Sunday Funday:  Vernal Equinox Edition

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Dave Bradley

Back once again – Randy Rainbow!

I love to call it Vernal Equinox – conjures up a picture in my mind of a white haired, white bearded old guy who is getting out of his cabin as the world warms to go around and greet all his neighbors with good tidings of great things to come. So welcome Vernal Equinox. Glad to see you. Can you sink some Russian tanks in Ukraine in the mud? Thanks.

Well, I guess a lot of folks expected the Hawkeye men to go a long ways in the tourney. In the words of the eternal optimist- maybe next year.

Here we go:

A) Russia is expanding their attacks on Ukraine by now including what major western Ukraine city?

B) The nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to the Federal Reserve Board was stopped by Sen. Joe Manchin for what reason last week?

C) The US Senate had an unusual moment of unanimity when it passed a bill by voice vote that would make what permanent?

D) President Biden held a two hour call with what other world leader Friday concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

E) A leaked memo from the Kremlin ordered Russian media to make as much use of what Fox commentator’s broadcasts as possible?

F) It is still women’s history month – Sally Ride was a great name for the woman who became America’s first what?

G) Both Moderna and Pfizer are seeking approval from the FDA for what related to covid?

H) Hearings for what pioneer SCOTUS nominee begin tomorrow?

I) What singing legend asked that the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame withdraw her name from nomination to the Hall?

J) Amazon bought what major Hollywood movie studio Wednesday for $8.5 billion?

K) “Switchblades” were in the news last week in relation to the Ukraine War. What are switchblades in this context?

L) Russia created a list of individual Americans that they would put sanctions on. What was unusual about the list?

M) In Iowa, debate on a bill to stop mandates of what were derailed in the Iowa House?

N) Lizzie Magie invented a board game called the “The Landlord’s Game” in 1904. That game was the forerunner of what highly popular board game?

O) Patsy Mink, former representative from Hawaii, is most noted for writing what law that gave women equal opportunities?

P) A woman in Russia displaying a sign that said “No War! They are lying to you” broke into what to display that sign?

Q) A 7.4 magnitude earthquake shook what area of Japan that had a catastrophic earthquake in 2011?

R) President Biden will be attending a meeting in Brussels next week with other leaders of what?

S) Howard Schultz is returning as CEO of what company in an effort to stem the growing union movement in that company?

T) In yet another atrocity committed by Russians against Ukrainians last week included the bombardment of what building in Mariupol being used as a shelter?

Meanwhile, Republicans think fighting for freedom means punching a flight attendant for asking you to wear a mask. – Middle Age Riot

Answers:

A) Lviv

B) Her stance against fossil fuels

C) Daylight Savings time

D) China’s Xi Jing Ping

E) Tucker Carlson’s 

F) female astronaut

G) a second booster

H) Ketanji Brown Jackson

I) Dolly Parton

J) MGM

K) Killer drones used to take out tanks and other military vehicles

L) It was all Democrats – they got no problem with Republicans

M) Stop mandates on covid vaccinations by businesses and Government 

N) Monopoly

O) Title IX – celebrating its 50th year this year.

P) The state television’s evening news broadcast

Q) Fukushima

R) NATO to discuss Ukraine

S) Starbuck’s

T) a theater

Putin must be defeated, and Ukraine must prevail.

But America’s true enemy … lies within. – duty2warn tweet

Posted in Covid-19, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday:  Vernal Equinox Edition

DeJear Files To Run For Governor!

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Dave Bradley

Candidate Deidre DeJear filed her nominating petitions to run for Governor Tuesday morning. I believe she can win and take Iowa in a new direction that will pay attention to the citizens of Iowa rather than the corporate big wigs. DeJear will be that fresh voice that Iowa needs.

DeJear has a vision for Iowa, unlike her opponent. The current governor has a vision that seemingly has been dictated to her by the Koch Brothers political arm, Americans For Prosperity. DeJear’s vision is inspired by Iowans and what the state needs to become Iowa again.

As noted here a couple of weeks ago, many former Iowans are wondering what has happened to Iowa? Well, the answer is Republicans. Reynolds and the legislature are in the process of turning Iowa into a libertarian dream state much as Kansas was a few years ago. America then watched as Kansas swirled down the figurative drain as revenues dried up and the state nearly shut down.

Despite DeJear’s lack of name recognition, it appears the governor’s race is very tight already. According to a recent Des Moines Register poll Reynolds is only 8 points ahead, a very weak position for an incumbent governor. Her strategy to divide Iowa is not popular.   

