WELCOME to the debut of “The Truth Is!”, a blog of reporting and commentary that aims to be informative, thoughtful and provocative. At least initially, the blog will have a strong heartland flavor by virtue of the connection of a number of us to Cowles family journalism. I am former editor of the Des Moines Register’s opinion pages. Another contributor, Michael Gartner, is former editor of the paper; he later served as president of NBC News. Another former Register editor who has agreed to contribute, Geneva Overholser, is director of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg school of journalism. Followers of the blog will have access also to the work of Herbert Strentz of Des Moines, a close Register and other newspaper watcher who once headed Drake University’s journalism school. Bill Leonard, a longtime Register editorial writer, will add insights.

“The Truth Is!” will be supervised by my daughter, Marcia Wolff, a communications lawyer for 20 years with Arnold and Porter (Washington, D.C.). Invaluable technical assistance in assembling and maintaining the blog is provided by my grandsons Julian Cranberg, a college first-year, and Daniel Wolff, a high school senior.

If you detect a whiff of nepotism in this operation, so be it. All of it is strictly a labor of love. —Gil Cranberg

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Gilbert Cranberg: A DEATHLY SILENCE


Residents of the retirement facility where I live observed a moment of silence at dinner the other evening to pay respects to those who died during the December 14 massacre of innocents in Connecticut. I joined in the observance but not without misgivings and reservations.

My hesitation was due to the inappropriateness of silence to mark the occasion. A more apt response would have been very loud cries of indignation, protest and outrage.

Silence contributed to the mass murders in Connecticut and in the many other locales that preceded it -- the silence of spineless members of Congress who cannot even voice support for the modest step of curbing access to high-capacity ammunition clips, the silence of a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court in the face of efforts to prevent curbs on gun ownership.

I once thought that it would take mass murder in House and Senate chambers to induce Congress to act to prevent gun violence. That may still be true. But maybe, just maybe, the horrific deaths of 20 or so kindergarteners will break the silence.

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