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Friday, January 30
Inauguration Day Revisited: Photos of Iowa Reception in DC
by
Trish Nelson
on Fri 30 Jan 2009 11:07 PM CST
Inauguration Day Revisited: Photos of Iowa Event in DC
 The "good news" for the purple and blue ticket holders was that we did not have to fight our way through crowds after the ceremony, to get to the Dirksen Bldg. for a reception hosted by the Iowa Congressional delegation minus Steve King and Tom Latham. Here are the early arrivals, many swapping stories of ticket line horrors. Later, the room will be packed and overflowing. Senator
Harkin spoke first and had to talk fast then bolt back to the Capitol
to help get Vilsack confirmed for Secretary of Agriculture.
 Congressman Bruce Braley takes a turn while Rep. Dave Loebsack and Sen. Chuck Grassley look on. I'm not sure what Braley was saying, but Loebsack seemed to find it humorous. The Dems were very welcoming and respectful to Grassley, the lone brave Republican.
L-R, Rep. Leonard Boswell, Sen. Chuck Grassley, Rep. Dave Loebsack, Rep. Bruce Braley The group who made the trip minus Tammy and Carla who were so exhausted by the time they pushed their way through the crowds after the swearing-in, they went straight back to the hotel to watch the parade on TV. L-R Ellen, Trish, Arron, Kirk, Carl Tammy and Carla on January 19th, the day before the inauguration, checkiing out the silver section where they would successfully pass through the screening the next day and witness Barack Obama take the oath of office. Way to go, ladies!
For more photos taken by Iowans in DC for the inauguration, check back - we have more to come. Also, check out our previous live-blogs during inauguration week and follow the continuing drama of the hapless blue, purple and silver ticket holders. We'll keep you updated on breaking details of the investigation being conducted by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Capitol police.
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 28
The Obstructed View ~ Education for Education's Sake
by
Sam Osborne
on Wed 28 Jan 2009 05:00 AM CST
The Obstructed View ~ Education for Education's Sake
 Random thoughts from an idle mind for the beginning of 2009
by Sam Osborne
Is education nothing more than a tool of economics, but without the bailout?
American workers have not lost their jobs to the well educated that work in sweat shops in low-standard-of-living lands. And, the idea that we are going to educate our way out of our current economic mess is pure myth.
We should run our schools as places that enrich the lives of our children and not as factories that turn out standardized parts to fit into business and industry. What will kids do with the gift of a good education? We better not have any idea - if we do, we have entered reductive times in which each generation is going to be no smarter then the dumb assed adults that are running the one that they inherited.
Our economic system is sick. Not because it is not running well, it is sick because it IS a terminal form of cancer that eats up our resources and our people in the production of things that are acquired and soon hauled off to the landfill to make room for more of the same. It is time to move to a rich culture based upon quality of life over the insane production of life consuming and environment polluting things.
It would be nice to see our government put money into education for our children’s sake. Pouring more into the greedy hands of those at the top of the economic pile will only increases the quagmire debt that has already been run up. Trickle-down economics has once again failed to produce what a mass-consumption market runs on, middle and working class consumers.
None of the businesses, which have been operated by the current crop of profiteers, folded because they were over taxed or because the huge pile of private capital dried up. The resources were skimmed off in huge bonuses and paper-profit Ponzi schemes. Yes it went somewhere, maybe into Swiss bank accounts.
The 700 billion dollar bailout (with more to come) is damning testament to the myth that economic elitists should not be heavily taxed because they will invest their great gains in creating good jobs for working Americans.
Class warfare? You bet and where is the nearest enlistment office to sign up - it would be great to serve in an outfit commanded by Michael Moore.
Sam
Osborne, former editorial writer and Opinion Page Editor,
Iowa City Press-Citizen; former college professor and Business Department chair,
Ellsworth Community College; and currently out to pasture drinking too much
coffee. His commentary, The Obstructed View, will appear on these blog pages weekly, more or less.
