Senator Janet Petersen On Iowa Press

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Trish Nelson
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Administration Trying To Gut Post Office?

Posted on April 22, 2018 by Dave Bradley
post_office_50278_zearing

Post offices are often the heart of small towns

Our Dear Leader often – very often – seems to act almost irrationally or motivated by what the latest Chiron scroll on the bottom of the screen of Fox News dictates him to do. One of his recent gambits has been aimed at Amazon.com. Most of America seemed mystified.

Often Trump’s strange tweets and statements have later been found to simply be diversionary tactics as investigations into his lawbreaking past get closer and closer to home. The shots taken at Amazon did not seem to geared in that direction.

On the surface it looked like an attack on the main business of the owner of the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos. The Post has been one of the major sources of stories on the criminal activities of the group that took over the White House in 2017. Attacking Bezos main business as a payback would be right in line with the modus operandi of this administration. Very unethical.

What was strange was the direction the attacks took. Instead of attacking certain business practices Dear Leader focused on one aspect of Amazon’s business – their business involving the US Post Office. As the attacks continued one could easily begin to think that the attacks were not only targeted at Amazon, but also one of their business partners – the Post Office.

Apparently I was not the only person who thought along these lines. I stumbled on an article on prospect.org by David Dayen points out that the Trump war with Amazon also has some guns aimed at the long time enemy of Republicans the USPO and its successful functioning business.

Dayen goes into some details of what the Republican Party has done in recent years to cripple the USPO especially the recent spat initiated by Trump. Dayen notes that this spat gives cover for the administration to issue a report that could help Republicans fulfill a decades long wish to privatize mail delivery:

But these issues have almost nothing to do with the Trump executive order. The Amazon spat is a cover for the formal unveiling of a long-wished right-wing project to destroy the post office and have private industry take over its infrastructure, which taxpayers funded long ago. All the executive order really does is create a report; it would take a willing Congress to deliver the final hammer blow. But that report, with a government imprimatur, will become part of that right-wing wish list, living on for decades in think tanks and private shipping company boardrooms as a fervent dream.

Dayen then analyzes the Executive Order that Trump issued noting that its directive is to essentially give Congress a reason to dismantle the USPO and privatize it:

In reality, there’s already a “task force” empowered to evaluate the Postal Service. That’s the USPS Board of Governors, an 11-member panel that operates like the board of directors of a corporation, empowered to review all policies and practices and engage in long-range planning. But this board, which includes the postmaster general, their deputy, and nine presidential appointees, has not had a new member confirmed since the George W. Bush administration. It’s been operating without a quorum since 2015, and currently all nine appointee positions are vacant. The Trump administration took until October of last year to nominate three of the open nine governor seats; they’re only getting a confirmation hearing next week.

If Trump, or anyone in his administration, were actually concerned with Postal Service operations, he’d quickly stock its board. Instead, he’s formalizing a task force to look into undermining it. Here are some things the executive order wants the task force to look into:

  • “The USPS’ role in competitive markets,” specifically package delivery, where it competes with private shippers;
  • “Issues relating to government monopolies operating in the commercial marketplace”;
  • “The USPS monopoly over letter delivery and mailboxes”; and
  • “The definition of the ‘universal service obligation’ in light of changes in technology, e-commerce, marketing practices, and customer needs.”

I think the goal is clear. The task force is being prodded to open up the mailbox to any company, and degrade the centuries-old tradition that the post office deliver anywhere in the nation, through snow or rain or heat or gloom of night. After eliminating these public benefits, the task force might seek to bar the post office from competing in markets where the private sector operates, or to privatize the agency altogether, selling its infrastructure off for parts.

No doubt one of the unstated offenses of the USPO is that they are the home of the largest union in the United States. We have seen so many examples where Republicans will destroy businesses, wreck school systems and so on to gut unions. Destroying the postal system would be right in line with that history.

Imagine if you will of having to depend on Fed Ex or UPS for mail delivery. Rates would no doubt skyrocket. Like so many industries today mail delivery without the USPO would have only two major players. Competition with the USPO currently helps to keep rates lower than they would be were only Fed Ex and UPS delivering the bulk of the mail. 

Last mile delivery would probably be gone. Actually many services we take for granted today would be tossed in the name of streamlining. Losing the USPO would be a major blow for citizens and businesses alike.

Like so many changes Republicans have made since Reagan, this may be shoved down our throats and we will be told “too bad if you don’t like it!” 

