After a balmy start to the New Year, February has blessed us with
deliciously cold weather.  “Real winter,” as I like to call it.
 Lately, I’ve even had to alter my practice of biking to meetings.  Yet
whenever possible, I’ve been walking or busing – slower, but a more
prudent choice on days when the temperature and wind chill combine to
grow tiny icicles on exposed facial hair.  On such days, my stubborn
mind refuses to take global warming seriously.  But sitting by the fire
reading news reports about melting glaciers is enough to reaffirm the
reality of climate change, and to deepen my personal commitment to
working for conservation and sustainability.

Perhaps as evidence
of the intrepid qualities of upper-Midwesterners – who annually face
these long, dark nights and frigid, snowy days in stoic fashion – the
social and political calendar appears busier than I’ve seen it for some
time.

So, this update will give readers a sampling of the events
and initiatives that Lynn and I will be attending and/or promoting.  As
always, we’re interested in your feedback, and would love to hear about
the good work you and your community are tackling.

DAVENPORT DEMOCRATS DINING DELIGHT

Saturday,
February 17, the Scott County Democratic Party hosts its annual Red,
White and Blue Banquet.  It’s in the Starlite Ballroom at the
Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, 2815 W. Locust Street in Davenport.
 “Cocktails” are at 5:30 p.m. with dinner to follow at 6:30.  Featured
speakers include Bruce Braley, John Edwards, Joe Biden and Christy
Vilsack.  Tickets are either $30 or $50, depending on where you want to
sit.  I’ve been to this event two or three times and can attest that
these river folk know how to throw a good party.  Contact Audrey
Linville at (563) 324-7130.

JOHN EDWARDS IN DUBUQUE

Come
in from the cold and join the former U.S. Senator and current
presidential candidate for a town hall forum to discuss his proposal
for universal health care on Sunday, February 18, at 1:00 p.m.  It’ll
be in the Grand River Center at 500 Bell Street in Dubuque.  Contact
the Edwards campaign headquarters at (515) 288-0766.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING, PART ONE

This
deal sounds like a blast.  It’s the third annual “Home Ground: Language
for an American Landscape” symposium, described in promotional material
as “a blend of creative writing, the arts and environmentalism.”  The
three-day event features ongoing workshops, a local-foods potluck,
music, keynote address by Bill McKibben and much more.  It opens on
Sunday, February 18, at 4:00 p.m. with a barn dance at Collegiate
United Methodist Church, 130 S. Sheldon Ave in Ames.  If you want a
really good laugh, know that I plan to personally submit myself to the
rigors of the dance floor.  If you’d like to do your bit to end global
warming as we know it, I’m leaving from Des Moines at 3:00 with room
for four more in my van.  For details, see http://www.iastate.edu/~nscentral/news/2007/feb/wildness.shtml.  
Contact Mary Swander at (515) 294-3373 or mswander@iastate.edu.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING, PART TWO

This
one is coming together well in advance.  It’s called “Sustainable
Living, Renewable Resources and the Future of Iowa,” and it’s scheduled
for October 26 – 28 in Cedar Rapids.  Lynn and I attended a planning
meeting this past week, and were impressed with how far the conference
has progressed.  Over forty groups are involved, with presenters
offering a wide range of expertise.  This event also opens with a big
dance – must be the key to sustainable living – and concludes with an
inter-faith service on Sunday.  Contact Michael Richard at Soyawax@aol.com.

BIRD-DOGGING 101

Hounding
presidential candidates to nail-down their positions on key issues is
every Iowan’s God-given right . . . or at least it has been since the
first Iowa caucuses were held in 1972.  One group doing a bang-up job
of training citizen bird-doggers is Iowans for Sensible Priorities.  
They talk about the need for an intelligent federal budget. Imagine!
 They want Iowans to encourage presidential candidates to commit to
less money for war, more for education, health care, environmental
protection, etc.  If Congress is to address the growing slate of
domestic needs without driving up taxes on working families, the
present allocation of resources must change.  To learn more or to
become an ISP bird-dogger, contact Dave Stone at (515) 244-1207 or dave@sensiblepriorities.org .

VOTER-OWNED IOWA CLEAN ELECTIONS (VOICE)

There’s
an important sub-committee meeting on Monday, February 19, from 12:00
noon until 1:30 p.m. in Room 19 of the State Capitol building in Des
Moines.  Please try to attend! It’d be a great show of grassroots force
to pack the room with Iowans who care deeply about getting big money
out of politics. You can read the proposed bill on-line by going to http://www.legis.state.ia.us/
and typing “HSB 105” in the upper right hand corner of the page.  And
since the legislative schedule is constantly in flux, check with us
first thing Monday morning if you plan to attend, just in case
something changes.

REPLACING JAN MICKELSON

If you
missed my appearance as guest host on the Jan Mickelson Show last
Friday, thanks to pod-casting, you can still suffer through a recording
of the broadcast.  We covered clean elections, semi-pro wrestling, the
deer problem in Cedar Rapids and what it’s like to be a freshman
lawmaker with Representative Ako Abdul-Samad.  If you’d like to hear a
recording of this epic event, in which I finally get the last word,
check out:  http://www.mickelson.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=180853.

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