Monday, January 26
Iowans Demand Legislators Put People First
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 26 Jan 2009 09:27 PM CST
Everyday People to Rally for "People First" Legislation Jan. 27 in Des Moines
 As a kickoff to the start of the legislative session, hundreds of members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) will rally to urge lawmakers to put people first.
Please join us for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement's January 27, 2009 Rally & Lobby Day
"People Before Polluters. People Before Politics. People Before Profits."
These people first issues include:
- Protecting Iowans' air, water and quality of life through local control of factory farms.
- Protecting all Iowans regardless of immigration status.
- Protecting homeowners and consumers - declare an economic emergency and put a moratorium on foreclosures.
- Give everyday Iowans a voice and reduce the influence of big money through Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections (VOICE).
CCI members will push their state leaders to address critical issues like local control, clean elections, the rights of all workers and homeowner protections. This event will demonstrate that everyday Iowans will be holding lawmakers accountable during the legislative session as they determine which bills survive through the first funnel.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement is a group of everyday people who talk, act and get things done on issues that matter most. With thousands of members from all walks of life - urban and rural, black and white, immigrants and lifelong Iowans - CCI has been tackling tough issues and getting things done for more than 30 years.
For more information, contact: Kristin Schaaf, ICCI
Sunday, January 25
Update for Iowans with Purple or Blue Tickets: Redress Being Discussed
by
Trish Nelson
on Sun 25 Jan 2009 12:14 PM CST
Update for Iowans with Purple or Blue Tickets: Redress Being Discussed
 According to WaPo's Sleuth, redress for disenfranchised ticket holders is being talked about.
After offering to give personal tours of the Capitol to compensate those who were left out in the cold on Tuesday, Senate
Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer, [Congress's top law enforcement
official who was in charge of security at President Obama's swearing-in
ceremony] told the Sleuth, "I heard from someone in the tunnel who was insulted by my offer....I'm not sure what it will take, but we're open to suggestions," he said.
One idea being floated loosely on Capitol Hill by a group of House senior aides who are bearing the brunt of complaints from furious and disappointed constituents is to have some type of event for the screwed purple and blue ticket holders at the White House, a chance for the brokenhearted to see Obama.
Gainer said he hadn't heard that idea, but would be happy to discuss that or other options.
(Click here to read the entire article).
The "decidedly unhelpful" Committee Chair, Dianne Feinstein, has arranged for ticket holders to receive a special souvenir packet including the inaugural program and photos of Obama and Biden (uh...I think we already have those - they came with the tickets). But some feel this won't exactly cut it.
For some great drama, check out this video link of the tunnel and the chaos in the streets and at the gates. Or you can google "purple and blue ticket holders." There is plenty of video out there.
If you were a purple ticket holder, click on the link to the facebook group, "Survivors of the Purple Tunnel of Doom." There are over 5000 members now. Their founders have met with Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer, who now acknowledges the so-called "purple tunnel of doom" on inauguration day was a "major security breach." They will likely have the most up to date info.
While purple ticket holders are getting a little more attention for their extra hardship of having had to wait inside a dark, damp tunnel designed for cars, blue ticket holders otherwise have a near-identical story. Here is a link to one of the best videos we've found showing the travails of the Blues. Jeff Wheeland, who made the video must have been standing about the same place we were. His timeline and story are almost exactly like ours.
As always, if you know any disenfranchised ticket holders, please pass this information on to them.
Saturday, January 24
Ticketgate: Inauguration Security Fiasco: Iowa Blue and Purple Ticket Holders Among Disenfranchised
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 24 Jan 2009 11:52 PM CST
Ticketgate: Inauguration Security Fiasco - Iowa Blue and Purple Ticket Holders Among Disenfranchised
 I do not know how many Iowans were holders of blue and purple tickets to the inauguration that were denied admission, but I have personally spoken with several, so there must be quite a few. The Sunday Wapo will run an article, Inaugural Missteps and Miscalculations, a rather disturbing account of what was a rather disturbing day for thousands.
