Weigh In On Factory Farm Construction In Your Community

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Trish Nelson

Action alert from CCI:

Happy New Year!

That means it’s the time of year for County Supervisors to vote on, pass and submit the Master Matrix resolution to the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) by January 31 in order to weigh in on factory farm construction in their communities.

Without passing this resolution, there is virtually no way for your county to provide input or fight to protect your community from new or expanding factory farms.

The DNR approves nearly every factory farm application filed – that’s why it’s important that every County Board of Supervisors pass a Master Matrix resolution every year!

We have a right to weigh in, and our County Supervisors are responsible for protecting that right!

Sadly, some counties don’t know that they have to submit the Master Matrix Resolution to the Iowa DNR.

That’s where you come in! Let your County Supervisors know they must submit their Master Matrix resolution to the DNR by January 31st, or your county will not be able to use the matrix at all.

Let’s work to make this the year that all 99 counties utilize the matrix in 2023 to send a bigger message that Iowans all over the state are looking for a resource for local control against factory farms.

Click here to find a sample Master Matrix resolution that you can share with your County Supervisors!

Caitlin Golle
Farm and Environment
Organizer Iowa CCI

P.S. Questions? Send me an email at caitlin@iowacci.org

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Second Anniversary Of Insurrection Next Friday

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Dave Bradley

The first of Rachel Maddow’s “Bagman” podcast (25 minutes). Eight chapters in all:

1/6/2021 should be a day of remembrance much as 9/11/2001 is a Day of Remembrance. This country came within an eyelash of being overthrown or at least put into a situation of extreme crisis. We must resolve that we will elect representatives that will create laws and processes that will make extremely hard for anything like that to happen again.

We must also resolve as a country that those who lead this rebellion will be brought to justice and that they will pay a price. If the leaders the insurrection are allowed to go free without having to atone for their attack on our country, it sends a message to the future that they can challenge the rule of law with a reasonable chance of getting away with it.

I have been listening to the Rachel Maddow podcasts in recent days. For those who are unaware of these podcasts, her first effort was “Bagman – the Story of Spiro Agnew.” He’s second podcast is “Ultra” as in “ultra right wing.” Find Rachel Maddow’s podcasts here:

Bagman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXpfCpZ6CdM 

Ultra: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-presents-ultra

These are both excellent podcasts and I recommend them highly. I am not going to try to spoil your listening experience. All I want to say is that this circus created by the extreme right in this country – we’ve been here before. At times you will wonder to yourself if what you are listening to happened yesterday or 8 decades ago.

Will we ever learn? Once again America is at a point where it must make a stand that the rule of law applies to everyone. Remember Nixon got away with crimes. Spiro Agnew got away with crimes. Will Donald Trump and his compadres get away with trying to overthrow the US government?

And going in to the nominating process in 2024, will Donald Trump not only get away with his crimes, but will he even be the nominee of the Republican Party? Will Iowa’s Republicans shame themselves by choosing to go with a crook? 

Iowa’s Republicans will be in the spotlight as Iowa’s Democrats are moved to later in the process in 2024. Besides Democrats have a leader who is doing a great job. 

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A Tale Of Two Parties As Iowa Gears Up For 2024

Posted on December 31, 2022 by Dave Bradley

Analysis by MSNBC on December 26, 2022 (7 minutes)

Hard to avoid the facts:

  • President Biden had a sterling year as president. Huge number of accomplishments as mentioned above. Perhaps his biggest accomplishment is barely mentioned until the end. That is helping Ukraine destroy the Russian army with European allies while keeping from igniting WWIII.
  • Inflation has been tough, but the Biden White House has worked to hold it at bay. Prices are coming down in many areas, wages are up in many jobs. Employment is high, unemployment is low. Concern is that the Fed and their counterparts may drive the economy into recession. Who would you rather have steering the country at such a time?
  • Still so many issues to face up to, but the advent of a Republican House of Representatives will most likely spend their time and ours doing nothing.
  • As Republicans gear up for Iowa’s first in the nation caucuses in slightly over a year, their leading candidate is facing substantial federal and state charges including inciting a rebellion against our country, trying to interfere with elections and theft of Top Secret documents.

One party works for the people and the country. One party works for themselves and their cronies. It is that simple.

Democrats have a lot to be proud of this year. Republicans should be full of shame and despair. I would much rather be a Democrat at this period in our country’s history.

Happy New Year, all!

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How You Can Support Local Journalism

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Trish Nelson

I read the Iowa Capital Dispatch every day.  They report on issues of concern to Iowans that no one else covers on politics, agriculture, environment, health care, justice, education and more.   They report inspection outcomes for restaurants, nursing homes and CAFOs.  Plus, when you read Iowa Capital Dispatch you don’t have the frustrating experience of continually X’ing out of all those annoying pop up ads because they are not funded by advertisers. They are funded by individual contributions and institutional grants via their parent organization, States Newsroom.  Find out more about their funding here.  Check out Iowa Capital Dispatch if you haven’t already.   Subscriptions are free.

Here is a message from Iowa Capital Dispatch:

With your help, we’ve achieved some important milestones:

We topped 3 million pageviews this year, nearly a 20% increase over 2021.

Pageviews are only a fraction of our reach, however, because we have continued to share our high-quality content to community newspapers and news outlets at no cost. We shared more than 3,700 stories this year, and nearly 20% more in the past six months than the previous six. We are helping to strengthen community news operations, allowing them to focus on important news in their communities.

