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Thursday, April 9
Call to Action: Don't Let The Haters Bully Us re Gay Marriage!
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 09 Apr 2009 08:34 AM CDT
Call to Action: Don't Let The Haters Bully Us re Gay Marriage!
 You've probably received a robocall from Iowa's former Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson about One Iowa's campaign to fight the lobbyists/haters who are trying to bully the Iowa legislature into allowing a vote on an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment.
Don't let the haters bully those of us who are socially tolerant!
Please contact your legislators now. Here's a quick and easy webform set up by One Iowa. Just enter your name and address and your Iowa legislators names will pop up for you. Thank you.
Click here.
Saturday, April 4
Iowa Continues To Be A Leader In Guaranteeing Civil Rights
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 04 Apr 2009 05:00 AM CDT
Iowa Continues To Be A Leader In Guaranteeing Civil Rights
 Friends,
We are at the forefront of history not only in Iowa but in the country. Please join me today in celebrating equal rights for all Iowans.
Senator Mike Gronstal, Iowa Senate Majority LeaderApril 3, 2009
This is a joint statement from Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy on [Friday's] Supreme Court decision:
"Thanks to today's decision, Iowa continues to be a leader in guaranteeing all of our citizens' equal rights.
"The court has ruled today that when two Iowans promise to share their lives together, state law will respect that commitment, regardless of whether the couple is gay or straight.
"When all is said and done, we believe the only lasting question about today's events will be why it took us so long. It is a tough question to answer because treating everyone fairly is really a matter of Iowa common sense and Iowa common decency.
"Today, the Iowa Supreme Court has reaffirmed those Iowa values by ruling that gay and lesbian Iowans have all the same rights and responsibilities of citizenship as any other Iowan.
"Iowa has always been a leader in the area of civil rights.
"In 1839, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected slavery in a decision that found that a slave named Ralph became free when he stepped on Iowa soil, 26 years before the end of the Civil War decided the issue.
"In 1868, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated "separate but equal" schools had no place in Iowa, 85 years before the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same decision.
"In 1873, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled against racial discrimination in public accommodations, 91 years before the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same decision.
"In 1869, Iowa became the first state in the union to admit women to the practice of law.
"In the case of recognizing loving relationships between two adults, the Iowa Supreme Court is once again taking a leadership position on civil rights.
"Today, we congratulate the thousands of Iowans who now can express their love for each other and have it recognized by our laws."
Peace and Progress,
Senator Mike Gronstal
Friday, April 3
Iowa Supreme Court Declares Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 03 Apr 2009 11:50 AM CDT
Iowa Supreme Court Declares Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
 Dear Iowa, You Make Us Proud!
According to the New York Times, Iowa has become just the third state in the nation to approve same-sex marriage. The decision came down today when the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a 1998 law prohibiting gay marriage was unconstitutional.
From the New York Times:
“The Iowa statute limiting civil marriage to a union between a man and a woman violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution,” the justices said in a summary of their decision.
And later in the ruling, they said: “Equal protection under the Iowa Constitution is essentially a direction that all persons similarly situated should be treated alike. Since territorial times, Iowa has given meaning to this constitutional provision, striking blows to slavery and segregation, and recognizing women’s rights. The court found the issue of same-sex marriage comes to it with the same importance as the landmark cases of the past.”
Read the complete story here.
And from the Chicago Tribune:
Bryan English, a spokesman for the Iowa Family Policy Center, which opposes same-sex marriage, said many Iowans are disappointed with the ruling.
"I would say the mood is one of mourning right now in a lot of ways," English said.
Yes, if you don't count all that jubilation!
Iowa is now officially more progressive than California.
Take THAT, California!
And to think, we launched the national campaign of Barack Obama, too!
Is there nothing we can't do? We have the power!
Tuesday, February 3
Blog for Iowa's Lead Balloon Award Goes to . . . The Sioux City City Council
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 03 Feb 2009 05:00 AM CST
Blog for Iowa's Lead Balloon Award Goes to . . . The Sioux City City Council
 by Linda Thieman
According to the Sioux City Journal, the Sioux City city council has taken a vote on whether or not marriage should be defined as a union between two individuals of the opposite sex and determined that yes, this anti-gay resolution should be included as part of the overwhelming number of things that prevent people and businesses from moving to the likes of this stinky town.
In honor of the anti-gay-marriage vote's passing 3 to 2, Blog for Iowa is awarding only our second Lead Balloon Award ever--the first going to those massive polluters over at MidAmerican Energy Company. Come to think of it, they stink up Sioux City, too.
Thursday, January 29
Can't Let this Hot Potato Drop: Sioux City vs. Gay Marriage
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 29 Jan 2009 05:00 AM CST
Can't Let this Hot Potato Drop: Sioux City vs. Gay Marriage
 KCAUTV.com
A Sioux City city council member is once again raising the hot topic of gay marriage.
This comes a month after an attempt to define marriage as a union between a man and a women.
On December 15th, the Sioux City City Council voted to defer a same-sex marriage resolution proposed by Councilman Brent Hoffman. Now, Councilman Dave Ferris has vowed to give the discussion a second chance, [saying he will bring up the issue at this Monday's council meeting.]
