By Karen Kubby, Iowa City Fifteen years ago, there were public health initiatives that launched the current era of downtown Iowa City. Downtown had an overabundance of bars. Our city had a reputation of being built around a culture of alcohol. Iowa City was rated as one of the top party schools. The University of […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Democrats are still playing by ‘West Wing’ rules, and it’s costing us everything
Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing holds a special place in the hearts of nearly every consumer of American political media. It’s hard not to admire the fast-paced dialogue, the earnest idealism and the morally upstanding characters who populate the Bartlet administration. The show was a masterpiece. But no matter how real it seemed, it was […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Vengeance isn’t healing
By Amel Ali, Vice Chair of the Iowa City Truth & Reconciliation Commission The women who started the “Abolish FIJI” movement at the University of Iowa really had a lot going for them. They received thousands of signatures on a change.org campaign, almost 2,000 followers on the Abolish FIJI page and so many people were […]
Posted inOpinion
Democracy in Crisis: ‘Bloodsport’ and our president’s dickpunching politics
It makes cosmic sense that “Bloodsport” — which was released 30 years ago on Feb. 26 — would be Trump’s favorite movie. It says something about political discourse too: The turning point involves its hero, Frank Dux (Van Damme), proudly punching someone squarely in the dick.
Posted inOpinion
Democracy in Crisis: ‘Law and Order: SVU’ echoes Trump’s problematic ‘both sides are bad’ narrative
Contrary to a recent Law and Order: SVU episode, the Anglo-American tradition of law enforcement touted by Jeff Sessions has been one of white supremacy — and police departments and sheriff’s offices around the country are still trying to grapple with that.
Posted inOpinion
Democracy in Crisis: Memo hysteria and a Baltimore corruption trial highlight the state of law enforcement in 2018
The national media was largely silent about the vast police misconduct revealed in the Baltimore trial, even though they dovetailed in some uncomfortable ways with the Memo Watch hysteria.
Posted inOpinion
Democracy in Crisis: Citizens are left to address the opioid overdose crisis on their own
Trump’s 24-year-old frat-boy drug czar is out, and we’re left with a vindictive DOJ. So, around the country, advocates of a harm-reduction approach to the drug overdose crisis are taking matters into their own hands.
Posted inOpinion
Democracy in Crisis: Fire and ‘Fire and Fury’
Steve Bannon is the antihero of Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff’s ribald and riveting account of the early days of the Trump regime. Even if you read the bestseller with a grain of salt, it’s clear Trump, Bannon and his motley crew of enablers all believed the American people would never elect President Trump.
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: Reach out to Iowa legislators in support of the Iowa Cultural Trust
Today, perhaps as early as 1 p.m., the Iowa House will be considering HF 118, a financing bill that proposes cutting funding to many arts initiatives in this state, including the Iowa Cultural Trust. The threat to the Iowa Cultural Trust is something that affects all Iowans who have an interest in the culture of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Op-ed: Non-partisan group The Political Party aims to ‘cultivate new leaders’ via event series
By Misty Rebik and Ravi Patel As a business leader and a non-profit leader, we have different areas of expertise and focus, but we both look around our community and see so many overlapping social issues that affect our own lives, the lives of those around us and the future lives of our community. We […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Op-ed: How the word of God can inform our citizenship
I sometimes wonder if the United States of America is a failed experiment. I can say that, because I have lived in two countries besides this one and often draw some stark comparisons and conclusions. I also say that as a patriot, because I love this country. But at the same time, I often find […]
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: Those who experience gender-based violence deserve our support
International Anti-Street Harassment Week is an opportunity to raise awareness and protest the gender-based violence that occurs in our communities year-round. This year, in addition to a chalk-the-walk, op-ed writer’s workshop, several community-wide art projects and a concert/bystander intervention training, End Street Harassment – Iowa City has organized a support group where victims of harassment […]
