Sunday, November 11, 2018 ● The Gazette 1D

INSIGHT
&BOOKS
Lest we forget
GUEST COLUMN | ED FLAHERTY

100th anniversary of armistice is reminder

of opportunity to build lasting peace

iStock

O
ne hundred years ago, II, just 21 years later, is evi-

bells worldwide were
rung at the 11th hour
of the 11th day of the 11th
month to celebrate the ending
of World War I, “the war to
end all wars.”
To commemorate that
peaceful pledge, bells were
rung around the world on
Nov. 11 for more than 35 years.
Congress declared this date
“ … a day to be dedicated to
the cause of world peace and
to be hereafter celebrated
and known as Armistice
Day.” Then in 1954, Congress
changed the name of the day
to Veterans Day. This year,
Veterans Day is being ob-
served Nov. 12.
World War I was horren-
dous. More than 18 million
people were killed, with about
Ode of Remembrance
dence of that. An additional
80 million died in World War
II, with about 30 percent of
those being soldiers.
To recognize the day as Ar-
mistice Day rather than Veter-
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: ans Day is not at all intended
as a slight to veterans. In fact,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. the best way to honor military
veterans, both dead and alive,
At the going down of the sun and in the morning is to make a commitment to
work for peace and to never
We will remember them. again send citizen soldiers to
~ Passage from Laurency Binyon poem “For the Fallen” an unjustifiable war. Veterans
For Peace, made up of military
veterans of conflicts ranging
from WWII to Afghanistan
and having experienced the
60 percent of those being sol- every continent in the world. “the war to end all wars.” military culture and ethic,
diers. As the armistice was The vileness of the war was However, revulsion at the bru- have a unique responsibility
signed on Nov. 11, 1918, there abhorrent to the people of the tality of war is not a sufficient to work for non-violent paths
truly was exuberant joy in the world, and they took hope in foundation for peace.
streets of this country and on the promise that it had been The outbreak of World War ;; FLAHERTY, PAGE 4D

EXACT CHANGE I LYNDA WADDINGTON 24-HOUR DORMAN I TODD DORMAN

Are we doing enough Gazette had opinions

for American veterans? as World War I ended
O H
ut of a belief that many mass
killers seek twisted infamy
through their actions, my
preference is to not mention them.
Ian David Long, however, is an
exception.
Long, who served as a Marine dur-
ing one of the bloodiest periods of
the Afghanistan war and last week
took 12 lives at a neighborhood bar
in Thousand Oaks, Calif., needs to be
discussed. We need clear answers as
to how a once-smiling member of the
(who) committed suicide by cops in
Texas,” he told the New York Times.
“Guys struggle. We’ve lost more
Marines in our peer group to suicide
than we ever lost in Afghanistan.”
As a corporal in the Marines from
2008 to 2013, Long earned numerous
awards and commendations, includ-
ing a Combat Action Ribbon and
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.
He handled heavy machine guns in
direct combat, including a seven-
month deployment to Afghanistan
istoric anniversaries, such
as today’s 100th anniversary
of the armistice ending the
fighting in World War I, usually are
all about front pages. Big moments,
big headlines. Yellowed maybe, but
still striking.
But, no surprise, I’m also inter-
ested in what’s inside the paper,
particularly where it printed its opin-
ions. Back in 1918, editorials usually
were found on page four of the Cedar
Rapids Evening Gazette.
Mankind has been killing off its best
lives instead of conserving them. It
has been shooting its wealth away
in the roar of guns and bombs. Its
hands have been devoted to destruc-
tion. Its wheels of progress have been
stopped,” The Gazette opined in its
editorial.
“Peace finds the world in chaos.
Before us is a new beginning, with
revolution in large or small degree
probable in every one of our econom-
ic, industrial and social relations,
© 2018 The Gazette

military became a black-clad, hooded
killer.
Sam Tanner, who served with
Long, said he wasn’t surprised some-
one he knew was involved in a mass
shooting.
“We had another guy recently
between 2010 and 2011. His last ser-
vice was in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii as
part of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine
Regiment, Third Marine Division.
He was honorably discharged in
;; WADDINGTON, PAGE 4D
And on Monday, Nov. 11, 1918, we
certainly had opinions.
There were some lofty thoughts,
under the headline “THE SUNSHINE
OF PEACE.” It was one of multiple
editorials printed that day.
“The world has been upside down.
and Solomon himself would fail suc-
cessfully to predict where and how
far we will go.”
Then, as anyone who writes opin-
ion will appreciate, we deployed a
;; DORMAN, PAGE 4D
2D The Gazette ● Sunday, November 11, 2018