First deferred to seek the Attorney General's opinion on whether the council could take such an action, Ferris says he doubts that motion will see any follow through.
Therefore, he's taking action to make sure the issue doesn't fade away.
"I think in all fairness, it was brought up and it needs to be voted on. It can't get pushed under the table and dodged because no one wants to talk about it," says Ferris.
Blog for Iowa begs to differ. With the five-member council split 2-2 on the issue, Ferris is, and always has been, the deciding vote. It was Ferris whose vote tabled the ridiculous waste-of-time motion in the first place. And now he seems hell-bent on bringing this massively intrusive and divisive issue back to the city council--a governing body that has no jurisdiction over the issue whatsoever. Blog for Iowa calls on Mr. Ferris and Mr. Hoffman to table this shockingly intolerant behavior and get back to doing the job they were elected to do.
Wednesday, January 7
Iowan on FCC Reform Panel to Advise Obama Transition Team
by
Trish Nelson
on Wed 07 Jan 2009 05:00 AM CST
Iowan on FCC Reform Panel to Advise Obama Transition Team
 As promised, Blog for Iowa intends to make reforming the broken media our new hobby! And as previously reported here, we have reason to believe that the Obama administration intends to be media reform friendly.
Iowa's own Nicholas Johnson, a former FCC Commissioner, was a panelist this week at a C-Span covered conference on Reforming the Federal Communications Commmission. For details of the Washington, DC conference, its participants and video links, go to Nick's blog, FromDC2Iowa. BFIA brings you a brief excerpt.
Can We Reform the FCC? "Yes We Can!"
by Nicholas Johnson
The purpose of the FCC conference is to provide the Obama Transition Team with some suggestions regarding reforms of the FCC's organization, management, process and administrative procedure - a subject that turns out to be much more interesting, and significant for the U.S. economy (among other things) than one might first suspect.
Yesterday's (January 5) effort, held at the National Press Club before an overflow crowd, was only the beginning of....a Web site, FCC-reform.org, with papers presented for the conference and ongoing discussion.
The event was organized....by two leading telecommunications public advocates, Gigi Sohn....president and founder of Public Knowledge, which is offering the transition team some suggestions for substantive FCC policies as well (open broadband; balanced copyright; nondiscriminatory text messaging).... and Phil Weiser, professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the executive director of its Silicon Flatirons: A Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship.
The panel on which I participated, "Historical Perspectives on the Federal Communications Commission," or "The Past as Prologue: Lessons From History on the Road to Reform" was moderated by Phil, whose substantial paper (soon to be available on the Web site) was the focus of the conference.
Here is the C-SPAN main page for the panel; and this is a link to the C-SPAN video [where you may also buy the DVD for $29.95].
And for a blogger's running report of participants' comments see also Mehan Jayasuriya, "Liveblog: Reforming the FCC," at PublicKnowledge.org.
11:15 am - Nick Johnson: "The point is that to break out of this cocoon, you need to look beyond the filings, the court decisions, the trade press...you need to reach beyond that, to read the academic material, the blogs, the general press...to read widely about relevant issues that concern the FCC, pieces that no staffer is going to bring you, that no lobbyist is going to bring you..."
Media Reform Now!
Saturday, January 3
Jim Hightower to speak to American Corn Growers in Coralville
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 03 Jan 2009 05:00 AM CST
Jim Hightower to be Keynote Speaker at American Corn Growers Association Convention in Coralville
 ACGA.Org
The American Corn Growers Association (ACGA) announces its 22nd Annual Convention in Coralville, IA, January 15-16, 2009 at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
Straight out of Texas, author and populist Jim Hightower, as keynote speaker, will deliver his seriously funny message calling farmers, consumers and just-plain-folks to get involved and make a difference in their own lives and communities. ACGA promises to deliver must-have education and new insights on policies and practices that impact you and your community, with well-known guest speakers from your neighborhood and around the country. Click here to register.
Jim Hightower is a New York Times best-selling author, and has written several books including, [the one I have read which was great], Thieves In High Places: They've Stolen Our Country And It's Time To Take It Back. Other Hightower books: If the Gods Had Meant Us To Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates; and There's Nothing In the Middle Of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos. [I read his columns at MinutemanMedia.org].
**BFIA ACTION ALERT**
Hightower broadcasts daily radio commentaries that are carried on more than 150 commercial and public stations, on the web, and on Radio for Peace International but are NOT AVAILABLE IN IOWA, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE BROADCAST IN MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN, ILLINOIS, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, MICHIGAN, AND INDIANA. Would you like to fix this unacceptable circumstance and expand the reach of progressive politics and ideas in Iowa? Here's one way - get Jim on your local airwaves. IF Indiana can do it, surely Iowa can. Yes, we can!
If you want to begin hearing Hightower's daily two-minute commentaries on your local radio station, here's what to do:
- Contact the station's general manager or program director.
- Have them check out the Hightower web site for a sample of Hightower's commentaries. If it's a commercial station, the commentaries are bartered, (they're free, with the agreement that the station air the national commercials attached to them).
