Iowa State University invites Podcast By George to participate in a panel discussion on the First Amendment. The far right is coming after us – journalists too! #podcastbygeorge All past shows at: https://www.podcastbygeorge.com/ Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/podcastbygeo… Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast… Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastByGeorge
Action alert from Iowa Senate Democrats
#IAGOP want to divert millions away from public schools and funnel it to private schools. School vouchers are bad for Iowa kids, here’s why:
Write your legislators here: School vouchers wrong for Iowa
Friday’s High Five from Progress Iowa that I will post during the legislative session:
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We made it through the week, Dave! It’s going to be a rainy weekend here in Iowa, but as the old saying goes; “April showers bring May flowers,” and we’re looking forward to the blooming plants that will hopefully sprout over the next few weeks. Let’s take a look at our top story for today: 1. EARTH DAY EVENTS: Today is Earth Day and we’re utilizing the day to focus on how we all can work together to address climate change. Here are events happening all across the state that you can get involved with as well: •Heartland Presbyterian Church in Des Moines is hosting a climate change conference this weekend with State Senator Rob Hogg speaking, as well as others. You can watch the live stream at 6:30 p.m. today and 8 a.m. tomorrow at this link here: Heartland Presbyterian Livestream •Sierra Club Events: The Sierra Club is the nation’s largest environmental activism organization and is hosting events this weekend in honor of Earth Day. You can see these events here: Calendar of Events •EcoFest Cedar Rapids 2022 – And tomorrow after a two year hiatus, Cedar Rapids is hosting EcoFest at NewBo Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Go out and join this family friendly event with food, games, and a lot to learn! Click to Tweet: This #EarthDay, I’m committed to holding our elected officials accountable to take swift action in addressing climate change in Iowa! It’s time to put our future ahead of corporations & political agendas! #Iowa #IALegis After you share that message, check out some of the other top stories we’re watching today: 2. REYNOLDS JOINS ALL-REPUBLICAN BORDER TEAM: Governor Reynolds’ decision to join a group of only Republican Governors to focus on immigration is her latest effort to distract us from the workforce crisis she created in Iowa as our job growth continues to lag behind national numbers. Just last year, Gov. Reynolds said a surge of migrants at the border was “not our problem” and refused a request for help with unaccompanied children at the border. By joining a so-called “Border Strike Force,” Gov. Reynolds and her corporate donors are trying to divide us – by stoking fear against people based on where they come from or what they look like. 3. HINSON SUPPORTS GOP EFFORTS TO RESTRICT VOTING: At a town hall this week, Congresswoman Ashley Hinson agreed with one of her supporters that mail-in ballots and voter drop boxes call election integrity into question, in a continued effort to push the Republican false narrative that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Instead of continuing the Big Lie, Hinson could have shut down that rumor and asserted once and for all that the 2020 election wasn’t rigged, and that our election process is fair. 4. AXNE’S VOTES HELP RURAL IOWANS: Billions of dollars in federal funding will provide greater support to rural Iowa’s infrastructure thanks to Congresswoman Axne’s vote for President Biden’s infrastructure plan. Despite the fact that Axne was the only member of Iowa’s House delegation to vote in support of the bill, Congresswoman Hinson and Miller-Meeks, along with Governor Reynolds, continue to take credit for this historic investment. It’s time these elected officials give credit where credit is due. 5. LGBTQ+ DAY OF SILENCE: Today is the GLSEN Day of Silence for LGBTQ+ students and allies who are standing together across the country to bring attention to the bullying and discrimination that queer students face. Right here in Iowa, LGBTQ+ students have been at the center of many partisan attacks from Iowa’s Republican lawmakers. We need to be doing better as a state to protect students of all backgrounds, especially LGBTQ+ students. Want to hear more from our team? You can go to our online news blog, Potluck, to hear from Iowans and leaders around the state. Want to help progressive messaging and policy in the state of Iowa? Sign up at ProgressIowa.org to volunteer, donate, and hear more from our team! Thanks for reading, and we’ll get back with you Monday for another Hive Five! |
Let me add this little note from Thursday’s edition:
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1. GRASSLEY WON’T STAND FOR VOTING RIGHTS: Senator Chuck Grassley is back with another bad take. During a town hall meeting in Pocahontas Tuesday night, Grassley made it clear that he will not support any voting rights legislation being proposed in Washington, including the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. We’re sick of Republicans attacking our freedoms and silencing our voices. Share this tweet to call on Grassley to support voting rights legislation and make sure every vote counts. Click to Tweet: I believe in a democracy that works for us all! That’s why it’s crucial we hold @ChuckGrassley accountable for opposing the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act! No one should be suppressing our voices, especially our out of touch senator. #Iowa #IASen
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Progress Iowa | P.O. Box 548 | Des Moines, IA 50302
Tip of the hat to http://all-hat-no-cattle.blogspot.com
Not surprising news out this week: The #1 cause of death for children in America is now guns. It was cars and cancer, but through laws, regulations, lawsuits and competition cars have grown much safer over the years and cancer has long been a focus of research.