Mail service seems to be a basic function of our government, especially a government that ostensibly is answerable to the people. Moving basic mail into private hands feels like a bad idea. 

Some may say that most correspondence will soon be done electronically but not all folks have computers. With the loss of internet neutrality even email may get expensive.

Like so many things I fear we won’t know what we had ’til it’s gone.

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Sunday Funday: Spring Is Sproinging Edition

Posted on April 22, 2018 by Dave Bradley

These folks could kill you by your splitting a gut:

As sure as the earth is flat the seasons change exactly on schedule every year. Or maybe not. So now here it is only a full calendar month past schedule and it looks like spring is about to sneak into our lives finally. Most likely we will forget how late spring was in a month when we are experiencing early summer temperatures. Happens nearly every year.

Being the anti-summer person that I am I shall now go into my “bah! Humbug!” phase until somewhere around September. There are simple all kinds of oddballs in this world isn’t there?

If you are able to keep up with events these days, you do need to get out and enjoy life a little.

  1. Last Friday many folks wore orange and students walked out of schools in commemoration of what recent historic event?
  1. Almost lost in all the stuff going on, Thursday was the 23rd anniversary of what violent event in the US?
  1. Who was revealed as a surprise client of Dear Leader’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen last week?
  1. Despite the fact that the lead in the water crisis is not fully resolved, what city is threatened with having its bottled water being cut off by the state’s Republican governor?
  1. What notorious phrase did Dear Leader use to describe the bombing of Syria?
  1. The new attorney for Dear Leader is what former political lightning rod?
  1. What former operative in Dear Leader’s campaign made the news with his hateful comments about Barbara Bush when she died this week?
  1. What suspect in the Russia collusion case claims he never visited Prague in 2016?
  1. A lawsuit against Buzzfeed stemming from the publication of Steele Dossier allegations was dropped by who this week?
  1. What two European countries joined the US in bombing Syria last weekend?
  1. In Iowa, a bill ending what practice that publicly identified those whose lunch account is overdrawn was signed by the governor last week?
  1. The latest former sex partner of Dear Leader’s now allowed to publicly tell her story is what former Playboy playmate?
  1. What former star of TV’s “Night Court” died last week at his home in North Carolina?
  1. What Democratic appointed FCC commissioner announced she would be leaving her post on the commission?
  1. Way too late, the Iowa Senate has passed personnel guidelines on what?
  1. As Republicans try to kill CFPB rules on auto loans it was revealed that what group pays significantly higher interest on auto loans?
  1. In a Philadelphia Starbucks, two black men were arrested by police for loitering while waiting for a friend. How long had the men waited before the police were called to arrest them?
  1. What administration official was embarrassed by Dear Leader when she announced sanctions on Russia would go into effect on TV only to find out later that Dear Leader had changed that policy without telling her?
  1. Despite bad mouthing from Dear Leader, what huge company announce they had surpassed 100 million Prime Members?
  1. Tammi Jo Shults – what did she do to make the news last week?

Starbucks will close 8,000 company owned stores for racial bias training on the afternoon of May 29th. Will other companies follow suit?

Answers:

  1. The Columbine school shooting 19 years ago
  1. The Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal Building
  1. Sean Hannity
  1. Flint, Michigan
  1. “Mission Accomplished”
  1. Rudy Giuliani
  1. Roger Stone – you can look up his comments yourself
  1. Michael Cohen
  1. Michael Cohen
  1. France and the United Kingdom
  1. Lunch shaming
  1. Karen McDougal
  1. Harry Anderson
  1. Mignon Clyburn
  1. Harassment and retaliation – we still have to pay the bill for Republican sexual harassment
  1. Blacks
  1. 2 minutes
  1. Nikki Haley
  1. Amazon
  1. She was the pilot who performed the emergency landing after her Southwest airline plane blew an engine and lost a window.

John Fugelsang on Twitter: “i can’t hear you – type louder, with all caps.”

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Evidence That Trump Colluded With The Russians

Posted on April 21, 2018 by Dave Bradley

april fools day and trump

Found this rant on democraticunderground.com the other day. Nice summary of what the Russia probe has uncovered so far. Would surely be nice if Dear Leader and his minions would simply take “personal responsibility” for their actions and own up to them so the country can move on. One of our political parties used to preach “personal responsibility” morning, noon and night.

1) Except the, ‘Russia, if you’re listening, thing. 

