State Rep. Abby Finkenauer Announced as Iowa Director for Make It Work Campaign

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Dave Bradley

MIW-Policy-agenda

For Immediate Release: September 18th, 2015
Contact: Matt Sinovic, (515) 423-0530

Des Moines, IA — The Make It Work campaign today announced the hiring of State Representative Abby Finkenauer of Dubuque as director of its Iowa organization. Finkenauer will lead a team of organizers and volunteers in raising awareness about family economic issues in the months prior to the Iowa caucus such as equal pay, affordable child care, paid parental leave, and earned sick days.

“Make It Work is highlighting examples from Iowa families every single day and I’m excited to be part of the campaign,” said Finkenauer.

“Most Presidential candidates and elected officials pay lip service to the idea that our economy needs to work for everyday Iowans, and we will work every day to make sure they hear from moms like Katie Rock, who was only able to spend two weeks at home with her prematurely born baby; or dads like Detavious Smith, whose child care costs are more than $1200 per month. For families in Iowa and across the country, we need our leaders to know that words aren’t enough. If we claim to stand for family values, we need policies that truly value families.”

“We’re excited to have a state leader like Representative Finkenauer on board,” said Tracy Sturdivant, Co-Founder of Make It Work. “Her leadership in the legislature on family economic issues and her ability to take our efforts statewide make her a valuable part of the team in Iowa and nationally.”

Make it Work is a national, nonprofit campaign working to advance economic security for women, men and families across the country. We are a community of women and men who share the belief that hardworking Americans shouldn’t have to choose between being there for family and earning a living. For more information, visit makeitworkcampaign.org/

Posted in Progress Iowa | Tagged , | Comments Off on State Rep. Abby Finkenauer Announced as Iowa Director for Make It Work Campaign

May I Ask A Couple Of Questions?

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Dave Bradley
Pull Over - We Have Questions

Pull Over – We Have Questions

Can anyone name anything good that Republicans have done for this country since 2000?

As the so called cream of Republicans continue to lie about Planned Parenthood (“debate” Sept. 16, 2015) and don’t seem to have enough brains to understand that the videos created against Planned Parenthood is nothing more than propaganda obviously edited so badly that kindergartners could see through it I have questions that Jake Tapper didn’t ask:

– Who is burning Planned Parenthood offices?

– Who is shooting doctors that provide services for women who need help in a time of trouble?

– Who stands on the street and threatens and blocks access for women who are trying to avail themselves of legal services and medical care?

– Will you call for the arrest and prosecution of those committing arson, murder, committing assaults through threats and libeling Planned Parenthood through totally misleading videos?

– Will you make access to birth control easier and extremely cheap so women can try to prevent unwanted pregnancies?

– Are you so gullible that you believe a sophomoric attempt at propaganda is true because it reinforces your personal beliefs? Heaven help us if you use that approach to foreign policy.

Your party claims to be a party that supports a nation of laws. Will you call for the arrest and prosecution of those committing arson, murder and assault and libel? Or is everyone free to pick and choose the laws they will follow?

One more question, Candidates. What will you be doing about the back alley abortionists that will spring up in cities, towns and rural areas around the country? America is an interesting country – where there is a need there will be someone to fill it. Look at the drugs we have made illegal. All it has done is drive the price up and made some pretty scuzzy people filthy rich and powerful. Do you honestly think that what you are doing will force women to give birth? Do you not think that they will seek the help they need where ever they can? Will you take responsibility for forcing women into making choices such as this?

How do I know? Well, that is what happened before. That is what is happening with drugs. Remember what happened when alcohol was made illegal? Hardly slowed things down at all. What your solution will do is subject women to great threats of death or life threatening health consequences just so you can satisfy your crazy religious convictions.

Before you think about pulling that lever next year for the Republican Party, remember that in their last turn they brought the first attack on our soil, an unjustified war, and almost succeeded in plunging the world into the worst economic depression ever. They also tried but failed to raid Social Security. Should they win in 2016 that will be high on their hit target.

Add closing down the best medical program for all women to their hit parade for next year along with more war, more money to the unbelievably rich and more jobs going overseas plus trying once more to end the ACA, Social Security and Medicare / Medicaid. That is a hell of a platform to vote for.

