AFGE Solidarity Picket On Aug. 27

Posted on August 26, 2025 by Paul Deaton
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

Join the Solidarity Picket Line!

The VA announced it ceased to recognize the union contract. This action is illegal.  The VA took this action because the union has successfully stopped attacks on federal workers, and they hope to break the union. They have been evicted from their offices and members are being denied representation.

“We will not surrender,” AFGE Local 2547 president Patrick Kearns said. “We fought and won against the last Trump administration, and we will win again.”

“Our strength comes from our members and the labor movement,” Kearns continued. “A contract is a piece of paper and means nothing without the labor movement standing to defend our rights.We ask everyone to come out and support us. We must stand up and fight back.”

Here is the press release:

Save Our VA: Wednesday Picket to Protest Attacks on VA Health Care

VA health care workers, veterans, labor unions, and community supporters will hold a solidarity picket Wednesday, August 27th outside the Iowa City VA Medical Center to protest escalating Trump administration attacks on VA care, VA employees, and their union.

WHAT: “Save Our VA” Community Solidarity Picket

WHEN:  3:30-5:15, Wednesday, August 27

WHERE: VA Medical Center, 601 HWY 6 West, Iowa City

WHO:     VA health care members of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2547, veterans and families, labor unions, and community supporters

Federal employees have faced months of Trump administration attacks at the VA and other federal agencies, including illegal mass firings, arbitrary hiring freezes, and reckless termination of thousands of probationary employees in already understaffed facilities. Now the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has announced immediate termination of all union contracts with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) which has for decades protected the rights and working conditions of VA health care workers in Iowa City and across the country.

AFGE members have strongly opposed proposals to cut thousands of VA staff or diminish VA standards of care, and this year have challenged many Trump administration actions in court. In retaliation, Trump and VA Secretary Douglas Collins are moving to attack AFGE directly, trying to strip workers of their union contracts, their voice, and their collective defense of VA care.  In their attacks on AFGE, the President and Secretary Collins specifically cite the union’s successful fight against unlawful actions of the Trump administration and the VA Secretary.

AFGE 2547 will picket locally in Iowa CIty to oppose the actions of VA Secretary Collins and publicize the following statement of principles and demands: 

·        AFGE and our members believe the VA must be accountable to the people and carry out its mission with dedication. VA has delivered the highest quality care of any healthcare system, private or public, with lower costs and highest satisfaction ratings of any healthcare provider in America.

·        We demand that Secretary Collins stop the destructive hiring freeze that is negatively affecting the delivery of care in the VA system and cease his attacks on dedicated VA workers who believe in the mission of VA and want to deliver the best care possible.

·        We demand that Secretary Collins reverse his unlawful orders regarding our union rights.

·        We demand Congress—including our HD-1 Representative Marianette Miller-Meeks and Iowa Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley—take action to protect veterans’ health care and the rights of federal workers, starting with signing on to HR 2550, theProtect America’s Workforce Act to restore federal workers’ bargaining rights. Our Iowa Congressional delegation has remained shamefully silent about attacks on VA workers and patients, and has done nothing to ensure the VA is not dismantled.

Iowa City VA workers report that hiring freezes have already resulted in loss of RN, physician, and patient care staff positions, impacting the medical center’s ability to function. Staff are being moved from one position to another or often working two positions, putting patient and staff safety at risk. Unfilled vacancies currently exist in every area of the hospital.

As VA nurse Patrick Kearns, RN, and President of AFGE local 2547 put it, “Our patients get the best care when we can deliver that care safely and advocate for our patients. The union is there to speak truth to power. Healthcare is too important to be treated as political spoils for private interests. It seems that Secretary Collins’ goal is to make VA fail and convert taxpayer dollars to private profit.”

If you can’t be there in person, contact our federal elected officials. A contract is a contract. The government must honor it.

Contact Information for Our Senators and U.S House Representative

Chuck Grassley- Cedar Rapids office – (319) 363-6832 Washington D.C. office – (202) 224-3744 – Email

Joni Ernst – Cedar Rapids office – (319) 365-4504 Washington D.C. office – (202) 224-3254 – Email

Mariannette Miller-Meeks – Davenport office – (563) 232-0930 Washington D.C. office -(202) 225-6576 – Email

Please remember to show staff members who answer kindness when you are speaking to them.

Hope to see you at the VA on Wednesday.

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What About Our Stuff?

Posted on August 25, 2025 by Paul Deaton
Detail of the Centennial Building at 402 Iowa Avenue, Iowa City, Iowa. Photo Credit – The Daily Iowan.