We’re adding a reporter

We are proud of our progress, but we need your help to grow even more in 2023. Iowa Capital Dispatch has been chosen as a Report for America newsroom, allowing us to add a full-time reporter this spring. Report for America, a national non-profit organization, will pay half the salary in the first year for a reporter to cover higher education in Iowa. It will be up to Iowa Capital Dispatch and our parent organization, States Newsroom, to raise the rest of the cost for salary and benefits this year and a higher share in the coming years.

That will mean more impactful news for you about a topic that is important for Iowa’s workforce and economy, as well as Iowa’s ability to attract and keep young people in our state. Will you help us?

Please donate

If you’ve never donated to Iowa Capital Dispatch before, even a small donation of $10 or $25 will be an enormous help. You can donate online here or find instructions to contribute by check.

If you’re already a donor, thank you again for helping support community journalism. Would you consider an additional donation today or before the end of the year? All donations to Iowa Capital Dispatch are tax-deductible. Click here to make an additional one-time donation.

Finally, please encourage your friends and family and social networks to subscribe to Iowa Capital Dispatch. It’s always free and you’ll never see advertising or sponsored posts. We do not sell your personal information.

2022 highlights

Here are some of our top stories from 2022:

Restaurant update: Flies in the cheese, ants in the sugar and moldy ribs: Our monthly restaurant inspection stories are our most-read articles.
Commentary: Silly school litter box rumors front a darker agenda
Six Iowa nursing homes run by one company are fined for abuse and neglect
Iowa man fights to save his hunting preserve

Thanks again!

Kathie Obradovich, editor
Support one-of-a-kind Iowa journalism
with a tax-deductible donation to the Capital Dispatch.
Help us grow

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Nicholas Johnson on Television and Politics

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Trish Nelson

Nicholas Johnson

“Much of the high cost of political campaigns comes from media buys — especially television time. In the CBS Reports episode, “Television and Politics,” October 20, 1970, hosted by Mike Wallace, Nicholas Johnson put forth his suggestions for a solution.” The full program is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8_VG… . Its IMDb page is: IMDb site: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7679122/?…

Follow former FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson’s YouTube channel and be sure and hit the subscribe button. Also follow him on his blog FromDC2Iowa and Twitter

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Subornation Of Perjury Is A Crime

Posted on December 28, 2022 by Trish Nelson


subornation of perjury

n. the crime of encouraging, inducing or assisting another in the commission of perjury, which is knowingly telling an untruth under oath.  Source:  https://dictionary.law.com/

Follow Harry Litman on Twitter. Bio: LATimes Legal Affairs Columnist. Exec. prod. & host, @talkingfedspod. FCA Lawyer. Teach con law at UCSD & UCLA. Senior Fellow USC. Former US Atty, Dep Assis AG.

Read Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony on January6th.house.gov.

 

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The Iowa Writers Collaborative

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Trish Nelson

Thank you Iowa Press for this program with members of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. Enjoy and follow them on substack.

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Recommend: Cassidy Hutchinson’s Testimony Before The Jan. 6th Committee

Posted on December 26, 2022 by Trish Nelson


Below is a link to 138 (part 1) and 57 (part 2) pages of riveting testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson on September 14th and 15th, 2022, before the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

It is not possible to get a full appreciation of her incredible story and her bravery, only going by media reports. Not to mention also a full picture of  “Trump world” and what was going on in the Trump White House in the lead up to January 6th.

In her testimony, Cassidy Hutchinson reveals herself to be an amazing, resourceful and articulate person with a conscience who put truth and country before “Trump world.” She had nothing to do with any of it, but did overhear a bunch of conversations.

While accepting full responsibility for her actions and choices she explains how “Trump world” works and how she knew what would happen to her if she was seen to be disloyal.  She does this without malice or blame, simply by telling the truth in spellbinding detail. In her testimony she chronicles  her journey of working  through conflicting feelings, the fear and emotions of it all, basically alone. At one point she told her mother, “I’m fucked.”

Burned by her first “Trump world” lawyer who was trying only to protect Trump and who told her repeatedly she was being “taken care of,” she managed eventually to extricate herself from “Trump world” by choosing to tell the whole truth.

She will go down in history as a true American hero.

https://january6th.house.gov/news/press-releases/release-select-committee-materials-0

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A Story For Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2022 by Dave Bradley

Who doesn’t enjoy a good funny story at Christmas. Last year I found a treasure trove of hilarious stories from a series called the Vinyl Cafe.

Some of you folks may remember Canadian story teller Stuart McLean who told stories of the owner of a record store called The Vinyl Cafe. The store was owned by Dave and his wife Morley who lived in Big Narrows with their children, girl Stephanie (teen) and Sam a preteen boy. McLean related stories weekly on the CBC. Before internet days, local public radio stations often carried his show.

McLean died in February of 2017. He left behind tons of stories. For the past couple of Christmases I have pulled up his Christmas stories. They have some small relation to experiences I think most encounter to some degree especially around Christmas.

This particular tale tells of the holiday party given by Dave and Morley’s neighbor, Polly Anderson. Relax and listen closely and experience a Christmas where things just seem to go awry.

23 minutes but really fun:

Take Care!

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Merry Christmas! No Politics Today Or Tomorrow

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Dave Bradley

Didn’t anyone tell these people that cats and Christmas trees don’t mix? The very curious partially wild animal and an indoor tree with baubles and shimmering lights. What could possibly go wrong?

Let’s relax a bit for a few days and forget the strife and the worry and the woe and enjoy . By the way we do not recommend turning your tree into a cat toy. Animals can be seriously injured. If you have a cat and a tree, keep them separate!

10 minutes

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We can get back to fussing and fighting next year.

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