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Saturday, April 30
Mystery of the Democrats' New Spine
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 30 Apr 2005 10:50 AM CDT
 Mystery of the Democrats' New Spine
Consortiumnews
By Robert Parry
Across
the nation's capital, perplexed political pundits have been rubbing
their chins wondering what has happened to the Democrats, who were
supposed to quiver in fear of the ["victorious"] George W. Bush and his
Republican congressional majority. Instead, the minority party has been
picking - and even winning - some fights.
The
Washington Post said, "Democrats were supposed to enter the 109th
Congress meek and cowed, demoralized by November's election losses and
ready to cut deals with Republicans who threatened further campaigns
against 'obstructionists.' But House and Senate Democrats have turned
that conventional wisdom on its head."
The
mystery is, how did this happen? How did the Democrats find their voice
and gain the upper hand over Bush on a number of issues: Social
Security, his right-wing judicial appointments, the Terri Schiavo case,
Tom DeLay's ethics mess and the John Bolton nomination? What has caused
the Democrats to grow a new spine?
...One explanation for the Democrats’ turnabout is the rise of
progressive media, most notably progressive AM talk radio which has
expanded rapidly over the past several months. Finally, Democratic
leaders can go on sympathetic radio shows and make their case directly
to listeners.
(Click here to read the entire article).
 Iowa Rapid Response needs letter-writers, researchers, readers, and media watchers. Join the Rapid Response-Iowa team.
Volunteer Opportunity: Living Lands and Waters Needs YOU!
by
Linda Thieman
on Sat 30 Apr 2005 04:15 AM CDT
 Volunteer Opportunity: Living Lands and Waters Needs YOU!
Who: Living Lands and Waters, Woodson Spring, Coordinator U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Joe Lundh, Forester
What: Invasive honeysuckle bush removal with the help of local schools and community volunteers
How: Advance registration requested. Please contact Geoff Manis, Living Lands and Waters, at 309-236-5627 to do this.
Why:
The honeysuckle bush is an invasive species that is easily propagated,
holds its leaves longer than most native vegetation, and chokes out
native trees, shrubs and wildflowers from emerging where the
honeysuckle is present. By removing the bushes, root and all, we are
making way for natural regeneration of native species.
This
is part of an ongoing partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
and Living Lands and Waters. In the spring of 2003, the partners
removed two square acres of the bush and planted the newly opened area
with native hardwoods. In 2004, the partners continued the progress,
with more than two acres removed over three weekends. With only a
little more than four acres of honeysuckle needing to be removed,
Living Lands and Waters hopes to conclude this phase of the project in
2005.
Where: Smith’s Island National Recreation Trail, located within the Lock and Dam 14 complex, accessible from Iowa side.
Directions:
From the 74 bridge in Iowa, take River Drive/67N approximately seven
miles until about two miles south of I-80 Bridge. Look for brown sign:
“Lock and Dam 14 Recreation Area“. Take next right turn onto frontage
road, which runs north parallel to 67. Park at the first gravel parking
lot. Follow sidewalk upstream to auxiliary lock chamber. Cross the lock
chamber and follow the path/road. Turn on the gravel path to the left
of the small prairie planting. Cross the footbridge to Smith’s Island.
The total walking distance is one mile. Please call Woodson or Joe if assistance is needed. (numbers below)
When: Saturdays, May 7, 14, 21, and 28. 8:00 AM-4:00 PM all four days unless finished early.
For more details, please contact: Geoff Manis: 309-236-5627, Woodson Spring: 319-457-0007 or Joe Lundh: 309-794-4528.
Volunteers should know that this activity will be physically demanding as well as gratifying as the removal progresses.
Participants
will be expected to wear long pants and closed-toed shoes (no sandals,
please), along with provided safety gear.
Volunteers
should be at least 13 years old and those under age 18 will need to
have a signed permission form to participate. Groups can be
accommodated with advance registration.
Lunch will be provided.
Friday, April 29
New Iowa Political Blog: Iowa Matters
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 29 Apr 2005 06:33 PM CDT
 New Iowa Political Blog: Iowa Matters
Lucas
Forte, the former volunteer coordinator for the Art Small for Senate
campaign, has started up a great new Iowa political blog called Iowa
Matters. Click here to check out the blog for yourself. Or read an excerpt below.
Yepsen Demeans the Debate on the Death Penalty
Has David Yepsen turned into a partisan hack? In his April 26th column “Stop ducking death penalty vote,”
Yepsen calls Democrats “chicken”, “gutless”, and “weaselly.” He even
manages to squeeze in cheap shots at Sen. Grassley’s former opponents,
the judicial filibuster in the US Senate, and the voters in Iowa City.
This type of juvenile name calling hurts the real debate over this
important issue.
If the
death penalty is such a good idea, why didn’t the Republicans bring it
up when they controlled both houses of the state legislature? Only now,
after the tragic [death] of a child, when the passions of the populace
are bent on retribution, do we hear the call to reinstate state
sanctioned killing. As in the Schiavo case, partisans see the
opportunity to exploit a personal tragedy by turning it into a divisive
political wedge.
