SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
May 18, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/21/26
In this edition:
*Memorial Day
*Memorial Day Origins
*A Shameful Memorial Day Fact
*Graduations
*Jail Vote
*University of Iowa Center for Social Services Innovation (CSSI)
*Expertise
*Did You Know?
*Memorial Day
Monday, May 25 is Memorial Day. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, and I hope you spend at least a part of it remembering those who have died while serving our Country. Happy Memorial Day to all!
*Memorial Day Origins
Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared it should be May 30. It is believed the date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The ceremonies centered around the mourning- draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.
*A Shameful Memorial Day Fact
I really don’t know what to say about this. It is 2026, and this pisses me off: Nine states officially set aside a day to honor those who died fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War: Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia.
“Hey, y’all! Let’s celebrate traitors who attempted to overthrow the US Government because they wanted to keep black people as property!” Can’t we do better?
*Graduations
Memorial Day Weekend means graduations. Congratulations to all our graduating seniors! Commencement has already taken place at the UI and Kirkwood, and the local high schools are graduating soon.
I know that Melissa (and others) accuse me of being overly sentimental when it comes to these types of things. That may be true. But graduation really is a milestone. Honestly, Pomp and Circumstance always brings a tear to my eye!
Certainly, what graduates do in the future is much more important than what they have done to date. But the fact is, they have accomplished something important. Let’s reflect upon it, and celebrate it! Congrats again to all the graduates!
*Jail Vote
I wrote a lot about the jail in last week’s Salvos. And it led to a lot of questions about the proposed new facility. Unfortunately, what I wrote in the May 7 edition of Salvos remains all we can say, so I am repeating that item here below.
On Thursday, April 23, the Board of Supervisors went into a closed session to discuss a real estate matter. Upon coming out of that session (into an open meeting) the Board voted 4-1 to empower the County Attorney’s Office to pursue the purchase of land for a new Sheriff’s Office and jail.
The vote was 4-1, with Supervisors Green, Remington, Green Douglass, and me voting yes, and Supervisor Fixmer Oraiz voting no.
Unfortunately, we cannot discuss our votes and the reasons for them until the property in question is under contract. At that time, Supervisors can explain their votes. And I cannot wait!
Meanwhile, I am very pleased that the Board took this important step!
*University of Iowa Center for Social Services Innovation (CSSI)
In late February of 2025, the Board of Supervisors contracted with the UI Center for Social Services Innovation (CSSI) to do a community wide survey to see how people felt about building a new jail.
CSSI was created several years ago to do exactly this – get good data in the hands of local governments and other entities who have no ability to capture the data themselves. CSSI has a Director and Associate Director, both with Ph.Ds. It has an Advisory Board, 5/6 of whom hold Ph.Ds. There are 67 Affiliate Researchers – 66 of them have Ph.Ds. and the one without holds a JD. There are literally *SCORES* of graduate students who work with these 70+ researchers. These people are experts. They know how to do research. That is precisely why we hired them. It probably does not need to be said, but CSSI has no ability to control the way in which people use their data.
A couple of my colleagues do not like what the report said. Yet they ignore the expertise of the many experienced Ph.Ds. and Graduate Students who actually worked on the report. Why? Because they put ideology above facts.
This is not the first time these Supervisors have ignored the facts. They ignored the data when they made the shameful vote to ship kids in detention all the way across Iowa. They ignore the local statistics on gun violence. They continue to ignore the facts around the number of individuals in the custody of the Sheriff. Basically, when the data does not fit their ideology, ideology ALWAYS wins.
We have had this report for over 6 months. Why is it in the news now? Because we have an election coming up. Plain and simple.
But you know what REALLY makes me angry? These two Supervisors are willing to throw these decorated researchers – our fellow Johnson County residents! - under the bus to serve their cause. They are happy to participate in sullying the reputations of UI Faculty and Graduate Students in order to serve themselves politically. And that is wrong.
Ideological attacks on the UI are bad, whether they come from the left or the right.
You can see the CSSI report for yourself here: https://www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-12/CSSI%20IOWA_Final%20Report_CJCC%20Survey%20and%20Focus%20Groups.pdf.