"We were fortunate that something worse didn't happen, that there weren't injuries," he [Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance W. Gainer] said after meeting with the creators of the Facebook site "Survivors of the Purple Tunnel of Doom" - referring to the many holders of purple tickets for a designated viewing area who were stuck in the tunnel. The Facebook site has more than 5,000 members. [I could not embed the link but it's easy to find on Facebook].
HuffPo is accepting accounts from ticket holders.
If you do not happen to be a disenfranchised Inauguration ticket holder, it is still worthwhile to read the accounts on the Congress.Org survey page. What happened was an outrage, not only because of my or anyone else's personal disappointment, but because it would seem that the safety of the President was compromised.
Here is one account that caught my eye, posted on Congress.Org on Saturday at, 1/24/09 4:56 PM
"WHY WAS PRESIDENT OBAMA LEFT UNPROTECTED? I sprained my ankle two days before the inauguration, so I was limping along with the aid of a walker. The crowd was exceptionally good-natured, and the whole chaotic and frightening scenario we endured has been well described by many others here. My main complaint is that President Obama was not given the protection he deserves. Just before noon security broke down completely at the Silver Gate near Fed Ctr and a large crowd of thousands of silver ticket holders peacefully moved into the restricted silver area. No one frisked us, checked us for explosives or weapons, checked for IDs or tickets - nothing. I was appalled. As I walked through, I looked all around and saw NO security presence in the crowd. I personally was wearing three pairs of wool pants, 4 sweaters, and an ankle-length heavy coat. I could have hidden almost anything under all that bulk. As I stood so close to the presidential dais, I asked WHO IS PROTECTING OUR PRESIDENT!?!"
This was just one of over 250 anecdotes now on the Congress.Org survey page. If you know anyone who was a ticket holder and did not get in, please pass this information on. The more people tell their stories, the greater the likelihood that a real investigation into what happened can occur.
Call to action from the Blue Ticket Facebook page:
Go to: Congress.Org. Please go to this page RIGHT NOW and use the email address provided, editor@Congress.org AND fill out the survey. Congress wants to hear from us!!!
WE NEED TO TELL CONGRESS WHAT HAPPENED!
Appparently what we fill out there is accessible to every member of Congress, as well as every Administration person - FILL OUT THE SURVEY AND COMMENT NOW!
Fill out the response section on the survey as much as you can - But be careful not to include your private info. because the responses and results of the survey are open to public review.
Give Congress your private information and your story through the email to the editor@Congress.org - I sent them exactly what I sent to the committee.
Go to this link: congress.org and click on "Read More" (Did you try to attend the inauguration ... Read More)
Friday, January 23
More Inauguration Photos
by
Trish Nelson
on Fri 23 Jan 2009 09:14 PM CST
More Inauguration Photos
 Here are more photos from DC. We couldn't leave town without getting a photo of the Obama White House. So here it is. You've heard people who have lost a loved one say they need to actually see the body to have closure; we needed to actually see the Obama White House to know that Bush & Cheney are really gone.
Not ones to waste any time, CODEPINK held a rally outside the White House on Wednesday, before they even had the bleachers and parade viewing box taken down. CODEPINK, a women's anti-war group, was born out of a "desperate desire to stop the Bush administration from invading Iraq."
 Well, the view could have been worse. This is about how things looked from the Hubert Humphrey Health & Human Services Bldg. near the Blue Gate waiting area, where we stood after being denied access to our assigned location. Not that we're complaining...we were truly just grateful to be there. It helped to remind ourselves why we were celebrating.
Okay,
we tried to be philosophical about it, but on Wednesday we could not
resist going back to the Blue Section where we were supposed to be. As best as we
could figure, we could have been somewhere around here. (The Blue Section was situated right behind the chairs on the south side).
 The Blue section was fairly large. Realistically, it could have looked more like this, depending on what time we arrived, had things happened in an orderly fashion, which they obviously did not.