Sometimes I just have to let it go, you know?

Posted in Clown Show II, planned parenthood, Republicn Policy | Tagged | Comments Off on May I Ask A Couple Of Questions?

David Young’s Legislative Agenda Pre-Approved by Washington Republicans in Exchange for Campaign Cash‏

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Dave Bradley

boy, here's a picture we use a lot when talking about Republicans

boy, here’s a picture we use a lot when talking about Republicans


September 16, 2015

Contact: Josh Levitt

jlevitt@iowademocrats.org

Young’s Shady Deal with the National Republican Campaign Committee Raises Serious Ethical Questions

DES MOINES – Congressman David Young claims to be working for the people of Iowa, but it’s crystal clear he’s firmly in the back pocket of Washington Republicans.

The Washington Post reported that David Young signed a secret contract with the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) that forces Young to hand over his legislative agenda, along with complete political justification, to the group in exchange for campaign cash and assistance. The Post specifies that the agreement Young signed requires House incumbents to provide, “detailed, written legislative strategy that provides short-, immediate-, and long-term legislative goals, including political justifications for those goals.”

“Iowans expect their elected representatives to put the interests of Iowans first. But just months into his first term, it’s apparent David Young is completely beholden to Washington,” said IDP Press Secretary Josh Levitt. “By signing this shady, secret contract with the NRCC, David Young has ceded his responsibility to legislate on behalf of Iowa’s Third District in exchange for campaign cash from Washington. This news confirms that David Young is the consummate DC insider who is putting his own re-election over the interests of Iowa.”

Young and his Chief of Staff (a federal government employee) were required to sign the secret contract in order to participate in the NRCC’s Patriot Program, which according to the Post, is an initiative that brings “special attention” and “mounds of campaign cash” to vulnerable incumbents like David Young. Before moving back to Iowa to further his political ambitions, Young worked as a chief of staff – so he understands how inappropriate it is for a federal employee to mix political and government business. But that didn’t stop him from blurring ethical lines.

According to the House Ethics Manual, official resources “may not be used for campaign or political purposes.” It’s fair to assume that official resources are used in the creation of legislative plans. Further, the manual says that:

“…materials in the congressional office files – including, for example, back-up memoranda on issues – are not to be shared with the campaign or otherwise used for campaign purposes. Those materials are to be used for official purposes only. Congressional staff members should not do research on behalf of the campaign or write campaign speeches or other materials while on official time or using official resources.”

David Young’s decision to hand over his legislative agenda to a political organization raises a number of important questions:

LOYALTY: Where do David Young’s loyalties lie – with Washington Republicans or his constituents in Iowa?

ETHICS: How is it ethical for David Young to have his agenda managed by Washington Republicans, not his constituents in the Third District?

POLICY: Which policies did David Young include in the agenda he submitted to the NRCC? Did the NRCC have any input on bills Young should introduce or co-sponsor?
It’s no surprise to see a DC insider like David Young turn to Washington for campaign help with his re-election in serious danger. But handing over his legislative agenda to Washington Republicans is plain wrong. Iowans deserve to have these important questions answered.

Posted in Congress, money out of politics, Republicn Policy | Tagged | Comments Off on David Young’s Legislative Agenda Pre-Approved by Washington Republicans in Exchange for Campaign Cash‏

Gibson Resolution On Climate Change

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Paul Deaton

WHY-WHY-NOT(Editor’s Note: To some, eleven Republicans co-sponsoring the Gibson resolution to act on climate are merely stating obvious facts about the science of global warming, its impact on climate, and the need to take immediate action. Friends Committee on Legislation and Citizens Climate Lobby have both been supportive in developing the resolution and hope it will be a starting point toward the elimination of climate change denial in the Congress, and  the beginning of positive steps toward mitigating its causes. Following is the entire press release from FCNL).

On the eve of the Pope’s historic visit to Washington, a group of Republican lawmakers this week called upon Congress to commit to act to address changes in the climate, including efforts to balance the human impacts of climate change. The Friends Committee on National Legislation hailed the resolution introduced by Rep. Chris Gibson (NY-19) and ten other Republicans as the beginning of a new and more constructive spirit and dialogue in Congress about solutions to climate change.