Not so guns which have been shielded from any and all safety features by a Republican Party that works hand-in-hand with the gun industry to keep their products safety free and deadly.
Strange how Republicans are so adamant about stopping abortions yet do nothing to help any child after birth, including doing something about the # 1 killer of kids, guns.
What’s happenin’?
A) Maybe the funniest story of the week involves Tucker Carlson and his prescription to make men more manly which includes a man doing what?
B) Patrick Lyoya of Grand Rapids Michigan died at the hands of police after being stopped for what minor traffic infraction?
C) Kathryn Kimball Mizelle had more than 15 minutes of fame last week when she did what?
D) What star witness of the Manhattan DA said “Indict Trump or I am out of here!” last week?
E) Lack of communication caused Capitol Police to send an evacuation alert of the Capitol complex as US Army parachutists were doing what?
F) Marjorie Taylor Greene had to testify on her own behalf Friday in a lawsuit that is trying to remove her from the ballot for what reason?
G) The Education Department announced changes in the income-drive repayment program which will help thousands of what group of people?
H) Florida rejected most school books on what subject saying that they “contained prohibited subjects” especially “critical race theory”?
I) On Fox’s “The Masked Singer” this week, judge Ken Jeong walked off the stage when who was revealed who was the masked singer?
J) Iowa will no longer be guaranteed first in the nation status for presidential reference in what party?
K) On the heels of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ‘don’t say gay’ law, the Florida legislature took away special governing status from what Florida based amusement park?
L) What Republican governor caused a massive backup at the border by slowing inspections of trucks? This has caused a spike in food prices and massive amounts of spoiled produce.
M) Failure to launch! What highly hyped internet news service announced it will shut down April 30th just a month after it launched?
N) Early for wildfires, but they are raging in what southwestern states?
O) If you are Elon Musk and you want to buy a toy what do you try to buy?
P) A New Jersey Catholic diocese will pay out what record amount to 300 victims of priest abuse?
Q) What streaming service was punished in the stock market after it reported a loss of 200,000 subscribers?
R) The Biden Administration announced a new initiative that will send dollars and help to isolated communities on what segment of America?
S) The Ohio Republican senate primary seems to be highlighting an open rift between Trumps forces and those of what major Republican electoral powerhouse?
T) Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow responded on the floor of the state senate to a flier from her Republican opponent claiming McMorrow was a what?
When I look at how some people wear their masks, I slowly realize why contraception goes wrong so often. – Sidney W
Tip of the hat to http://all-hat-no-cattle.blogspot.com
Answers:
A) tanning his balls. Men you are on your own on this one
B) A license plate violation
C) ended the federal government’s mandate to wear masks on transportation
D) Michael Cohen
E) Parachuting into the Washington Nationals baseball game. The Army failed to advise the Capitol Police of the stunt
F) taking part in an insurrection against the US
G) student loan borrowers
H) Math – no, really, math
I) Rudy Giuliani
J) democratic
K) Disney World. This will throw a heavy tax burden on Orange County residents
L) Abbot of Texas
M) CNN+
N) Arizona and New Mexico
O) Twitter
P) $87.5 million
Q) Netflix
R) rural areas – the Rural Partners Network
S) Club For Growth
T) a ‘groomer’ – this term is now being used to claim Democrats are pedophiles
This is an 11 Point Plan For America drawn up by Senator Rick Scott of Florida. Thanks to a media that shakes in its boots when covering Republicans, few ever heard of it let alone the damage this plan could do.
Here are the 11 points in Scott’s “rescue” plan. Each is explained in detail at RescueAmerica.com.
Education: Our kids will say the pledge of allegiance, salute the Flag, learn that America is a great country, and choose the school that best fits them.
Color Blind Equality: Government will never again ask American citizens to disclose their race, ethnicity, or skin color on any government form.
Safety and Crime: The soft-on-crime days of coddling criminal behavior will end. We will re-fund and respect the police because, they, not the criminals, are the good guys.