We saw crews beginning to take down the miles of portable fences and crowd barriers the day after. One would have thought there would be an army of workers out there, making short work of it, but we saw just a few guys here and there, as in this photo.
We'll have at least one more batch of photos of inauguration coverage - the Iowa reception at the Dirksen Senate Office Building - we'll have shots of the entire Iowa delegation including Senators Harkin and Grassley, Congressmen Loebsack, Braley, and Boswell, and minus Steve King. We're still working out some technical difficulties uploading those photos.
Thursday, January 22
Sen. Feinstein Calls for Ticket Investigation and Asks Participants for Information
by
Trish Nelson
on Thu 22 Jan 2009 06:19 AM CST
Sen. Feinstein Calls for Ticket Investigation and Asks Participants for Information
Editor's note: Stay tuned for a few more photos of the inaugural journey, including the Iowa Congressional delegation at the reception on Tuesday.
UPDATE: Click here for the front page story with video in today's Washington Post
As reported yesterday on BFIA and the Rachel Maddow show last night, several thousand inaugural ticket-holders including three members of our party were denied entry to the inauguration on Tuesday. Last night, the JCCIC made a statement that we received via e-mail. Here it is below, followed by another statement by Dianne Feinstein, committee chair, calling for an investigation. Dianne Feinstein included contact information for anyone with details about what happened, so if you were a purple or blue ticket holder or know someone who was left standing out in the cold, you can write to the committee here: feedback@jccic.senate.gov.
Statement from the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
 Washington, DC—The 56th Inaugural Swearing-in Ceremony was the largest event in Washington, DC history. Months of planning by the staffs of the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the United States Secret Service resulted in an extraordinarily successful and peaceful event that was enjoyed by well more than a million people.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies deeply regrets that some ticket holders to the ceremonies were not able to get to their ticketed sections, primarily in the purple and blue zones. The number of tickets issued for these sections was based on historic precedent, and calculations of the number of guests that could safely be accommodated in each area.
Many of the problems appear to have been due to the unprecedented crowds, and a huge flow of unticketed people toward the U.S. Capitol and into the 3rd Street Tunnel from the National Mall, after it had reached capacity very early that morning and was closed to additional unticketed entries.
The JCCIC, U.S. Capitol Police and our federal and local partners will thoroughly examine every aspect of our planning including ticketing, screening, pedestrian flows, gate numbers and placement, to provide a foundation of lessons learned to future inaugural planners, so that they have the information they need to prevent similar problems.
We realize how important this inauguration was to so many people and the difficulties they endured to get here, so once again we deeply apologize to those guests who were not admitted.
Sen. Feinstein Calls for Ticket Investigation and Asks Participants for Information
Washington, DC—U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, today issued the following statement in response to reports of incidents which prevented a large number of ticketholders from reaching their designated areas at the 56th Presidential Inaugural Ceremony:
Senator Feinstein Statement on Incidents at 56th Presidential Inaugural Ceremony
“I have just spoken with Mark Sullivan, Director of the Secret Service, and I have asked him to convene along with the U.S. Capitol Police, all law enforcement and other parties involved in planning for this Inaugural to conduct a prompt investigation into two serious incidents that have been reported. These reports have prompted great concern by members of the Inaugural Committee, including Senator Bob Bennett, and by Congress in general.
The specific incidents include the report that a decision was made to cut off access to Purple and Blue standing areas, which meant that a large number of ticketholders could not reach their designated areas.
I am also aware of the incident involving the 3rd Street Tunnel, where thousands of people were stuck for several hours and apparently without any law enforcement presence.
There may have also been other irregularities, but I have heard enough to know that something went wrong and we need to find out what happened. Mr. Sullivan has indicated that he will provide a full report.
I would encourage people who have direct information about these incidents to contact the Secret Service, in addition to contacting the Joint Congressional Committee for Inaugural Ceremonies at feedback@jccic.senate.gov.â€
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