COMMUNITY LETTERS
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
More investigation of
“We’re just Brazil beans needed
I read with considerable
getting started.” interest the recent article
about substantial bean pro-
Gov. Kim Reynolds, who duction in Luis Eduardo
won a full term as governor, Magelhaes, Brazil (“Trade
the first woman to do so war delivers boom in Brazil,
gloom in Iowa,” Oct. 14).
I spent more than 20
years working in Bahia. It
“You’ve asked me is about twice the size of
Texas. Magelhaes is in the
to be your voice western part and about two
in Washington, hard days’ drive from the
coast. Bahia is in the tropics
and you have my and is an agricultural state
producing mostly sugar and
promise that I cocoa. The Magallanes is a
prominent family extensive
will work my tail in agricultural business.
off for you every If generalization is appro-
priate it can be said they are
single day.” smart, work hard, play hard,
do everything in a big way
Abby Finkenauer, a and are open to better ways
Democrat who won the 1st of doing things. While work-
District race against Rep. ing in Bahia I heard a lot of
Rod Blum, becoming one of harebrained ideas but I had
the first two women elected never heard of anyone sug-
to the U.S. House from Iowa gesting growing soybeans.
It just not a place where a
rational farmer would try to
raise beans. If Magelhaes has
“We are going figured out how to do it, the
outlook for Iowa beans is not
to focus on a good.
I would suggest the Soy-
pro-growth, pro- bean Association send some
jobs agenda, real farmers to have a look
see. Maybe we should for-
and make Iowa get about soybeans and try
sugar beets instead.
a better place Loyal Leitgen
Garnavillo
to live work and
grow.” Iowa bean advantage
is water infrastructure
Charles Schneider,
Republican president of the The “Trade war delivers
Iowa Senate, after voters farm boom in Brazil, gloom
re-elected GOP majorities to in Iowa” article on Oct. 14
state Legislature was right on target.
Visiting Luis Eduardo
Magelhaes in 2003 with a
commodity group was an
eye-opening experience.
“Tonight, Iowans The town had about 15,000
people, meager buildings
said they want and dirt streets. The largest
that investigative buildings were two Quon-
set buildings belonging to
unit to get two international grain and
soybeans traders, filled with
the respect it soybeans. After soybeans
deserves.” were dried with wood heat,
they were trucked to an in-
Rob Sand, a Democrat land river terminal 600 miles
elected to state auditor, the away over terrible roads.
only challenger to beat a Our greatest advantage
statewide incumbent over Brazil is our inland
river infrastructure. This
82-cent-per-bushel advantage
soon could be lost if locks
and dams are not updated
“We may have in the near future. Most are
lost in a landslide over 80 years old and under-
sized for the latest vessels.
if it weren’t for The fields in Bahia are
very large, level, and red in
prayer.” color. Those fields stretch for
5 or 6 miles, in many cases.
Rep. Steve King, a The soil is not the quality of
Republican, after winning
a close re-election campaign
INSIGHT
Iowa’s, but with fertilizer,
lime and 60 inches of rain
during the growing season,
the yields are comparable to
ours.
Brazil produced 51 million
metric tons of soybeans in
2003 compared to 119 million
metric tons last year. With
over 200 million acres that
still could be added, they are
situated to furnish more.
Free trade is extremely
important, not only to soy-
bean, corn and pork farmers,
but to all of us. If this mess
isn’t settled soon, all of us
consumers will pay more for
most of our purchases. We
must not forget that a tariff
is a tax on consumers.
Larry Marek
Riverside
Proud to have been
a part of ‘Amy’s Army’
I wrote in May 2017 to
share my joy from attending
my first Honor Flight recep-
tion. Today I write to share
another great first in my life.
On Oct. 7, I was honored
to be a member of “Amy’s
Army” participating in the
Especially for You race in
downtown Cedar Rapids.
Even the cold rainy day
could not dampen the spirit
of these survivors and their
support groups.
Thanks to all who helped
in any way to make this a
great success, with a special
shout out to General Mills
for keeping the vision of San-
dy Knight moving forward.
Lastly, I thank my niece
Amy for including us on her
team. She is a beautiful, vi-
brant survivor!
John Roth
Luzerne
Editorial cartoonist Joe Heller is based in Green Bay, Wis. Comments: Hellertoon.com
Gambling on farm bill
compromises
The main farmer part of
the farm bill is explained by
levels of compromise.
The farm bill was invent-
ed to manage markets, prices
and supplies. Free markets
chronically fail for agricul-
ture, from decades before the
1930s, to today, and projected
ahead 10 years. An ideal
farm bill features “living
wage” price floor programs
with no need for subsidies.
Compromises show up
first in the lowering (1953-
1995) and then elimination
(1996-2018) of price floors.
Subsidies also show up, and
sometimes an increase, but
with lower net results for
farmers.
The better subsidies are
“countercyclical,” like Price
Loss Coverage (PLC), where
you get more when you
need more. Unfortunately,
the subsidy triggers, below
which you get a fractional
subsidy, like $8.40 for soy-
beans, were not adjusted
for inflation in the 2014 bill,
or the 2018 House and Sen-
ate bills. So $8.40 when the
original decision was made,
maybe in 2013, is worth
only $7.76 today, and could
fall to the $6 range by 2024.
Meanwhile, Congress gave
rice and peanut subsidy trig-
gers at 117 percent and 116
percent of 2015 full costs, but
only 85 percent to soybeans
and 92 percent to corn.
Tragically, on the basis
of higher 2014 prices, more
than 90 percent of corn and
soybean farmers gambled
instead on Agricultural Risk
Coverage (ARC) where, if
prices go low and stay low,
as they have, you get very
little subsidy.
Congress has stacked the
deck against farmers. Again.
Brad Wilson
Springville
An open letter to
Cedar Rapids officials
The hole you’ve dug for
yourselves regarding the
mismanaged newbo evolve
festival is deep enough.
On Oct. 24, Mayor Brad
Hart indicated even if there
had been public money pro-
tection and oversight proto-
cols in place, “none of them
would have prevented this.
The hole was too deep to dig
out of.” Please stop talking.
The optics are bigger and
wider than you seem to want
to face, but they are there,
nonetheless. I hear people —
voters, if you will — talking
in outrage over this mess.
Are we really to believe
all of you with your law, ac-
counting, business/develop-
ment, marketing and bank-
ing degrees cannot come up
with some plan to pay the
$800,000 owed to entertain-
ers and vendors? Have you
approached our city’s cor-
porate leaders who might
be willing to help? Does this
city have any properties that
could be put up for sale to
raise funds?
And, if not, perhaps
you might scrape together
enough to change the signs
to read: Welcome to Cedar
Rapids, the City That
Reneges on Contracts.
This city’s integrity is in
danger, regardless of who
created the mess.
R’becca Groff
Cedar Rapids

GUEST COLUMN I KURT ULLRICH

“I want to make
sure we finish
the Mueller
Deliver us from evil, and our disconnect
investigation. I
N
ot long ago I sat in a
small-town church
want to make listening to a minis-
ter recite true poetry, words
sure nobody gets written for the Church of
in the way of England more than 400 years
ago, words from the King
that.” James Version of the Bible,
none of the modern writing
Rep. Dave Loebsack, a that purports to be ‘relevant’
Democrat who won re- to a new world. And, as
election, on the possibility church attendance continues
of House investigations to fall, relevance might not
be the issue.
In the 1970s, churches
began to incorporate folk
“This is purely a and pop music into Sunday
morning services and tossed
political strategy in modern instrumenta-
tion, you know, electric
intended to guitar, bass, drums. Some
places still do it, calling these
embarrass the groups praise bands, or
administration some such characterization.
Lutherans in particular em-
since they know braced the notion, but mem-
bership continues to drop.
that a Republican This was a funeral ser-
Senate is
never going INSIGHT & BOOKS
to sustain an • MISSION: Insight & Books is a forum
for discussion about and by Eastern
impeachment.” Iowans, their communities and the world
at large.
vice for an elderly woman, a
faithful member of her con-
gregation. Very traditional
in substance and style, it was
a service like I recalled from
half a century ago, includ-
ing women of the church’s
Ladies Society providing a
luncheon afterward. I hope
to God the men in the con-
gregation at least mow the
church lawn on occasion.
Someone, please, teach men
to cook (flipping brats on a
grill is not cooking).
We sang four lugubrious
verses of the classic “How
Great Thou Art,” which put
me in mind of a guy near
where I live named Art who,
some years ago now, provid-
ed music for his own funeral.
He recorded himself playing
“How Great Thou Art” on
trombone, a performance
that probably caused Iowa-
born trombone player and
bandleader Glenn Miller to
thegazette.com/opinion/ for more
discussions. Submit questions or
suggestions to editorial@thegazette.com.
•BOOKS: Read past books coverage
murmur a little in his grave.
Shortly after our sing-
ing, the minister began to
speak of the deceased but it
became very clear that the
only thing he knew about
her was where she usually
sat during services, and sud-
denly we’re wondering about
a clear disconnect. It’s not
just in politics that these
disconnects happen, and all
most of us can do is drop our
jaws a bit and wonder why.
Perhaps it would be helpful
in the future if we sidle up
a little closer to people we
don’t know and ask them
how their day is going.
Outside the church walls
the world kept on moving
without us. Iran continued
to hate us, as it has since
the 1970s; crazy people (men
mostly) with guns continued
to shoot each other in far-
away places such as Yemen,
Pittsburgh and, closer to
•GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD:
Gazette editorial positions on public
issues are the consensus of The Gazette
Editorial Board: Todd Dorman, Insight
home, Chicago. In this town
of less than 2,000, the streets
were quiet.
Toward the end of the ser-
vice, we old folks mumbled
through the Lord’s Prayer,
before croaking and climb-
ing our way through a mul-
tiverse mountain of a song
called “Abide With Me.” As
an old friend of mine once
said, “It wasn’t a sight for
pretty eyes.”
All in all, as these things
go it was a satisfying event.
The deceased had a good life
and a good network of family
and friends. Perhaps more
importantly, not once did I
wonder whether an armed
security guard was watch-
ing over us. Deliver us from
evil, indeed. Oh, and before I
forget, how’s your day going?
l Kurt Ullrich lives in rural
Jackson County. His book “The
Iowa State Fair” is available from
the University of Iowa Press.
© 2018 The Gazette