Immigration: We will secure our border, finish building the wall, and name it after President Donald Trump.
Growth/Economy: We will grow America’s economy, starve Washington’s economy, and stop Socialism.
Government Reform and Debt: We will eliminate all federal programs that can be done locally, and enact term limits for federal bureaucrats and Congress.
Fair Fraud-Free Elections: We will protect the integrity of American Democracy and stop left-wing efforts to rig elections.
Family: We will protect, defend, and promote the American Family at all costs.
Gender, Life, Science: Men are men, women are women, and unborn babies are babies. We believe in science.
Religious Liberty and Big Tech: Americans will be free to welcome God into all aspects of our lives.
America First: We are Americans, not globalists.
It has been describe as “looney” and “insane.” Yet if Republicans are in a position of power again – especially at the state level. – expect this to be a guiding document. Indeed, some parts are already fueling new state laws.
An interpretation from the Orlando (Florida) Weekly (Rick Scott’s home state):
Turn schools into patriotism factories where kids are forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance (unconstitutional) and teachers can get fired for making white children uncomfortable (i.e., “critical race theory”). Then again, none of that will matter after they close the Department of Education and implement a voucher program that ghettoizes public schools and routes billions of tax dollars to unregulated religious institutions.
End diversity training “or any woke ideological indoctrination” in the military — “woke” is Scott’s new favorite word — cut off funding for universities that try to diversify their student bodies, and proclaim as a point of fact that the nation is colorblind (the last 400 years never happened).
Impose more draconian sentences for violent and nonviolent crime, and expand qualified immunity so that cops can even more easily abuse their authority with impunity. Blue lives matter, etc.
“We will secure our border, finish building the wall, and name it after President Donald Trump.”
Give the president a line-item veto (not only unconstitutional, but it would render Congress irrelevant), prohibit debt ceiling increases (calamitous), tax poor and retired people (everyone should have “skin in the game”) and whatever “Socialism will be treated as a foreign combatant” means.
Enact term limits for members of Congress and civil servants (unconstitutional and will empower lobbyists), move government agencies out of Washington and “into the real world” (expensive), and cut IRS funding in half (presumably so Scott’s pals can get away with tax fraud).
Ban same-day and automatic voter registration (because fraud, or whatever), unmanned collection boxes and public campaign financing (“No serious person would ever favor this,” says the billionaire), and don’t count absentee ballots that arrive after Election Day. But voter ID will be mandatory, of course.
Ban abortion, ban porn, give tax breaks to “nuclear families” and allow faith-based groups to discriminate against whomever they like.
God says trans people aren’t real, so doctors should be banned from treating trans children and trans men should be banned from women’s sports — which the party that just a few years ago ridiculed Title IX now finds sacred. (Strange, that.) Also, “no government forms will include questions about ‘gender identity’ or ‘sexual preference.’”
Ban Facebook and Twitter from banning users for hate speech or spreading misinformation (unconstitutional), “reject both the roots and the adherents of cancel culture in America,” and “stop investing federal retirement dollars with ‘woke’ fund managers and companies that put left-wing politics ahead of profits” (“woke” means clean energy, I presume).
Stop participating in peacekeeping missions, end imports from China (only $435 billion a year), “take climate change seriously but not hysterically” (i.e., do nothing) and “treat our enemies like enemies.”
Just so you know what you are voting for if you vote for a Republican, any Republican. Not only will they wreck your financial stability, you get a bunch of goofy laws that control your life. And as a bonus, if you are poor you get to pay a much higher percentage of you income in taxes that the rich.
As does Iowa’s Republican delegation.
The above video of the Rachel Maddow Show from Thursday night delves deeply into the cowardice of Republican leadership in the face of a direct assault on our government by A SITTING PRESIDENT! Now more than a year later both McCarthy and McConnell lie daily about the insurrection.
Senator Mike Lee of Utah is also on the front lines of lying about the insurrection and his part in the whole crime.
It is interesting that also on Thursday that the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced their recipients for the annual Profiles in Courage Award. Among the recipients is congress member Lynn Cheney. What is amazing is that Cheney was only doing her job as a member of congress – that is putting the good of her country ahead of what her party wanted.
For simply being one of the two members of the Republican Party who put her country first – as all members should do – Cheney will receive a Profile in Courage Award.
Think about that – of the whole elected Republican Party in the US, Liz Cheney is singled out as the only member who did her job the way it should be done. Adam Kissinger is the other.
Think of those missing from the list, especially Iowans. Chuck Grassley did not win an award. He cowers in. The face of the man who lied a coup against the government he headed. Who can forget Grassley basically kissing Trump’s ass in Des Moines last October.
