OPINION

NOVEMBER 10, 2022 | NORTHERNIOWAN.COM | VOLUME 119, ISSUE 22 Disclaimer: The following opinion articles featured do not reflect the opinion of the Northern Iowan newspaper or staff as a whole.

Iowa second Admendment

Last night 65 percent of voters voted ‘Yes’ to add more language to the second Admendment in the state of Iowa

BAILEY KLINKHAMMER

Opinion Columnist

On Election Day, when flipping over the ballot, Iowan voters were greeted with a ballot measure. The measure, entitled ‘The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment’ was passed by Iowan voters as of this morning. This measure enshrined the 2nd amendment into the Iowa Constitution, and included a provision for strict scrutiny to be applied when reviewing laws that regard firearms.

The measure reads as “Article I of the Constitution of the State of Iowa is amended by adding the following new section: Right to keep and bear arms. Sec. 1A. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right.”

Any and all restrictions

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

The language added to the 2nd Admendment would require any restrictions on guns to survive “strict scruitny.”

of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.” The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Steven Holt, explained that Iowa’s gun legislation has fallen behind compared to other states, Iowa being one of six states who hadn’t implemented the second Amendment in the state constitution. But, it isn’t the confirming of the second amendment itself that’s garnering attention from Iowans, it’s the language. Specifically, ‘strict scrutiny’. Strict scrutiny, according to Cornell, is “the highest standard of review which a court will use to evaluate the constitutionality of governmental discrimination. To pass strict scrutiny, the legislature must have passed the law to further a ‘compelling governmental interest,’ and must have narrowly tailored the law to achieve that interest.” This piece of legislation will make it significantly harder for gun legislation in Iowa to pass. Instead of attempting to protect Iowans, the floodgates open to looser regulations and more gun violence across the state.

On top of the ballot measure passing, Iowa’s loose gun restrictions are crossing into schools as well, with a second school district in Iowa allowing for teachers to carry guns in school. In August, the Spirit Lake School Board voted to allow ten faculty members to carry firearms during the school day.

The Cherokee Community School District followed, voting for a similar system in October. A parent of a Cherokee Community School District student commented, “I just think of the difference it could have made at Sandy Hook, or in Texas”. Those who believe that ending gun violence means arming teachers have a one dimensional view of gun violence. One cannot meet gun violence with more gun violence and expect the issue to be resolved.

The point of making schools safer is to remove guns from classrooms, not implement regulations where guns are required in classes. All of this to say, there is no evidence that putting guns in schools slows gun violence. In fact, evidence shows the opposite.

 See VOTES, page 5

The optics of American hate

MICHAEL BUGEJA

Iowa Capitol Dispatch

Editor’s Note: This article is from Iowa Capitol Dispatch from Nov. 1, 2022

The road to hell isn’t paved anymore with good intentions. The asphalt is hatred.

Chances are you have experienced it recently.

A person may have confronted you because of race or ethnicity. One study shows that 22% of Americans have encountered that or had their property damaged because of their skin color or culture.

You may hate someone you once loved because of divorce. About half of all marriages end in dissolution. Between 40% and 80% of those will have suffered one or more episodes of violence or abuse.

Many couples struggle in love-hate relationships. Sabrina Romanoff, clinical psychologist, says people in rollercoaster partnerships seek excitement. They endure aggression and frustration so that they might experience passion, mistaking that for intimacy.

Hate has sullied journalism, causing many of us to react bitterly to the news. The United States ranks last out of 46 countries in media trust. Only 29% of us have confidence in reports.

You may have suffered hatred or expressed some of your own in a social media post. One recent study found that 41% of Americans have experienced online harassment, 27% of which was severe, “comprising sexual harassment, stalking, physical threats, swatting, doxing and sustained harassment.”

Then there are secrets. The people who keep them may end up hating others or even themselves. Scientific American cites research linking secrecy to “increased anxiety, depression, symptoms of poor health, and even the more rapid progression of disease.”

Hatred afflicts politics. Our motto once may have been “E Pluribus Unum,” out of many, one; but that has metamorphosed into “E Pluribus Duo,” out of many, two: Republicans and Democrats.

And not just any Republican. Many hate RINOs (Republicans in Name Only). What, exactly, is meant by that derogatory term? RINOs believe in less government, a strong military and the U.S. Constitution. Go figure.

And not just any Democrat. There are so many wings — progressive, old guard, new guard, moderates and conservatives. Little that they propose flies in Congress even though they hold the majority.

Politics are so toxic that many of us hate our opponent’s party more than we love our own, spewing partisan epithets in person or online.