Dave Andersen, Iowa
State University political
scientist, on the prospect
of impeaching President
Donald Trump
•INSIGHT: We welcome and will consider
submissions of letters (250-word limit),
guest columns (500 words) and other
related material. Send them to editorial@
thegazette.com or 500 Third Ave. SE,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401. Check http://
at Thegazette.com/life/books. To join
The Gazette’s book club, submit book
review ideas or ask questions, email
the Features department at features@
thegazette.com or 500 Third Ave. SE,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401.
editor, columnist; Lynda Waddington,
columnist; Adam Sullivan, columnist;
Zack Kucharski, Gazette executive editor;
Quinn Pettifer, community outreach and
engagement manager
 Sunday, November 11, 2018 ● The Gazette 3D

INSIGHT
GUEST COLUMN
GUEST COLUMN | CARROLL MCKIBBIN
JOHN KENYON

Lessons
learned
Taking a shine
from to a man’s world
books I   had a dream job. I chose
my hours, didn’t do heavy
lifting, and earned enough
school in a terrible blizzard.
His kindergarten sister, three
years younger, trailed along
I loved shining
shoes at Bill
ing time. He then pulled the
blind on the shop window and
swept up hair clippings. After

burned
to keep me in movie tickets
and popcorn. I was 12 years
old.
I loved shining shoes at Bill
Sanger’s Ideal Barber Shop in
behind. But when Charlie
reached their farm home Su-
sie wasn’t with him.
“Where’s your little sis-
ter?” his alarmed mother
removing his waist apron, he
Sanger’s Ideal went to the cabinet next to my
shoe shine chair where bar-
Barber Shop in ber supplies were kept, such
Guthrie Center. as large, colorful bottles of

M
y first thought when
hearing about Paul
Dorr burning LGBTQ
children’s books from the
Orange City Library in north-
west Iowa is that he ought
to be prosecuted. Of course,
that’s probably exactly what
he wants, another martyr per-
secuted by big government,
the resulting misdemeanor on
his record a badge of honor.
But he should think before
he considers himself a hero
to his cause, for what Dorr
truly has done is to highlight
the strength of the argument
against which he rails, and
exposed the weakness of his
own.
Dorr and others like him
want books removed from
library shelves because of the
ideas they contain. But those
books full of ideas are pas-
sive, a treasure chest waiting
for someone to open the lid.
They need a reader to com-
plete the transaction, and that
transaction rarely happens in
a vacuum. The ideas shared
co-mingle with others in the
reader’s mind and help to
shape a worldview. The best
books send readers to other
books, uncovering avenues
to explore, helping to gather
puzzle pieces and pointing the
direction toward the next part
of the picture in need of as-
sembly. A book about LGBTQ
teens sitting on the shelf can
no more turn someone gay
than a book about conserva-
tive policies could turn some-
Guthrie Center. My custom-
ers climbed into my elevated
iron-legged chair or dropped
off shoes and boots for later
pickup. I made a good living,
but the best part was partici-
pating in an all-male, adult
world with endless talk of the
important things in life, like
fishing and football.
In this masculine setting
of farmers in town for sale
day, retired locals, and a few
actual customers, I heard
endless stories, some quite
memorable.
I listened intently as Bill
Gallagher, a quarterback on
the famed University of Iowa
Ironmen of 1939, described
Nile Kinnick’s winning touch-
down in a 7-6 Hawkeye vic-
tory over Notre Dame. I heard
that story many times, along
with an almost play-by-play
account of every game of a
season that ended with Iowa
ranked ninth in the country.
I never tired of Bill’s foot-
ball stories. I even fantasized
that one day I would move
beyond shining shoes and fill
those of Nile Kinnick on the
Hawkeye gridiron.
Another unforgettable
story targeted my young,
naive ears. Charlie Nelson, a
tall tale regular, recalled in a
hushed voice how he fought
his way home from country
GUEST COLUMN | CARLETTA KNOX-SEYMOUR
asked.
“I dunno. I thought she was
right behind me. I couldn’t see
in the storm.”
Mother, father, and Char-
lie, as his story continued,
struggled through the raging
blizzard with the flickering
light of a kerosene lantern
searching for the
young girl. Final-
ly, nearly frozen
to the bone, they
found Susie’s
shoes.
“That’s all we
found ...,” Char-
lie related with a Carroll
pause for dramat- McKibbin
ic emphasis. “Her Age 10
feet were still in
‘em. The wolves got her!”
My eyes bulged as I listened
intently to Charlie, believing
every word. When I gasped,
the assembly of overall-clad
men howled with knee-slap-
ping laughter.
Being the butt of a joke
didn’t bother me. I was living
in a man’s world and enjoying
every minute of it.
Mr. Sanger bore a re-
semblance to the cartoon
character Popeye and was
nicknamed accordingly. A
genial, talkative man who told
me to call him “Popeye,” he
filled my young ears with his
homespun wisdom. “It doesn’t
aftershave and hair tonic.
Max grabbed a bottle of
matter if a man scoops ma- Lucky Tiger, removed the lid,
nure for a living,” he told me. and took a couple of big gulps.
“If he’s good at it, he’s worth It seemed a strange way to
watching.” apply aftershave. Popeye
Popeye had two barbers’ just patted the lotion on the
chairs, but used only one faces of customers. He never
until the day a man named offered an option of a drink.
“Max” showed up and said Besides, Max hadn’t shaved.
he was a barber looking for I was mystified but thought
work. He possessed the neces- little of it. After all, Max pos-
sary credentials and became sessed a barber’s license and
our second barber. must know about such things.
Max was new in town and I arrived for work the next
spoke little of his past. Popeye morning before Max. “How
treated the new employee did it go yesterday,” Popeye
with his usual good humor, asked.
but seemed a bit wary. For “Fine,” I replied. “But Max
my part, the strangest thing sure puts his aftershave on
I noticed about Max was his funny. And he didn’t even
daily rush to the beer parlor shave.”
across the street the moment I held Popeye’s attention.
we closed. “So how does he apply it?” he
One day Popeye prepared asked.
to go to Des Moines on busi- “He drinks it.”
ness, leaving Max and me When Max arrived, Popeye
alone in the shop. Before met him at the door and took
leaving, he took me aside and him outside for a heated dis-
whispered, “Keep an eye on cussion.
him. Here’s a key to the shop. Max didn’t come to work
I want you to lock up today.” that day or any other. I never
Mr. Sanger clearly didn’t saw him again.
trust Max and I didn’t know l Carroll McKibbin is a native Iowan
why. Nor did I understand who lives in San Luis Obispo, Calif., as
what he meant by “keep an a retired Cal Poly dean. He has written
eye on him.” two books: “Apron Strings,” a humorous
memoir of an Iowa upbringing, and “Lil-
In the absence of the lively lian’s Legacy,” the true story of a sup-
Popeye, Max went about his posedly unsolved murder in a small Iowa
usual business until clos- town. Comments: cmckibbi@calpoly.edu

