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View Article  National Columnist Agrees with Blog for Iowa About Media
National Columnist Agrees with Blog for Iowa About Media
by Donald Kaul

Did you see those pictures of Michelle Obama sashaying around Europe--Spain I think it was--and staying at that fancy hotel? I mean, who does she think she is, Nancy Reagan? Isn't she kind of getting ahead of herself, putting on airs?


Whoa! Wait a minute. Stop. Apparently the IT officer of the local tea party coven has hacked into my computer and these are the distressing results. I have deleted him.

The tea party tempest unleashed by the First Lady's mid-summer vacation--only Marie Antoinette would have left her husband alone on his birthday, apparently--is a function of the August news cycle.

Every August, real news slows to a trickle. Even real journalists are forced to join Fox News in concentrating on some mini-scandal. Usually it's a sex scandal, but we've had so many of those already this year that this August we had to make do with Mrs. Obama's vacation. On a scale of 10, 10 being the most scandalous, I rate this one a minus-two.

What is it with the honkers of the Right? Every time one or both of the Obamas seems in danger of having a good time, talk radio goes ballistic. Remember when the couple went to New York City to take in a show? You would have thought they'd made off with the Crown Jewels.

And Cokie Roberts once objected to their vacation in Hawaii as too "exotic."She said they should have gone to Myrtle Beach. (Someone should tell Ms. Roberts that by definition Hawaii isn't "exotic," which literally means "foreign."It is a state. Myrtle Beach on the other hand is in South Carolina, which still hasn't decided whether it wants to be in the Union. And that Barack Obama grew up in Hawaii, making this a trip home.)

I'm all in favor of the first couple taking vacations. The White House is its own kind of jail and it's good for them to get away once in a while.

George W. Bush carried it a little far, however. He was more or less permanently on vacation and only made brief visits to the White House.

Leave the Obamas alone, I say.

(click here to read the entire article at Other Words)


Donald Kaul is a RAGBRAI co-founder and a former columnist for the Des Moines Register.  His column appears regularly on OtherWords.org
 

View Article  Mainstream Media Worse Than Fox, Limbaugh, WHO-Radio
Mainstream Media Worse Than Fox, Limbaugh, WHO

I'd like to follow up today on Dave Bradley's great post yesterday about the problem of the broken mass media (corporate media).

Here is a classic example of how the mainstream media, in this case CNN, perpetuates lies made up by the right-wing.  This is just one example of something that happens all of the time, but goes by so fast you don't have time to catch it and keep track.  I guess that's why we have The Daily Show. 

The mainstream media's role in the right's war against President Obama and progressivism is every bit as despicable and harmful as what Fox News or Rush Limbaugh or Jan Mickelson does.  To illustrate this point, check out this introduction by Larry King to his show tonight (Monday). 

Larry's booming voice-over:  "The president says he's a Christian...why do some refuse to believe him?"

What?  It's  not as if we have only Obama's word for it.  It is a provable, documentable F.A.C.T.  It's not  just a matter of "he said-she said."  If you heard only Larry's introduction, you would draw the conclusion that it is not certain that the President is a Christian, only that he is claiming to be one.  And it's all just a matter of whether you believe him or not! Like you can just pick a side and argue about it.

But here's the truly absurd part:  How is it that tens of millions of people and the entire media - right, left, and middle, have seemingly forgotten the first attempted swift-boating of Obama in the form of Reverend Wright, Obama's Christian pastor?   Get it?   If Obama was a Christian then, during the Reverend Wright years, and during the campaign, obviously, the wrong kind of Christian, but a Christian nonetheless, how does it work that he is not a Christian now? 

So, now we're talking about Obama's religion as if we've never even had the previous conversation that nearly toppled Obama's presidential campaign!  It's a new day, and the media have moved on!  No looking back, no following the thread, no one even pausing to wonder aloud, or ask the question, "If Obama was so tight with Reverend Wright, for all those years, how is it that you all think he's a Muslim now?"

Who knows what tomorrow's narrative will be.   

