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Sam Garchik - Mon 02 Jun 2008 10:10 AM CDT
atomburke - Fri 23 May 2008 03:49 PM CDT
salman - Fri 23 May 2008 06:28 AM CDT
megelso - Sun 11 May 2008 09:10 AM CDT
no4gman - Tue 29 Apr 2008 01:07 AM CDT
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Thursday, February 23
Controversy, Cruelty and Cats: North Iowa Town in Uproar
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 23 Feb 2006 11:48 AM CST
 Controversy, Cruelty and Cats: North Iowa Town in Uproar
by Linda Thieman
On
Monday morning, February 20, 2006, Joel Kolker, manager of Kiefer Built
Trailers in Kanawha, Iowa (Hancock County) stood in front of a meeting
of approximately 120 employees and announced that he was going to take
care of Kiefer’s cat problem. Kolker allegedly said that
if he could not trap the cats live during a two-week time period
beginning that day then he would “trap them dead.”
Kiefer
Built Trailers is a large company, producing in the neighborhood of
forty animal transport units a week, although they shut down production
during the night. That is precisely when the cats come out to
play. For some undetermined time, a large number of feral cats
and their kittens have been calling the Kiefer factory home.
The cats
“aren't hurting anyone,” said one Kiefer employee. “I wish
[Kiefer] would just leave well enough alone.” But it appears that
that is not going to happen. Kiefer began trying to live trap the
cats on Monday with little success. Apparently, the traps they
were using were too small and the cats would walk into the traps, take
the food and back out again. One Iowa member of the Humane
Society, a keeper of feral cats herself, had requested of one of the
owners, Joyce Mattson, to be allowed to measure the traps, but was
allegedly rudely rebuffed. Mattson also refused to disclose what
kind of food she was using in the traps.
There is
some concern about how the traps are being handled. According to
a Humane Society document, live traps that are improperly set can
become death traps. Burrs and sharp edges need to be clipped or
filed down. Food/bait placed in traps in metal cans will cause
tooth and foot injuries. Traps need to be checked frequently in
order to prevent other injuries such as nose rubs and facial
lacerations. If night trapping is going on at Kiefer Built and
temperatures in the factory fall below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, that in itself is considered
inhumane treatment.
One
local involved in the uproar alleges that owner Mattson claimed that if
the live traps were not effective, she intended to poison the
cats. The poisoning of animals causes a slow, agonizing death and
is illegal in Iowa. [Iowa Code 481A.58]
At this
point, one of Blog for Iowa’s readers – an employee at Kiefer Built –
contacted us. The employee remembered reading about Blog for
Iowa’s recent informal association with PETA (People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals) and asked for our help. BFIA contacted PETA
and within two days, PETA had assigned Cara Stutzman, a Cruelty
Caseworker, to the case.
Blog for
Iowa informed Stutzman that locals were in contact with the Animal
Rescue League in Des Moines, so Stutzman contacted the ARL and they
agreed to pick up and relocate the live-trapped cats. (Whether
Kiefer will cooperate in this regard remains to be seen.)
Stutzman
also spoke with Kolker, the manager at Kiefer Built. Kolker told
Stutzman that he would not poison the cats and that he would send her a
letter at the beginning of next week stating as much. He also
told her that he knew a local farmer who was willing to take the cats.
According
to many first-hand reports, those who have contacted Kiefer Built about
the plans for trapping the cats have met with a less-than-cooperative
spirit. Because of this, there are still many in the local
community who question whether or not Kiefer Built will follow through
on plans to avoid animal cruelty. It is the wish of these
community members to make this situation known publicly in hopes that
outside pressure will help ensure that no animal cruelty takes place.
If you
would like to help, you can write a Letter to the Editor about this
situation. Please be respectful yet concerned. You can send
your letter to the following local newspapers via email:
Globe Gazette in Mason City
(the biggest paper in the area)
Joe Buttweiler, Editor
joe.buttweiler@globegazette.com
The Garner Leader and Signal
(Garner is the county seat; this paper is a weekly)
Rebecca Peter, Editor
gleader@trvnet.net
The Kanawha Reporter
(the hometown paper; goes to press once a week)
(the office is closed until Monday, Feb. 27)
Click here to use a webmail form.