*Expertise
(This ran in Salvos late in 2025. It seems relevant once again.)
I am interested in the recent discussions around the idea of expertise and the roll it plays in our lives.
It is important to note – the whole Johnson County economy is dependent upon the idea of expertise. Doctors, Pharmacists, Dentists, Nurses, Attorneys, Engineers, Scientists…the list goes on and on. People come here to the University, where a tremendous amount of expertise exists. These people gain expertise, and add their own contributions to the cannon. The process repeats, and the level of expertise deepens. Doctors today know a lot more than doctors did 100 years ago. They are better trained. And that is a good thing!
Unfortunately, the politics of the day have promoted a huge Republican pushback against this expertise. Vaccine recommendations are ignored, and policy makers choose the side without the expertise. Don’t like the Bureau of Labor jobs report? Fire the expert who is in charge of the data. The GOP attacks clean energy despite years of good science. They ignore decades-long science related to climate change, clean air, and clean water.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, between January 20th and September 30th of this year, there have been 506 attacks on science. (They define attacks on science as actions, statements, or decisions that undermine, co-opt, or ignore science in the federal government.)
Republicans at the federal level do not have a monopoly on attacks on science and knowledge. Republicans in the State of Iowa are doing everything they can to squelch science and free speech at state universities.
We see the state and federal impacts here. Excellent scientists and doctors have already left the UI for universities where they can do their research free of interference from right-wing zealots. More excellent scientists and doctors will follow them out the door as Republicans give tax cuts to wealthy corporations and starve the UI – the state’s biggest employer.
Attacks on expertise are often fueled by jealousy. People who do backbreaking jobs in western Iowa sees that these folks with their Ph.Ds. make better money and have better retirements. Rather than banding together to improve their own situations, they attack the Ph.Ds. And the race to the bottom continues.
It is important to note, however, that it is not just the GOP who attacks expertise. Locally, many on the left have joined the chorus of folks who attack the idea of expertise.
It is true that expertise has expanded into additional areas. 200 years ago, if you told someone you were an “expert” in carpentry, animal husbandry, nutrition, or child development, they would have just laughed at you. Those were viewed as basics, passed on from mothers to daughters and fathers to sons.
But remember that part about the cannon expanding? We know today that there actually *IS* expertise in carpentry, animal husbandry, nutrition, and child development. As we recognized this fact, society adapted. And as the number of professions grew, we needed a way to figure out who was legit when it came to possessing expertise.
We did this in several ways. We created licensing. An electrical inspector for Johnson County is licensed. A food inspector is licensed. Sheriff’s Deputies are graduates of the Law Enforcement Academy. Other occupations have different requirements of licenses, certifications, degrees, etc. It also extends to whole Departments. Johnson County has nationally accredited Ambulance, Medical Examiner, and Public Health Departments, just to name a few.
I see this as positive in the macro. The public needs to know that the people who serve them are good at their jobs. While all these licenses, certifications, degrees, etc. cannot guarantee an employee or department will do a good job, it is much better than nothing.
One area where I see expertise constantly attacked is Social Services. The Johnson County Social Services Department is very well-credentialed. People are licensed, certified, and degreed. Not to mention experienced. But this is an area where the average person feels they know enough to question every decision. This extends to local nonprofits, too. Many have achieved national accreditation, of which they should be proud. But locals poo-poo this experience and expertise.
Local nonprofits are actually damned good at what they do. If you take the time to look, you’ll see a tremendous amount of expertise exists within these organizations. It goes well beyond rolling out a cot or handing out a loaf of bread. These are trained professionals, who deserve to be treated (and paid) as such. It is ironic to see the same folks who attack Republicans for ignoring expertise be so willing to attack expertise themselves.
Experts are not always correct. That is why you get two estimates on your car repair, and why you seek a second opinion from another doctor. But we ignore expertise at our peril. I hate seeing how deeply that flows on both the far right and far left. If any place should respect expertise, it is Johnson County – home to many experts on many things.
*DID YOU KNOW? For sitting US Presidents have been assassinated: Abe Lincoln in 1865; James Garfield in 1881; William McKinley in 1901; and John Kennedy in 1963.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 10:09 AM
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