- If it's a public/community station, the commentaries are free with the agreement that the station air the 10-second underwriting announcement attached to them. The five commentaries are available each week as mp3 downloads or on CD.
For more information on how to get Jim on your local airwaves, call Laura Ehrlich at (512) 477-5588, extension #1 or drop her an email via the Contact page.
Tuesday, December 23
Democracy Now! Discusses Vilsack Nomination for Agriculture Secretary
by
Trish Nelson
on Tue 23 Dec 2008 05:00 AM CST
Democracy Now! Discusses Vilsack Nomination for Agriculture Secretary
 DemocracyNow.org
A courageous journalist and champion of media reform, Amy Goodman is not the least bit shy about reporting on stolen elections, military contractors or mysterious plane crashes. Today's topic is slightly less exotic but as usual, Amy and Juan Gonzales have done their homework.
I try to watch DemocracyNow! every day. In Iowa City, PATV channel 18 airs it twice daily at 7 am and 11 am. You can also get DN on TV in Sioux City on Siouxland Community Media Channel 12 at 7 am, 11 am, and 9 pm M-F; and Waterloo on WCTV Ch. 17 at 7 am, 11am & 11pm M-Th; on the radio in Ames at Experiment FM, 102.1 at 5pm M-F; and Grinnell at KDIC 88.5 FM at Noon M-F.
If you don't have DN where you live but would like to, there is a page at their website devoted to helping communities add DN to their local stations. Often, stations add programming to their schedules simply in response to requests from the community, so call and get your friends to call your local TV or radio stations. DemocracyNow! is an incredible resource for truth.
Recently, on DN, Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez discussed Tom Vilsack’s nomination for Secretary of Agriculture with Ronnie Cummins of the Organic Consumers Association and Brian Moore of the National Audubon Society.
(Click here to read, stream, or download the entire conversation).
JUAN GONZALEZ: As Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack will manage a staff of more than 105,000 and a budget of more than $95 billion.
From 1999 to 2007, Vilsack served as the Democratic governor of Iowa. After a brief run for the presidency in 2007, he worked as an attorney for a corporate law firm that has represented food giants Cargill and ConAgra. He is a strong backer of biofuels and genetically engineered crops. In 2001, the Biotechnology Industry Organization named Vilsack Governor of the Year. On the issue of farm subsidies, he has supported reducing government subsidies of factory farms.
This is part of what Tom Vilsack said on Wednesday after being nominated to be Agriculture Secretary.
TOM VILSACK: As a small-town lawyer, I had the responsibility of helping farm families during tough economic times. I know these people. America’s farmers and ranchers deserve a Secretary of Agriculture that respects them for the contribution they make to all of us every day. I hope to be that secretary. I look forward to working with congressional leaders who share the President-elect’s vision of bringing hope to rural America, of being good stewards of our natural resources, of providing American leadership on climate change, and making America a nation truly dedicated to health and nutrition.
AMY GOODMAN: Brian Moore, let’s begin with you. What do you think of Governor Vilsack as the pick for Secretary of Agriculture?
BRIAN MOORE: We’re encouraged by the pick of Governor Vilsack, and for various reasons. First of all, we believe it’s someone we can work with. This governor, as governor and as a presidential candidate, has said he would like to reduce global warming emissions by 70 percent by 2050, a nice environmental position, conservation position on reducing global warming gases. He’s also been a supporter of changing the large subsidy scale, large subsidy system, within the Department of Agriculture and, in fact, moving some of that money to the natural resources conservation programs that they run.
JUAN GONZALEZ: … do you have any concern about his close relationship with some of these huge agribusiness companies? For instance, he’s been known to fly on Monsanto jets on more than one occasion.
BRIAN MOORE: Well, it’s an interesting question… I understand agriculture, while agribusiness is something different. And I believe it’s important to have a Secretary of Agriculture that understands the agriculture system in the United States, and agribusiness is part of that. So the assumption that the nominee for the Secretary of Agriculture is in bed with these people, I’m not sure about it. My assumption is that this is someone from a farm state who understands agriculture and, more importantly for me, understands conservation, understands the need to reduce greenhouse gases.
AMY GOODMAN: Ronnie Cummins, while the Audubon Society is applauding the choice of Governor Vilsack as Agriculture Secretary, he still has to go through the confirmation process in the Senate. What are your plans?
RONNIE CUMMINS: We’ve started an online campaign at stopvilsack.org. We need to send a message from hundreds of thousands of organic consumers and sustainable-minded Americans to Obama, to the Senate and to Vilsack, that we want big change, not small change, and that we need to start moving this country toward an energy-efficient, carbon-sequestering, healthy food and farming system that is organic and in transition to organic. We don’t need these biofuels. We don’t need genetically engineered crops. We need to take the climate crisis, the public health crisis, the food crisis seriously and do something about it. We need major change, not small change.
Goodman also noted that if
Vilsack is confirmed, it will be the first time that both the
Agriculture Secretary and the Senate Agriculture Committee chair are
both Iowans.
For more reactions to the Vilsack nomination, check out Bleeding Heartland.
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