“The Pope has called for a dialogue on how we care for the Earth. This resolution is the first step towards bipartisan conversations in the U.S. Congress about climate solutions, guided by principles of compassion, reconciliation, justice and stewardship,” stated Diane Randall, executive secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation. “We look forward to working with Rep. Gibson and other lawmakers to advance this conversation so that Congress can implement solutions for the sake of our common future.”

The 72-year-old Quaker lobby in the public interest has worked for nearly three years to build public support for an interfaith, moral call to conscience that centers on a non-partisan, Congressional resolution acknowledging dangers climate change poses to our common future and committing Congress to act. “We believe that bipartisan support is essential for Congress to act on climate change. This issue affects every person on the Earth,” explained Randall. “We’ve worked with Rep. Chris Gibson, Quakers and other faith and community groups around the country to build support for this resolution.”

“We will continue to mobilize faith communities across the country to support bipartisan, Congressional action on climate change,” she said. “As Quakers, we seek the Light of God within all people. FCNL began this grassroots moral call for action on climate change nearly three years ago, recognizing that all peoples – regardless of faith, party, race, age, or any other label – can and must be part of constructive dialogues and solutions to protect our shared Earth. People of faith have a special responsibility to transcend the partisan divides that have blocked Congressional action on this issue for so long. We are delighted to have contributed to this resolution, which commits the House to work constructively to create solutions, including efforts to balance human activities contributing to climate change.”

We are deeply grateful for the leadership shown by Reps. Gibson, Curbelo, Hanna, Stefanik, Fitzpatrick, Meehan, Ros-Lehtinen, Reichert, Dold, LoBiondo, and Costello. We support them in their efforts to address climate change in a bipartisan fashion.

~ The Friends Committee on National Legislation, the oldest registered religious lobby in Washington, is a non partisan Quaker lobby in the public interest. FCNL works with a nationwide network of tens of thousands of people from every state in the U.S. to advocate for social and economic justice, peace, and good government.

Posted in Climate Action, Climate Change, Environment | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Gibson Resolution On Climate Change

Is The Iowa Utilities Board Working For Big Oil?

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Trish Nelson

Bakken Pipeline Proposed RouteCCI Action Fund

The Bakken Pipeline fight is heating up, but you can take action today.

The Iowa Utilities Board just announced November 12-16 for the Bakken Pipeline evidentiary hearing. This adheres to Dakota Access’ construction timeline, making it clear that the Iowa Utilities Board is working for Big Oil.
​
The Rock Island Army Corps of Engineers, a government agency that is responsible for investigating, developing and maintaining the nation’s water and related environmental resources, is evaluating permits for the proposed Bakken Pipeline under their “Nationwide” permitting process which means they’re just assessing segments, not all of the pipeline.

Tell the Army Corps of Engineers to use an “Individual” permit for the entirety of the proposed Bakken Pipeline to assess the impacts from start to finish!

The individual permit is more stringent, will require a public comment period and could delay the permitting timeline for 3-5 years.

The Army Corps is making their decision on how to assess in the next month. That, along with IUB’s hearing adhering to Dakota Access’ construction timeline, means we need at least 500 folks to take action by mid-October.

The pipeline would cross every major waterway in our state, and would cross tiled farmland. An oil spill would impact entire watersheds and spread through tiled land into our rivers and streams. The Army Corps cannot just evaluate segments – they must evaluate the entirety of the proposed Bakken Pipeline!

Tell the Army Corps they must assess the entirety of the proposed Bakken Pipeline – our water and land depend on it.

 

Posted in Iowa Globalwarming, Iowa in the News | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Workshop: Can We Live Free Of Corporate Control?

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Trish Nelson

al franken on net neutralityHost: Free Press Action Fund

Where: Old Brick Church and Community Center, 26 E. Market St.,  Iowa City

When: Thursday, September 17 at 6:00 p.m.

What: Join the Free Press Action Fund and the American Friends Service Committee for this special workshop on the future of the Internet and the presidential campaign. We’ll give you all the tools you need to push candidates to stand up for the open Internet. You’ll leave with training, a toolkit and skills so you can advocate for an open and free internet and the candidates who support it!