University women strong

one into a Republican.
If the ideas expressed in
“Families, Families, Fami-
lies!” — a book so bold as to
suggest that a family can be a
group of people who love one

advocates for education

another, regardless of wheth-
er their components match
what some in society require
of the term — are so powerful
that the book must be burned
lest children see their own

home life is just as normal
as the next, perhaps it is the
paucity of reason behind the
ideas pitched by Dorr and Co.
that is the problem.
Are liberals happy with the
ideas expressed in books on
those same shelves by Sean
Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and
Sarah Palin? Likely not. But
those books need to be on the
shelves, too, because they add
to the conversation — or, let’s
be honest, debate — about
where our country should
head. To stifle ideas simply
because we don’t like them
is not only unpatriotic, it is
cowardly. If your ideas don’t
hold up to scrutiny, you may
need a new idea, not a new op-
ponent.
The silver lining to Dorr’s
actions is bountiful. Children
in Orange City and elsewhere
now know they can go to the
library to learn more about
who they are and about the
world around them, particu-
larly if they have questions
about their own sexual iden-
tity. In addition, Dorr surely
will be fined and the library
will replace those books, add-
ing another sale for titles that
address important topics.
And people from around the
country have donated to the
library, allowing it to add to
its collection and the store of
information and knowledge
on its shelves.
I would suggest Dorr, if
he’s ever allowed back in,
should spend some time
perusing those shelves. Rath-
er than looking for something
F
or some of you, this will be an in-
troduction to the national organiza-
tion of the American Association of
University Women (AAUW). For others,
it will be a reminder of who we are and
what we do.
According to its long-standing web-
site, AAUW is the nation’s leading
voice promoting equity and education
for women and girls. It was founded in
1881, and its members have been a part
of the fundamental issues of the day. Its
mission is to advance gender equity for
women and girls through research, edu-
cation and advocacy.
The vision is equity for all. Its values
are nonpartisan, fact-based, integrity, in-
clusion and intersectionality. There are
170,000 members and supporters, 1,000
branches and 800 college and university
members. We are strong in number.
We are also one of the world’s largest
sources of funding for graduate women.
AAUW is providing $3.9 million in fund-
ing for fellowships and grants to 250
outstanding women and nonprofit orga-
nizations in the 2018-19 academic year.
Fellowship and grant recipients perform
research in a wide range of disciplines
and work to improve their schools and
communities. The awards also include
research publications, grants in engi-
neering, medicine, and science along
with international fellowships and inter-
national project grants.
Having global connections is a strong
part of who AAUW is. We have a rich
legacy of international work. Interna-
tional outreach became a priority to
AAUW members immediately follow-
ing World War I, when AAUW member
Virginia Gildersleeve and two British
women, Caroline Spurgeon and Rose
Sidgwick, established the International
Federation of University Women to pro-
mote peace and understanding among
Liz Martin/The Gazette
Taft Middle School seventh-grader Kayla Jaschen,
(center left) listens to a dog’s heartbeat in October
2008 during an Open Minds, Open Doors workshop
at Coe College while her classmate, Carly Clauson
(center right) observes. Assisting with the demon-
stration are Kirkwood Community College veterinary
technician students Tiffany Newbold (left) and Kayla
Sivertsen, both of Cedar Rapids. The one-day con-
ference — hosted by Coe, the American Association
of University Women and the Grant Wood Area Edu-
cation Agency — encourages middle school girls to
pursue careers in STEM subjects, or science, tech-
nology, engineering and math.
countries for students and professors
who were forced to flee their homes.
Following World War II, AAUW con-
tinued its commitment to cooperation
through participation at the Bretton
Woods Conference and the United Na-
ing and mathematics (STEM) programs
nationally. Though many doors have
been opened, and many women have
walked through those doors, there are
still many girls who are ambivalent
about STEM-fields. There are still too
many girls who do not think they belong
in those fields. And when they do pursue
STEM-related careers, all too often these
women enter a world where males still
dominate and they are not readily ac-
cepted. That understanding is not lost on
the Cedar Rapids AAUW branch.
In 1996 the Cedar Rapids AAUW
branch, Coe College and Grant Wood
Area Education Agency got together
to start a local STEM one-day confer-
ence called Open Minds, Open Doors. It
started with 80 girls and is now serving
over 500 girls from eight different coun-
ties annually.
This conference allows middle school
girls to have hands-on application in
experimentations in a variety of fields,
from learning how to create their own
makeup to learning how to write com-
puter code. In essence, the girls are
learning how to see themselves in a
different way rather than taking usual
routes in their educational pursuits.
During our 90-year celebration ear-
lier this year our branch honored one
eighth-grade girl from Wilson Middle
School who had attended the conference
and who also excelled in a number of
academic achievements in 2017-18. We
commended Angela Johnson for her
hard work and presented her with a
check to help in whatever way she need-
ed it. And one of our sponsors, The Ga-
zette, provided her and her family with
tickets to attend the celebration. This is
community support in action.
From the national level to the local
level, AAUW is part of the fabric of our
country and communities.
© 2018 The Gazette