The decision to close the Iowa Historical Society Research Center in Iowa City has been made. On Saturday, Aug. 23, I participated in a rally to reverse the decision in a packed room at the Iowa City Public Library. The main ask from the event organizers and from State Representative Adam Zabner, who represents the district where the building is located, was to sign the online petition to reverse the decision. Click here to sign the petition. There was more.

My takeaway is the decision to close the facility is pure amateurism. Archaeologist and historic preservationist Kathy Gourley questioned whether the dire financial picture the state reported is true. She presented information about negotiations with the state legislature last session to secure an additional $1 million in funding for the center. While the legislature only provided a half million, that is not chump change at the historical society. The main thrust of this decision was that “your history” doesn’t matter.

Jonathan Buffalo, historian and director of the Meskwaki Historical Preservation Department told friends, relatives and neighbors about the proposed closure. They replied, “What about our stuff?” The Meskwaki house a collection of early photographs at the Research Center. We might all ask the same question. Communication about the closure was a surprise to almost everyone who read or heard the news. There appears to be only the vaguest of plans for the move. A lack of transparency runs throughout.

Here’s the rub. The state archivist is not following professional procedures for closing a facility like this. Donors gave consideration to what items they may have donated to the State Historical Society. Part of the deal was the artifacts would be cared for in perpetuity. Instead of assuring the public that any change would meet this obligation, it’s been like, “Let’s go to Walmart and get us some plastic bags to haul what we don’t like to the landfill.” It is amateur hour.

Rebecca Conard, native Iowan and historian at Middle Tennessee University outlined some of those professional procedures during the rally. Things like looking at the Iowa collections as a whole and then making a transparent, public decision on what to do with items that are less relevant today than they were when donated.

What about our stuff? Will it go to a warehouse? Will it be discarded? There have been no good answers. If the state had considered the public impact of closing the Iowa City Research Center, they would have researched and provided some of the answers when they announced the change. They apparently didn’t. This made a difference that, in part, created the social anxiety on display at the Iowa City Public Library on Saturday.

Valued collections live in that building today. What will happen to archives of Meskwaki photographs, the Iowa Musicians Project, pioneer diaries, manuscripts, and the rest of the materials? Let’s hope they are not rendered into oblivion either by tucking them away on a shelf in a Des Moines warehouse or by discarding.

To learn more, read Trish Nelson’s backgrounder on the issue here.

Sign the online petition to reverse the decision to close the Iowa Historical Society Research Center at the Centennial Building click here.

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Target Dumps DEI, Pays Dearly

Posted on August 24, 2025 by Dave Bradley

Target decided to embrace the Trump ideology and forsake DEI. Wisdom on the street says everything Trump touches dies. Now it is Target’s turn to prove the truth of that nugget. About a year ago Target decided to forsake getting LGBTQ customers. Those decisions can be traced directly to their results:

9 minutes: (also includes discussion of the effects of tariffs)

We could go into a long discussion of Target policies but I think there is a much bigger lesson to be learned here. Are you listening? Here we go:

VOTE WITH YOUR DOLLARS!!!

In this case, when Target decided to abandon their DEI policies, black people in general (and many sympathizers) decided enough was enough. Actually many were already avoiding Target due to their LGBTQ policies and this just cemented that choice. 

While it is hard to avoid the big retailers in this country who have lined up with the far right, it is possible. Our family avoids Target, Walmart and Amazon as much as possible. We still shop at Costco. They have continued pro-worker, pro customer policies as far as I know. I honestly have not been in a Target in years. I think I was in Walmart once last year.

We do not know what Target will do in response to their loss of customers and revenue. Their CEO is already out of work. Will the next one learn the lesson or will Target double down on bad policy to please the Felon In the White House?

Whatever Target decides, the main lesson here is that people acting together can effectuate change. As we go deeper and deeper into Trump and the MAGAs trying to end our democracy, we need to remember that we can resist and we can win!

As this happens axios.com discovered last week that Trump has a “loyalty scorecard” that lists 553 American corporations based on their support of Trump’s policies. Reported by Axios  and summarized by Forbes here are some of the key facts about Trump’s loyalty list:

KEY FACTS

  • The White House confirmed to Forbes an Axios report that the West Wing created a scorecard rating 553 companies on how strongly they have supported President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” seemingly allowing the White House to quickly gauge how they will approach future conversations or interactions with the listed companies.
  • The White House official told Forbes the dynamic scorecards “incorporate the support of present and future administration initiatives.”
  • In addition to considering companies’ support of Trump’s agenda, the scorecards also take into account companies’ social media posts, press releases, video testimonials, advertisements and attendance at White House events, Axios reported, noting companies’ support is ranked as strong, moderate or low.
  • Axios cited as examples of “good” partners United, Delta, Uber, DoorDash, AT&T, Cisco, Airlines for America and the Steel Manufacturers Association.

