Letters to the editor: Republicans gain plenty from House speaker specter

Republicans gain plenty from House specter

Looking at the goals of the Republican Party, it's a little hard to believe this squabble over speaker isn't another charade. The three goals that come to mind are: They want to oust Donald Trump as their leader while retaining his base, they want to make the federal government fail, then moan about the failure like they are just as surprised as anyone, and they want to shed their far-right image without actually stopping being far right.

This accomplishes the first and third by pretending there is a faction of the party that is more Trumpy than Trump and it is at odds with the rest of the party. Of course, they are all just as far to the right as each other, so it’s a little silly that anyone believes in such an arbitrarily drawn rift, but making a big production of it, repeating a lie until it is believed, is how the Republican Party operates anyway. Trump will probably go along with it as long as they agree not to make him pay his taxes and keep him out of jail. How it accomplishes the second goal is kind of obvious.

Jason Agne, Iowa City

Some reflections on betrayal

We have all been betrayed at some point in our lives by someone. Perhaps that was a parent, sibling, teacher, friend, boss, business, stranger, spouse or politician. I have handled the betrayals in various ways: ignoring, anger, venting, retaliation, helplessness, or complete rejection of all of that group of people.

In all the pain, I have always wanted the betrayer to do the same things: Admit often their wrongs. Apologize often for their wrongs. Find solutions to solve the problems that resulted from their betrayal. Accept the court rulings and do the time that was ordered.

At the same time, I, the betrayed, do not want to spend the rest of my life hating all men, or all friends, or all politicians, or whatever group or institution that has betrayed me. If I remain in this hating stage, then the betrayer has won. I need to listen and spread the word that the betrayer is changing his words and actions.

I am not saying I have accomplished this in all the betrayals in my life. I am a work in progress. My trust is returning for the betrayers who are changing their words and actions.

I hope 2023 will have all the betrayers saying the words and doing the actions that will right the wrongs they have done, and I hope the betrayed will accept their changes. We are in this world together. We need each other.

Charlene Lange, Iowa City

Visitor restrictions are cruel and pointless

A policy that makes no sense: My mom was diagnosed with lung cancer that has moved into her brain. Next is surgery for mass removal. I am writing because I am the oldest of a family of five, and brain surgery is serious. We are all adults, with most vaccinated and carrying our vaccine cards. However, this doesn't seem to matter to the University of Iowa Hospitals. Their policy is two visitors per day.

There are many things I can understand, like taking our temperature when we come in and making everyone wear masks, but telling us we can't see our mother goes against every moral thought I've ever had. I can also understand limiting how many people can simultaneously be in the room with her. I can't fathom being told you have cancer and need brain surgery, but you can have only a couple of your kids to see you today, and if your husband comes, then only one of your kids.

What was the point of the vaccine, the vaccine card, or the masks? Also, the temperature taking and segregation units. So many things are wrong with this policy. I can't even believe they still enforce it. Is one supposed to tell a patient, "I'm sorry your dying, but your family can rotate, and that's our policy"? "I hope you can hold on for three days to get them through." Or, "Even though you're not on your deathbed, you can only see two people before they cut into your head and remove a part of your brain. You should come out of it just fine."

Scott Conklin, Davenport

Legislators, please keep up remote participation options

During the height of the pandemic, Iowans learned new ways to conduct business and communicate. The Iowa Legislature made subcommittee meetings accessible online, and the Senate allowed Iowans to comment via Zoom. The change was necessary to keep lawmakers and Iowans safe and allow those who were unable to travel to Des Moines to comment and participate.

Hybrid (in-person and electronic or online) participation is important for government and lawmakers to be open and transparent, and to encourage Iowans from all over the state to participate in their government. This method of open participation is so valuable in the hyperpartisan times that we live in because it will give Iowans access to lawmakers’ opinions while allowing lawmakers to see Iowans and value our views.

Too often travel to Des Moines is challenging weather-wise. It's also difficult to take a day to travel to the capital to offer lawmakers a better understanding that bills may have on our lives.

Hybrid participation will give all lawmakers more opportunities to learn and receive more feedback about proposed laws. Lawmakers will become more informed about the impact of proposed legislation. I encourage you to maintain the practice going forward.

Linda Schreiber, Iowa City

We have lost our moral compass

With industrial animal agriculture, animal husbandry has been replaced by animal science. The animals are treated like machines. From the moment they are born, until they die, we take from these animals everything that would make their lives worth living. Their existence is nothing but misery.

Ruth Harrison, author of “Animal Machines,” understands: “In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last by otherwise intelligent people.”

Unbelievably, it gets worse. The animal industry is now trying to “normalize” mass killing using ventilation shutdown. This has been used to kill pigs and is now used to kill chickens and turkeys. Ventilation is shut off to the confinement building and steam is piped in to force the animals into heatstroke. They slowly roast to death. To learn more, Google “The Intercept, VSD.”

Articles about this “depopulation” often discuss the consequences in terms of higher prices for eggs or for chicken, turkey or pig flesh. The consequences for the animals are ignored. Industrial animal agriculture brings to mind the concept of the “banality of evil.”

Is our society going to accept all of this? Are you?

Lynn Gallagher, Solon

Boyd's Field Museum contributions should be noted

There have been many moving tributes to Willard “Sandy” Boyd, the former president of the University of Iowa. But none have done more than mention his 15 years, 1981 to 1996, as the pathbreaking president of the Field Museum in Chicago, or explained that when millions of people now drive down Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, we owe that route to Boyd. For many years he had failed to get the Iowa Avenue Bridge closed to traffic in order to create a traffic-free campus. But in 1991 he persuaded officials to move Lake Shore Drive so that it does not interrupt the park between the Museum, the Planetarium and the Aquarium, creating the “Museum campus” of which Chicagoans are justifiably proud and which we tourists enjoy.

Boyd was a leader in bringing people who had rarely gone to museums into the Field (for which he was awarded one of the first of what is now called the National Humanities Medal), and a pioneer in engaging aboriginal peoples with the museum exhibitions of their artifacts. His remarkable leadership set a national example.

Linda K Kerber, Iowa City

Coverage matched Boyd's considerable legacy

I applaud the Press-Citizen for honoring the memory of Sandy Boyd by devoting a major portion of the Dec. 17 edition to Mr. Boyd’s accomplishments and legacy.

We are fortunate at the University of Iowa for cultivating intellectual and academic giants in most fields.

Boyd provided active support to John Colloton in transforming University of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicsInto an internationally known medical center. He also focused his efforts in elevating the status of the College of Law, the UI Museum, and Hancher Auditorium, as well as other university departments and centers.

The Press-Citizen’s tribute to President Boyd as Captain of the Ship is much appreciated.

Paul Etre, Coralville

Boyd also led local United Nations Association

The Johnson County Chapter of the United Nations Association notes with great sadness the passing of Willard “Sandy” Boyd. He was an advocate for constructive U.S. leadership in the United Nations and an early president of our UNA chapter in the 1960s. With his wife, Susan, he brought prominent speakers to Iowa City and raised funds to support a shelter for displaced persons in Austria. We honor Sandy Boyd’s contributions to our local and global community as well as his transformational leadership of the University of Iowa.

Jim Olson, board member, Johnson County UNA

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Letters to the editor: Republicans gain plenty from House specter