Prairie Progressive Fall 2023 Reading List

From the Fall 2023 edition of The Prairie Progressive, Iowa’s oldest progressive newsletter. The PP is  funded entirely by reader subscription, available in hard copy for $15/yr.  Send check to PP, Box 1945, Iowa City 52244. Click here for archived issues

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 2023 is a good time to read a novel written in 1932,  even more prescient than Orwell’s 1984. “You can’t consume much if you sit still and read books.”

Palo Alto by Malcolm Harris

Thirty years ago, computers, coffee, and cocaine converged in Palo Alto, California, the hometown of Stanford University and the Hoover Institute. The world was forever changed. Malcolm Harris grew up in this town and attended Ohlone Elementary School, named after the thousands of natives who were slaughtered by settlers in the years following the Gold Rush. Harris makes a convincing case that the “Tall Tree” has led the US in efficiently combining academia, capitalism, militarism, technology, and white supremacy.

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

One of America’s greatest writers scores again. A devoted father confronts corruption and crime in 1970s Harlem while trying to find Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter. Only  Whitehead could come up with the most appropriate slogan for America’s bicentennial celebration: “Two Hundred Years of Getting Away with It!”

The Great Man by Kate Christensen

A famous New York City artist dies. His wife and his mistress of many years maneuver to have the last word on his life. Two art critics compete to write his definitive biography. Christensen’s The Last Cruise is an equally fast, funny, and smart read by this Iowa
Writers’ Workshop visiting professor.

A History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis

The strikes detailed in this book have much to teach us about the strongest weapon workers have in the struggle for fair wages, dignity, and justice— and what we can learn from defeats as well as victories. A must-read for anyone following today’s national
struggles like Starbucks United, UPS Teamsters, and Screen Actors Guild, as well as Iowa battlefields like the Englert Theatre in Iowa City and Amcor in Des Moines. Especially relevant during the current (as we go to press) United Auto Workers strike.

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

An Oakland teen-ager drops out of high school and becomes ensnared in sex work to pay the rent. Struggling to survive, she is further ensnared in an ugly police scandal. A stunning first novel that somehow finds hope in a dehumanizing system.

Malicious Intent: Murder and the Perpetuation of Jim Crow Health Care
by David Barton Smith

A suspenseful murder mystery combined with a gripping history of America’s intentionally unequal health care system. Read it and ask yourself again: why doesn’t the richest nation on earth have universal health care?

The Postcard by Anne Berest

Being Jewish in Paris in the early 1940s was to live with a deepening, inexorable fear of being rounded up, deported, and murdered. The author confronts, in the form of a novel, the history of her ancestors who died at Auschwitz. “I carry within me, inscribed in the very cells of my body, the memory of an experience of danger so violent that sometimes I think I really lived it myself, or that I’ll be forced to relive it one day.”

The Ride Together
by Paul Karasik and Judy Karasik

A half text, half graphic memoir adds up to a fully engaging depiction of a family living with autism. Honest, funny, and poignant without being sentimental or sugar-coated.

Prairie Dog’s Poetry Corner

Need a pause from politics? Here are three recent collections to cleanse your mind
and soul (but don’t be surprised if politics sneaks in).
Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
Pilgrim Bell by Kaveh Akbar
Gravity and Center by Henri Cole

The Swine Republic by Chris Jones

Did you think Prairie Dog was going to overlook the year’s most talked-about book in Iowa? This collection of fearless essays lambasts the agro-industrial cabal that has defiled Iowa’s lakes and rivers—at taxpayer expense.
—Prairie Dog

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged | Comments Off on Prairie Progressive Fall 2023 Reading List

How To Help Democrats Stop The Kim Reynolds Agenda

House Dem Leader Jennifer Konfrst

We can all help Iowa House Democrats push back against the Kim Reynolds agenda and Iowa’s dangerous, extremist MAGA R Trifecta.  Leader Konfrst said on this live the fact of the matter is there is not enough money to fund all of the Democratic statehouse candidates who are bravely running to save Iowa from the MAGA Rs who are hell bent on destroying public education and everything that is good about Iowa.

But we can all find a way to help. Please consider making a donation. Follow along, volunteer, write a letter to the editor. You can also make a small monthly contribution or hold a fundraiser.

Click here to donate

Sign up to get weekly updates and stay connected
through the Blue Statehouse Alert.

Here is last night’s FB Live/Zoom with the amazing Jennifer Konfrst.

Sharing is caring!