  • An unnamed White House staffer told Axios the scorecards help “us see who really goes out and helps vs. those who just come in and pay lip service,” adding the gradings can change if “companies want to start advocating more now for the tax bill or additional administration priorities.”

Given the loyalty list versus the customer boycott it looks like Target (and I hope others) have put themselves in between a rock and another rock.

It is also interesting that Trump is taking stock from companies supposedly in the name of the country. He has taken a “golden share” in United Steel (or Nippon Steel). They seem to be in talks with Intel about taking over 10% of that companies stock. The US government will also get a cut of chip sales from Nvidia and AMD to China. This doesn’t exactly sound like capitalism.

Makes you wonder if Trump will somehow make those corporate “gifts” end up in his pocket? I sure wonder what is going on. Sure sounds corrupt. 

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Sunday Funday: Back To School 2025 Edition

Posted on August 24, 2025 by Dave Bradley

Sunday Funday: Back To School 2025 Edition

From way back but still so relevant (1:40). A great song written by Tom Paxton in 1964. Here it is sung by the great, great Pete Seeger.

There are many parallels between when that song was written. At that time the US was in the process of scaling up the Viet Nam war. But today those in power are doing so many bad things on so many fronts. From our governor trying to dismantle Iowa’s once admired public schools to the MAGAs in Washington invading American cities and dismantling democracy.

As if all that isn’t enough we still have the crazies with their guns waiting for some slight that will justify them shooting up a school. And the guns are still very easily available thanks to cowardly MAGA congress members. I am sure glad I am not in school these day especially in places like Oklahoma. Well,  hell, Iowa sure ain’t the greatest anymore

Once again our glorious leader, El Oranji, will be referred to as the FIWH {the Felon In the White House}

A) Oklahoma? Why what strange rules did they put in that might affect learning in that state last week?

B) Once again the FIWH is threatening to break the law by firing Lisa Cook. What position does Lisa Cook hold?

C) The Atlantic hurricane season got off to a roaring start with a close call from what named hurricane this week?

D) Friday morning: What former FIWH foreign policy expert was surprised as the FBI searched his home at 7AM?

E) Some school questions: Why do we have summer vacation from school anyway? 

F) This week’s insanity has the FIWH wanting to do away with what election process on the recommendation of Vladimir Putin?

G) What Democratic politician has become a social media star with his mockery of the FIWH?

H) In what appears to be a test case for invading US cities, Iowa’s congressional delegation came out unanimously in favor of the FIWH’s invasion of what city?

I) Following the lead of the FIWH last January, what retail giant ended their DEI program leading to the resignation the CEO who made that decision as sales plummeted?

J) During what decade did high school become a normal path for American youth?

K) That special glow! Walmart may have sold some shrimp last week contaminated with what?

L) MAGAs go nuts as what corporation they identify with changed their logo last week? (MAGAs claim the new logo is ‘woke’) 

M) How many K-12 school teachers are there in the US?

N) Well, the Texas legislature passed the law to do what to their electoral map?

O) What other state is in the process of doing something similar in response to Texas actions?

P) In Iowa, what city passed a resolution to protect the rights of LGBTQ citizens in response to the removal those rights by the Iowa legislature?

Q) In Iowa, what city passed a resolution celebrating traditional (heterosexual) marriage?

R) That darned Canada! They had a work stoppage by what group and then settled that strike quickly?

S) An article in the New Yorker estimated that the FIWH has made about how much OFF the presidency since he has returned?

T) Finally, where the heck did the Cyclones play football yesterday?

Overtime:

U) Is he addle-pated? The FIWH said he hoped that peace in Ukraine might be enough to get him what?

V) What man who tied religion to Republican politics died Thursday?

History teachers: “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”

Republicans: “We’re counting on it.” – Middle Age Riot

Answers:

A) Teachers from “woke” states (currently California and New York) will have to pass a loyalty test

B) She is a governor for the Federal Reserve. The President is banned from firing them

C) Erin

D) John Bolton

E) It goes back to when children helped on the family farm

F) Mail in voting (another diversion from Epstein)

G) Governor Newsom of California

H) Washington DC

I) Target

J) The 1930s

K) radiation 

L) Cracker Barrel

M) about 4 million

N) super gerrymandered redistricting

O) California

P) Iowa City

Q) Ottumwa

R) Flight attendants

S) $3.4 billion – I don’t believe that includes the airplane bribe

T) Dublin, Ireland

Overtime:

U) no- not a Nobel Peace prize but enough to get him into heaven. Apparently he thinks he is a few tokens short for that ride

V) James Dobson – beater of children and dogs.

