Unquestionably, our governor does not like to be questioned.
Take last week. During a rare news conference, Gov. Kim Reynolds was asked about a law she signed requiring school districts to remove books and materials that include a “description or visual depiction of a sex act.” Specifically, she was asked about school districts removing hundreds of books, including some classics and award-winning works to comply with the law.
“We are way off course,” Reynolds snapped, clearly angry.
She said teachers deserve the tools they need to help children succeed, “not a damn distraction on nasty, pornographic books that should ever, ever be in a classroom.”
“So it’s just a distraction. They don’t like it so they’re blowing it out of proportion,” Reynolds said. “It’s simple. Follow the law.”
Fox News carried the headline: “Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds slams media 'book ban' narrative: Just a 'd-mn distraction'”
Thank goodness a “news” network that lied repeatedly about a stolen election won’t subject us to “damn.”
The Iowa Code does provide a clear list of sex acts. Republicans love to read it out loud to achieve maximum pearl-clutching.
But the bill signed by Reynolds does not define what “description” means. Does a book that includes an artful, discreet depiction of sex run afoul of the law? Not pornographic, but school officials are playing it safe by casting a broader net.
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So they’re removing books such as “Slaughterhouse 5,” “1984” and “The Handmaids Tale.” And, of course, a long list of books by LGBTQ writers and authors of color are on the removal list. Because, yeah, this is all about porn.
Book removal is plenty troubling. But another problem is our governor’s obvious disdain for having her actions questioned. So much so that her news conferences are conducted with the regularity of a comet’s arrival. She has, for the most part, stopped giving interviews to Iowa reporters.
We give her immense powers. She gets ticked when asked how she’s using it.
Of course, this is not confined to Iowa. Recently, an ABC News reporter, Rachel Scott, tried to ask U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, just before he was elected to as speaker, about his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Republicans gathered behind him jeered, laughed and booed. North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx repeatedly yelled “shut up!”
In Nebraska, Flatwater Free Press reporter Yanqi Xu, chronicled water pollution caused by Gov. Jim Pillen’s massive hog operations. Pillen was asked for his reaction during a radio interview. He ducked the pollution question.
“All you need to do is look at the author. The author is from communist China. What more do you need to know?” Pillen said. Well, I’d like to know how a bigoted dolt became a governor.
The list goes on and on. Iowa Statehouse reporters were yanked from the press bench on the Senate floor and relegated to the rafters. Ron DeSantis’ campaign used law enforcement to banish Iowa journalist Ty Rushing from a campaign event.
It wasn’t all that long ago when public officials understood that taking questions from reporters was just part of their job. They might not like the questions or what we wrote, but they held regular news conferences to keep us, and Iowans who read our work, informed. They did interviews. They actually explained what they were doing.
Now, state government serves mainly Friends of Kim, or FOK. The rest of us are a damn distraction.
www.thegazette.com
Take last week. During a rare news conference, Gov. Kim Reynolds was asked about a law she signed requiring school districts to remove books and materials that include a “description or visual depiction of a sex act.” Specifically, she was asked about school districts removing hundreds of books, including some classics and award-winning works to comply with the law.
“We are way off course,” Reynolds snapped, clearly angry.
She said teachers deserve the tools they need to help children succeed, “not a damn distraction on nasty, pornographic books that should ever, ever be in a classroom.”
“So it’s just a distraction. They don’t like it so they’re blowing it out of proportion,” Reynolds said. “It’s simple. Follow the law.”
Fox News carried the headline: “Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds slams media 'book ban' narrative: Just a 'd-mn distraction'”
Thank goodness a “news” network that lied repeatedly about a stolen election won’t subject us to “damn.”
The Iowa Code does provide a clear list of sex acts. Republicans love to read it out loud to achieve maximum pearl-clutching.
But the bill signed by Reynolds does not define what “description” means. Does a book that includes an artful, discreet depiction of sex run afoul of the law? Not pornographic, but school officials are playing it safe by casting a broader net.
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So they’re removing books such as “Slaughterhouse 5,” “1984” and “The Handmaids Tale.” And, of course, a long list of books by LGBTQ writers and authors of color are on the removal list. Because, yeah, this is all about porn.
Book removal is plenty troubling. But another problem is our governor’s obvious disdain for having her actions questioned. So much so that her news conferences are conducted with the regularity of a comet’s arrival. She has, for the most part, stopped giving interviews to Iowa reporters.
We give her immense powers. She gets ticked when asked how she’s using it.
Of course, this is not confined to Iowa. Recently, an ABC News reporter, Rachel Scott, tried to ask U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, just before he was elected to as speaker, about his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Republicans gathered behind him jeered, laughed and booed. North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx repeatedly yelled “shut up!”
In Nebraska, Flatwater Free Press reporter Yanqi Xu, chronicled water pollution caused by Gov. Jim Pillen’s massive hog operations. Pillen was asked for his reaction during a radio interview. He ducked the pollution question.
“All you need to do is look at the author. The author is from communist China. What more do you need to know?” Pillen said. Well, I’d like to know how a bigoted dolt became a governor.
The list goes on and on. Iowa Statehouse reporters were yanked from the press bench on the Senate floor and relegated to the rafters. Ron DeSantis’ campaign used law enforcement to banish Iowa journalist Ty Rushing from a campaign event.
It wasn’t all that long ago when public officials understood that taking questions from reporters was just part of their job. They might not like the questions or what we wrote, but they held regular news conferences to keep us, and Iowans who read our work, informed. They did interviews. They actually explained what they were doing.
Now, state government serves mainly Friends of Kim, or FOK. The rest of us are a damn distraction.
Opinion: How dare Iowans question Reynolds
State government serves mainly Friends of Kim. The rest of us are a damn distraction.
www.thegazette.com