Get involved, folks. This has the makings of a huge upset next fall – and of course money is the fuel that runs campaigns.

Donate here:

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Covid Ain’t Over Yet, Folks

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Dave Bradley

When Yogi Berra stated one of his more famous ‘yogiisms’ “It ain’t over til it’s over” little did he know that would be a statement that could be applied to many things. In his case he was talking about a baseball game. Today that statement could easily be applied to the current state of the covid pandemic.

Just because cases are going down in recent weeks is no real indication that the virus has been conquered. It is a nice respite from the constant bad news but we have had such respites before. Remember last summer? It looked like maybe we were turning a corner back then also.

At that time people were getting vaccinated at a high rate. Had the trend continued maybe we could have contained the virus. But a hard core 40% of the country flat out refused to be vaccinated. The push behind their refusal was based on a constant stream of lies coming from right wing media and social media. Many paid for believing these lies with their lives.

Now we look at a relative lull in covid cases. Hospitalizations are down, but deaths remain relatively high at over a thousand a day. Think about that. That is at a level of 365,000 a year – a very high level. Yet at this time for some reason people seem to be no longer scared of the virus.

As some may point out, a large percentage of those dying of covid these days are from that hard core 40% that refused to get vaccinated. Choosing not to get vaccinated was a fatal mistake for many. They are also the group that is getting the severe cases of covid in recent months.

As we all know, having a disease usually leaves behind some form of immunity from getting that disease again. That is the basis for vaccination. In the case of covid, we know that the immunity left after contracting the disease is not as strong as the immunity a person gets from the vaccine. We also now know that both immunities wane over time. Many folks got the booster about 5 to 6 months ago. Evidence is starting to come in that the strength of those boosters is ebbing.

We are also seeing that the virus continues to mutate. History has shown us that when mutations show up in other parts of the world Americans have been very slow to react to the warnings that other countries have given us. We had a solid warning on the coming of Omicron and Americans, especially that hard core 40% refused to listen.

The Guardian had a good article on the warning that other countries (the UK, Europe and China) are giving the US:   

“In the past couple of weeks, the UK and several countries in Europe, including Germany, France and Switzerland, are experiencing a new wave. At least 12 countries, geographically extending from Finland to Greece, are experiencing new increases in cases, some quite marked, such as Austria exceeding its pandemic peak, and Finland with an 85% increase from the prior week. Many of these countries are also showing a rise in hospital admissions. 

<<skip>>

Indications within the United States support the idea that new wave is already getting started. Wastewater surveillance is relatively sparse in the United States, but 15% of the 410 sites where it was conducted between 24 February to 10 March 2022 showed a greater than 1000% increase compared with the prior 15-day period. Also, the BA.2 variant is gaining steam in the United States and is now accounting for more than 30% of new cases.

The root cause for the new wave is hard to pin down. Certainly, the BA.2 variant is known to have increased transmission, at least about 30% more than its sister lineage, Omicron BA.1. With the concomitant reduction of mitigation restrictions and waning immunity protection of vaccines, that transmission advantage will increase. This “BA.2 triad” of factors is thus hard to dissect, as they are clearly interdependent. Rather than focusing on what precisely is driving the new wave, the imperative is to drive some preventive action. 

<< skip >>

This is a critical issue, because there is a substantial dropdown of protection, from 90-95% with a third shot to 75-80% without a booster, versus Omicron hospitalization and death. The problem of lack of adequate vaccination in the United States is compounded by not having any plan for a fourth dose. The Israeli study of over 1 million people age 60 and over showed a 4.3 fold enhanced protection versus severe illness from Omicron compared with those receiving three shots.

Not only is there a gaping hole in our immunity wall, but the $58bn budget of the American Pandemic Prepared Plan (AP3), advanced by the White House to comprehensively address the deficiencies, was gutted by the Senate and reduced to just $2bn. Under threat are the order of more than 9.2m Paxlovid pills, the Test-to Treat program announced at the State of the Union address, better data, wastewater surveillance, efforts to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine, research on long Covid, and many other critical public health measures. {bolding mine}

It ain’t over til it’s over and it don’t look like it’s over by any means. It looks like we are just in the eye of another hurricane right now. Sure hope I am wrong.