Trump is mad that the Smithsonian is talking about “how bad slavery was.” That’s where we’re at. – Brian Tyler Cohen

Posted in #trumpresistance, Humor | 1 Comment

Will Medicare Be Cut Because of OBB(U)B? YES!

Posted on August 23, 2025 by Dave Bradley

That is the One Big Beautiful (but really Ugly) Bill. 

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gives a brief explanation: !Minute:

Remember how MAGAs claimed that the Trump bill that they ran through congress would not in any way affect Medicare? This may be hard to believe, but they lied. In Iowa each of our representatives and senators looked us right in the eye and lied to us. 

Senator Whitehouse gave us the very basic reason behind the coming crisis in Medicare. An analysis by Stephen Groves of the AP fleshes it out a little bit more. The simple explanation is that the PAYGO legislation that was forced on the country during the crazy Tea Party phase will now put a major hurt on Medicare in a couple of years as the deficit due to the OBB(U)B deepens the debt: 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal budget deficits caused by President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law could trigger automatic cuts to Medicare if Congress does not act, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported Friday.

The CBO estimates that Medicare, the federal health insurance program for Americans over age 65, could potentially see as much as $491 billion in cuts from 2027 to 2034 if Congress does not act to mitigate a 2010 law that forces across-the-board cuts to many federal programs once legislation increases the federal deficit. The latest report from CBO showed how Trump’s signature tax and spending law could put new pressure on federal programs that are bedrocks of the American social safety net.

Trump and Republicans pledged not to cut Medicare as part of the legislation, but the estimated $3.4 trillion that the law adds to the federal deficit over the next decade means that many Medicare programs could still see cuts. In the past, Congress has always acted to mitigate cuts to Medicare and other programs, but it would take some bipartisan cooperation to do so.

Democrats, who requested the analysis from CBO, jumped on the potential cuts.

“Republicans knew their tax breaks for billionaires would force over half a trillion dollars in Medicare cuts — and they did it anyway,” said Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, in a statement. “American families simply cannot afford Donald Trump’s attacks on Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare.”

Hospitals in rural parts of the country are already grappling with cuts to Medicaid, which is available to people with low incomes, and cuts to Medicare could exacerbate their shortfalls.

As Republicans muscled the bill through Congress and are now selling it to voters back home, they have been highly critical of how CBO has analyzed the bill. They have also argued that the tax cuts will spur economic growth and pointed to $50 billion in funding for rural hospitals that was included in the package.

Even before that Seniors and others on Medicare will see raises in supplemental insurance. And of course those who use Medicaid as their supplemental to Medicare will be seeing huge cuts in that when those cuts kick in, in 2027 right after the election.

I would also not be surprised to see MAGAs use this impending screw. Job to force those of us who are still on traditional Medicare into their gawd-awful {not really} Medicare {with no} Advantage. Remember that is regular for profit health insurance that insurance companies are making a killing off of.

MAGAs thought they could fool us by using a back door to cut Medicare. They didn’t. Since they have passed that gawd-awful bill and the FIWH [Felon In the White House] will be there until 2029 it is unlikely that any portion of the bill will be fixed. However, voting for Democrats for national office can help set the stage for a quick reversal when MAGAs are voted out in 2028.

So do yourself and your fellow Americans a real favor next year and vote against those who screwed you over and vote for the Democrats who will help you. You can help yourself!

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Special Election In IA SD 01 Tuesday!

Posted on August 23, 2025 by Dave Bradley

Democratic victory could break the MAGA supermajority in the Iowa Senate:

Here is a spot from Democratic Candidate Catelin Drey: (30 seconds):

It would be easy to accidentally forget to vote in this special election. Having an election as the kids go back to school, football is kicking off and the weather has finally cooled to a more livable temperature may divert our attention. But this election is important.

Electing Catelin Drey is very important to restoring some sense of balance to Iowa politics. It won’t tip the scales back to total balance, but it will at least break the MAGA supermajority in the Iowa Senate. The MAGA Party has had the trifecta (the governorship and both houses the legislature) for the past 9 years. 

Iowa has definitely taken a downhill trip under MAGA leadership. Just last month Iowa got the economic news that we have either the worst or second worst economic growth in the country. To quote the headline from last month over at iowademocracy.org

Iowa’s Economy Is As Bad as Her Rivers are Dirty

Corn, soybean commodity prices are down, and farm bankruptcies are up – just another year living in a state governed by Republicans 

And that ain’t all folks. We all know what MAGAs have done to Iowa’s once proud school system. It has essentially been privatized using money meant for public schools. Healthcare especially for women is falling fast as Iowa’s physicians seek better places to live and work.