to burn, he should see it as a
chance to learn.
l John Kenyon is the executive director
of the Iowa City UNESCO City
of Literature.
women in different countries.
During the occupations of World War
II, AAUW assisted European women
scholars whose lives were at risk.
AAUW members helped find academic
positions in the United States and other
tions. AAUW continues its global com-
mitment today by advocating for women
and girls everywhere.
One of the major areas that AAUW
has opened doors for women and girls is
through science, technology, engineer-
We embrace our roles as advocates,
engage in a number of activities and con-
tinue to encourage a sense of sisterhood
to women and girls everywhere.
l Carletta Knox-Seymour is the Cedar Rapids area
branch president for AAUW.
4D The Gazette ● Sunday, November 11, 2018
GUEST COLUMN | DAVID V. WENDELL
Iowa in WWI: First in war and first
in the hearts of their countrymen
N
ov. 3 and Dec. 7 are
two dates that forever
remain ensconced in
American military history.
It was on April 6, 1917, that
Congress declared war against
the expansionist German Em-
pire of Kaiser Wilhelm. Five
million Americans were mo-
bilized for service in what was
called by President Woodrow
Wilson, “the war to end all
wars.”
The conflict, and its devas-
tating toll, was soon brought
home to Iowa when, on Nov.
3, just four months after U.S.
troops arrived in Europe,
21-year-old Merle David Hay
of Glidden was struck in the
head by a bullet near a defen-
sive trench at Artois, France.
Although a fellow soldier died
beside him in the German
assault that day, Hay was ac-
knowledged as the first Ameri-
can Expeditionary Forces
fatality in World War I.
Waddington/Latest horror should renew concern Flaherty/
;; FROM PAGE 1D
2013, and a divorce that be-
gan during his Afghanistan
deployment was finalized just thing going on in his head that
months later.
A statement from the U.S.
Marine Corps released follow-
ing the tragedy reads in part, draping himself in black, arm-
“The Marine Corps extends
its deepest condolences to the
families of the victims in this
senseless tragedy.”
An incident at the home
where Long lived with his
mother about a year ago
prompted local law enforce-
ment to bring in a mental
health professional. Ventura
County Sheriff Geoff Dean told Former Marine people gathered
reporters Thursday that Long
was assessed, but couldn’t
be involuntarily committed
for psychiatric observation
despite belief that he may be
suffering from post-traumatic dozens more were injured. At
stress disorder because of his some point, it is believed Long
military service. California
law, like most laws across the He was 28.
nation, requires health profes-
sionals to determine a person is no direct link between
has a mental illness and poses mental illness and mass shoot-
Dorman/Prediction through rose-colored glasses
;; FROM PAGE 1D
metaphor.
“But through the confusion
and uncertainty our duty ap-
pears clear. We must rebuild
the house in which we live
more wisely and permanently
… We must scrub the blood
off our doorstep and sweep
the garbage of hate from the
corners of our rooms. Where
battlesmoke has blackened …
we must repaint in colors of
beauty. And we must dedicate
the house to the bloodily dem-
onstrated principle that right
is might and shall prevail, in
peace and war,” The Gazette
wrote.
Then we turned to the home
front.
“Clearly, our first problem
is to redemocratize America,”
The Gazette opined. “No peace
time president should hold the
autocratic power wisely and
justifiably granted President
Wilson as a vital necessity in
prosecution of war business.”
The editorial goes on to
talk about the drafting of
15 million men into military
service, limits on the purchase
of sugar and other commodi-
ties, and limits on the press.
“It was a test of democracy
to draw death zones around a
free press and free speech …”
The Gazette wrote.
“Death zones” is puzzling,
but soon after the United
States entered the war, Presi-
dent Woodrow Wilson signed
an executive order creating
the Committee on Public In-
formation. The CPI was best
known for releasing moun-
Hay was laid to rest with
honors at Bathelemont Cem-
etery close to the Luxembourg
border, and later was brought
home for formal burial at
Westlawn Cemetery in
Glidden.
A gray granite monument
carved in relief with an image
of a brave young private pay-
ing the price of freedom was
erected near the entrance to
the hallowed burial ground
to remember its hometown
hero.
In 1921, a bronze plaque was
placed upon a massive boulder
on Merle Hay Road near the
shopping mall in Des Moines
that today bears his name.
Just five weeks after the
death of Hay, black ribbons
were hung in the windows of
Washington, Iowa, when, on
Dec. 7, Lt. Stanton Kalk, whose
grandfather was Gen. Thadde-
us Stanton of the community’s
pioneer Conger family, was
100 years
an immediate danger to self
after WWI,
or others before involuntary
commitment can take place.
“Obviously, he had some-
U.S. still
would cause him to do some-
thing like this,” Dean said.
is at war
“Something like this” was
ing himself with
smoke grenades
and a .45-caliber
Glock 21 handgun
with an illegal ex-
tended magazine,
and shooting re-
peatedly and ap-
Ian David parently random-
Long ly into a crowd of
at the Borderline
Bar and Grill for a college
country music night. Twelve
are dead, including first re-
sponder Sgt. Ron Helus, and
turned his weapon on himself.
It is important to note there
“Those who have fought side by side
against the Germans have made the
world safe against any future threat from
Germany or any other nation.”
Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, Nov. 12, 1918
tains of propaganda — press
releases, newsreels, posters,
etc. — telling the story of the had more practical concerns.
war from the government’s
perspective. Many of the
iconic recruiting posters of
the era, including Uncle Sam’s there. Otherwise, who knows
famous “I want you” directive, what might happen.
were the product of the CPI.
The CPI also handed down
a series of voluntary guide-
lines for American newspa-
pers to help guide war cover-
age. Needless to say, as war
raged and patriotic fervor
rose, pressure on reporters
and editors to stick to those
“voluntary” guidelines was
enormous.
It seems with the war end-
ing, The Gazette’s editors
were eager to regain their pre-
war freedom.
And back to the metaphor,
already in progress.
“Let us rebuild our Ameri- HOHENZOLLERN.”
can house with the determina-
tion that its foundation shall
be equality. Let us try every
new sill and joist with the
plumb line of exact justice. Let world as the last surviving
us plane, sandpaper and paint monarch of savagery; the
as co-partners in patriotism
…”
What about the hardwood
floors of harmony? Maybe the prudence in an editorial head- l Comments: (319) 398-8262;
author was in the middle of a
INSIGHT
announced as the first U.S. na-
val fatality of the war.
Kalk had been Officer
on the Deck on board the
destroyer USS Jacob Jones
(DD-61) when the German
submarine U-53 plunged a
torpedo through the forward
starboard hull, sinking in 20
minutes the largest destroyer
serving in the Navy. Kalk im-
mediately ordered the release
of safety rafts and jumped into
the waters of the cold Atlan-
tic to assist others into them.
Repeatedly, he swam with
sailors clinging to his back or
grasping his hands until they
were securely pulled aboard
