Interactions

A Fresh Perspective

“There is evil that exists in the world. And if you’re determined to do something like this, you’re probably going to find the means to do it.” —Gov. Kim Reynolds, following the Uvalde, Texas elementary school massacre

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“You aren’t talking to someone who loves guns, I don’t hate guns, but I do protect people’s constitutional rights.” —Sen. Chuck Grassley on his opposition to an assault weapons ban

“Frederick Douglass: No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck. Juneteenth doesn’t mark the emancipation of the enslaved, but emancipation of the U.S. We should all rejoice and work toward our mutual liberation. —The 1619 Project author and journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones on Twitter (@ nhannahjones)

“fuck you say??!” —Questlove (@ questlove) responding to this baffling tweet from former Rep. Steve King: “I spent Juneteenth all day in the hot sun hoeing and pulling weeds and thinking about what it would have been like to have been a slave. At the end of the day, I thought about what it would be like to be an aborted baby. I got to see the sunrise and the sunset.”

“You can’t politely smile hard enough for the state to give you your rights back. You cannot be sweet enough to protect yourself from violence. You cannot dress in a dress pretty enough. You can’t be blonde or white enough to protect you from what is coming.” —Cedar Rapids writer Lyz Lenz, reflecting on the end of Roe v. Wade and witnessing a man drive through a group of abortion rights protesters on June 25

“Just being true to yourself is a form of freedom, especially as a Black American … being free emotionally, moving how we want to emotionally, physically, spiritually, there’s freedom.” —Des Moines artist Robert Moore

via the artist’s website

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Recreation Area ‘until water quality improves’ (June 16)

I want to have rain tested but can’t even get lakes and rivers tested under the Republicans—MacBride, Terry Trueblood, Backbone State Park, Lake Darling—have to leave this state to camp somewhere with water clean enough to swim in. —Margaret B.

Those aren’t farmers, at least not the family farms of my youth. They’re big business factory farms that spend a lot of money making sure no one takes video of the goings-on inside the buildings. I’m pretty certain that no one we knew in the 70’s had a manure lagoon. —William F.

Art was Robert Moore’s ‘saving grace.’ Now his work graces T-shirts, walls and buildings in Iowa and beyond (June 21) Great read here. Hope more of the world gets to see life through your artwork. —Josh C.

Nice story. My buddy started the rag in IC. It’s good to see it expand and include mi familia. Double plus good! —Reggie M.

‘let go, let God’: Sen. Grassley gets evasive about Jan. 6 during radio interview (June 23)

“Let go, let God...” apparently means no accountability on earth. —Robert L.

Let God go, and go govern. —Ben C.

Chuck Grassley’s greatest strength is portraying himself as a simple Iowa farmer instead of the masterful politician he is. Reagan conservative, military waste hawk, moderate, Trump defender. He

MOMBOY

LAUREN HALDEMAN

INVESTING IN THE ARTS, INVESTING IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

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can play any role. —Ron D.

The strongest argument for term limits I’ve seen. —Siobhan G.

Man drives his truck into protesters marching for abortion rights in Cedar Rapids (June 27)

Even worse: Local police & sheriffs are members of groups that lobbied for SF 342. Even after 4/15/21, when the omnibus bill was consolidated, including the hit & run immunity language [References: issda.org, docs. iowa.gov, iowapeaceofficers. org]. Will the cops even arrest him?? —Connor G. (@ ClimateConnor on Twitter)

This guy was in line at a red light and crossed into the pedestrian crosswalk illegally. They weren’t even blocking traffic from what I understand. —Louise F.

He had a green light, which means that if you’re are in cross walk, you are impeding the flow of traffic. He was driving slowly enough that these people could have gotten out of the way. They chose to attack his vehicle. —Roger W.

Does it actually matter if they were blocking traffic? Fucking go around. What kind of worthless POS injures someone because they’re being delayed? —John C.

The state has no legal, moral or ethical right to be dictating to any woman what she can or cannot do with her own body. and anyone who opposes this should be automatically charged with a felony crime punishable by jail time. —Earl W.

REVIEW

A demonstrator holds a sign at the “Stars, Stripes & Reproductive Rights” protest at the Iowa State Capitol on July 4, 2022

Britt Fowler / Little Village