Can you join us in Iowa City on Thursday?

Click here for more details and to RSVP

Sorry, I can’t make it, but I’m interested in getting more updates

Posted in 2016 Election Campaign, Corporate Greed, Internet Issues, Local Events | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Workshop: Can We Live Free Of Corporate Control?

This Week On The Fallon Forum: Bishop Richard Pates Advocates Climate Change Action

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Trish Nelson
Ed Fallon, "People need to be thinking of what changes they can make in their own life."

Ed Fallon, “People need to be thinking of what changes they can make in their own life.”

The Fallon Forum is broadcast live on Mondays from 11:00-12:00 noon CDT on KDLF 1260 AM (Des Moines) and online.  The program re-broadcasts Wednesday on KHOI 89.1 FM (Ames) at 4:00 p.m. and Wednesday on KPVL 89.1 FM (Postville) at 7:00 p.m. Podcasts available, too.

Dear Friends,

I am honored to have Bishop Richard Pates of the Des Moines Catholic Diocese on today’s Fallon Forum.

Responding to Pope Francis’ encyclical addressing climate change, Bishop Pates wrote “An honest conversation acknowledges that humans are causing much of the recent climate change . . . The dialogue we need is not about whether to act on clime change but how to act.” (The Des Moines Register, July 2, 2015)

Bishop Pates goes on to challenge us to action, saying, “With presidential candidates already visiting us regularly, I encourage Catholics across our state, and all people of good will, to talk to them and ask not if, but how, they plan to work toward solutions to climate change.”

Already, 2015 has been a big year for climate action, with two major events still on the horizon:

* Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S. this month, including a first-ever address by a pontiff to a joint session of Congress.

* The United Nations Climate Summit in Paris, November 30 – December 11, where expectations are high that a serious climate agreement might at last be attained.

I am grateful for Bishop Pate’s clarion call to faith-based action on behalf of creation and our planet. And I am grateful to all who are engaged in principled acts of conscience leading up to these two landmark moments in the face of escalating climate disasters. There are so many encouraging citizen-based actions in progress right now, it’s impossible to note them all. But let me mention three:

1. The Climate Mobilization, a promising new initiative challenging presidential candidates, other elected leaders, and all of us to confront climate change honestly and commit ourselves to “a World War II-scale emergency climate mobilization to protect civilization from the climate crisis.” If you haven’t yet signed the Pledge to Mobilize, please do.

2. Activists, including some of last year’s participants in the Great March for Climate Action, are fasting for eighteen days in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) building in Washington, DC. In advance of the Pope’s visit, they hope to call on FERC to stop issuing permits for fracking.

3. The People’s Pilgrimage chronicles an informal network of concerned people heading to Paris for the U.N. Climate Summit, or those who plan to be there in spirit. The initiative’s website says, “You can cross a continent, or only walk a mile. It’s up to you. You can do it any way you like – walk, cycle or some other low or zero fossil fuel means. What matters is the spiritual journey and that you use the journey to reflect on the risks of climate change.”

Thanks! – Ed Fallon

Now-December – Utilities Board deliberations pipeline (ND, SD, IA, IL)
In Iowa, for details on the evolving schedule, visit https://iub.iowa.gov/. For questions on how you can have your voice heard in the process, contact Ed Fallon at fallonforum@gmail.com or the Bakken Pipeline Resistance Facebook Page.

Posted in Fallon Forum | Tagged , , | Comments Off on This Week On The Fallon Forum: Bishop Richard Pates Advocates Climate Change Action

Pushing Back On Raising Minimum Wage

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Paul Deaton
Solon Polling Place

Solon Polling Place

RURAL JOHNSON COUNTY — The nearby City of Solon is concerned about the impact of the recently passed county ordinance to raise the minimum wage. The city council doesn’t buy in, local businesses don’t buy in.

On Sept. 10, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors held the last of three readings of a new ordinance to raise the county minimum wage in $0.95 increments to $10.10 per hour by Jan. 1, 2017. The board passed the ordinance unanimously.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported the Solon city council is considering opting out of the new county minimum wage structure.