 

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on How To Help Democrats Stop The Kim Reynolds Agenda

Are They All In It Together

Here is the transcript of what is in my opinion the most interesting part of this podcast. Those of you who are old enough to remember, Keith Olbermann was one of the original truth tellers on MSNBC back during the Bush II years. He eventually was fired presumably because he wasn’t a team player which he no doubt was not a team player but everyone knows that wasn’t what got him fired.

No one is better and more entertaining at truth telling about the Rs than Olbermann. Word on the street is he was being considered to take over Rachel Maddows’s slot when she voluntarily reduced her nightly programs to once a week. It is said that Rachel vetoed his choice which if true is a damn shame. We are now stuck with Alex Wagner who is okay but doesn’t seem on the same level as the other excellent hosts.. Plus she was unprofessionally rude to Ron Klain when he was a guest on her show and he happened to mention that maybe the media could do a better job of reporting on Biden’s accomplishments.  Trus statement! But she went off on President Biden’s widely respected chief of staff in a sneering, immature manner saying to him witheringly (and shockingly, right on the air), “I knew you were going to say something like that…”  Twitter blew up over it most viewers calling for her head but of course that didn’t happen. The media, even the “liberal media” is simply incapable of looking at themselves and how they contribute to the situation we’re in.

That said, like Democrats, MSNBC, is not perfect but we wouldn’t be nearly as well informed without them. I hope they don’t continue their slide into both sides-ism.  Well, anyway.. I digress..

Here is a partial transcript from Olbermann’s podcast. I meant to post this earlier but in case you missed it..

“..if you spend 90 seconds trying to mislead the American media you will succeed utterly..”

“You will recall that the night before the Republican debate in Milwaukee three Trump hoodlums led by that disgusting Jason Miller were, according to Politico quote “whining and dining” 12 National political reporters at a steakhouse in Milwaukee called Rare.

Now these were not a dozen frauds from Fox News, The Daily Caller, News Max
fascist daily, no self-respecting American news person would dine with
Miller and Chris aceveda and Stephen Chung or their equivalence in the DeSantis campaign or for that matter their equivalent in the Biden campaign not in the middle of a campaign not the night before a debate.

But these were not 12 self-respecting American news persons they were 12 people from CNN and CBS News and NBC News and ABC News and the Washington Post including management who thought it was somehow appropriate to share a table with not just political operatives but political operatives who constantly encourage the public to view news reporters as criminals who should be targeted and attacked and assaulted and kidnapped and tortured and killed and among those who broke bread with these scumbags were Rick Klein political director of ABC political editor of Bloomberg Mario Parker David Shalian from CNN Robert Costa from CBS Shane Goldmacher from The New York Times and and here’s the point Kristen Welker of NBC news as of next week the new host of Meet the Press.

And yesterday the other shoe dropped quoting the Hollywood publication Deadline Kristen Welker’s first broadcast of Meet the Press on Sunday will feature a pre-taped interview with former president Donald Trump.

The interview will take place on Thursday that would be today in Bedminster New Jersey and it will be Trump’s first broadcast network sit down since leaving office.

We got Trump to talk about himself we’re really cool aren’t we Kristen Welker..

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Are They All In It Together

The Case For Universal Voting


As former President Barack Obama has said, “It would be transformative if everybody voted – that would counteract money more than anything.”

Sharing is caring!

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Case For Universal Voting

Pithy Comments From The Week

How many times do you read or hear someone say something that is so witty and to the point but you have no one to share it with at the time. It sure seems like he zingers were coming from all direction this week:

From Andy Borowitz: 

Republicans Demand Biden Tell Them Why They Are Impeaching Him

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In an irate letter to the White House, Kevin McCarthy and other congressional Republicans have demanded that President Biden reveal why they are impeaching him. 

The letter claims that, after Republicans announced their impeachment inquiry, “the White House has stubbornly refused to provide us with any reasons for our doing so.” 

The Republicans go on to demand that Biden reveal the rationale for his ouster “immediately, or face the consequences.” 

“The American people are waiting, Mr. President, for you to explain to us why we are impeaching you,” the letter concludes. “Your silence will not be forgiven.” 

From Heather Cox Richardson:

The attack on Biden is a transparent attempt to defend former president Trump from his own legal troubles by suggesting that Biden is just as bad. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin today also defended Trump, saying that his prosecutions show that the United States is fundamentally corrupt. His comment made former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) seem to wash her hands of the modern incarnation of her political party. “Putin has now officially endorsed the Putin-wing of the Republican Party,” she wrote. “Putin Republicans & their enablers will end up on the ash heap of history. Patriotic Americans in both parties who believe in the values of liberal democracy will make sure of it.”