Posted in Covid-19 | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Covid Ain’t Over Yet, Folks

Iowa Senate Passes Bipartisan Resolution Supporting Ukraine

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Trish Nelson

Iowa Senate Democrats

Wednesday the Iowa Senate unanimously approved the following resolution in support of Ukraine:

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 105

A Resolution reaffirming Iowa’s commitment to its relationship with the Ukrainian people and supporting Ukraine’s efforts to remain an independent and autonomous nation.

WHEREAS, the relationship between Ukraine and the United States is marked by strong bilateral trade, educational and cultural exchange, and tourism; and

WHEREAS, the State of Iowa’s ties with Ukraine are demonstrated by its sister-state relationship with Cherkasy Oblast, and sister-city relationships between Newton and Smila, Osklaloosa and Shpola, and Muscatine and Drohobych; and

WHEREAS, Ukraine and the State of Iowa have enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial trade relationship and anticipate continuing trade growth, including exports of tractors, farm implement vehicles, and seeders, planters, and transplanting tools; and

WHEREAS, in 2021, the State of Iowa exported $73,485,215 of commodities to Ukraine and imported $3,011,563 of commodities from Ukraine; and

WHEREAS, Ukraine shares with the United States and the State of Iowa the common values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law; and

WHEREAS, Ukraine has been an independent and autonomous nation maintaining fair and free elections since 1991; and

WHEREAS, Russian military forces have committed an unprovoked and unjustified attack on the people of Ukraine; and

WHEREAS, Russian President Vladimir Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and suffering; and

WHEREAS, Russia is solely responsible for the loss of life, destruction, and human suffering that its attack will bring; NOW THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate affirms that the people of Iowa stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate stands clearly against Russia’s flagrant aggression, authoritarianism, and attack on democracy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate supports the right of all persons to live in a free society, the right to self-determination, and the right to live without fear of attack, foreign or domestic, anywhere in the world.

Zach Wahls
Senator Joe Bolkcom
State Senator Nate Boulton
Liz Mathis
Bill Dotzler
State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott

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J.D. Scholten Announces Run For Iowa House District 1 Sioux City

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Trish Nelson

Followo JD on Twitter https://twitter.com/JDScholten

I grew up in Sioux City, Iowa. I graduated high school, attended college here, and even played professional baseball for the Sioux City Explorers. I love this city through and through.

When my dear friend Representative Chris Hall decided to step down from representing Sioux City in the Iowa House, I knew it was time for me to step up.

 Today I am announcing that I am running for Iowa House District 1, to represent my hometown of Sioux City! Chip in $10 to help jumpstart my campaign! 

I see too many of my classmates and kids that grew up in Sioux City move away. I see too many families rely on donation boxes at gas stations, pancake breakfasts or GoFundMe accounts to pay for medical costs.

Folks in Sioux City deserve a Representative who will listen to them. Someone who will fight for them and their families. Someone who will always put them first before the out-of-state special interests.

As Iowa’s State Representative, I will fight for affordable health care, a quality education for every family in my district, and for an economy that works for ALL of us, not just those at the top.

Make no mistake: I will fight for my community every step of the way. Will you chip in $10 to help jumpstart my campaign? Every single dollar will make a huge difference in fueling our campaign forward! 

The community of Sioux City has given me so much, it’s time for me to give back. People often say, change starts at the local level. Well, it’s time for me to step up to the plate for Iowa House District 1. Let’s go!

Standing Tall for All
J.D. Scholten

JD Scholten

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Watch This Week’s Blue Statehouse Alert Live

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Trish Nelson

Iowa House Dems are committed to keeping Iowans informed of what is going on every week in Des Moines. Sign up for weekly updates.  https://iowahouse.org/sign-up-for-the-blue-statehouse-alert/

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One Way To Stand Up To Putin

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Trish Nelson

Click on the image to donate


Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.  Click on the image above to donate to Meduza.

Tucker Carlson—whose prolific record of spewing racist, inflammatory, and generally awful bile on national television—is now essential viewing for fans of Vladimir Putin.

That’s the word from David Corn, who got his hands on a leaked Kremlin memo instructing Russian media outlets to feature Carlson and his pro-Putin talking points in broadcasts. The memo calls it “essential” to do this “as much as possible.”

You can check out photos of the memo here. (We’re not publishing the full document in order to protect Corn’s source.) But the top takeaway touting Carlson as a must-watch for Kremlin-friendly media should genuinely concern you. Remember, Carlson boasts the largest total audience on cable news. Millions of Americans are closing out their evenings by consuming pro-Putin views during a war rife with misinformation—and that’s on top of the vitriolic programming Carlson so regularly supplies.