2) and the Manafort thing, 

3) and the Flynn thing, 

4) and the Papadopoulos pleading guilty thing, 

5) and the Roger Stone thing, 

6) and the Cohen thing, 

7) and the Kushner thing, 

8) and the Carter Page thing, 

9) and the Jeff Sessions things, 

10) and the Wilbur Ross thing, 

11) and the JD Gordon thing, 

12) and the Erik Prince thing, 

13) and the James Comey firing thing, 

14) and the Russian hacking/Wikileaks thing, 

15) and the bro-love between TrumpPutin thing, 

16) and the Russian propaganda machine favoring Trump thing, 

17) and the DJT “I have zero ties to Russia!” thing, 

18) and the Eric Trump “we get most of our financing from Russian banks thing”, 

19) and the Donald Trump Jr. “Our portfolio is made up of a disproportionate amount of Russian money” thing, 

20) and the DJT “I sold a $60 million mansion to a Russian oligarch known for money laundering for $120 million that he never once lived in” thing, 

21) and the Trump business ties with Putin’s favorite sports athlete Fedor Emilianenko thing, 

22) and the Trump International Corporation’s mysterious private server connection to Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest commercial bank thing, 

23) and the Special prosecutor being named thing, 

24) and the I won’t release my tax returns thing, 

25) and the Ivanka Trump’s vacationing with Putin’s girlfriend thing, 

26) and the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant in Moscow thing, 

27) and the Trump companies business ties to Felix Sater, a criminal felon indicted for stock fraud scheme with the Russian mafia thing, 

28) and the FL Group Icelandic hedge fund with massive ties to Putin being heavily invested in Trump Soho thing, 

29) and the Rex Tillerson/Exxon ties to Russia thing, 

30) and the Russian ambassador at Trump Tower sneaking in and out thing, 

31) and the Trump tried to roll back Russian sanctions the minute he got elected thing. 

32) Other than that, there’s absolutely no reason to suspect anything. 

Wait there’s more, 

33) And the money laundering thing. 

34) And the sex hush money the minute he got elected thing. 

32) Other than that, there’s absolutely no reason to suspect anything. 

Wait there’s more, 

33) And the money laundering thing. 

34) And the sex hush money payoffs thing. 

35) And the signing of the proposal for Trump Hotel Moscow thing. 

36) And the meetings in the White House with Russians thing 

37) And the firing of Sally Yates thing. 

38) And the hacked States voting thing. 

39) and the meeting with the Russian lawyer about “adoption” thing. 

40) And then the lying about it with a statement crafted by the White House thing. 

41) And the Deripaska sanctioned yet entering the USA on a diplomats visa thing. 

42) And the changing the GOP platform on Ukraine to be more favorable to Russia thing. 

43) And, the ‘mother’ of all things: not implementing sanctions which passed the Senate 98-2 and House 419-3 in violation of the Take Care Clause (Article 2, Section 3) thing. 

44) And the Russian banker giving money to NRA to support Trump thing 

45) And the Russian intelligence is now peddling a fake Trump tape to sow new chaos in American political discourse thing. 

46) And the David Bogatin buying Trump properties for over $6mil with no verifiable income and tied to Semion Mogilvich, who is so successful at money laundering he gets the name “The Brainy Don” thing. 

47) And the Trump Taj Mahal being fined $10 mil for not adhering to money laundering laws thing. 

48) And the Rudy Giuliani thing. 

49) And the (sanctioned) heads of all 3 Russian intelligence agencies allowed into US to secretly meet with CIA director Pompeo and DNI Coats, days before Trump blew off sanctions” thing. 

50) And Misha Flynn’s “US-Russia nuclear proliferation in the Middle East” thing. 

51) And the, ‘I love Wikileaks’ thing. 

And the, ‘Rusher’ Lester Holt interview thing. 

52) And the, Jeff Sessions, I didn’t meet with any Russians, but he did, thing. 

53) and the Russians at the National Prayer Service thing 

54) and the Felix Sater thing 

55) The Kilimnik thing. 

56) And the Simon Kukes thing. 

57) And the yucking it up with Russians in the Oval Office after firing ‘nut-job’ Comey, and thinking it was over, thing. 

57) And the wild-eyed Devin Nunes bogus memo run, but the Conservative FBI is somehow the problem, thing. 

58) And the Rob Goldstone talking to Mueller thing. 

59) And the Gates, in negotiations with Mueller without his lawyers, thing. 

60) And the Bannon won’t talk to Congress, but is going to talk to Mueller thing. 