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) summed up the day: “So let me get this straight: Republicans are threatening to remove their own Speaker, impeach the President, and shut down the government on September 30th—disrupting everyday people’s paychecks and general public operations. For what? I don’t think even they know.”

The center-right think tank American Action Forum’s vice president for economic policy, Gordon Gray, had an answer. Ever since the debt ceiling fight was resolved, he told Joan E. Greve of The Guardian, “there’s a big chunk of House Republicans who just want to break something. That’s just how some of these folks define governing. It’s how their constituents define success.”

Thom Hartmann:  

While Democrats prefer to win elections based on facts and policy positions, Republicans — not having anything to offer average Americans — instead default to slander and lies. Like with Obama’s birth certificate. Or Hillary’s email and Benghazi.

Wouldn’t most people, after all, resort to lies if all they had to offer was:

— Forcing 10-year-olds to carry their rapist’s babies to term,
— More guns to slaughter more American children,
— Tax cuts for billionaires,
— More fossil fuels to create out-of-control weather,
— A government shutdown to cause a recession,
— Busting unions and keeping the minimum wage at $7.25 an hour,
— And a Russian victory in Ukraine?

The Onion:  

SUGAR LAND, TX—Confused by the man outside who was not wearing a UPS uniform or carrying a package of any kind, local suburbanites expressed bafflement Thursday when they looked out their front windows and saw a person walk by who wasn’t delivering anything. 

“Huh, our Amazon orders already came today, so what’s this guy doing?” said resident Felicity Truesdale, admitting she was at a loss to explain the presence of an individual outdoors who was dressed in casual clothing and, instead of holding a DoorDash or Grubhub bag, was completely empty-handed. 

“I don’t understand why he doesn’t go inside. He’s heading down the sidewalk at an ordinary pace—where could he possibly be going? I should probably call the police just to let them know. I assume that’s against the law.” 

At press time, Truesdale had reportedly decided to play it safe by evoking her state’s “stand your ground” law and shooting the man dead where he stood.

 

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Pithy Comments From The Week

Sunday Funday: Happy Constitution Day Edition

5 minutes:

MAGA Republicans will once again celebrate by trying to rip it to shreds and then blaming that on the Democrats not stopping them. Happens every year any more.

This is also day 3 of Hispanic Heritage month. Questions on that will be held back for a week. We haven’t properly queried on the constitution over the years. 

As somebody mentioned last week, it is perilous times when Canada starts having yearly hurricanes. Who knew that one day you would need hurricane insurance in Maine?

A lot happened last week once again:

A) “Flood the zone” is MAGA speak for making supposedly rare events common and thus less important. This was used this week in relation to what process they will use against President Biden?

B) 60 years ago Friday what horrible event took place in Birmingham, Alabama?

C) Friday, what MAGA governor and extoller of Family Values was outed as having along term affair with Corey Lewandowsky despite both being married?

D) What MAGA presidential candidate noted last week that wealthy donors are questioning his not being married because they “can’t say I am black”?

E) Surprisingly Trump was not invited. What two dictators met last week to discuss weapons and war?

F) In a twist of fate, President Biden’s son was indicted by a Republican prosecutor on a seldom used law against what?

G) Scientists in Poland announced lab tests that can detect if a woman has taken what to cause a miscarriage?

H) The Constitution was the second set rules to guide the national government. What document preceded the Constitution?

I) Kristen Welker replaces Chuck Todd as the new host of NBC’s flagship news program “Meet The Press” today. Who is her first guest?

J) A massive storm in the Mediterranean last week dumped huge amounts of rain and wind that broke dams and swept away 1/4th of what Libyan city?

K) What long time Republican politician and first term senator announced that he would not run for a second term Wednesday?

L) What two founding fathers and early presidents did not sign the constitution because they were away from the country on a diplomatic mission?

M) Ignoring rules, what officer of the US House declared the House would pursue impeachment against President Biden rather than calling for a required vote of members of the House?

N) Senator Elizabeth Warren called for an investigation of what private citizen for his interference in the Russian war against Ukraine?

O) Been a long time, but what union began a strike against the Big 3 automakers at midnight Friday?

P) In the religious calendar we are currently in the midst of what major Jewish holiday?