Hate speech, however infuriating, is not a crime. The U.S. Department of Justice cites First Amendment protections, noting that people cannot be prosecuted for beliefs, even if racist. Nevertheless, free speech does not protect those whose criminal conduct is rooted in philosophical beliefs.

Hate crimes are increasingly frequent. The DOJ reports that some 8,052 incidents happened in 2020, involving 11,126 victims.

Hatred erupts in bigoted violence as evidenced in several mass shootings, including the Tops grocery store massacre in Buffalo, N.Y. Or it can result in political violence as in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

People hate collectively to feel a sense of belonging. Extremist groups pose a distinct threat. The Rand Corporation conducted a study on why people join such groups, noting such factors as financial instability, mental health, marginalization, recruitment, propaganda and, in particular, social bonding.

Interviewees expressed a renewed sense of power, embracing group members as family and friends.

Americans exist “in a perpetual state of love and hate,” according to The Guardian, a British newspaper,

Isn’t love the opposite of hate? Not necessarily. Love and hate are two sides of the same emotional coin.

A psychology study titled “The Deeper the Love, the Deeper the Hate” focused on the relationship between those intense feelings. Love flourishes because of shared values but mutates in the aftermath of betrayal into hate.

The late Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, believed the opposite of hate is indifference:

“I came to a conclusion that the peril threatening humankind today is indifference, even more than hatred. There are more people who are indifferent than there are people who hate. Hate is an action. Hate takes time. Hate takes energy. And even it demands

NOVEMBER 10, 2022 | NORTHERNIOWAN.COM | VOLUME 119, ISSUE 22 Observance of Veterens Day

This Veterans Day this will be the nation’s 103rd observation day. Students can visit the Military and Veterans student services office for resources and more information.

TREVOR MEYERS

Staff Writer

Veterans Day is observed in America on the 11th day of November every year as a day to collectively honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. But why exactly does America celebrate and honor their veterans on November 11 every year? For that answer, you need to turn the clock back all the way to November 1918 in Europe.

After a little over four years of constant and bloody battling in trenches in mainland Europe, the German empire capitulated and surrendered to the Allied nations and a cease-fire/ armistice willing to place at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918. As this was regarded at the time as “the war to end all wars,” people started to reflect on the impact that the war had on the world, as roughly 9.7 million military personnel were killed and about 10 million civilians. There were a lot of people to honor and remember. Thus, the name Remembrance Day or Armistice Day, came about for Nov. 11.

You also might think to yourself, why do veteran organizations sell those little paper poppy flowers? The reason for that is after many soldiers were buried in the later part of the war, a vast number of poppy flowers started to randomly grow on top of the graves where soldiers were buried, thus it became a symbol of those who sacrifice everything for us by giving their lives and fighting in wars. In November of 1919, United States President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day in America by saying “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

On May 13, 1938, a measure passed that made Nov. 11 each year a legal holiday dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be known as Armistice Day, and it was mainly only celebrated by World War I veterans in America.

After World War II, which required the massive mobilization of soldiers in our country’s history, and the Korean War, many veterans’ organizations wanted to amend the act of 1938 by replacing the word armistice with the word veteran. It finally became law on June 1, 1954, and Nov. 11 officially became known as a day to honor American veterans of all wars. This Friday marks the 68th Veterans Day. For those who wish to be a part of some Veterans Day celebration, UNI’s Military and Veteran Student Services are having a “Veterans Night Out.” Participants can have a night out on the town with food and fun and learn about military history and tradition. Located at the grout Museum Iowa Sullivan Brothers Museum at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11. If you’re interested in registering for the event, please email Austin Wood adwood96@ uni.edu.

The forms’ contents vary considerably, even within the same document. For example, Herbert Pesch wrote that he was “in [the] same convoy, in which the West Gate was when she rammed on Oct. 7, 1918 – 6 lives lost – Bodies not recovered.” This is a reference to the sinking of the U.S.S. West Gate, which sank following a collision with the U.S.S. American. Just a few lines after this somber note, Pesch commented that he saw many New York City sights along with Niagara Falls. His account is a mix of his war experience but also includes a bit of lightness when he referred to his sightseeing.

Adrian Garnet chose to write a brief narrative of his service, rather than listing a few highlights like Pesch. Garnet described moving from location to location, both domestically and overseas, before ultimately arriving in France at ChateauThierry. He served on the front until the armistice was signed, when he then joined the Allied army of occupation in Germany. Like Pesch, he mentions specific places or dates, which researchers can connect to the broader war.