Yepsen’s
column is emblematic of the current state of political discourse. His
shrill cries drown out discussion on the merits of the death penalty.
They serve only to deride and divide, rather than inform and persuade.
To paraphrase Jon Stewart, when he was confronted with similar
outrageous rhetoric on CNN’s Crossfire: Stop, stop, stop hurting Iowa.
Phase-Out: In Prime Time!
by
Chad Thompson
on Fri 29 Apr 2005 12:45 PM CDT
 Phase-Out: In Prime Time!
We
finally saw a live press conference dealing with the issue of Social
Security, amongst other things. (The highlight of watching it on
NBC was seeing the Q&A session being cut off to make sure The Apprentice aired on time!)
Of
course, the post mortem analysis is being pored over today -
paricularly over the language of "progressive price indexing," which
has been promoted over the last 60 days as a "gentle" benefit cut for
nearly all Social Security recipients, while maintaining that the
poorest of Americans would see no cuts.
That's
fine - but it gets to the root of what the GOP is trying to sell:
that Social Security is "just another government entitlement." As
we've been stating here (and others have elsewhere), Social Security is
not
an entitlement - it's a genuine risk mitigation tool for the vast
majority of Americans who don't have trust funds or large assets to
fall back on.
Josh Marshall's take on the situation:
Social
Security's support of the poorest Americans is a critical part of what
it accomplishes. But Social Security is not poor relief. That is only
what Bush wants to make it - in part because, once it is, it
is far easier to cut further, since it has no organized political
constituency.
Social
Security is the sheet anchor of the modern American middle class. It's
why working Americans can approach retirement with an assurance of
security and a modicum of leisure. It stimulates economic vitality by
creating a floor of security that facilitates economic risk-taking in
investment and business. It's why parents don't have to shortchange
investment in children's education by supporting parents in their old
age. It provides economic security to families hit by catastrophe and
misfortune in mid-life. As I said, it's the sheet anchor of what we've
come to know in the last century as middle class life.
Kevin Drum also points out a CBPP analysis of the progressive indexing ("Pozen") plan, as well as a chart showing what kind of benefit cuts are really being proposed:
Basically,
low income earners ($16K/year) currently get about 49% of their income
replaced by Social Security. Under the Pozen plan, this would stay the
same. Medium income workers ($36K/year), however, would see their
replacement rate fall from 36% to 23% by the year 2100. The replacement
rate for higher income workers ($58K/year) would fall to 14% and for
maximum income workers ($90K/year) to 9%.
That's
pretty substantial - even if it is projected far out into the
future. (It's probably a fairly safe bet that not many alive
today will be collecting Social Security in 2100.)
Of course, missing from the entire conversation was a discussion of how
to pay back the Treasury Bonds held by the SSA - except for vauge
notions that Treasury Bonds held by the SSA are just "pieces of paper
in a filing cabinet", while privately held Treasury Bonds are a safe
investment.
The entire topic of deficit management - which is driving the need to dismiss Treasury Bonds as "IOUs" - was also missing.
Howard Dean to Keynote Iowa Democrats’ Hall of Fame Dinner
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 29 Apr 2005 04:54 AM CDT
 Howard Dean to Keynote Iowa Democrats’ Hall of Fame Dinner
Well, he's finally coming back to Iowa. It's about time.
Governor
Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will
headline the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2005 Hall of Fame Dinner at the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel in Cedar Rapids on June 11th at 7:00 p.m. This will be the first time in its history that the annual awards dinner has been held outside Des Moines.
“We are
very pleased to welcome Governor Dean back to Iowa in his first trip
here as Democratic National Committee Chair,” said Lieutenant Governor
Sally Pederson, Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, sucking up to the
former outcast who is now wholly committed to raising money to pay her
salary. “I can think of no better occasion for Governor Dean to
visit with Iowa Democrats than the night on which we honor our
outstanding grassroots activists and leaders.”
Awards
to be given include the Outstanding Elected Official Hall of Fame
Award, the Outstanding Supporter Hall of Fame Award, the Minette
Doderer Award for Outstanding Leadership, the Jim Lodwick Award for
Outstanding State Central Committee Member (hope that one doesn't go to
Gordon Fischer), the Bob Creech Award for Outstanding Democratic Party
Chair (Dear Lord, please don't let THAT one go to Gordon Fischer - or
does that mean a COUNTY chair?); the Dixon Terry Award for Outstanding
Democratic Party Activist, and the Rising Star Award. The two
winners of the Iowa Democratic Party’s John C. Culver Scholarships will
also be recognized at the dinner.
Reserved
seats for the 2005 Hall of Fame Dinner may be purchased beginning May
2nd, through the Iowa Democratic Party, with details to be posted on
the Iowa Democratic Party Website, www.iowademocrats.org, or available by phone at 515-244-7292.
Thursday, April 28
LAST CHANCE for a voter-verified paper ballot
by
Trish Nelson
on Thu 28 Apr 2005 10:15 PM CDT
 LAST CHANCE for a Voter-Verified Paper Ballot
Act now or you'll miss the LAST CHANCE for a voter-verified paper ballot (VVPB) law to pass in Iowa this session.