According to the Solon city administrator, the city council is considering just such an action.

An agenda of the council’s Sept. 2 meeting lists “discussion on minimum wage ordinance by Johnson County.” Draft minutes from the last council meeting, which have not been posted online, show council members unanimously voiced opposition to the county’s minimum wage ordinance. Local business owners also spoke out against it, saying they couldn’t afford raises for all of their employees while maintaining the same staff levels.

Doug Lindner of the Solon Economist recounted Mayor Steve Stange’s Sept. 2 survey of council members here. The council unanimously opposed raising the wage in Solon as laid out in the new ordinance.

City Attorney Jim Martinek was directed by Stange to review the proposed county law and research the city’s options and responsibilities, according to Lindner. Council is expected to take up the issue at its Sept. 16 meeting.

KCRG – TV9 interviewed local business owners Leo Eastwood and Sam Lensing in a news segment that aired Sept. 11.

Eastwood owns Eastwood’s Sports Bar and Grill. He is well known in the community and has placed political advertisements for favored Republican candidates at his place of business. His business recently moved from a strip mall at the edge of town to Main Street, where he joined a growing group of bars and restaurants in the city of 2,300 people.

“You’ve got to pass that along or you’re not going to be in business long,” Eastwood said to KCRG of a potential mandatory wage increase.

Lensing owns the most visible business on Main Street, Sam’s Main Street Market, a full service grocery store. Another of Lensing’s businesses, D & D Pizza, recently vacated its space across the street from the grocery store and Eastwood moved in.

Sam’s Main Street Market is and has been an important part of the community, sponsoring local events, collecting funds for the local food bank, and preventing the city from becoming a food desert for people with limited transportation.

“If this wage hike does increase that much where people have to raise their prices what’s it going to do for their business?” Lensing asked in the interview.

Sam’s Main Street Market competes with Fareway, Aldi, HyVee, Walmart and Costco. Because Solon is a bedroom community, people who commute to work have an easy option to buy groceries and sundries elsewhere. The convenience of his location brings customers willing to pay more rather than make a special trip to another town. KCRG didn’t report how many employees Lensing has at near minimum wage to validate his concern.

All of this seems like a tempest in a teapot, and here’s why.

The council’s concern, as reported by the news media, seems like a knee-jerk reaction to the minimum wage increase by a small number of business owners. The retail price increase a minimum wage increase may or may not require would have little impact in a community where the median household income is more than $62,000 per year — substantially higher than either the county-wide or state-wide figures. The argument about raising prices is a red herring.

How many low wage workers has the council heard from? I wasn’t at the meeting, but probably zero. In my experience covering council meetings for the Solon Economist I found councilors exercised a reasonable amount of diligence in matters like this. While the composition of the council has changed since I covered them, one hopes they will get feedback from Solon residents who work at or near the minimum wage in the city before opting out of the county ordinance. It is a voice not heard in this discussion to date.

There has been no public discussion of the impact on the Solon workforce of opting out. There are a lot of questions to be answered, including, how many near minimum wage jobs (earning below $10.10 per hour) would be affected? Where do Solon workers in near minimum wage jobs live? Would near minimum wage employees at Solon businesses seek employment at higher wages elsewhere as a result of the city opting out? How do near minimum wage workers in Solon get health insurance mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and at what cost to taxpayers? Has the city council read the ordinance to understand which businesses are required to comply and which are not? At present, there are no public answers.

As I wrote on Friday, the new county ordinance does little to address the underlying causes of poverty here. It turns out getting cities like Solon to buy in will be yet another delay in pursuit of social and economic justice.

Posted in Labor | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Whistleblower Tour Coming To Iowa

Posted on September 14, 2015 by bfiaedflaherty

Colleen RowleyFBI Whistleblower Coleen Rowley and former CIA analyst Ray McGovern will launch their week-long barn-storming speaking tour on September 24 in Dubuque. The tour, dubbed “The Truth Shall Make You Free,” is sponsored by the three Iowa chapters of Veterans for Peace and thirty-one other organizations (listed below). The itinerary includes nine cities and seven institutions of higher learning.