the remaining dinghies. The
frigid winter waves, however,
proved too much for him and
he died of hypothermia and
exhaustion.
For his valor and self-sacri-
fice, Kalk was posthumously
awarded the Distinguished
Service medal.
ings. Most people with mental
illness never become vio-
lent. Only about 4 percent of
violence nationally can be at-
tributed to psychiatric illness,
but we do know access to and
comfort with firearms is a fac-
tor in America’s bloated ho-
micide and suicide rates. And
this combination of untreated
illness and weapon access is
proving deadly for veterans,
especially younger ones.
The U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs released its
most comprehensive study of
veteran suicide. After adjust-
ing for differences in age and
sex, researchers found risk for
suicide was 22 percent higher
overall among veterans than
nonveterans.
“These findings are deeply
concerning,” said then-Secre-
tary David Shulkin.
“This is a national public
health issue that requires
a concerted, national
approach.”
In 2016, the most recent
data available, nearly 70 per-
cent of veteran suicides were
home remodeling project.
Elsewhere on the page, we
We insisted efforts should con- continue to be anti-frippery to
tinue to provide wholesome
diversions for our boys over
“Far from the influences
of home ties and family, with
barriers removed, the temp-
tations of the flesh will be
more available to them ... The
YMCA must maintain its huts
and centers of recreation. The
Knights of Columbus cannot
relax its efforts in behalf of the
soldier. The Salvation Army
still will have its functions
to perform …” The Gazette
wrote.
Of course, there were
shots at the kaiser in an
editorial headlined by his
full name, “MR. WILLIAM
“How the mighty have
fallen!” we crowed.
“It would be fitting that he
be caged and shown to the
last barbarian,” The Gazette
argued.
Here at home, we urged
lined “DON’T LOSE YOUR
His gallantry in the line of
duty was commemorated in a
United States Naval Art Pro-
gram painting by F. Luis
Mora titled “Loss,” and a de-
stroyer, the DD-611, later was
named in his honor, gaining
eight battle stars for service in
World War II.
Today, the medal and har-
rowing portrait of courage is
available for viewing at the
Conger House Museum in
Washington along with vin-
tage photographs of Lt. Kalk
and the distinguished heritage
he maintained in the legacy of
the city’s most respected mili-
tary family.
Of the half-million who
signed up or were pressed into
service for duty, 4,000 Iowans
ultimately lost their lives
in World War I. Both on the
ground and in the water, they
served with intrepid bravery
and brought to the forefront
the honor and patriotism
completed with firearms. That
same year less than 50 percent
of all other suicides involved
firearms.
Suicide rates for veterans
between the ages of 18 and
34 increased substantially
between 2015 and 2016, rising
from 40.4 deaths per 100,000
population in 2015 to 45 per
100,000 in 2016.
That same year, 2016, Iowa
saw 64 veterans take their
own lives, placing the state’s
rate at 30.2, just above the
national veteran suicide rate
of 30.1. In contrast, the overall
suicide rate in Iowa is 18, and
the national average is 17.5.
Bringing our young service-
men and women home safely
is important. But it isn’t the
end of our obligation to them,
or to each other.
This Veterans Day we need
to recommit our efforts to
keeping them — all of them
— housed, employed and
healthy.
l Comments: @LyndaIowa, (319) 368-
8513, lynda.waddington@thegazette.com
HEAD.”
“The first feeling is one of
joy. Naturally, and let joy be
unconfined …” The Gazette’s
editorial argued. “What is
your next feeling?
“Let it not be one of reck-
lessness. Don’t celebrate the
coming of peace by deciding
that all habits of thrift are
now unnecessary and spend-
ing your ‘wad’ on some new
frippery or fad,” we warned.
Always good advice. We
this day.
Throughout the following
week, The Gazette penned
more war editorials, argu-
ing against returning Ger-
man language instruction to
schools and for Germany to
be harshly punished for its
aggression. On Nov. 12, we
looked into the future, with
rose-colored spectacles.
“The last cloud of war has
been removed by the death
blow struck at kaiserism and
autocracy. The world has
been made over in four years.
Those who have fought side
by side against the Germans
have made the world safe
against any future threat from
Germany or any other nation
which may seek to take up the
sword to right some fancied
grievance,” we wrote.
Points for optimism, if not
prescience. If only it truly had
been “the war to end all wars”
that ceased when the guns fell
silent 100 years ago today.
todd.dorman@thegazette.com
found on the home front in the
Hawkeye State.
As we observe another
auspicious date in military
history, that of Armistice Day
(Veterans Day as it is now
known) on the 100th anniver-
sary of the end of that confla-
gration, let us remember the
first fatalities of the U.S.
Army and Navy in that war
and the nearly 117,000 that
would follow.
The “war to end all wars”
did not end the futility of this
form of resolving conflict, but
it did demonstrate the contin-
ued willingness to sacrifice in
upholding the principles for
which it is declared.
War is always a last resort.
Let us strive to avoid the ne-
cessity of any such new firsts
in the future.
l David V. Wendell is a Marion historian,
author and special events coordina-
tor specializing in American history.
;; FROM PAGE 1D
to conflict resolution.
Now, in 2018, 100 years
after the end of World War I,
the United States is engaged
in the longest war in its his-
tory, Afghanistan, which
began in 2001.
The current administra-
tion has unilaterally with-
drawn from the 2015 Iran
nuclear agreement, which
was negotiated with Iran
and five other countries,
and which has been adhered
to by those countries. The
U.S. has imposed sanctions
on Iran, which will bring
more affliction to Iranian
civilians than to their gov-
ernment. The U.S. has with-
drawn from a decades-old
nuclear arms treaty, open-
ing the door to a resumption
of the nuclear arms race.
The U.S. continues to be
complicit in the Saudi coali-
tion’s barbaric assault on
Yemen.
The 2019 U.S. military
budget is $82 billion higher
than just two years ago, and
will constitute more than
55 percent of discretionary
spending.
We Americans must press
our government to end reck-
less rhetoric and military
interventions that threaten
rather than enhance our
security.
If we want peace, we have
to work for peace, and this
historic Armistice Day is
the ideal time to recommit.
Veterans For Peace Chap-
ter 161 is sponsoring an
Armistice Day Observance
in Iowa City at 10:45 a.m.
today, at the Clinton Street
entrance to the Old Capitol.
Attendees are urged to
arrive ahead of time, as
Assembly will be played
promptly at 10:45 a.m.
Bells will once again
ring at 11 a.m. The obser-
vance will feature Veterans
For Peace members from
around the state. It is free
and open to the public. An
open mic discussion on how
to build peace will follow
the event and lunch at Old
Brick.
This event is more than
just a historical remem-
brance. It is about today,
about our pressing need to
quash the continuing rush
© 2018 The Gazette
to war, and instead to take
up the sweet burden of
building a lasting peace.
l Ed Flaherty of Iowa City is a member
of Veterans for Peace Chapter 161.