Q) The CDC announced this week that the ingredient phenylephrine doesn’t work. Phenylephrine is supposed to clear up what symptom?

R) Thanks to a tip by school personnel and quick action by police a mass school shooting by a 16 year old student was averted in what town in California?

S) Two large public pension funds (Oregon and NYC) sued what cable newser “of failing its responsibility to shareholders by allowing itself to spread false political narratives“?

T) What two major tech companies were revealed last week to be major investors in the upstart carbon capture industry?

It’s interesting that Hunter Biden’s been indicted for owning guns while using narcotics, activities which most MAGA folks consider basic civil rights. – Paul Rudnick

Answers:

A) Impeachment

B) The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church that killed four young girls

C) South Dakota Gov. Kristi Norm

D) Tim Scott – what the hell did you think the MAGA party was, Tim?

E) Vlad Putin and Kim Jung Un 

F) guns

G) abortion pills. Red states are no doubt salivating to get that test 

H) The Articles of Confederation

I) Trump

J) Derna – so far 11,000 dead and 10,000 missing

K) Mitt Romney – he has also dished some dirt on his colleagues

L) John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

M) Speaker McCarthy

N) Elon Musk

O) UAW

P) Rosh Hashanna

Q) nasal congestion

R) Mount Shasta

S) Fox

T) Amazon and Microsoft

They shut down the military and now they’re working on shutting down the country. The entire #GOP hates America. – SummerAwaits

Marjorie Taylor Greene demanded that states secede from our union on the 22nd anniversary of 9/11

Mike Flynn calls for civil war

Bannon is threatening 4000 shock troops against our Capitol

Tuberville is weakening our military 

The coup was an inside job and it’s still ONGOING. – Lindy Li

Posted in #trumpresistance, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: Happy Constitution Day Edition

MEMO: Nunn On The Run From Iowans

We got this memo Wednesday from Fairness For Iowa. I suspect this is a subgroup within Progress Iowa. In the following email, Matt Sinovic points out that Iowa’s all Republican (and might I add MAGA) congressional delegation has few public meetings. Yet even among a group that seldom meets the public, Zach Nunn sticks out for his lack of any public meetings.

Note also that those public meetings that are held are almost always in small friendly towns and counties where they are unlikely to be challenged. The exception to that was Miller-Meeks’ decision to hold a town hall in Johnson county. At that meeting, Miller-Meeks dodged questions, changed subjects and was not honest. I doubt she will ever do that again.

One last note is that Chuck Grassley – who loves to toot his own horn about his 99 county tour – seldom holds a real open meeting and then usually in small friendly towns. I think the last time he was in my county was 2016 where he walked out before the meeting ended. 

Short version of this email is that MAGA Republicans do NOT want to meet the public and Zach Nunn in particular doesn’t want to.

To: Iowa Media, Interested Parties

From: Matt Sinovic, Fairness for Iowa

Date: September 13, 2023

Subject: Nunn on the run from Iowans

Iowans don’t expect much from their elected officials. We want them to tell us the truth. And we want them to be transparent and available to us so we can have a discussion about what we need to improve our communities. In less than a year in office, Congressman Zach Nunn has already failed to meet the basic standard of making himself personally available to his constituents and giving us an opportunity to make our voices heard.

Since taking office, Nunn has held zero public town hall meetings. That is unacceptable. It underscores how he is failing to serve our best interests: supporting policies that give billions of dollars to wealthy corporations while  leaving us behind, then refusing to meet face-to-face with the public. To make matters worse, Nunn and his team are being disingenuous about the transparency and frequency of his events.

I met with Nunn’s congressional staff last week, and they confirmed he had not held a town hall meeting during the recent August recess. And a review of press releases on Rep. Nunn’s congressional website confirmed that no public town halls have been announced since he joined Congress and left Iowa for Washington, D.C.

Nunn has embarked on a so-called ‘listening tour’ to hear from Iowans about the Farm Bill. If you’re surprised to learn about that, you’re not alone. Nunn’s staff confirmed that his ‘listening tour’ events are not publicized on his website, to his email list, or on social media. Instead, their policy is to opt out of informing Iowans, and instead rely on the local host of the event to publicize Nunn’s tour, effectively removing all responsibility for who shows up.

Nunn’s staff also claimed that Members of Congress aren’t holding as many town hall meetings any more. That simply isn’t true, according to a review of information published by the other members of Iowa’s federal delegation.