Britt News-Tribune
(a local weekly)
Angie Johannsen, Editor
editor@brittnewstribune.com
Sunday, February 19
IOWA'S WATER WOES
by
Molly Regan
on Sun 19 Feb 2006 04:00 AM CST
 IOWA'S WATER WOES
Last Sunday, February 12th, the headlines of the Des Moines Register read: 'NO CLEAR SOLUTIONS TO STATE'S TAINTED WATER'
This article by Perry Beeman/Register staff writer goes on to say that
recreation and more businesses would come to the state if we had better
water quality.
"Many IOWA rivers are seriously polluted - dying before their time- and
environmental rules that would force a massive new cleanup effort
promise to affect IOWAN's pocketbooks, river outings and fishing trips…
"Rules passed in January by state environmental regulators - after
eight years of debate - set new limits on pollutants such as bacteria,
which can threaten the health of people and animals; and AMMONIA, WHICH
IS TOXIC TO FISH AND AQUATIC PLANTS…
"…state lawmakers began discussing a bill that would block the
changes. The rules come THREE DECADES AFTER THE 1972 FEDERAL
CLEAN WATER ACT DEMANDED THAT ALL RIVERS BE PROTECTED FOR RECREATION
AND AQUATIC LIFE, UNLESS STUDIES SHOW THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE. Since that act became law, IOWA has bowed to pressure from city
sewage-treatment operators who maintained the changes would cost too
much. Consequently, the state IS ONE OF THE LAST IN THE NATION to
protect waters so they are 'fishable and swimmable,' as required."
As we can all surmise, attaining cleaner water will take time, new
ideas, and MONEY. "…90 % OF THE POLLUTION IS COMING FROM FARMS
AND YARDS UNREGULATED BY THE NEW RULES….
"…'ignoring this duty is not an option', IOWA DNR DIRECTOR JEFF VONK wrote to lawmakers last month before the legislative session began.
"THE RULES WOULD AFFECT ANIMAL CONFINEMENTS AND FEEDLOTS, SOME OF WHICH
FACE LEGAL ACTIONS FOR FISH KILLS AND STREAM POLLUTION THAT OCCURRED
DURING THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, VONK SAID. The rules would not
affect grain farms and other agriculture operations…"
SUSAN HEATHCOTE is one of nine appointed by the governor to sit on
the state's ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMMISSION. She " began
pushing the state eight years ago to revise its standards to comply
with the Clean Water Act, the linchpin of the Federal government's
river-cleaning apparatus."
It will take an act of our state legislature to start to fix
this. Maybe federal grants can be obtained. So start with
your legislator to insure the state of IOWA starts to uphold the Clean
Water Act. In Eastern IOWA, you can contact SENATOR FRANK WOOD,
D-ELDRIDGE at frank.wood@legis.state.ia.us or he can be called at
515-281-3371. Senator Wood is co-chair of the Senate
sub-committee that is debating Senate Study Bill 3069. It
proposes to block most of the new rules. Also co-chairing is
Senator Mary Lundby, R-Marion, who can be contacted at mary.lundby@legis.state.ia.us
To view the entire bill, go to www.legis.state.ia.us
For information on the rules approved by the IOWA Environmental Protection Commission, see www.iowadnr.com
If you would like to read the entire Des Moines Register article, see www.DesMoinesRegister.com
Now don't forget …and remind your loved ones, too… CPR:
CONSERVE/PARTICIPATE/RECYCLE
Saturday, February 18
Help Bring Air America Radio to Cedar Rapids-Iowa City
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 18 Feb 2006 08:10 AM CST
 Help bring Air America Radio to the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor
Hey, radio fans, are you tired of Rush Limbaugh and the right wing
lies, distortions, and propaganda every time you turn on the radio for news?