This country has a real media problem.  And it's not just Fox, Limbaugh, WHO and Glenn Beck.  At least Fox et al, you know what they're about, they're right-wing propaganda machines and not well disguised.  But Larry King carries the weight and the appearance of objectivity - so when he perpetuates the falsehoods by pretending he doesn't know what the truth is,  and when David Gregory does it, and Brian Williams, and everybody else in the mainstream corporate media, and no one points out the absurdity of it and no one refers to Obama's Christian religion as a simple F.A.C.T., this greatly compounds the problem, because the result is a huge number - tens of millions - including people you and I know personally - Iowans - friends and family, who are horribly misinformed, make life miserable for themselves and everyone else, vote against their interests, and make it impossible for the country to function as one nation.  

Check out Rachel Maddow's regular bit lately, "It Doesn't Fit The Narrative."  It's about how the mainstream (corporate) media passes on story lines that they like, but that are not true.   And then do something to join the media reform movement.  

View Article  Iowans Must Plan a Media Strategy
Iowans Must Plan a Media Strategy

by Dave Bradley

Many of you endured a series of articles I wrote giving a brief overview of how those on America’s right wing slowly and steadily took control of nearly all media in this country. We are now in the midst of the havoc that having little competition in media can create.

It is so disturbing that media can gin up loud and rabid outrage on the most insane and inane issues in just a short amount of time. And sadly 50% of America takes up their cause believing such cause to be a true test of patriotism. But much more sadly, save for a few tiny voices, no one in the media calls the right wing on their craziness nor their lies. Instead they go along, I guess so the loud and rabid citizenry will not turn on them.

The media I speak of here consists of newspapers, radio, television (including cable),  and the internet. Of these only the internet is still open and available to all voices and views. The others have long ago restricted access only to the approved voices. We now have a media that has the range of views equal to that of the old Soviet Union.

How could a non-issue like a Muslim community center in NYC become a national issue? How can half of American be so convinced that voting against their own interests is good? How can a country believe that a man who has been president for 18 months is responsible for all national debt that has accumulated over the country’s life? How can a senator (Grassley) who was responsible for rubber stamping the largest and most damaging borrowing in this country’s history be considered a financial conservative?

Why would a party that openly works only for a very small slice of our population have even a prayer of winning any seats let alone half of them?

I think we all know the answer. Media, which most Americans trust to be truthful, has so distorted reality that many believe provably false things to be true.

Has all been lost already? Should we surrender and sew Goldman –Sachs medallions on our shirts? Of course not! But we do need to engage much more actively in returning the media to a balance.

First and foremost we must not permit the takeover of the internet by corporate gate keepers. After the election, protecting internet neutrality must become mission #1. It looks like corporations have happened on a strategy that may allow them to control traffic via court decisions. When you get a notice to call congress people to protect internet neutrality do so immediately. Internet neutrality needs to be codified so it can no longer be messed with.

Second, progressives, lefties must come together to build a network for disseminating information. Low Power FM (LPFM ) has the potential to be the backbone of such a network.  It is time that we fight fire with fire. The right wing will not give up their stranglehold on media; in fact they want to tighten it even more. While our leaders must push for a national media policy, we need to plan as if nothing will happen in that arena.

Given that media outlets are not available and are expensive, keeping the internet open and the strategic use of LPFM, seems like a good place to start.

See Dave's previous articles on the media:

West Liberty Group to Start Community Radio

Media Wars: Will LPFM GIve Iowans a Fighting Chance?

Iowa in the Age of Consolidated Media

Getting Our Message Out: Fighting Fire with FM (and Net Neutrality)

The Great Surprise – The Telecommunications Act of 1996

The Plane Facts About Media: What I Learned While in Flight

A Brief History of Media Consolidation

Observations on the Media in Iowa

Dave Bradley is a self-described retired observer of American politics "trying to figure out how we got so screwed up."  An Iowa City native currently living in West Liberty, Dave and his wife Carol have two grown children who "sadly had to leave the state to find decent paying jobs." 


