Trapped in the political ‘Upside Down’

In 2016, Netflix streamed Stranger Things, a horror, science fiction series set in a small Indiana town with tweens and teens as main characters. In its four seasons, the audience travels to the “Upside Down,” an alternate universe where bizarre replaces normal.

It’s fun fiction.

But we have veered into the “Political Upside Down.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a wannabe vice presidential pick, wrote a book including a story about her gunning down her mischievous puppy. She believed it made her seem tough. It didn’t.

Even though her book is titled “No Going Back,” she did. She went back and deleted part of it. She lied about meeting the dictator of North Korea, and then did a book tour where she refused to admit the lie.

Bob Kennedy, an anti-vaxxer and third-party candidate for president said a worm ate part of his brain and then died. But he still pulling 10% of the vote.

For the first time in history, a former U.S. president is on trial in criminal court. He’s also been indicted in three other cases but has managed to delay trials.

The former President and presumptive Republican nominee is accused of falsifying records about paying hush money to a porn star. She testified under oath that he said she reminded him of his daughter.

But that’s not all. The vice-presidential wannabes, all dressed like Trump, lined up outside the courtroom to verbally attack the trial judge, the trial judge’s daughter, and the witnesses. Trump was under a gag order so he couldn’t do it.

Equally weird was when Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, showed up to say, “Politics has no place in a court of law.” She also said the trial was a sham. Iowa’s top prosecutor must not have much faith in the jury system. Ironic don’t you think?

If Trump is convicted, a major political party will have a felon running for President. In some states, he would be ineligible to vote permanently, but still eligible to be President.

Iowa government isn’t immune from the “Upside Down.”

A couple years ago, the president of the Iowa Senate wanted to throw teachers in jail for distributing pornography. Not only were teachers accused of pornography peddling, they were also accused of being “groomers,” and “woke.”

During this year’s legislative session, Republicans decided to allow those untrustworthy teachers to carry guns and gave them qualified immunity from prosecution, if they missed the intruder and shot innocent people.

Republicans also passed a state law allowing Iowa law enforcement to arrest any immigrant who had previously been deported, denied admission, removed from the U.S., or ordered to leave even though law enforcement told them this law was unenforceable because they didn’t have information on individual immigrants. This law would require widespread, illegal profiling of anyone who might look like an immigrant.

The exit from the “Upside Down,” is through the ballot box. We need candidates showing common sense and rejecting quick solutions for nonexistent problems.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City. He taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring. BruceLear2419@gmail.com