Well, you are not alone and now you can do something about it. You can
help bring sane, reality-based, progressive talk radio to the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City
area. If you live in or near the IC-CR Corridor area, please
visit our online petition where there are already almost 200
names! Here is a sample of the lively, enthusiastic comments from
signers:
Isn't it about time for a progressive radio station in the IC/CR corridor??
We need more voices, more points of view — and facts.
I'm sick of RWWs having all the air time.
We desperately need progressive radio in Cedar Rapids to offset the malicious right wing stations.
I listen to Air America online, and will definitely tune in daily when
it hits the airwaves in Iowa City. This is the place, and the time is
now! Be the savvy station that brings progressive radio to our area!
We have too much corporate radio now.
Oh, please! We're starved for a progressive perspective on radio
airwaves. I no longer listen to any local station (except KUNI-NPR)
because they just make me sick.
PLEASE bring PR to this area. PUHLEEZE!
Just have enough power to reach to Des Moines please.
I think this is a great idea and probably will make money for any station that makes such a change.
I listen to NPR at WSUI Iowa City and would like to have an Air America
station there too, so they could enjoy the same wonderful programming
we have in Davenport.
The Quad Cities already has an Air America Radio station at Davenport,
IA - WKBF-AM 1270. If they can do it, we can do it!
Click here to sign the petition and add your own comment.
Listen to Air America Radio online.
Click here
or click on Blog for Iowa's Fight Media Bias sidebar (on the left) to download
the flyer called "How to Bring Air America Radio to Your Local
Community" and get started! [in Word doc format]
Click here for the original post on Dailykos
If you would like to be part of organized media reform efforts in Iowa, please consider joining Iowans for Better Local TV or RapidResponseIowa.
To find out more, click here
Thursday, February 16
Report on Health Care Lobby Day in Des Moines
by
Caroline Vernon
on Thu 16 Feb 2006 05:14 AM CST
 
Report on Health Care Lobby Day in Des Moines
by Caroline Vernon
contributions by Karen Metcalf
On February 7th, many health care advocates from across the state came together in association with Democracy For America, Democracy For Iowa and Iowa For Health Care for their first joint Health Care Lobby Day.
Among
those in attendance from the Quad Cities were none other than yours
truly, Caroline Vernon, Alta Price, Karen Metcalf, and Bev Strayhall.
Although we are each connected to the larger groups mentioned above, we
are also active members of Progressive Action for the Common Good Health Care Forum. Like Iowa For Health Care, our main goal is to promote quality, affordable health care for all.
Although
we did not address the larger goal of obtaining good coverage for
everyone, the purpose of our visit to the Statehouse was to engage our
legislators on three very important pieces of legislation:
Increase in the cigarette tax:
Research
shows that increasing the tax by $1/pack would stop 4700 young people
in Iowa from starting. This translates into better health and
substantial savings in health care costs from tobacco-related
illnesses.
We found broad bi-partisan support for this
proposal, particularly if the revenue generated by the tax is allocated
specifically to health care. While the Senate last year approved a
cigarette tax hike, the effort has been blocked in the House because
House Speaker Christopher Rants, (R) - Sioux City, says he won't allow
debate.
Rants
sponsored a political organization, Iowa Leadership Council, that
received more than $60,000 from tobacco companies. The "Rants For
Statehouse Committee" also received over $4,000
from big tobacco and yet Rants insists these generous contributions
have nothing to do with the fact that he refuses to allow this proposal
to come to the floor for debate! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the
"culture of corruption" has come to Iowa! Evidently, Rants really
expects folks to believe this nonsense!
During our early morning press conference, Sara Swisher of Iowa For Healthcare declared, "Speaker
Rants needs to answer to the people who provide health care and he
needs to answer to Iowans. He should kick the habit and kick it now
instead of taking big bucks from tobacco." Sara was joined by the group mascot, Mr. Buttman, who was weilding a fistful of "Tobacco Bucks for Speaker Christopher Rants".
ACTION:
Click here to download your own "Tobacco Buck For Rants," make
single-sided copies on lime green paper, cut them apart and distribute
them at every legislative forum, townhall meeting and community event
you attend!