View Article  Iowa Progressive Radio: This Week On The Fallon Forum
Iowa Progressive Radio:  This Week On The Fallon Forum

Monday - Thursday from 7:00-800 pm, join us for the fusion of politics and civility at 98.3 WOW-FM and on-line at 983wowfm.com. Call (515) 312-0983 or (866) 908-TALK to participate in the conversation.  If you miss the show, you can hear it as a podcast and please help support local progressive talk radio with a donation through Pay Pal or by check to PO Box 13421, Des Moines, IA 50310. 
 
Dear Friends,

The Associated Press continues to churn out good, cutting-edge investigative reporting. Regrettably, most of it is bad news. Take for example, the recent AP examination of US Department of Energy data, showing that since 2008 over thirty conventional coal plants have been built or are in the works. AP reporter Matthew Brown writes, "The expansion is an acknowledgement that 'clean coal' is far from reality and that emission regulations are stalled."

In Iowa in recent years, two separate proposals for new conventional coal-fired power plants were defeated. That's progress. But with the ugly head of climate change rearing itself more often -- and in more and more devastating manners -- small steps aren't going to accomplish the sea change that's needed in energy policy.

Monday, leading us in a conversation about coal and climate change is retired ISU chemistry professor Bernie Gerstein. Bernie's experience on this issue is deep and detailed, and we look forward to having him with us.

Tuesday, we encourage you to listen to Obama's speech on Iraq at 7:00 pm, then call and share your thoughts and comments as Bradshaw joins us to analyze the President's speech. We'll also want your feedback on the recent news about the $5 billion in tax dollars wasted on failed or unfinished construction projects in Iraq.

Wednesday, it's back to our conversation about the cracking and crumbling of the DeCoster family's egg dynasty. There are so many angles to cover -- politics, money, immigration, health and safety, legislation, sustainable farms, backyard chicken coops. We'll pick one or two and focus on that in what promises to be an ongoing discussion.

Thursday, we broadcast live from Newton where we'll talk about wind energy and what one mid-sized Iowa town has done to retool its economy after a big corporation closed the doors. Special thanks to Newton realtor Dan Kelley for his help in getting this event set-up. And best of luck to Dan in his campaign for the Iowa Statehouse this fall!

Ed and Lynn Fallon
View Article  Iowans Can Help Fight Teabaggers' War on Social Security
Iowans Can Help Fight War on Social Security

DemocracyforAmericia.com 

Remember all the hullabaloo going on this time last year?

Teabaggers were taking over town hall meetings with Senators and Congresspersons across the country. They were loud and the media loved them. They were protesting healthcare reform -- and the public option in particular. They said it was a "government takeover."

You know how it all turned out -- some Corporate Democrats caved and the public option was killed.

Well, the Teabaggers are at it again and this time they're going after Social Security... and Corporate Democrats are running scared.

But we're not going to let them win. We're going to beat Teabagger candidates with progressive fighters. And we're not going to let Corporate Democrats off the hook. We're going after any Democrat who votes to cut Social Security with everything we have -- ads, polls, primary challenges. But we rely on you to help us to do it.

The current war on Social Security is nothing more than a top-down corporate attack run by the same people who tried to privatize Social Security under George Bush. Only this time they're running an Astroturf (fake grassroots) campaign to get their message out.

Contribute $10 right now to beat back the Tea Party and keep Corporate Democrats from caving to them again.

These right-wingers saw Corporate Democrats cave to Teabaggers on the public option and they're working to make it happen again.

But we're going to fight them every step of the way and we need your help to do it. Democracy for America is a real grassroots organization. We're powered by small contributions from supporters across the country -- our average contribution is less than $50! -- so contribute today to support our mission.

Support a real grassroots organization and help hold Corporate Democrats accountable.

Working together, we can beat the Teabaggers this fall and keep Corporate Democrats from caving to them again.