61) And the meetings with Putin without an American recorder present thing. 

62) And the defending of Putin when O’Reilly calls him a killer thing. 

63)And the “Won’t release White House visitor logs” thing. 

 + And the “Don’t keep visitor logs at Mar-A-Lago” thing. 

64) And the Kushner asking for a direct line to the Kremlin at the Russian Embassy thing. 

65) And the “Putin and I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, and many other negative things, will be guarded and safe” tweet thing. 

66) And the Deutsche Bank records thing. 

67) And the House majority leader, McCarthy says to colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump and Ryan says “No leaks. . . . This is how we know we’re a real family here.” thing. 

68) And the firing of Preet Bharara thing. 

69) And the Russians getting a “no bid” contract to build our embassy there-so they can assure electronic surveillance is embedded carefully-thing. 

70) And the attempt to discredit a career spy, held in high regard in the intel community, to discredit the dossier thing. 

71) And the revealing of sensitive material about Syria/ISIS to the Russians thing. 

72) And the refusal to release the Democrats’ memo, cleared by intel agencies on security grounds, after releasing the ‘flagged’ Republican memo, thing. 

73) And the Roman Abramovich, Russian steel owner (with whom Kushner met with several times according to his *revised* security clearance application) has docked his ship off the shore of Florida, when Trump was at Mar-a-Largo, thing. 

74) And Americans keep learning about Putin-Trump conversations from the Kremlin (Putin said he and Trump “spoke about the Palestinian-Israeli settlement.” on the phone today. No readout yet from White House) thing. 

75) And for the 8th time Kremlin (not the Administration) told us Trump spoke with Putin by phone thing. 

AND we learned that Putin told Palestine that Trump told him he could negotiate on America’s behalf, thing. 

76) And the Trump takes two abandoned 747s off of Aeroflot’s hands for the next Air Force One, relieving the Kremlin of its $750 million obligation to Boeing thing. 

77) And the German Woman at the Center of the Manafort Case with Russian contacts who may have serve as the strawman for illegal lobbying in the United States thing. 

78) And the Russians giving the NRA money thing. 

79) And releasing the Nunes memo thing. 

80) And the refusing to release the Democrats rebuttal memo thing. 

81) And the trying to discredit the FBI thing. 

82) And the forcing McCabe out thing. 

83) And the ‘my lawyers won’t let me testify’ thing. 

84) And the ‘my taxes are under audit so I can’t release them’ thing. 

85) And the Alex van der Zwaan lying to prosecutors about a conversation with Rick Gates thing. 

86) And the charges against Richard Pinedo in exchange for cooperating thing. 

87) And now Mueller is investigating Manafort for promising Calk a WH job in exchange for a $16M personal loan thing. 

88) And the per NBC, Trump has told friends he’d be in trouble if Paul Manafort “flipped” on him thing. 

89) And the Kushner Security Clearance being held up by the Mueller Investigation thing. 

90) And the Dem memo that confirmed that both the F.B.I. and D.O.J. made extensive showings to justify all four FISA requests thing. 

91) And the son-in-law had to have his security clearance removed thing. 

92) And the China, UAE, Israel, and Mexico plotting how to manipulate the son-in-law thing. 

93) And the Hope Hicks refusing to answer the questions of the Intelligence Committee thing. 

94) And the Roger Stone lying to Congress about WikiLeaks thing. 

95) And the 20 Gates indictments dropped by Mueller for cooperating thing. 

96) And the changing the Republican platform thing. 

97) And the not authorizing NSA to do *anything* to prevent hacking of Midterm Elections thing. 

98) And the Hope Hicks’ ‘White Lies’ and quits thing. 

99) And the Kushner gets his Security Clearance downgraded because he dealt with Russia thing. 

100) And the Nunberg decides to comply-after he adamantly wasn’t gonna comply-to the Mueller subpoena thing. 

101) And the Kremlin wanted Tillerson instead of Romney thing, 

102) And the Trump’s demand for a Kremlinesque Military Parade thing. 

103) And the George Nader (UAE foreign agent) thing. 

104) And the Trump asking witnesses what they discussed with Mueller thing. 

105) And the firing of Tillerson thing. 

106) And the vindictive firing of McCabe thing. 

107) And the congratulating Putin for ‘winning’ a sham election after Putin poisoned and framed his opponent thing. 

108) And the alleged mobster Felix Sater ‘told family he knows he and POTUS are going to prison’ thing. 