Iowa
lawmakers wrap up the legislative session on Friday, April 29. A bill -
S.F.351 - requiring a VVPB for all new electronic voting machines has
already passed the Senate, but the House has not yet acted - and time
is running out.
Iowa
voters have told the Secretary of State that a VVPB for all new voting
equipment coming to Iowa counties is the number one priority - and he
has asked the Iowa House to act. Now it is YOUR chance to make your
voice heard where it counts. Insist that the House State Government
Committee release the bill for a floor vote, and that the legislature
respond to the will of the people of Iowa.
The
Secretary of State gets it. Now make sure your lawmakers get it too.
Insist that S.F.351 come to the floor for a vote, and ask your
Representative in the strongest possible terms to vote for its passage
today.
TAKE ACTION TODAY! Click on this link VerifiedVoting.org Action Center to send your message to your representative.
Cheese Trade Causing Problems For Dairy Farmers
by
Chad Thompson
on Thu 28 Apr 2005 01:39 PM CDT
 Cheese Trade Causing Problems For Dairy Farmers
Some days, you really learn just how dependent we are on trusting others to pay a fair price for goods and services. This article comes by way of A.V. Kreb's Agribusiness Examiner. A group of dairy farmers is protesting the ability of Big Dairy to manipulate prices to the advantage of the buyers.
IT'S A STRUGGLE BETWEEN
SMALL DAIRY FARMERS
AMD MULTINATIONALS IN
MERC CHEDDAR CHEESE PIT
JEREMY GRANT, LONDON FINANCIAL TIMES: Every morning, about 30 people gather in a corner of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to conduct one of the world's most unusual auctions: buying and selling cheddar cheese.
Traders with telephones pressed to their ears shout orders to two men standing in front of a white board, on which they mark up bids and offers. The session is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and probably one of the shortest commodity auctions, never lasting more than 15 minutes.
Cheese trading has carried on largely unnoticed for years, but this week it has become an unexpectedly public battleground in the struggle between small farmers and "big dairy" multinationals.
A coalition of farmers and consumer groups gathered outside the exchange on Monday, many dressed in cow suits, to protest against alleged price manipulation on the market. Their targets were dairy co-operatives such as the Dairy Farmers of America, the largest grouping in the country's second biggest agricultural sector, and multinational food companies such as Kraft Foods.
more »
Darfur Benefit Dinner in Iowa City April 30th
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 28 Apr 2005 03:55 AM CDT
 Darfur Benefit Dinner in Iowa City April 30th
Iowans For Peace and Sudanese Community Services present:
DARFUR BENEFIT DINNER
100% of admissions go to refugee relief in Darfur
SUDANESE CUISINE, SPEAKERS, MUSIC
Saturday, April 30
Wesley Center, 120 N. Dubuque St., Iowa City
MENU (includes many vegetarian options):
Dakwa (tomato, onion, peanut salad)
Ta'amih (Sudanese felafel)
Gima (potato and ground beef dish)
Adas (lentil dish)
Ful (fava bean salad)
Baba ganoush (eggplant salad/dip)
Basbusa (semolina dessert)
Dates
Hibiscus tea
5:30 DOORS OPEN
-- Stop by the information table, drop off material aid donations,
write a postcard calling for action, tie knots on a quilt to be sent to
Sudan
6:00 MEAL SERVED
7:00 SPEAKERS & MUSIC
Elraya
Khalifa, an Iowa City resident for 10 years, was a judge in Northern
Sudan and a colleague of leader Mahmoud Mohammed Taha, who was known as
Sudan's 'Gandhi.'
Kuat
John Afar was displaced during war in Southern Sudan, has taught
displaced and refugee children Arabic and biology, and recently
immigrated to Moline.
It is not yet confirmed, but several refugees from Darfur are also likely to attend the dinner as special guests.
TICKETS (Available in advance or at the door):
$10-15 donation
$7 students and restricted income
Children ages 12 and under admitted free
PLEASE HELP US PLAN BY PURCHASING TICKETS IN ADVANCE!
BEGINNING WED., APRIL 20, TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FROM:
Lori Nelson, 358-1557, ljnelson@avalon.net
Ilham Mohamed, 358-0438 (her work number at the Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood Center)
Greta Anderson, 337-9902, greta@avalon.net
Karen Nichols, 339-8967, karenenichols@gmail.com
Margie Haworth, 643-5438
BENEFICIARIES:
Proceeds
will go to the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker non-profit
organization, to benefit Darfur and southern Sudan refugees and
displaced persons. A small portion (% TBA, maximum 20%) may go to the
local organization Sudanese Community Services, which aids refugees and
asylum-seekers from Sudan. 100% of the ticket price will be donated to
the beneficiaries. If you are unable to attend the dinner, please
consider making a donation.
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH FOOD PREP, SET-UP, SERVING, AND CLEAN-UP.
YOU WILL HAVE FUN AND MEET NEW PEOPLE! Food prep (chopping vegetables,
etc.) volunteers are needed for the afternoon, starting sometime after 1:30. No experience necessary. There will be a small group preparing each dish, with each group directed by a Sudanese cook.
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