Stay tuned to this space to see if Carlson, or as New York once brilliantly called him, the “sentient pair of pleated khakis,” responds to Corn’s reporting tonight on his show.

P.S. Have you been thinking, “I wish I could do something about the war in Ukraine?” Our CEO Monika Bauerlein has been wondering the same.

One way to stand up to Putin, she writes, is to help save Meduza, the largest independent news site still operating in Russia. Here at Mother Jones, we are enormously proud to be part of an international community of reader-supported newsrooms. As a Mother Jones reader, we believe that your support for Meduza will help keep bringing the truth to Russia in this especially perilous moment for independent journalism. Read more on the stakes here—and what you can do to help.

—Inae Oh

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Nobel Nominee Kathy Kelly To Speak In Iowa City

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Trish Nelson

Peace Activist Kathy Kelly
“War Is Never the Answer”
Friday, March 18th, 7:00 pm
Unitarian Universalist Society
2355 Oakdale Rd, Coralville

Kathy Kelly, American peace activist, author, and member of the Veterans For Peace Advisory Board, will speak on “War Is Never The Answer” on Friday March 18.

Kelly has worked extensively for peace in the past thirty
years in Iraq, Afghanistan, and US streets and prisons. Veterans For Peace #161 and the Unitarian Universalist Society are co-sponsoring the event.

This event is free and open to the public.

Contact John Jadryev at 319 430-2019 for additional information.

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The High Five!

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Dave Bradley

As the legislature grinds on, ProgressIowa sends these daily updates. We will post Friday’s weekly to remind us all of what Republicans are doing:

Happy Friday!

It has been another long week dealing with the divisive and harmful agenda of Iowa Republicans and their leader, Corporate Kim Reynolds. We’re thankful to have reached Friday, and excited for a couple days off.

Before we head out for our long weekend nap, let’s take a look at today’s number one story:

1. ONE YEAR ARPA-VERSARY: In the year since President Biden signed this historic piece of legislation into law, it has become the backbone of the country’s COVID-19 recovery. ARPA ensured Iowa families had what they needed to survive a pandemic, helping parents ensure their kids didn’t go hungry, and had what they needed to learn, at home and at school.

Thanks to ARPA, Iowa has $210 million in federal funds to expand rural broadband, $100 million for housing infrastructure, and another $100 million for water quality infrastructure and nutrient reduction. Best of all, plenty of funds are going directly to schools and cities to immediately recover, without having to wait on the Governor.

Click to tweet: Thank you @POTUS and @RepCindyAxne for passing the American Rescue Plan Act one year ago today, and investing in Iowa families & workers! #ARPA #ARPAversary 

Once you’ve shared that message, check out our other top stories for today:

2. REYNOLDS CAN’T HIDE FROM HER RECORD: We are tired of Corporate Kim Reynolds selling us out, taking credit for the work of others and trying to hide from the press and the public. Iowans deserve to know the truth, not the Governor’s twisted version of it. That’s why our team has launched ReynoldsRecords.com, a website for all Iowans to get the facts about Reynolds’ terrible record.

Iowans work hard every single day, and we deserve better than Governor Reynolds selling us out to the wealthy corporations who support her politically. She failed to keep us safe during a global pandemic, undercut our public schools and waged war on Iowa’s working families.

3. STUDENTS, FACULTY PROTEST TRANSGENDER ATHLETE BAN: Today at 11 a.m., Iowa City Students joined their Cedar Rapids peers in walking out of class in protest of the transgender athlete ban that forces children to sit on the bench while their friends go and have fun. Iowans know that Corporate Kim Reynolds doesn’t stand for what we believe in. We applaud these students for taking a stand and telling Governor Reynolds that Iowa is a home for all, not just the wealthy donors she works for.

4. HOW TO HELP TORNADO DAMAGE VICTIMS: You can sign-up to volunteer or donate to one of the organizations helping tornado victims at this link here: How You Can Help Tornado Victims.

There are also ways to donate to the families who lost their loved ones and homes this weekend. The Bolger family lost their father, grandmother, and two children in this weekend’s storm. You can donate to their recovery efforts here: Bolger Family GoFundMe.

Another central Iowa family, the Burketts, also lost their home this weekend. You can help support them at their page here: Burkett’s Bounce Back GoFundMe.