109) And the Trump Fundraiser, Elliott Brody’s offer to help lift sanctions on Russian Firms thing. 

110) And the Corallo attorneys couldn’t represent Trump due to conflicts of interest thing. 

111) And the Rick Gates contact with Alex van der Zwaan (an associate of Paul Manafort with ties to the Russian intelligence service, GRU) in 2016 thing. 

112) And the Malloch being served with a subpoena to appear before the grand jury thing. 

113) And The Kremlin revealed that Trump proposed inviting Putin to DC during the March 20th phone call thing. 

Reminder: there was zero mention of the Russian nerve agent attack on British soil nor any warnings to Russia to stop attacking our infrastructure thing. 

114) And the Attorney Alex van der Zwaan sentenced to 30 days in prison for lying to investigators who were looking into Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort thing. 

115) And the Cohen got raided by the FBI thing. 

116) And the Dana Boente’s handwritten notes after talking to James Comey thing. 

117) And the Trump’s personal lawyer was working out of the Squire, Patton & Boggs law offices, who just HAPPEN to be lawyers for Cambridge Analytica, AND are main lobbyists for Russia’s Gazprom oil company thing. 

118) And the letting Bolton in the White House without security clearance. 

119) And the Trump asking Comey to consider investigating the “pee tape” allegations in order to “reassure Melania” that they were untrue thing. 

120) And the Cohen lied about going to Prague in the summer of 2016 thing. 

121) And the back channel assurance to the Kremlin there would be no new sanctions thing 

 

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Earth Day ALERT: Bayer, Monsanto Merger Nears

Posted on April 21, 2018 by Dave Bradley

Bayer-Monsanto Merger

A little reminder dropped into my mailbox the other day from a group known as “Friends of the Earth.” The reminder was that the mega merger of Bayer and Monsanto was still in the works and had recently passed some hurdles to its merger in the European Union.

Since the EU is often much less open to mergers and much more in favor of competition that the US is these days, the fact that the EU gave their approval is a sign that the merger may well go through.   

BRUSSELS — The European Union has approved Bayer’s buyout of Monsanto in a massive agriculture business deal, but says they will have to shed over $7.4 billion in firms and other remedies to ensure fair competition in the market.

The $57 billion takeover has been watched by rivals and environmental groups, who are fearful that the number of players in the business of selling seeds and pesticides will shrink further and give one company a suffocating grip on the food chain.

EU Antitrust Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Wednesday that the remedies proposed by Bayer and Monsanto are worth well over 6 billion euros in business and “meet our competition concerns in full.”

From the email sent by Friends of the Earth:   

A new study found that glyphosate — a.k.a. Monsanto’s Roundup® — is the most-used pesticide in history. Usage jumped from only 11 million pounds in 1987 to nearly 300 million pounds today.

That means Monsanto is making huge profits off this highly toxic chemical. And now, Monsanto is trying to increase its power over our food system by merging with Bayer — one of the largest producers of bee-killing neonicotinoids.

93% of farmers surveyed think this mega-merger is a bad idea. Over 1 million Americans have called on the Justice Department to stop it. But despite widespread opposition to the merger, the European Union approved it. And the Department of Justice recently followed suit.

We can still stop this merger in court. And we’re working to pass legislation in Congress that would put the brakes on this massive wave of consolidation of our food system. But we need your help.

If this merger goes through, the new company would be the world’s largest vegetable seed company. It would control seeds for many of the crops we eat regularly — including broccoli, carrots and onions.

It would also be the largest manufacturer and seller of herbicides. It would double down on making toxic chemicals like glyphosate (a.k.a. Roundup®) — which is a key culprit in monarch butterfly declines and is a probable human carcinogen.

What’s more, this merger threatens the development of a sustainable and just food system. It will hurt independent family farmers and rural economies and will encourage farmers to ramp up the chemically intensive agricultural system that Bayer and Monsanto promote.

In short, we’d be giving a single corporation unprecedented control of our food supply. We can’t let the future of our food system be handed over to Bayer and Monsanto.

This merger is happening as part of a massive wave of consolidation in our food system. Dow and DuPont merged. So did ChemChina and Syngenta.

If Bayer and Monsanto merge, only four companies will control the entire market for seeds and pesticides. We’re turning our food system over to mega-corporations that have enormous political power and control over prices, quality and options for farmers and consumers.