But Grassley was only the first on a long line of Iowa Republicans publicly kissing Trump’s butt that night. Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Kim Reynolds were also eager for some Trump love.
Soon the January 6th Committee will be holding hearings live on television. Hopefully they will tell the story of a sitting president who – along with his family and close associates – were at the center of a plot to overthrow democracy in America.
But a major part of the story that will go unmentioned is that cowards such as Grassley, Reynolds, Miller-Meeks and Hinson who could not do even the very simplest part of their jobs, that of standing up for democracy and condemning those who sought to overthrow our government.
Meanwhile Republicans across the country are running campaigns based solely on so-called ‘wedge’ or cultural issues. These issues are meant to divide voters and divert attention from Republicans turning our government over to the rich.
From Progress Iowa we get an email Thursday outing Kim Reynolds for her latest ridiculous move to join a “strike force” against asylum seekers at the US southern border:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 04/21/2022
Kathryn Kuckelman (Press Secretary)
(515) 490 – 8526
STATEMENT: Gov. Reynolds’ decision to join so-called “strike force” is pure politics
Des Moines, Iowa — Progress Iowa Executive Director Matt Sinovic issued the following statement in response to Iowa joining the partisan American Governors Border Strike Force, which is made up entirely of Republican Governors:
“Governor Reynolds’ decision to join the American Governors Border Strike Force is her latest effort to distract us from the workforce crisis she created in Iowa as our job growth continues to lag behind national numbers.
“Just last year, Gov. Reynolds said a surge of migrants at the border was “not our problem” and refused a request for help with unaccompanied children at the border. Then just a few months later, she put the lives of twenty seven Iowa State Troopers on the line by sending them to the southern border. That publicity stunt cost Iowa taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“By joining this Border Strike Force, Gov. Reynolds and her corporate donors are trying to divide us – by stoking fear against people based on where they come from or what they look like. Iowans need a leader who will address the issues our state is facing, increase jobs and wages and improve access to healthcare. This stunt is pure politics and ignores what Iowa families need while exploiting people in need.”
Meanwhile Democrats, led by President Biden, continue to create jobs, enforce laws and fight for the common citizen.
We have a great slate of real patriots running as Democrats this year – Dieter DeJear, Liz Mathis, Christina Bohannan and three outstanding candidates to send cowardly Chuck Grassley back to his farm. Admiral Mike Franken, Dr. Glenn Hurst and Abby Finkenauer all could do a much better job for Iowa and the country than the current occupant of the senate seat.
“I’m convinced that right now one of the biggest impediments to [strengthening democracy], indeed one of the biggest reasons for democracy’s weakening is the profound change that has taken place in how we communicate and consume information.” – Barack Obama
It is encouraging, no thrilling, to see President Obama take on the fight against media disinformation. I have to say it feels rather strange though, after we have been despairing about the media problem on Blog for Iowa for more than a decade, sounding the alarm about the danger along with Al Franken (Lies and the Lying Liars, Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot) – and others, to have President Obama, smartest guy in the room, seemingly just now in 2022 getting it. It’s unsettling on one level but definitely happy news. Welcome aboard Mr. President. I hope you persevere on this issue much like you did health care. Your help is sorely needed.
In his memoir President Obama acknowledged that when he was president he didn’t fully appreciate the power of the right wing media and the Republicans’ relationship to it. I don’t blame just Obama for not getting it sooner. Hardly anyone did until Trump. I’m glad he sees it now, but now everyone gets it because it’s so obvious. The problem has been left to fester and grow and has caused real instability for democracies around the world.
You kind of go along through all the political chaos hoping someone at the top knows what they’re doing and it’s pretty scary when you discover that they frequently do not. I suppose it’s a case of life in the DC beltway where you can’t see the forest for the trees. I hope his involvement sparks some kind of action or movement among those that can actually do something about it because even the cool, calm, collected, ever optimistic Barack expressed pessimism about our democracy’s chances of survival if we do nothing.
This was a great much needed Barack Obama speech, worth listening to and hopefully, a beginning of something.
Obama begins speaking at 33:00.
“Republicans, red states and red counties have much higher Covid death rates than blue counties… Why are Republicans so primed to believe lies? …Republicans are eight times more likely to both believe and share fake or false news with others than are Democrats.”
Mike Franken is a retired three-star admiral running for the U.S. Senate against Chuck Grassley. Join the campaign or learn more: https://frankenforiowa.com/