LEONARD PITTS JR. l SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
You can’t always
get what you want
Y
ou can’t always get what you
want.
So said the philosopher
Mick Jagger. He said it in 1969, so
obviously, he didn’t intend it as a
comment on the 2018 midterms. But
progressives might be forgiven for
thinking otherwise.
After all, they wanted Andrew
Gillum to become Florida’s first
African-American governor. They
didn’t get it.
They wanted Stacey Abrams of
Georgia to become the nation’s first
female African-American governor.
They didn’t get it, pending a possible
runoff.
They wanted the inspiring Beto
O’Rourke to unseat the depressing
Ted Cruz as senator from Texas.
They didn’t get it.
Most of all, progressives wanted
a clear rebuke of the moral abomi-
nation that is President Donald
Trump. They didn’t get that, either.
Instead, the midterms went a long
way toward proving that Trump’s
rise to power and the intolerance
that fueled it were no aberration.
Consider that before the
election, Trump declared himself
a “nationalist” and issued an anti-
immigrant commercial so racist
it was even pulled by Fox “News.”
And that Rep. Steve King of Iowa
criticized diversity during an
interview with an Austrian political
party with actual ties to actual
JOHN KASS | SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
Sunshine needed on Trump,
Russia and the Clinton dossier
A
fter the midterm elections,
Americans still were trying
to see past the political spin
to the serious implications of it all.
Did the Democrats win a short-
term victory by taking the House
and, with it, subpoena power
allowing them to investigate and
harass the White House on Russia,
or even impeach President Donald
Trump?
Or did Republicans win a far
more significant long-term victory
by expanding power in the Sen-
ate, thanks to Democrats trying to
destroy the reputation and life of
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kava-
naugh?
The Democratic strategy on Ka-
vanaugh backfired. Several Senate
Democrats in states that Trump won
voted against confirming Kavana-
ugh. They lost their elections the
other day.
And now a larger Republican
Senate majority has made it easier
for the GOP to add even more con-
servative justices to federal district
courts and the Supreme Court, and
the influence of those judges will be
felt long after Trump or whoever fol-
lows him is gone.
That’s the discussion America
should be having. But instead, the
president changed the national sub-
ject and served up his usual platter
of steaming Trumpian hash.
He fought with reporters at a
White House news conference
on Wednesday and continued
his quest to make CNN White
House correspondent Jim Acosta
the preening Sir Galahad of his
network. But before the news
conference, Trump quietly had
forced out Attorney General Jeff
Sessions.
Once that story broke, cable news
was able to feast breathlessly on
its favorite menu: salted palace in-
trigue sweetened with doom.
Sessions’ departure wasn’t really
a surprise. Trump has wanted him
gone forever. He’d ridiculed Ses-
sions endlessly for not protecting
him from special counsel Robert
Mueller and the investigation of
Russian meddling in the 2016
presidential election.
And he repeatedly and publicly
referred to Sessions as a weakling
for not aggressively going after
Democrat Hillary Clinton and the
INSIGHT
Nazis. And that the GOP trotted out
one voter suppression scheme after
another, each more odious than the
last.
Then, consider that Republican
voters were OK with all of it. As
a synagogue in Pittsburgh was
mourning victims of an anti-Semitic
massacre, as a town near Louisville
was laying to rest victims of a racist
shooting, GOP voters gave thumbs-
up to bare-knuckle bigotry and na-
ked intolerance straight out of the
1940s. Of all the things progressives
wanted but did not get Tuesday, a
clear rejection of that hatred might
be the most troubling.
But in mourning overmuch the
things they did not get, progressives
would risk failing to appreciate all
the things they did. And that would
be a mistake.
They wanted Alexandria Ocasio-
Cortez to become the youngest
woman ever elected to Congress.
They got it.
They wanted to restore voting
rights to more than 1 million former
felons in Florida. They got it.
They wanted to win gubernatorial
races. They got it.
They wanted to pass an initiative
making it easier to vote in Michigan.
They got it.
They wanted to make the politi-
cal landscape more colorful, more
female, more Muslim, more LGBTQ.
They got it.
politically partisan dossier that
started the Russian investigation.
Trump installed as acting At-
torney General Matthew Whitaker,
the Department of Justice chief of
staff, who has been publicly critical
of the Mueller probe into allegations
of collusion between the president’s
2016 presidential campaign and
Russia.
What is significant here?
Whitaker, in a CNN interview in
July 2017, discussed a scenario in
which Trump could toss Sessions
out. In his place, Whittaker said the
president could appoint an acting
attorney general who could strangle
the Mueller investigation by squeez-
ing its budget.
Mueller’s operating budget for in-
vestigators, lawyers and other staff
could be sliced “so low that his in-
vestigation grinds almost to a halt.”
Whitaker also has criticized
Mueller for all but “crossing a red
line” in investigating Trump’s
family and finances.
But during the presidential cam-
paign, Trump’s son, Donald Jr., did
meet with a Russian contact who
reportedly offered intelligence on
Hillary Clinton.
And if Whitaker makes any
moves against Mueller’s investiga-
tion, he should be hauled immedi-
ately before a Senate committee and
asked tough questions publicly.
Trump might like it if Mueller’s
budget is squeezed, if his work is de-
layed, but America wouldn’t like it.
I wouldn’t like it. We need sunshine
on this.
Predictably, House Democrats
began howling, theatrically, with
their thumbs. Rep. Jerrold Nadler
of New York, a Democrat who pub-
licly loathes Trump and has openly
discussed impeachment, is expected
to become chairman of the House
Judiciary Committee. He signaled
how things will go in the Democratic
House to come.
“Why is the President making
this change and who has authority
over Special Counsel Mueller’s in-
vestigation?” Nadler said in a tweet.
“We will be holding people account-
able.”
Of course he will. That’s politics.
And other Democrats will join in,
and there will be one committee
investigation after another with an
eye toward weakening Trump be-
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Most of all, they wanted to retake
the House of Representatives. They
got that, too.
All of this means that, for the
first time in his misbegotten
presidency — likely the first time
in his misbegotten life — Donald
Trump now faces accountability. No
more lying and lawbreaking while
a bunch of invertebrates calling
themselves a Congress look the
other way. “Process server” is about
to become a growth industry in
Washington.
So any progressives dispirited by
Jagger’s wisdom might do well to re-
call the rest of this lyric: “You can’t