Over a dozen Republican legislators have also
encouraged Rants to allow debate on this issue, to no avail. It was
stressed that Sioux City residents would hold the most weight with
Rants, so if you are a SC resident or if you have friends or family who
are, please encourage them to contact House Speaker Chris Rants, urging
him to "do the right thing" by allowing debate on this very important
issue:
E-mail: Christopher.Rants@legis.state.ia.us
Home Address: 2740 South Glass
Street, Sioux City, IA, 51106
Home Telephone: 712-274-8874According
to Iowa For Healthcare, polls show that at least 70% of Iowans support
a $1 increase of the tax. Governor Vilsack has proposed boosting the
tax by 80 cents per pack.
Fair Share For Health Care Legislation:
Maryland
recently passed a similar bill, by the same name, which passed over the
veto of Governor Ehrlich. This legislation has been introduced to the
Iowa legislature by Senator Joe Bolkcom and others in a bi-partisan
effort to hold large corporations accountable to their employees and
the communities in which they operate. It
forces the very largest employers (about 5 companies in Iowa) to
allocate a fixed percentage of their revenue for employee health care
costs, either by providing them with health care coverage directly, or
by paying directly to the State Medicaid budget, since many of these
employees make so little that they, or their children, qualify for
Medicaid.
According to an Iowa Department of Human Services
2004 report, the two largest employers in Iowa, HyVee and Walmart, each
have hundreds of employees who meet this low-income criteria. HyVee,
the largest employer, had 361 employees on Medicaid, while Walmart, the
2nd largest employer in the state, had over 800 employees on Medicaid.
As you know, Medicaid funding has been threatend by huge budget cuts on
the federal level which will affect the states ability to fund this
program so it is imperative that we mandate large profitable
corporations to pay their fair share for health care!
Whistle-Blower Protection For Health Care Workers:
Many
nurses and other health care workers were in attendance advocating for
this key piece of legislation to insure that all health care workers
are comfortable reporting unsafe practices without fear of being fired
or punished in some way by their employer. Various personal accounts of
such incidents were shared with legislators, citing examples of being
ostracized or fired for speaking out. There seemed to be broad support
for this legislation. Our hope is that this will pass this legislative
session. ACTION: Please contact your legislators and urge them to support this key protection for our invaluable health care workers.
Quality Affordable Health Care for All - by 2010:
PACG
Health Care forum Leader, Karen Metcalf, reflected on the progress made
that day, "It was a very productive day for those of us who went, not
so much because we were able to change legislators' minds, but because
we learned a lot about the political process and the exercise of
political power in the state. Although we did not specifically deal
with the macro goal of getting coverage for everyone, each of the three
pieces of legislation, in it's own way, does address a micro issue and,
if passed, would certainly be a step forward, rather than backward, as
so much legislation seems to be these days."
Many grassroots organizations across the state are actively advocating for quality, affordable healthcare for all. The prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM) called for the U.S. to implement
universal health care by 2010. According to the January 14, 2004 report, 43,000,000 Americans are uninsured (a conservative estimate), and
lack of health insurance causes 18,000 unnecessary deaths each year in the U.S.
Eighty percent of the uninsured are members of working families; while a quarter
of U.S. workers are not offered health insurance at all, and few Americans can
afford to buy the expensive individual policies.
It
is important that each of us continue to do whatever we can to address
this issue of healthcare for all. Because we believe health care is a right, not a privilege, the PACG Health Care forum has
championed the "Lend A Hand For Health Care" initiative, collecting
18,000 handprints to represent those people who die every year. We have
already acquired handprints from Governor Tom Vilsack, Lt. Governor
Sally Pederson, US Congressman Leonard Boswell, various state
legislators, and our very own Chariman Howard Dean. Outreach to faith
groups and other community organizations is under way in an effort to
expedite and complete this project by year's end. If you would
like more information on how you can assist in this effort contact
Karen Metcalf at karencadfael@aol.com or go to our website, www.qcprogressiveaction.org.
