Ignorance fuels DEI dismantling

As a former combat Marine, and a disabled Vietnam Veteran, I am very disappointed and disturbed with the ongoing immoral and unethical ideologically-based bashing of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and the bashing of our education systems coming out of the Iowa Republican Senate and House.

African Americans were enslaved people in this country for 250 years, building much of the early economy with their backs. They then suffered through Jim Crow, lynchings, the KKK, laws passed to keep them from voting, redlining neighborhoods which kept them from acquiring wealth, and segregated and poorly funded schools which kept them from a decent education and for the most part out of higher education. Some help, and even reparations, might be in order.

In the Vietnam, combat casualty statistics of enlisted personnel who fought the ground war, you will find that even though African Americans made up only 11% of the U.S. population, they accounted for 14.1% of the combat deaths, almost 30% higher than their percentage of the U.S. population. I would say that is worth honoring with diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Legislative Republicans seem to have no moral or ethical problems with university departments which create better and better ways to pollute our water, air, and soils through this current model of agriculture which includes confinements and feedlots, corn and beans, and all the synthetic chemicals and chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides this model depends on. This model creates pollution that harms humans’ central nervous system, digestive system, respiratory system, and eyes and skin. This model harms the environment and makes Iowa the major ag polluter in creating the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ignorance abounds in this Republican Legislature. As the person who started the current water and wastewater curriculum at DMACC, the Water Environmental Technology Program, I think Republican legislators don’t seem to understand that Iowa community colleges were created in part to educate people for many of the occupations that businesses, industries, the service sector, public works, trades and other related areas need. Universities and colleges have a different role.

I can imagine these Republican legislators would be in favor of passing laws to prevent Martin Luther’s liberalization of the dogmatic and conservative church if they had been alive back then.

Enough ignorance. You say you are Christians so act like it.

Bob Watson lives in Decorah.