Rowley, an Iowa native, is the retired FBI agent who blew the whistle after 9/11 on the FBI’s failures.  Rowley was one of three whistleblowers  selected as TIME Magazine’s “Persons of the Year” in 2002. She was also the first to receive the Sam Adams award in 2002, an award founded by McGovern which annually recognizes an intelligence professional who has taken a stand for integrity and ethics.

McGovern is a retired CIA officer turned political activist. He was a CIA analyst from 1963 to 1990, and in the 1980s chaired National Intelligence Estimates and prepared the President’s Daily Brief.

Ray McGovern2 JPG80

Ray McGovern

Between them, Rowley and McGovern have 51 years of service in the highest levels of the FBI and CIA. Since leaving the agencies, they have worked relentlessly for peace and justice.

McGovern and Rowley seek to raise the level of Iowans’ understanding of current national security issues. In light of Iowa’s unique status as the first presidential caucus state, they will focus on tough questions that Iowans should ask of presidential candidates sweeping through the state.

The speaking tour includes stops in Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Davenport, Parnell, Iowa City, Ames and Des Moines.

McGovern Rowley Schedule.  All listed events are free and open to the public.

All events are sponsored by  Iowa Veterans For Peace

Thurs, Sept 24th. 6:00 PM Speech at University of Dubuque
MAD Paths to Mutually Assured Destruction: War & Pollution
Contact Christine Darr cdarr@dbq.edu

Friday, Sept 25th, 7:00 PM Speech at Veterans Memorial Building
50 2nd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids
The People’s Pre-Caucus Intelligence Briefing
Contact Joe Aossey,VFP #169. jaossey@yahoo.com

Sat, Sept 26th, Cedar Falls/Waterloo
10:30 AM News Talk sponsored by the University of Northern Iowa Democracy Project
University Book Store, 1009 W. 23rd St., Cedar Falls
3:00 PM Law Court Theater, Waterloo Center for the Arts
Addressing/Redressing Global & Local Violence.
Waterloo/Cedar Falls events, contact Tom Kessler tom.kessler@cfu.net

Sunday, Sept 27, Rogalski Center, St. Ambrose University, Davenport
2PM to 4 PM Co-sponsored by the Quad City Times
New Ideas Forum
Contact Paul Foley. 563 333-6025. Foleypaulj@sau.edu

7 PM. JPOG (Just Peace Outreach Group)
West Union Mennonite Church, 3253 305 St, Parnell
Fingerfood potluck, 6PM. Bring fingerfood to share and your own table service.
Biblical Justice: Is It an Un-American Activity
Contact Roger Farmer, 319 653-2547 or Jane Yoder-Short, wilmajane17@gmail.com

Monday, Sept 28th 7:30 PM. Englert Theatre, Iowa City
University of Iowa LECTURE Series
Intelligence, Not “Mistaken,” But “Fixed” For War

Tuesday, Sept 29th
Noon Speech at Iowa City Foreign Relations Council.
(Lunch:$10 Members; $14 non-members). “Can We Wade Out of the Big Muddy and Get Back to Some Moral High Ground?”

Both Iowa City events, contact Ed Flaherty, VFP #161. 319 621-6766. Flahertyem@aol.com

7:00 PM,  Ames Public Library, Farwell T. Brown Auditorium
Peace is Possible
Contact Mary Logsdon. 515 239-5633. Mlogsdon@amespubliclibrary.org

Wednesday, Sept 30th

Des Moines Lecture at Drake University(Olin Hall 101)
7:00 PM 
Contact Gil Landolt, VFP #163, 515 333-2180
Use & Abuse of US Intelligence

—–

Organizations/allied groups associated with McGovern/Rowley Sept, 2015 Iowa Tour

Veterans for Peace Chapters #161, #163, and #169
National Office, Veterans for Peace
Dubuque Peace & Justice
Central Iowa Call to Action (Ames)
Dubuque International Day of Peace Committee
PEACE Iowa (Peace,Education, Action Center of Eastern Iowa), Iowa City
University of Dubuque
Loras College, Dubuque
Workers For Peace (Cedar Rapids)
United Nations Association, Cedar Rapids
Linn County Cattlemen’s Association
Veterans’ Association of Cedar Rapids
University of Northern Iowa Democracy Project
University Book & Supply (Cedar Falls)
Project for the Beloved Community, Inc. (Cedar Falls/Waterloo)
Peace & Justice Center of the Cedar Valley
St. Ambrose College, (Davenport)
Quad City Times
Just Peace Outreach Group
Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility
Catholic Peace Ministry (Des Moines)
Des Moines Catholic Worker
American Friends Service Committee
University of Iowa Lecture Series
University of Iowa Center for Human Rights
Iowa City Foreign Relations Council
Ames Public Library
Drake University (Des Moines)

