the votes in District 2
By Holly Hart, Iowa City As a long-time voting-integrity advocate, I am struck with the incongruity of the way recent elections have unfolded. Despite attempts to overturn the Nov. 3 presidential vote, it’s been determined that the national elections were conducted without fraud and error. This signals a welcome achievement in the recent history of […]
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Letter to the editor: Top 10 ways tenure benefits students and all Iowans
By Lois Cox, Clinical Professor of Law Emerita, University of Iowa; and Katherine Tachau, Professor of History Emerita, University of Iowa, for the AAUP chapters at The University of Iowa, Iowa State University and The University of Northern Iowa Many things, large and small, have changed over the last four years. World leaders have come […]
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Letter from Rep. Christina Bohannan: Iowa’s proposed abortion and gun amendments are extreme and dangerous
By Christina Bohannan, State Representative, Iowa House District 85; Law professor, University of Iowa Despite the pandemic, and amid concerns about violence surrounding the presidential inauguration, it is critical that Iowans realize what is happening in our State Capitol and take action. This morning, subcommittees in the Iowa House of Representatives passed two constitutional amendments […]
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Letters to the editor: Iowa’s bottle deposit law is 40 years old. It’s time for some updates.
By Paula Vaughan, League of Women Voters of Johnson County co-president, Iowa City It’s been 40 years since Iowa led the nation with a bottle deposit law. The legislation, introduced by Gov. Robert Ray was adopted by a Republican-majority legislature in 1978 and enacted into law in 1979. This was a revolutionary concept not only […]
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Letter to the editor: Trump exploited good old American cussedness. Let’s reclaim it.
By Kent Williams, Iowa City The rioters at the U.S. Capitol are not people to be admired. They’re deluded, they’re racist, they’ve gone absolutely wrong in a violent and disturbing way. But there is one thing to admire about those Trumpist seditionists: They are soaked head to toe with a peculiarly American attribute, cussedness. The […]