Arshad Hasan, Executive Director
Democracy for America

*ACTION ALERT FROM BFIA:  DON'T FORGET ABOUT SEPTEMBER DFA NIGHT SCHOOL*
(click on the link for more class info)


Sep 1 7:30 pm Creating a Positive Campaign Culture

Sep 8 7:30 pm Relational Organizing 101: House Meetings, 1-1's, Emergency Meetings

Sep 15 7:30 pm  Mobilizing Progressives with Google

Sep 22 7:30 pm  GOTV: Getting Out the Progressive Vote          

Democracy for America relies on you and the people-power of more than one million members to fund the grassroots organizing and training that delivers progressive change on the issues that matter. Please Contribute Today and support our mission.
View Article  Iowa's Fiscal Wolf in Conservative Clothing
Iowa's Fiscal Wolf in Conservative Clothing

by Paul Deaton

"
What he really means is that he has become a devoted member of the party of “no” in Washington and is busy obstructing the progress of Democrats as they deal with the financial legacy he left when his party was in power."

In an interview with the Sioux City Journal's editorial board last week, Senator Chuck Grassley asserted that “I have a record of fiscal conservatism.” If fiscal conservatism means approving the Bush Tax Cuts without a way to pay for them, funding the Iraq war outside the normal budgetary process and raising the debt ceiling, all of which Grassley did during his tenure as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Iowans should want no part of a sixth term for the incumbent United States Senator. Instead we should support Democrat Roxanne Conlin to replace Grassley as our US Senator.


Senator Grassley represents as “fiscally conservative” in comparison with the other members of the 111th Congress. What he really means is that he has become a devoted member of the party of “no” in Washington and is busy obstructing the progress of Democrats as they deal with the financial legacy he left when his party was in power.

As this week's numbers indicate, the economic problems to which Grassley contributed have the country in a much worse financial position than expected. Gross domestic product fell last month to an anemic 1.6%, indicating that the country could plunge into another recession. Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Ben Bernanke responded to concerns in a speech given this week at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Economic Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Fed said that the central bank was prepared to step in if necessary to help provide additional stimulus to the economy and avoid the type of debilitating deflation that struck Japan in the 1990s.

Grassley criticized the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or stimulus bill, during his editorial board meeting saying it failed to stimulate the economy. The author's criticism of Grassley is why did he fail to stop the irresponsible spending when he was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Republicans were in power? That would have indicated fiscal conservatism and perhaps would have helped the country avoid the financial collapse of 2008.

If the action of the stimulus bill was not bold enough, if the actions of the Fed proved to be inadequate, then these things are evidence of how badly the Republicans impacted the economy while they were in power recently. As Vice President Biden said this week, “After months of promising a look at his party’s agenda and their plans for America, (Representative John Boehner, R-OH) made what was billed as a major economic address. And his chief proposal apparently was that the President should fire his economic team. Very constructive advice, thanks.

So, let's just review a little history here: For eight years before we arrived, Mr. Boehner and his party ran this economy and the middle class into the ground.

They took the $237 billion surplus they inherited from the Clinton Administration and left us with a $1.3 trillion deficit, and, in the process, quadrupled the national debt – all before we had turned on the lights in the West Wing.

They gave free rein to the special interests to write their own rules at the expense of everybody else.
And the sum total of it was the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression—a crisis that wreaked havoc on families and businesses across this country--a crisis from which we are still digging out.”

Iowa's Senator Grassley was an architect of the Republican economic policy during his tenure as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and we should remember that during this election cycle.

Someone we know, Tom Fiegen, said last week, “The weak durable goods orders report this morning coupled with the continuing slump in housing is not good news as we head into fall. More happy talk and extending the Bush tax cuts is not the answer. Watching the 2010 election unfold feels like a repeat of the 1930s and the return of the Dark Ages.”

Let's work towards another direction by electing Democrats in 2010. This year, a vote for Senator Grassley is a vote for more of the same. A vote for Roxanne Conlin is a vote to support the efforts of Democrats to undo the havoc created when Republicans were in power. Our state and the nation need to move from the party of “nope” to the party of “hope” by casting a vote for Roxanne Conlin for U.S. Senator.

~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul Deaton

Click here to join the Roxanne for Iowa Campaign.

