By Ed Fallon
Dear Friends,
We hope you enjoyed a restful and thoughtful Independence Day, and that you had some time to think about what “independence” means to Americans. In our work with I’M for Iowa, independence is never far from our minds. We’d like to reflect for a moment on our purpose and mission.
In the 1770s, AmericaÂ’s founders challenged the unjust economic policies of an illegitimate foreign power. In the 1890s, rural Midwesterners fostered a progressive populist movement to reclaim control of their lives and economies from moneyed interests grown greedy and corrupt.
Today, the growing power of corporate lobbyists, special interests and unresponsive politicians threatens the very foundations of our democracy. This threat demands a stronger, more politically engaged grassroots movement committed to the patriotic ideals upon which our nation was founded.
Across Iowa and across the nation, more and more people are fighting to regain control of our government and our country. Here in the heartland, I'M for Iowa is developing a broad network of Iowans working for:
- Independence from special-interest campaign contributions.
- Independence from poverty, injustice and discrimination.
- Independence from fossil fuels.
- Independence from government subsidies for big business, from risky ventures that waste our tax dollars while failing to deliver on promises of economic prosperity, and from national chains that exert a stranglehold on our communities.
- Independence from government officials who operate without the publicÂ’s interest in mind, often behind closed doors, and with a lack of integrity and accountability.
Also, with the reauthorization of the federal Farm Bill underway in Congress, we encourage you to contact IowaÂ’s Congressmen and Senators to tell them you want local foods, small farmers, sustainable agriculture and conservation to play a central role in the new Farm Bill. For more information, contact Wendy Wasserman with Edible Iowa River Valley at www.edibleiowarivervalley.com.
And thanks to all who took time to contact Governor Culver last week about jumping on the “no new coal plants” bandwagon. Please share any responses you get with us.
Sincerely,
Ed Fallon and Lynn Heuss
UPCOMING EVENTS (most of which weÂ’ll be at)
Saturday, July 7 (Decorah)
Greg Brown benefit concert for Seed Savers Heritage Farm
3094 North Winn Road, 7:00 p.m.
(tickets are $20 in advance, $25 the day of the concert)
Contact www.seedsavers.org
Saturday, July 7 (all of Iowa and well beyond)
Party for the Planet
Millions of people around the world are gathering in small groups to watch a special preview of presidential candidates answering questions on climate change.
Contact http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=86
Tuesday, July 10 – Wednesday, July 11 (Ames)
Leopold Center Twentieth Anniversary Celebration
Scheman Building, ISU Campus
Register on-line at www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/leopold/home.html
Contact Laura Miller at lwmiller@iastate.edu
Friday, July 13 – Saturday, July 14 (Des Moines)
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Statewide Convention
Hotel Fort Des Moines, 10th and Walnut
Contact (515) 284-0484 or www.iowacci.org
Saturday, July 14 (Ankeny)
SWINE: IowaÂ’s Premier Pork and Wine event
Des Moines Area Community College
2006 Ankeny Blvd., 4:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Admissi on is $20 in advance, $25 at the door
Contact www.swinefestival.com
Monday, July 16 (Marshalltown)
Ed Fallon will address Marshalltown Community College students on poverty
Further details pending
Saturday, July 28 (Mount Vernon)
1000 Friends of Iowa Annual Meeting
Enabling Sustainable Development for Iowa: What it means for food, land and people
(followed by a walking tour of downtown Mount Vernon)
Cornell College Commons, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Contact http://www.kfoi.org/kfoi_meeting.php
Thursday, August 2 – Sunday, August 5 (Ames to Des Moines)
March to Re-Energize Iowa
Building a clean energy economy for real global warming solutions
A project of the Sierra Student Coalition
Contact www.climatesummer.org