Once we meet our goal of 18,000 handprints, our hope is to take them to the statehouses in Des Moines and Springfield and then to
Washington DC to display them as close as possible to the Capitol Building! Can you manage
to get a visual on that?!
I would like to thank everyone at Democracy For America, Democracy For Iowa, and Iowa For Health Care
for sponsoring a great lobby day in Des Moines! Special thanks for all
the hard work of Kirsten Running, Chris Bonfig, Sally Simpson and all
the other dedicated staff at Iowa For Healthcare for helping to make this a first class event. And to Sara Swisher, kudos for her grace in leadership!
Wednesday, February 15
TOUR Canceled: Back on the Road with Ed Fallon Feb. 16-17
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 15 Feb 2006 11:00 AM CST
 Back on the Road with Ed Fallon Feb. 16-17
*THIS TOUR HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER. 2-16-06
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Ed Fallon will be on the road this Thursday and Friday
unveiling his plan for universal health care in Iowa. This trip will
cover 8 cities and 606 miles in two days. Here’s the itinerary:
Thursday, February 16:
9:00 AM: Des Moines, State Capitol, Legislative Dining Room
11:45 AM: Waterloo, Community Health Clinic
3:15 PM: Dubuque, St. Mark Community Center
6:30 PM: Davenport, United Neighbor Center
Friday, February 17:
9:00 AM: Clinton, Democratic Party Headquarters
11:30 AM: Muscatine, Muscatine Community College, Larson Hall Conference Room
1:30 PM: Iowa City, Memorial Union, University of Iowa
3:30 PM: Cedar Rapids, Community Health Free Clinic
For more information on these events, check out the Fallon for Governor Events page.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Also, Fallon for Governor is currently selling tickets for their March 31
fundraising dinner/dance at the Croatian Center in Des Moines’
southeast side. Tickets are $15 for adults, with children under 12
free, and include live music from at least two bands and Iowa-produced
food.
If you would like to sell tickets for the event, email Ben at Ben_Zachrich@yahoo.com. If you’d like to buy tickets, stop by their office at 1135 10th St in Des Moines (click here for map) or email Ed@Fallonforgovernor.org.
Job Opening: Campaign Organizer, Fallon for Governor
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 15 Feb 2006 04:00 AM CST
 Job Opening: Campaign Organizer, Fallon for Governor
Fallon for Governor is NOW HIRING!
Campaign Organizer
Position to start March 1, 2006
Qualifications:
Experience in electoral or community organizing.
Ability to work 50 hour work weeks (Monday – Saturday)
Motivated to work for progressive candidate
Very well organized.
Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds
Goal oriented with ability to develop flexible strategies for meeting goals.
Good phone skills.
Ability to work cooperatively.
Good computer skills
Job Responsibilities:
With staff input and support, develop and implement new voter registration strategy and absentee ballot program.
With staff input and support, organize Republican and Independent voters to support progressive Democratic candidate.
To apply:
Email your resume and cover letter to FFGKyle@gmail.com or mail to:
Kyle Lobner
c/o Fallon for Governor
1135 10th St.
Des Moines, IA 50314
Monday, February 13
This Week In Media
by
Arron Wings
on Mon 13 Feb 2006 11:00 AM CST
 This Week in Media
PATV.TV
You Don't Know What You Got Til' It's Gone...
Public Access Television is facing a number of battles in the House and Senate.
Today, February 13, is the last day for submitting your concerns to the FCC.
Click here to submit your letter.
Click here for a complete listing of pending legislation.
The
telephone companies want to do away with local video franchise
agreements between local municipalities and video providers.
Local video franchising agreements are the mechanism by which
municipalities ensure that cable and telecommunications companies doing
business within the community are accountable to the local public
interest.
Video
franchise agreements are also the only mechanism that protects and
ensures the existence of Public Access TV channels. We must
ensure that local municipalities have the authority to require local
video franchising.
If you would like
to be part of organized media reform efforts in Iowa, please consider joining
Iowans
for Better Local TV or Rapid Response Iowa.
To find out more, click
here
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