View Article  Matt Campbell to Debate Steve King in Iowa's 5th District
Matt Campbell to Debate Steve King in Iowa's 5th District
Congressional Candidate Matt Campbell agrees to Debate King
August 26, 2010

Matt Campbell, Fifth District candidate for U.S. Congress, today agreed to debate Steve King in a live on-air interview on Saturday October 23 at 7pm.  The debate will be broadcast from KTIV studies in Sioux City and carried live at KTIV.com.

King has repeatedly indicated he is willing to debate.  The debate would be Steve King’s first as a Congressman despite being a four-time incumbent.  King has never debated a Congressional opponent since being elected nearly eight years ago in 2002.

In an August 14, 2010 article by the Spencer Daily Times, King indicated, “I debate all kinds of people.  I like to debate.”

Campbell says, “I spoke with Steve King on July 4th in Storm Lake regarding having a healthy discussion of the issues facing the country.”

Campbell continues, “I also spoke with Jeff King, Steve King’s son and campaign manager, earlier this month and indicated that if troops can stand in harm’s way abroad then Representative King surely can stand in the safety of a room with his challenger so we can discuss the important issues facing Iowa and America.  We owe them that.  Jeff King indicated he’d pass that message on to see if his father agreed.”

King also in recent editorial in which he compared Democrats to Pontius Pilate stated, “I say we welcome them [Democrats] to a public discussion of the Bible’s meanings.” 

In response to this editorial Campbell says, “I’m proud of my Christian upbringing in the United Methodist Church and accept Steve King’s offer to have a public discussion on this and other topics.  There is no D or R behind God’s name.”

Steve King also earlier in the year asserted to Radio Iowa, “American people need to have this debate about what appears to me to be an inclination on the part of the White House and the Justice Department and perhaps others within the administration to break on the side of favoritism with regard to race.”

Campbell says, “I welcome this discussion but what I want to focus on is what Iowa needs to do to get our economy forward and get people back to work.  I think most Iowans feel the same.”

Campbell’s agreement to debate follows-up on a formal debate prospectus that he issued to Steve King’s congressional campaign earlier in the year.  Campbell has called for three debates in the 2010 Congressional election.  One in Sioux City, one in Council Bluffs and one at an at-large location. 

Campbell also will participate in a candidate forum hosted by the Southwest Iowa Coalition (SWICO) on September 16 in Corning, Iowa.  SWICO is the oldest regional, rural development, advocacy organization in the state of Iowa.  Campbell’s campaign also indicates the Spencer Daily Times would like to hold a candidate debate at the Clay County fair and that he’s agreed to participate but that the Spencer Daily Times is waiting for confirmation from the King campaign. 

Campbell says, “It’s long overdue for Representative King to debate an election-year opponent, and I’m looking forward to it.  I’m the son of five generations of Iowa farmers and the grandson of two World War II veterans, and I’ve won a competitive Democratic primary to boot.”

Campbell promises, “Once elected, I will be sure to respect the Democratic process and debate any future opponent because it strongly serves the public interest. Iowan constituents shouldn’t have to wait more than 8 years for a public debate between their choices for office.”

~ Matt Campbell is a centrist Democrat native of Manning who grew up on a Century Farm. He is running for Congress to create jobs for western Iowans and restore effective leadership in the Fifth District.  Campbell’s campaign is endorsed by US Senator Tom Harkin, former Republican Lt. Governor Art Neu of Carroll and Republican Council Bluffs Mayor Pro Tem Matt Walsh among others.

Click Here to contribute to the Matt Cambell for Congress campaign.
View Article  Eggs in Iowa's Mass Society
Eggs in Iowa's Mass Society

by Paul Deaton

"
After the salmonella outbreak happened, local organizations and the corporate media all jumped on board with statements, solutions and calls to action. The thing is that if we follow the news cycle, the issue will be out of view in a week or so, with most people finding a way to believe “my eggs are safe” and nothing changed in the industrial food supply."