At Friends of the Earth, we’re releasing research that shows the harm these mergers do to our farmers and food system. We’re building a grassroots movement across the U.S. to stand up for organic, healthy, sustainable agriculture — not Big Ag. And we’re working with Congressional champions to stop future mergers. But we need your help to keep this work going.

Donate NOW and stop companies like Bayer and Monsanto from consolidating even more power to wipe out bees and butterflies!

If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

Express Donate: $10

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The concepts in the email are expanded in an article on ecowatch.com from last month:

“The chemical-intensive agriculture these corporations promote has given rise to superweeds and a reliance on even more potent, and potentially dangerous, chemicals,” said Farm Aid communications director Jennifer Fahy. “The proposed merger of Monsanto and Bayer further strengthens their ability to threaten the development of a sustainable food system that supports independent family farmers and rural economies, meets the growing demand of concerned eaters, and protects our soil and water. If we care about our food and our planet, the time to enforce antitrust laws is now!”

A white paper, prepared by the Konkurrenz Group, examines why the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division should not accept Bayer’s proposed divestiture and behavioral remedies. Relying on the survey findings and other evidence, the white paper examines why the likely complex behavioral and structural remedies will not likely restore competition in the seed, trait and pesticide industries.

“A merger between Bayer and Monsanto would be a massive threat to food supply and farmers around the world,” said Anne Isakowitsch, campaign manager at SumOfUs. “Now that Monsanto and Bayer are closer than ever to this potentially disastrous takeover of our global agricultural system, we must all step up our efforts and speak out. The future of farming and food safety depend on it. This deal has the capability to usher in a new era of sterile crops soaked in dangerous pesticides around the world; we simply cannot allow this to happen.”

Beyond the risks to the food supply, we here at blogforiowa.com pointed out last year that this could not only create a food crisis or have great ecological costs, it may also be a major geo-political power leverage:

So Wednesday evening I was listening when Ryssdall had a short conversation with an unusual business guest. The guest that evening was Max Brooks. Brooks is the author of the horror novel “World War Z” among his successful books. He is also the son of Hollywood elites Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft.

The interview with Brooks was quite short – you can quickly read it here. Within that interview was an insight that really struck me. Brooks talks about his dyslexia and how it has caused him to view things differently than others.The following example which seemed to show a brilliant insight was cited:

Ryssdal: Just to make a turn here off what you said about your dad and him being a World War II veteran and having that combat experience, you too, although not a veteran, have ties and interest in military affairs.

Brooks: Yeah, a little bit. My initial experience was in ROTC in college, in which my main memories are simply running track and then dry vomiting every morning. But now I’m on a think tank at West Point called the Modern War Institute. And part of my job is to study military issues embedded in nonmilitary stories like Monsanto, or logistics in disaster preparedness, or Venezuela.

Ryssdal: Tell me about the Monsanto thing, because that’s actually fascinating.

Brooks: Well, ironically, it all started from an NPR story, probably was Marketplace, where it was the initial Supreme Court case of Monsanto turning seeds into intellectual property. The idea that for the first time in history, America is vulnerable to food blackmail. Because now that Monsanto has a legal claim to 80 percent of our corn and 90 percent of our soybeans, they have sold themselves to Bayer, which is a German company, which we have a security treaty with, which is great. But there’s nothing in the bill of sale to stop Bayer from selling it to China. And there is nothing to stop China from using food the way OPEC used oil in the 1970s. 

Posted in #trumpresistance, Blog for Iowa, Economy, Farming, food | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Lockdown!

Posted on April 21, 2018 by Dave Bradley

From Progress Iowa:

Des Moines, Iowa — Progress Iowa today released a new video highlighting the need to enact common sense gun laws in Iowa. The advertisement, entitled Lockdown, shows a text message conversation between a parent and student during an active shooter threat, and closes by calling people to action by texting SAFEIOWA to 30644. Progress Iowa consulted Iowa students while developing the ad, as well as pulling from real-life examples from school shootings.

Lockdown will be airing online across the state starting yesterday, as thousands of students walked out of their classrooms, taking action to end the epidemic of gun violence in our country.

“I’ve been in this situation when a school I’ve attended received a threat, and it really forces you to think about this,” said Olivia Boulting, a sophomore at Van Meter High School. “When we went under lockdown, I sent my parents a message and I told them I was scared, and I loved them so much. Now I have a group chat with both my parents, and I would want to get ahold of them if something similar were to happen, and my baby sister, especially since her school is attached to mine. The fear and confusion that happens with threats or active shooters continue to encourage me to stand up and fight for change.”