Sen. Ernst held town hall meetings in Lyon, Henry, Palo Alto, Shelby, Adair, Appanoose, Clayton, Jones, Monroe, Ida, Buchanan, and Mills counties. Sen. Grassley held town hall meetings in Ida, Harrison, Wayne, Henry, Clayton, Ringgold, Page, Montgomery, Calhoun, and Hancock counties. Rep. Miller-Meeks held a town hall meeting in Johnson county, Rep. Feenstra held a town hall in O’Brien county, and Rep. Hinson held town hall meetings in Worth, Allamakee, and Howard Counties.

To be clear, the other members of Iowa’s federal delegation are doing the absolute bare minimum. Grassley’s so-called “99 county tour” is more fake Grassley than full Grassley, as 89 of the 99 events are closed to the public. And Reps. Miller-Meeks, Hinson, and Feenstra have a long way to go when it comes to holding open events.

Congressman Zach Nunn is the only member of Iowa’s federal delegation who has not hosted a public town hall meeting in 2023.

Rep. Nunn is on the run from his constituents because he has a record that’s indefensible. With one hand he has taken donations from Big Pharma, Big Ag, and Big Oil, and with the other he has pushed to give them  billions of dollars in tax breaks and shielded corporate tax thieves from being held accountable.

In order to rebuild trust and truly value transparency with the people he claims to represent, Nunn should commit to holding public town hall meetings at least once during each congressional recess, and to publicize those meetings online, through the press, and on social media to ensure his constituents have a fair opportunity to attend and raise their concerns.

Iowans don’t expect to agree with our politicians on every issue. But we do expect them to have the courage to meet us face-to-face and have an honest, open discussion about how to move our state and country forward. That’s the kind of leadership we deserve, and the kind of leadership Rep. Nunn has failed to deliver.

The farmers, small business owners, working families, and other concerned citizens who make up the Fairness for Iowa coalition will continue to hold Rep. Nunn accountable for his lack of transparency. We believe it is critical for constituents to be informed about the actions of their elected officials, and our work will ensure that Rep. Nunn cannot run from his record.

Posted in 2024 election, Charles Grassley, Joni Ernst | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on MEMO: Nunn On The Run From Iowans

Bohannan Hits Opponent On Anti-Abortion Stand

When abortion is not available or severely restricted as Iowa wants to do (3 minutes)

Email from the Christina Bohannan campaign:

I wanted to make sure you saw this New York Times article about my race in case you missed it. It explains how my opponent, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, knows her extreme anti-abortion stance threatens her re-election, so she is trying to hide it.

This article shows my opponent’s true colors. Miller-Meeks has been in lockstep with Marjorie Taylor Greene in sponsoring one national abortion ban after another. She even voted against a bill that would guarantee women the right to contraception. But she knows her positions make her vulnerable here: Iowa Republicans recently passed a 6-week abortion ban in the state, and people in my district are angry. So Miller-Meeks believes her only hope is to cover up her record – including by sponsoring a purely political bill that pretends to expand access to birth control but actually does nothing to protect women’s freedoms.

This article tells the story that we’re hearing and seeing on the ground: this district is competitive, Miller-Meeks is vulnerable, and abortion is a losing issue for her. But the Republicans will do everything they can to distract and deflect our voters, so I need your help to inform them of the truth.

I don’t want my daughter to live in a world where she’ll have fewer rights than I did. I’m sure there are a lot of mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends who feel the same. Miller-Meeks won’t tell people the truth about her anti-woman agenda, so l have to do it. I need your help to shine a light on IA-01 and ensure women have the rights and freedoms we deserve. Will you consider donating $50, $100, or $150 today?

Thank you,

Christina

We applaud candidate Bohannan for calling out Miller-Meeks on the Miller-Meeks anti-abortion stand early in this campaign. As with most Republican women in the US House, Miller-Meeks is doing all she can do to ignore or sidestep the abortion issue. Currently in Iowa severe restrictions are suspended for a short period while awaiting an Iowa Supreme Court decision. 

However,  at a national level MAGA Republicans are pushing hard for a national ban on abortion. You can be sure Miller-Meeks (and all the Iowa representatives) will back such a proposal.

Miller-Meeks chooses to deflect from her radical abortion position by taking some credit for the Orally Taken Contraceptives Act a couple of months ago. This is a maneuver by elected Republican women and presidential candidate Nikki Haley to soften the impact of their extreme anti-abortion stance. However, as Annie Karni wrote in the NYT article cited in Bohannan’s email above (also can be seen here) 

Abortion rights groups have dismissed the bill as a stunt aimed at masking Republicans’ drive to crack down on both abortion and contraceptive access.