always get what you want,” he sang,
“but if you try sometimes, you just
might find you get what you need.”
While progressives didn’t get all
they wanted, they got enough to
help ensure so-called conservatives
and their so-called president can-
not just walk all over us on the way
to doing whatever god-awful thing
they want to do.
Yes, a better country would’ve
reduced Trumpism to rubble. Unfor-
tunately, here in this country, you
and I must still deal with the forces
of ignorance and intolerance Trump
has unleashed. But here’s the thing:
Now they have to deal with us,
too.
l Leonard Pitts is a syndicated colum-
nist distributed by Tribune News Service.
Comments: lpitts@miamiherald.com.
fore the 2020 presidential election.
Yes, it will be a political circus.
All that gentle talk about bipartisan-
ship will end. Trump and Republi-
cans will scream at the Democrats.
You see it happening. That’s politics.
This is also politics: The congres-
sional investigations into possible
abuses by the Obama Justice De-
partment, and the so-called fake
Russian dossier that started it all,
will be finished.
The Democrats will kill it all off
in committee, and then we’ll have
to wait for some report on that oily
scandal from the Justice Depart-
ment. But federal lawyers take an
awful long time.
We deserve to know about Trump
and Russia. And we deserve to know
how that investigation started, and
the political motivations.
And we deserve to know, finally,
unequivocally, what happened in
those final days of President Barack
Obama’s allegedly oh-so-pristine
and scandal-free administration.
That’s the Obama administration
that ran the White House with Chi-
cago City Hall style. But instead of
using cops and local prosecutors to
investigate political opponents, they
used the FBI.
Or have you forgotten the phone
texts from those pro-Obama FBI
bosses with anti-Trump political
agendas? They loved Hillary and
they could smell Trump voters at
the Wal-Mart, remember?
And shutting that inquiry down
would be just as specious as what
Trump has done, calling Mueller’s
investigation a “witch hunt” and
installing as acting attorney general
someone who has talked publicly of
throttling Mueller’s investigative
budget for partisan purposes.
Democrats and Republicans send
their dogs to cable TV news where
they bark and bark at each other,
until Americans become exhausted
by it all.
But it’s our government, not
theirs. And the Constitution? That’s
our document, not theirs. That’s
our Senate, our House, not theirs.
They say it’s ours, but they say
such things only in election night
speeches.
It’s past time they prove it. We
need sunshine on all of this now.
l John Kass is a columnist for the Chicago
Tribune. Comments jskass@chicagotribune.com
● The Gazette 5D
CAL THOMAS
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
Will the
moment
seize House
Democrats?
W
e are about to find out whether
Democrats meant it when they
lamented the loss of civility
in Washington. Having won the major-
ity in the House of Representatives in
Tuesday’s election, will they cooperate
with Republicans and “reach across the
aisle,” or will they pander to their base,
which wants President Donald Trump’s
blood?
Guess which scenario I’m betting on?
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who
probably will head the Financial Servic-
es Committee, has promised to seek
revenge on the banks, which she notes
were lending money to people a decade
or two ago to buy houses, regardless of
whether they could afford them. When
the banks foreclosed, she says, some of
those people became homeless.
Waters seems to have forgotten that
the subprime mortgage crisis began dur-
ing the Clinton administration. As In-
vestor Business Daily noted in an April
15, 2015 editorial, “The evidence is over-
whelming that Clinton was the architect
of the financial disaster that wiped out
trillions of dollars in household wealth.
Under his National Homeownership
Strategy, Clinton took more than 100
executive actions to pry bank lending
windows wide open.
“Through executive order, he mar-
shaled 10 federal agencies under a little-
known task force to enforce new ‘flex-
ible’ mortgage underwriting guidelines
to boost low-income and minority home-
ownership.”
Waters also has repeatedly stated she
wants the president impeached. She is
not alone.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., who prob-
ably will become chairman of the House
Judiciary Committee, boasted during the
campaign of his qualifications to lead im-
peachment hearings. Nadler has hinted,
and a few of his colleagues have done
more than hint, that newly installed As-
sociate Justice Brett Kavanaugh should
be subject to more investigations over al-
leged charges that he sexually assaulted
women three decades ago. That is un-
likely to happen given that one Kavana-
ugh accuser admitted to lying about an
alleged rape to “grab attention.” There
is no corroborating evidence from any of
his other accusers, and soon-to-be Speak-
er of the House Nancy Pelosi has said she
would not push to impeach Kavanaugh.
Democrats have at least two problems.
The first is they have no ideas that will
do a better job on the economy and jobs
than the Trump administration. “Ex-
perts” said it was a pipe dream to think
economic growth could exceed 3 percent,
as candidate Trump promised during the
2016 campaign. It has.
President Barack Obama said some
manufacturing jobs were lost forever.
Trump promised to bring them back, and
the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
last February that, during the past year,
American manufacturing had added
224,000 jobs.
According to an advance estimate by
the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Real
gross domestic product increased 3.5 per-
cent in the third quarter of 2018, down
slightly from the 4.2 percent increase in
the second quarter.
Democrats’ second problem is that
they will see the election as a mandate
and will be tempted to overreach, as
Republicans did after winning a House
majority in 1994. Democrats, however,
should be cautious. Many of the seats
they won in Republican-leaning districts
will be vulnerable in 2020. The question
is whether Democrats will be able to re-
sist the hard-core left in their party that
wants to pay back Trump for beating
Hillary Clinton.
Don’t expect much civility in Wash-
ington, and don’t look for major me-
dia — which is as much an arm of the
Democratic Party as Fox News is for the
Republican Party — to find fault with
any demonstration of incivility by any
Democrat.
Instead of seizing the moment, Demo-
crats are likely to be seized by the mo-
ment. And what about Trump? Will he
tone down his rhetoric, as he suggested
in a recent interview that he has already
done? Will that make a difference in fu-
ture Republican prospects?
Between now and the next election
gridlock, not comity between the parties,
is the likely scenario.
© 2018 The Gazette
Welcome again to a divided govern-
ment representing a divided nation.
l Cal Thomas is a syndicated columnist
distributed by Tribune News Service.
Comments: tcaeditors@tribpub.com