Between the ease of consuming industrial food and the tedium and hard work of subsistence agriculture lies a middle ground where most of us land regarding the food we eat. In the United States, we lean towards the industrial food side of things and the recent salmonella outbreak in eggs highlighted this for us.


The Des Moines Register reported that 550 million eggs were recalled by two Iowa farms owned by Jack DeCoster, Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa. By any reckoning, the recall of 550 million eggs is a lot and represents a substantial financial impact on a company's operations. The sickening of more than 1,470 people from salmonella in eggs has a broad psychological impact on consumers of industrial food products as well.

The FDA is tracing the source of the contamination and according to the Register, it appears to be bone meal that was improperly prepared as a feed ingredient for young chickens. Additional testing is being done by the FDA to confirm the exact source of the contamination. The feed mill that produced the apparently contaminated feed is owned and used exclusively by the DeCoster farms, and because of this exclusive use it is exempt from federal inspections.

Thursday night, on The Fallon Forum, Ed and Lynn Fallon presented some of the concerns with DeCoster operations and the habitual failure of the company to comply with food industry, EEOC and immigration regulations. Ed said, more than once, DeCoster should be in jail.

Francis Thicke, candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and an organic dairy farmer, appeared on the Fallon Forum and demonstrated his grasp of the issues regarding the industrial food supply and the potential consequences to food safety when large scale operations like those of DeCoster are not in compliance with the law. (We could use a fellow like Thicke as Secretary of Agriculture).

Food Democracy Now created a petition to ask your grocery store to stop carrying DeCoster eggs.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement issued a press release that said, “The industrial model of agriculture which crams large numbers of livestock and their waste together into confined buildings and concentrates control of our food supply into the hands of a few corporations not only causes serious air and water pollution but also threatens our food safety,” said Jim Yungclas, an Iowa CCI Board Member from Wright County, Iowa.

An editorial in the Thursday New York Times, also pointed to the problems in keeping the industrial food supply safe and recommended, “The Food and Drug Administration should urge egg producers to vaccinate their hens promptly. The Senate must pass long-stalled legislation that could strengthen the hand of regulators to prevent and control outbreaks of all food-related illnesses.”

After the salmonella outbreak happened, local organizations and the corporate media all jumped on board with statements, solutions and calls to action. The thing is that if we follow the news cycle, the issue will be out of view in a week or so, with most people finding a way to believe “my eggs are safe” and nothing changed in the industrial food supply. That is unfortunate, because the “outbreak-news attention-recede from view” cycle fails to address the issue of a sustainable food supply.

Some say the solution is in more people raising their own eggs, especially in cities like Des Moines where raising certain livestock in town is permitted. Tending urban chickens (or urban hens, since neighbors may not appreciate the crowing of roosters in town) is a return to an agrarian individualism that is out of sync with modern life and no sustainable solution in a mass society. A dozen hens can meet the needs of a family and a few neighbors, but is not scalable inside city limits. It is a “what's in it for me” solution, and antisocial in some respects.

For the foreseeable future large scale operations and the industrial food system they represent will be part of our food supply. In the DeCoster incident, as it is so often the case, slack enforcement of the law, and inadequate oversight led to a disruption in the safety of the food supply. If we disenfranchise DeCoster without addressing the regulatory problem, someone else will pop up to replace the role he is playing. The more we enable corporate entities to police themselves, as some politicians say it is appropriate to do, and as DeCoster did in his private feed mill, the more likely we are to experience outbreaks of salmonella.

The lesson to be learned is that regulatory oversight of farm operations is important. Leaders in our government, in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the USDA and the FDA particularly, need to find the budget and backbone to enforce the law. Where the law is inadequate, they should advocate for changes that will reduce the probability of future outbreaks. In the end, it comes down to the vigilance of citizens like you and me.

As we each find our place on the continuum between an industrial food supply and locally grown produce, some portion of our time must be spent on advocacy for proper enforcement of laws relating to agriculture. In Iowa, this goes against the grain, but we should be advocates of solutions rather than victims when it comes to the food we eat.

~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul Deaton

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