“It would be terrifying to be on a lockdown,” said Tristin Delaney, a junior at Oskaloosa High School. “I would want my family to know that I love them, and how important they are to me. It’s not something we should have to be prepared for, but unfortunately that’s why so many of us have been working to take action.”

Recently, Progress Iowa released a report along with the Center for American Progress, entitled Gun Violence in Iowa: A Cautionary Tale. The report lays out a menu of policy options to combat gun violence in Iowa. Among those recommendations:

  • Close the long gun loophole and require background checks for all long gun sales.

  • Enact a gun violence restraining order

  • Require gun owners to report lost or stolen guns

  • Restore law enforcement discretion in the issuance of concealed carry permits

  • Repeal the dangerous “stand your ground” law

Progress Iowa is a multi-issue progressive advocacy organization with a network of nearly 70,000 progressives. Year-round, Progress Iowa advocates for a stronger middle class, first-class public education, and fairness for all Iowans under the law. For more information, visit http://progressiowa.org/.

 

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Kris Kobach Found In Contempt Of Court In Voting Rights Case

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Greg Palast busting Kris Kobach

kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article.html

Federal judge finds Kris Kobach in contempt of court in voting rights case

Kris Kobach has been found in contempt of court by a federal judge in Kansas. Trump’s Vote Thief-in-Chief has violated the rights of 36,000 Kansas citizens, taking away their right to vote on suspicion of being aliens. Every one is a U.S. citizen — and, not uncoincidentally, overwhelmingly Democratic leaning. In her ruling, as punishment, U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ordered Kobach to pay the ACLU’s huge legal costs for fighting his attack on voting rights. I would have preferred she lock him up.

I’m teaming with the ACLU of Kansas for the next round with Kobach over vote-snatching; To expose his “Interstate Crosscheck” vote-stealing con, which he is running in 29 states. The race-baiting Kobach is in contempt of the voters, contempt of the Constitution, and contempt of basic human decency.

Support our Kobach litigation by making a tax-deductible donation here: gregpalast.com/kobach-litigation-supporter/
#Resist #KrisKobach #Crosscheck #VoterSuppression

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Earth Day Iowa Action Alert

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Earth Day 2018 action from Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI):

Join us Earth Day weekend to discuss climate and clean energy solutions we can achieve in our communities and throughout the state.

Come hear from Chris Woolery, a clean energy leader in Kentucky. He coordinates the Pay As You Save (PAYS) program for energy efficiency in Kentucky and is an activist leader with the powerhouse organization Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.

You’ll learn …

· The major challenges and barriers preventing us from transitioning to clean energy more quickly.

· How to build power in our communities to transition to 100% clean energy and energy efficiency that benefits 100% of the people.

· How the Pay As You Save (PAYS) program for energy
efficiency works in Kentucky. (Hint, we’d love to see it in Iowa)

Join us for a powerful teach in and meet-up near you!

Click here to RSVP:

Sat April 21 11am,Boone
Sat, April 21 6:30pm, Marshalltown
Sun, April 22 1pm, Iowa City
Sun, April 22 at 6:30pm, Des Moines

Let’s transition our energy system in a way that benefits all people and our planet!

Hope to see you at one of these events,

Matt Ohloff
Climate Justice Organizer

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Use This Tool To See If Your Local TV Station Is Sinclair Owned

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Blog for Iowa has been sounding the alarm about Sinclair Broadcasting for over a decade.  Here is the latest action alert from Media Matters. They’ve created a tool to find out if your local station is Sinclair owned.  Just put your zip code in the search box. Please share with friends. Links following to previous BFIA posts about Sinclair.

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When you turn on your local news, you don’t expect to be exposed to stealth right-wing propaganda. But that’s exactly what one massive media corporation – Sinclair Broadcast Group – is fighting to make a reality all over the United States.

Does Sinclair control YOUR local news? Use our interactive map at FindSinclair.com to see where Sinclair broadcasts now and which stations it’s trying to buy.

Sinclair runs local TV stations that are affiliated with major broadcast networks, like ABC or CBS, so you may not realize that it’s using these stations to push right-wing lies into your normal newscast. But Sinclair has a long history of pushing conservative content to these stations, and now, it’s requiring all of them to air pro-Trump “must-run” segments featuring former White House aide Boris Epshteyn.

Sinclair has a huge platform. It already owns nearly 200 local news stations across the country – including more than a few in battleground states – and it’s on the verge of acquiring even more. In fact, Trump’s Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice are all that stand in the way of Sinclair acquiring up to 42 more local TV stations with its purchase of Tribune Media. But somehow, this behemoth right-wing broadcasting corporation is still flying under the radar in many communities across the U.S.

We have to make sure people know what they’re watching. Check to see if your local station is Sinclair – or under threat of becoming Sinclair – and share this tool with your friends and family now.

Thanks for paying attention and spreading the word,

Media Matters for America

Links to just a few BFIA posts about Sinclair Broadcasting in Iowa:

how-to-fight-sinclair-broadcasting-in-iowa/

letter-to-sinclair-broadcasting-37-cents-taking-back-our-airwaves-priceless/

how-the-sinclair-deal-affects-iowa/

broadcastingcable.com/news/iowans-petition-deny-kgan-license-renewal-109226

https://blogforiowa.com/2005/09/29/sinclair-and-the-public-airwaves-a-history-of-abuse/

 

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The Prairie Progressive: Two Thumbs Up For Roseanne

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Trish Nelson


Reprinted with permission from the Spring 2018 issue of  The Prairie Progressive, Iowa’s oldest progressive newsletter. The Prairie Progressive is  funded entirely by reader subscription,  available only in hard copy for $12/yr.  Send check to PP, Box 1945, Iowa City 52244.

by Nate Willems

I have watched the first three episodes of the rebooted Roseanne. I have read Roxane Gay’s emphatic denunciation of the show. I have seen friends on social media suggest a boycott of companies which advertise on Roseanne. Maybe Roxane Gay and my Facebook
friends are just wrong. Maybe the rebooted Roseanne will make a positive contribution to our culture and politics.

First, the show might not be for you because you are likely not the target demographic. I never watched The Apprentice because I don’t like bad reality television. If you do not like
a working-class sitcom, don’t watch Roseanne.

In three episodes, this version of Roseanne indicates it will confront many real issues faced by regular people: job loss; parents bringing their children to move in with their parents;
nonconforming gender expression; opioids; family members deployed abroad in the military; personal debt.  While television has brought us countless stories of wealthy people living in nice suburbs where everybody is attractive, both the original and reboot
of Roseanne stand out because they attempt to show the unglamorous life of working-class America. There is a word for that. It is called relatable.

Of course, it is not just the economic and family challenges of everyday life which are relatable, disagreements over politics within families have also become very common. Roseanne’s character is a Trump supporter. Trump is ever-present in this show as
he is in our news and culture.

Just think about how this may become a tangible positive. The reboot of Roseanne is going to force Trump to withstand the test of time. When a relatable challenge confronts the Connor Family this week, guess what? Trump will not have the answer.  When a different problem emerges next week, guess what? Trump may not even care.

Ah, you may ask, what good does this do? Anybody can see this for themselves on MSNBC, on late night TV or in my twitter feed, right? This takes us back to remembering the target demographic: it is probably not you. It might just be possible that traditional news outlets and cultural elites are not going to sway a sizable chunk of white working-class Americans with a tradition of voting Democratic who strayed to Trump in 2016. The logic or satire that converts your moderate Republican banker might not do it for a boiler room technician. Roseanne may be able to utilize a permission structure of white working-class Americans that NPR will never penetrate. With the brand and the credibility the show Roseanne brings, it could become easier for a lot of voters Democrats need to conclude, “Maybe this guy really isn’t worth a shit.”

You are naturally asking how anybody can defend the real-life Roseanne Barr’s extremely unpleasant public statements? Nobody is trying to do that. Be careful, though, as some of the progressive criticism seems to go a bit further. Some of the progressive criticism seems to object to any show featuring a white working-class family. There is some degree of class
condescension against this version of Roseanne just like there was against the original.

You must be able to tell a story without college degrees or much diversity. If you cannot accept a story about Keokuk, why would you expect the people of Keokuk to vote for the
same candidates as you? Blue-collar Iowans are not “those people.” Actually, they are my clients, my wife teaches their children, and they are our neighbors. We must meet people
where they are at. The rebooted version of Roseanne does that and may be uniquely positioned to demonstrate that the emperor has no clothes.

And if you don’t buy any of that, just remember, Wanda Sykes is the head writer for Roseanne.

–Nate Willems is a union lawyer who lives in Mt. Vernon but spends a lot of time in Keokuk

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