CONTACT: Ed Flaherty (319) 621-6766 or flahertyem@aol.com or John Jadryev (319) 430-2019 or jadryevj@gmail.com

Posted in 2016 Election Campaign | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Whistleblower Tour Coming To Iowa

How To Purge Donald Trump From Your Daily Consciousness

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Trish Nelson

pet rock with sunglasses[Dave Bradley has the weekend off. The Sunday Funday civics quiz will be back next week!]

Think about it.

There is really no reason for the media to be talking about Donald Trump incessantly, for the past however many unbearably torturous weeks it has been since they began doing so.

So he is running for president. So what? There are a dozen or so other GOP candidates for president. So what if DT has a bit of a polling lead?  (The polling lead is just how the media explains to itself and viewers why they are spending so much time talking about the Donald).  It still is absolutely no reason to justify the tsunami of TV blather we are drowning in at this time.

Really, think about it. We’re all entertaining thoughts of Donald Trump in our minds multiple times a day, every day, simply because we come across his name and image in the media probably dozens of times every day, possibly hundreds I bet, if we were counting.

Even we liberals and progressives who completely understand the idiocy of it all, end up posting and commenting and having conversations with friends on Facebook about DT. In my case, I’m doing it right now even though I have been actively resisting it.

The two phenomena that come to mind when I try to think of what it reminds me of are (1) streaking, a trend during the 80’s where suddenly it was a thing to crash an event by running across a stage or a room naked. And (2) pet rocks. I can’t remember what decade this was, maybe the 70’s, but all of a sudden you could buy pet rocks everywhere and everyone did. And then suddenly, both things abruptly ended. And that was that. No purpose, just an idiot thing that humans did for reasons entirely unknown even to themselves.

The mass media controls our unconscious minds. Yes, this is really true. They do it with imagery and fake realities and repetition. The din of the mass media is so loud it drowns out the real reality. Like trying to have a conversation in a noisy bar, you have to shout to be heard and strain to hear someone else who is shouting to be heard and it is so tiring you just give up trying to communicate.

Does this sound like a tin foil hat conspiracy theory? Just ask yourself, do you really want to be having a conversation with your co-worker or your friend about Donald Trump? No, so then why are we all doing it? If you think the mass media doesn’t affect your ability to think straight, I challenge you to try not having a conversation or a thought about the Donald for a single day right now.

We can’t do it. Because images were our original form of thought and communication. And TV is an incredibly powerful image-based medium, now magnified by the internet. It is virtually impossible to banish the imagery from our brains. Advertisers and media and people like DT know this.

What we can do is raise our own awareness of the things that are put into our brains just because it is in the media, that are not in there because we are choosing it to be in there, like for example, reading a book. We need to ask ourselves how much of anything we see and hear in the media is true and make an effort to find out. We need to stop just reading headlines and absorbing media narratives without question.

Increased insight and awareness is the only way to clear our minds of the fog created by the images imposed upon us by the vast wasteland that is the corporate media.

Or turn off the TV.  Or join the fight for media reform.

**Update: Or you can get the brower app that replaces “Donald Trump” with “some rich asshole.” Available on Chrome and Mozilla.  http://somerichasshole.com/  Read some reviews:

“The most important political browser add-on” Rated 5 out of 5 stars

by Noah Cooper on September 19, 2015

You need this if you want to #MakeAmericaGreatAgain

“So far so good” Rated 5 our of 5 stars

by vwaimlessly on September 19, 2015

Sure is nice not having to see whatshisname’s name in my twitter feed.

 

Posted in Clown Show II, Media Reform | Tagged , | 1 Comment