Republican leadership has put a once proud state near the bottom of most categories that measure the livability of a state. Iowa’s governor and legislator is much more concerned about the rich than the average human. As such, Iowa now ranks itself with states in the old South.

Here is a full interview of Catelin Drey talking to bleedingheartland.com’s Laura Belin shortly after Drey was selected as the nominee to run for the state senate: (17 minutes)

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Help Governor Newsom Fight Back Against Trump’s Redistricting Power Grab

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Trish Nelson

IF there are free and fair mid-term elections in 2026 Governor Newsom said Democrats will take back the House of Representatives.  “Trump knows he will lose.”  That is why he told Texas Republicans to find five more congressional seats that Trump says he is “entitled” to.

There is so much work to do in Iowa alone, but we need to make sure democracy lives to see another day. This requires people power at different levels, local, state, national. On issues and campaigns, on holding up the pillars of democracy such as public education, fair elections, local news, due process, rule of law, freedom of speech and assembly, etc.

Gavin Newsom has emerged to lead Democrats in the fight. Barack Obama has given Newsom his stamp of approval. The democratic rank and file are behind him.

Below is a live conversation with Gavin Newsom last night outlining what is at stake, and including a brief outline of the California plan to neutralize the Texas Republicans’ move to ram through five additional congressional seats for Trump without permission from Texas voters.

Following the live conversation with Governor Newsom there is a link to where you may sign up to volunteer if you are able to help the effort.

Volunteer, donate or learn more here:

Click on the image to volunteer to help https://act.gavinnewsom.com/signup/volunteer-erra/

~~~

O Me! O Life!

By Walt Whitman

Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

Source: Leaves of Grass (1892)

Poetry Foundation

~~~~~

Happy Friday, patriots!

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Driftless Water Defenders Conclude “48 Lakes Initiative”

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Driftless Water Defenders celebrate the conclusion of the first wave of its 48 lakes initiative with a free Labor Day event at Backbone State Park. 

DECORAH – To celebrate the conclusion of its “48 Lakes Initiative,” the Driftless Water Defenders, an Iowa non-profit membership clean water advocacy group, is hosting a free event on Labor Day, September 1, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the beach lodge at Backbone State Park.

This free event will feature speakers (Dr. Chris Jones, James C. Larew, and more), a free lunch, prepared by Brian Bruening, owner of Schera’s Restaurant in El Kader, will be offered by IWD. Musical entertainment will be provided by local performers.

The “48 Lakes Initiative” is a statewide social-media dialogue started on the Memorial Day holiday. It has been aimed to increase awareness of, and a dialogue concerning, the worsening condition of Iowa’s public lakes. In the course of the Initiative, Iowans have recorded videos about their recreational and social relationships with these polluted public bodies of water located across Iowa.

Throughout the summer, clean water access for hundreds of thousands of Iowans has been impeded by high amounts of nitrate and phosphorus, as well as manure-based pollutants. Most of these pollutants, harmful to aquatic life and humans, have flowed into Iowa’s public waters from industrial farming sites using chemical and manure fertilizers to support mostly corn and soybean crops.

In the course of the 48 Lakes Initiative, more than 600,000 central Iowa residents had their drinking and domestic water supplies reduced in the face of high nitrate levels in the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers—which source the Des Moines–area water treatment facilities.

“In Iowa, we generally have an abundance of water. However, much of that water is seriously impaired, sometimes reaching unhealthy levels of nitrate and other pollutants.” explained Chris Jones, President of the Driftless Water Defenders, a water quality expert and the author of the acclaimed book, “The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality.” We know how to correct this. However, the industrial-agricultural interests have impeded Iowa from moving forward to improve this condition.”

DWD was joined in this summer-long effort by other clean water advocacy groups: Progress Iowa, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Food & Water Watch. The organizing groups believe that access to clean water is a fundamental right of Iowa citizens and that current polluting practices are interfering with the exercise of that right.

DWD asks that those who are interested in attending this event RSVP through their Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B2bUt5PjY/ or through their website: driftlesswaterdefenders.com/events

If you have any further questions or comments, please email Driftless Water Defenders at admin@driftlesswaterdefenders.com or call at 319-541-4240.

Driftless Water Defenders, 504 E. Bloomington St, Iowa City

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Governor JB Pritzker Discusses New Maps

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Trish Nelson

“We don’t have a lot of choices. We need to be in this fight.”

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Watch The Iowa Democratic Wing Ding Livestream

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Candidate speeches and more.

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