Author Archives: Paul Deaton

Taking Seeds From The Prairie

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Paul Deaton

Is it wrong to collect seeds from a prairie restoration project for use in a home garden or another prairie restoration project? I posed the question on social media. While the responses weren’t that many, they were a unanimous yes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Organizing The Organizers

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Paul Deaton

The Democratic Party seems on the brink of descent into a primal ooze as we now debate political staffers forming unions in campaigns. What’s there to debate? Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg gets the overarching policy right. “Freedom means the ability … Continue reading →

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Jimmy Carter And Prejudice Against Women

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Paul Deaton

On Jan. 19, 1976, the day of the Iowa precinct caucuses that started Jimmy Carter on a path from relative obscurity to becoming the Democratic nominee for president, I was in U.S. Army Basic Training at Fort Jackson, S.C. I … Continue reading →

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Politics In Isolation

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Paul Deaton

It must be hard for out of state political organizers to penetrate the shield of work, family and friends behind which many Iowans spend most of their time. That’s especially true as the large field of presidential candidates self-sorts in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020 election campaign | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Why Racism?

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Paul Deaton

Racism is a feature of the Trump administration geared toward activating marginal voters who support his racist statements to get them to vote to elect Republicans, posits Thom Hartmann in the clip below. “When Trump said this he knew exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020 election campaign | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What’s Wrong With Our Food System?

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Paul Deaton

There is a strong argument nothing is wrong with our food system. There is a strong argument everything is wrong with our food system. To talk about a “food system” at all presumes a lot that may or may not … Continue reading →

Posted in Local Food | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Data Points To Corporate Influence

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Paul Deaton

Is the Ohio federal court’s recent release of Drug Enforcement Agency data about manufacture and distribution of oxycodone and hydrocodone pills significant? Maybe. I found last week’s Washington Post presentation of scrubbed data engaging for the ten minutes or so … Continue reading →

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A Climate Action For Every Iowan

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Paul Deaton

Iowa Public Television devoted its weekly Iowa Press program to climate change. Dr. Gene Takle, Professor Emeritus at Iowa State University and Dr. David Courard-Hauri, Professor and Director of the Environmental Science and Policy Program at Drake University faced reporters … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Environment | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Getting Attention On Climate Change

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Paul Deaton

Ed Fallon is a friend of Blog for Iowa and we support what he does with his radio program and his advocacy against oil and natural gas pipelines in Iowa. He caught the attention of Democrats in Cedar Rapids last … Continue reading →

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Algae And The Politics Of Denial

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Paul Deaton

During his July 8 speech on the environment, the president mentioned his administration’s fight with “toxic algae” in Florida 50 miles from his Mar-a-Lago resort. Bruce Hrobak, a bait and tackle shop owner in Port St. Lucie, Fla. gave a … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, water | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment