Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer concept is by Adam Yee, available via Shutterstock

Jerry Foxhoven is an attorney, child advocate, former law professor, and former director of the Iowa Department of Human Services.

It’s time I admit it publicly: I’m “woke.”

One of my favorite contemporary writers is pastor and author John Pavlovitz. He reminds us often that “Jesus was woke.” He observes that Republicans/Evangelicals like to refer to the Bible a lot but rarely bring up Jesus. Here is what Pavlovitz says about that:

Jerry Foxhoven: Our judges are “unelected” for a reason: to get politics out of the protection of fundamental rights. -promoted by Laura Belin

As a lawyer, I am getting tired of hearing Iowa’s Republican legislators complain about Iowa’s “unelected” judges. Every time they disagree with a decision of a court, they insinuate that, because judges are not elected in Iowa, they are not reflecting the will of the people and therefore elected officials need to reign them in. Such a response shows that these elected officials just don’t understand basic civics.

Shortly after the last election, incoming U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, said: “Our government wasn’t set up for one group to have all three branches of government — wasn’t set up that way.” Tuberville continued, saying incorrectly: “You know, the House, the Senate, and the executive.” Both the U.S. Constitution and the Iowa Constitution were deliberate when they created a checks and balance system of government including an unelected branch called (I will clarify this for Tuberville’s benefit): the judicial branch.

Jerry Foxhoven: Democrats who now control the federal government should try to work with Republicans. But they must be prepared to move on without them. -promoted by Laura Belin

The aftermath of our most recent election is a sad case of divisive politics on steroids, coupled with revenge and retribution by our outgoing president and his allies. It has shown the darkest side of the Republican Party as shaped by Donald Trump: a willingness to put our entire democratic republic at risk just to throw a temper tantrum over an election loss.

Jerry Foxhoven is an attorney, former law professor, and child advocate. He has spent his career celebrating diversity and inclusion and working to bring justice to Iowa’s most vulnerable citizens. -promoted by Laura Belin

Republicans claim a monopoly on being “pro-life,” based solely on each party’s stand on abortion. Being pro-life means more than controlling a woman’s options on abortion and family planning. Governing in a way that is pro-life does not stop at the time of birth, but continues throughout life. 

Pro-life means respecting all lives, regardless of age, religion, gender, income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental challenges, and even political beliefs. It means respecting the differences between all of us and recognizing that everyone is entitled to recognition of their inherent dignity and worth. 

When the term “pro-life” is given its full meaning, I am pro-life, and I am proud to belong to the party that encompasses the full meaning of that term: the Democratic Party.