“The legislation is not a genuine attempt to expand birth control,” said Karen Stone, the vice president of public policy at the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “They’re posturing to save face with voters, all while failing to support existing legislation that would actually help people access over-the-counter birth control.”

The legislation adopts the language of abortion opponents, suggesting that pregnancy begins at the point of fertilization rather than when a fertilized egg is implanted in the uterus. Oral contraception is defined in the bill as a drug that “is used to prevent fertilization.”

“The language is kowtowing to the anti-abortion lobby and part of an orchestrated effort to redefine pregnancy based on religious ideology,” said Dana Singiser, the co-founder of the nonprofit Contraception Access Initiative. “This is the latest in a long line of bills that Republicans throw out there that purport to be pro-contraception bills. When you peel back the layers of the onion, there’s always a catch.”

A little addendum to this is that MAGA Republicans are looking for a new catch phrase now that their “pro-life” meme is now starting to smell like an unrefrigerated fish after a week. Young people in particular say it stinks.  

Also this week, Miller-Meeks supported Speaker McCarthy’s unilateral declaration to pursue impeachment against President Biden. They have no charges. This is a total fishing expedition in the dark with no moon process that she is endorsing. Said another way Miller-Meeks is 100% in favor of using government resources and time and congressional time and resources to play games. And we are paying her for this.

Meanwhile, once again MAGA Republicans are trying to ruin America’s economy by shutting down the government and blaming it on Biden. Want to bet what Miller-Meeks will do on this?

Bohannan won’t play these games.

It is time to put someone in office who will use the office to help the average Iowan like you and me. Christina Bohannan is ready today. If you remember in the last election our two previous congress members – Dave Loebsack and Jim Leach – agreed that Bohannan is the best choice.

Posted in 2024 election, David Loebsack | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Bohannan Hits Opponent On Anti-Abortion Stand

Urgent Climate Action Alert

Action alert from Rob Hogg:

Please contact your US Representative and US Senators this week to urge them to do more (not less) to cut climate pollution (if you have not yet done so this month). It’s urgent.

This is a critical time for climate action. Increasing extreme events across the country and around the world. Upcoming UN climate negotiations next week. The March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City on Sunday.

If you live in Iowa, here are numbers you can call:

Rep. Randy Feenstra – (202) 225-4426
Rep. Ashley Hinson – (202) 225-2911
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks – (202) 225-6576
Rep. Zach Nunn – (202) 225-5476
Senator Joni Ernst – (202) 224-3254
Senator Chuck Grassley – (202) 224-3744

To contact Congress, you can also use the email alerts of various nonprofit advocacy groups to contact your Representative and Senators. Here are two examples:

Natural Resources Defense Council:
https://action.nrdc.org/letter/2068-congress-agenda-setting-071423

Citizens Climate Lobby:
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/get-loud-take-action/

Finally, here is a Facebook event page you can share to help promote this event with your friends:
https://www.facebook.com/events/824740302515812/

Please let me know if you get the chance to contact Congress. Just reply to this email.

I hope this information is helpful. Thanks for taking action, and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Rob

Rob Hogg (retired state senator)
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
(319) 247-0223

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Urgent Climate Action Alert

C02 Pipelines And Iowa

I’m encouraged to see more and more progressives on Substack, YouTube, podcasting, running for office, writing letters to the editor and finding new ways to be heard.  Let’s support progressive voices by following, liking, sharing, re-posting, donating and volunteering for campaigns.

ICYMI – Ryan Melton is again challenging Randy Feenstra for congress in IA-04. If you are not familiar with Ryan, watch his outstanding performance on Iowa Press during his last campaign against Feenstra. Please support Ryan’s campaign. Check out his campaign website at meltonforiowa.com/

You can subscribe to Andy Kopsa’s YouTube channel and follow her on Substack and Twitter

This video is worth a listen.

“C02 pipelines and Iowa – what is happening now, what we need to look out for (as landowners, citizens, rural or urban Iowans) in the coming months as Summit Carbon pushes toward the end of the year for approval or rejection by the Iowa Utilities Board.

Joined here by Ryan Melton, Democratic candidate for Iowa’s 4th congressional district, Emma Schmit from the Bold Alliance, and Jessica Mazour with the Sierra Club discuss tax credits, PHMSA, C02 pipelines and the impact on people on the ground.”

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on C02 Pipelines And Iowa