5. RUSSIA CONTINUES TO INVADE UKRAINE: Our thoughts remain with the people of Ukraine as Russia continues their unlawful invasion into the Eastern European country. Ukraine’s cities and citizens continue to resist the invading Russian army, while protests continue worldwide in opposition to Putin’s imperialism. Now, the Kremlin is doing even more to shut down press and coverage of dissent in Russia. We need to continue to uplift the Ukrainian people, their voices, and the reporters on the ground who are risking their lives to overcome the Russian propaganda machine. If you want to help the people of Ukraine, you can go to NPR’s article about organizations leading the humanitarian efforts in the country.

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. You can also hear more from our team on our podcast, “What a Week,” where we break down each week’s top news stories and speak with leaders from around Iowa about issues you care about.

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!

– The Progress Iowa Team

 

 

 

Progress Iowa | P.O. Box 548 | Des Moines, IA 50302

Posted in iowa legislature 2022, Kim Reynolds | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Sunday Funday: High Holy Days Of Basketball Edition

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Dave Bradley

Short highlight reel of Caitlin Clark (2:17 minutes):

It’s that time of year folks. Yep the High Holy Days of Basketball are upon us. Some of you may call it March. For us true believers, it is the holy days of the world’s greatest sport. And for Iowans, this year may bring the very greatest of rewards possible – national titles. This ride is about to get exciting.

Today is also national screw up your sleep day. Did you set your clock? Did you set it correctly? Why do we do this?

One simple word to Senators Grassley and Ernst. We don’t need ethanol to replace Russian oil, we need more and more electric cars. That will help the environment also.

And now – on to the quiz before the games start.

A) Following airplane engine problems leading to an emergency landing, what former major politician is fundraising for a new plane online?

B) The forecast for this spring and summer in the USA’s east includes what insects invading from the sky?

C) What is the newly identified variant of the corona virus called?

D) One teen was killed and two young women were hurt in a shooting that took place outside of what Des Moines high school?

E) We now have a female Vice-President. Who was the first female nominee by a major party for Vice-President?

F) Extremist Republican congress member Madison Cawthorn declared what world leaders be a “thug” in a speech last week?

G) Former VP Mike Pence, with an eye on the White House, showed up in what foreign country last week?

H) China has once again locked down a major city due to Covid. This time it is Changchun a city with a population of about what?

I) Long term effects: A new study has found a direct correlation between air pollution and what discriminatory mortgage practices of the ‘30s?

J) Two icons of the early women’s movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, organized what seminal women’s convention held in 1848?

K) Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill (no doubt soon to come to Iowa) has been dubbed what by the public?

L) Millionaires and billionaires end lockout. What major league sport announced a settlement to end a 90 day lockout and preserve their upcoming season?

M) Amazingly, the US senate passed what bill, after 200 attempts and over 100 years, last week by unanimous consent?

N) In another legislative surprise what bill geared toward women was passed as part or the $1.5T omnibus spending bill last week?

O) Once again, what Republican senator has announced he would slow down Biden’s nomination for SCOTUS reprising his role in the Merrick Garland nomination?

P) Studies on the effects of long covid are just beginning. So far evidence indicates that even mild covid can cause damage in what organ?

Q) Proposals have been made to suspend the federal gas tax as prices spike. How much is the federal gas tax?

R) The ship of what Antarctic explorer has been discovered sunken but intact 107 years after it was lost?

S) What member of congress paid out her annual salary in fines related to refusing to wear a mask in the chamber?

T) President Biden ordered a study concerning the risks and other issues of what?

We CAN’T ban Russian oil. Gas prices will soar, people will drive less, and climate change will slow. Oh wait. – Andy Borowitz

Answers:

A) Trump – and we thought he was a billionaire

B) parachute spiders

C) deltacron – it appears to be a cross between the delta and omicron variants

D) East HS

E) Geraldine Ferraro by the Democrats in 1984

F) Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine

G) He made an appearance at the Poland – Ukraine border.

H) 9 million

I) red lining

J) The Seneca Falls Convention

K) the “don’t say gay” bill

L) Baseball

M) The Emmitt Till Anti-lynching Bill.

N) the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was renewed after many lapsed years

O) Our own Chuck Grassley who refused to give Merrick Garland a hearing in 2016

P) the brain – some damage to the portion that processes smells and some loss of total volume

Q) 18 cents a gallon

R) Earnest Shackleton

S) Marjory Taylor Greene.

T) crypto currency

“I stand with Ukraine, but f*ck you, Biden, for making me pay higher gas prices” is going to be the stupidity we’re gonna hear for months. – Rude Pundit tweet

Posted in Covid-19, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: High Holy Days Of Basketball Edition