Guilt By Association

Posted on September 28, 2024 by Dave Bradley

2 minutes:

In the past few weeks we have all been hearing the insane and totally fabricated stories of immigrants from Haiti supposedly kidnapping and eating pets in the Springfield, Ohio area. The story supposedly sprung from a report that a Springfield resident filed with local police there that she claimed she saw a neighbor steal her cat and the resident could not find the cat.

The version of this story I heard said that the resident then found her cat alive in the basement 3 days later. 

As I look it up online I see that there are several versions of the story differing in some details. Oddly, most of the stories cited do not mention a Haitian as a guilty party to begin with. That appears to be a detail that came to the story later.

Why later and why Haitian? This is from a discussion I heard on the radio last week I believe on Thom Hartmann. 

Because whipping up hate against immigrants is the very core of the MAGA campaign this year, MAGAs are on the lookout for anything that sounds like immigrant crime. A story like the above especially with the added gory detail of eating a dog or cat is right up their alley.

In the case of Springfield the threat is heightened by there being a sizable number of these immigrants in the community. Remember the Haitians settling in this country mostly came under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to the problems in Haiti itself. Springfield had a huge need for labor and brought Haitians in to cover their labor shortage.

How the story evolved to specify Haitians were the fantasy culprit is unclear. However, seeing a great chance to bash immigrants, bash black people, bash speakers of foreign tongues and include a story that is anathema to most Americans all rolled up in one, here it was on a platter for MAGAs. Using social media, it spread like wildfire.

In the final analysis there is one extra morsel that the MAGA unreality troops can extract from this story and that is to bash Kamala Harris by association. Harris is of course a citizen by birth having been born in Oakland California. But her parents were immigrants.

In particular, her Father, Donald Harris is from Jamaica. If you look at a map of the Caribbean you will see that Jamaica and Haiti are neighboring islands. So MAGA reasoning would lead you to this insane conclusion:

Jamaica near Haiti so populations are similar. => Kamala Harris’s dad is Jamaican so Kamala is like a Haitian. => Haitians are criminal so Kamala Harris is criminal. MAGA logic at its finest.

As you ponder this incredible (uncredible?) bit of logic just imagine having a mind like that having the nuclear codes or advising the guy who has the nuclear codes. Now that is scary.

In what I hope will be one of the final stories in this whole sordid saga, MAGA representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana kind of brought the whole mindset together with this tweet:

Higgins, of Lafayette, posted the following tweet on X Wednesday afternoon: 

“Lol. These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gansters … but damned if they don’t feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP. All these thugs better get their mind right and their a– out of our country before Jan. 20.” 

Reminder folks: This is an election year. People like Trump, like JD Vance and any of the people who either support them or fail to stand up to them (Miller-Meeks, Hinson, Nunn, Feenstra) are not fit for office. YOU can vote them out.

And don’t think something like this would never happen in Iowa. We have several towns with high immigrant populations. One little lie placed properly could ignite into a conflagration of hate. 

Please vote these people out of office for our county’s sake!

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What Can We Do About Iowa?

Posted on September 28, 2024 by Dave Bradley

From iowademocrats.org 

Another Iowa Poll Spells Trouble for Republicans as Reynolds’ Approval Rating Sinks

DES MOINES – Another Mediacom/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll that was released this morning shows Iowa Republicans are losing their grip on the state as Governor Kim Reynolds hits a record low.

Reynolds’ approval rating is at 45 percent, the lowest it’s been since she took office in 2017, according to the Iowa Poll. Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird isn’t faring well herself, with her approval rating sitting at just 39 percent.

Democrat Rob Sand is the most popular of the statewide elected officials whose names were included in today’s poll. He earned the approval of 53 percent of Iowans.

“Iowans are fed up with extreme Republican policies that ban abortion, give hard-earned tax dollars to wealthy schools in Iowa’s largest cities, and cater to special interests that rig the system and jack up prices for the rest of us,” said IDP Chair Rita Hart. “It’s time to elect Democrats this November who are ready to bring some common sense back into our state. Democrats are listening to what voters want and are ready to put people over politics and move this state in a better direction.” 

This should come as little surprise to Iowans who have watched the Reynolds regime along with the never-caring leaders in Iowa legislature steam roll over the infamous “Iowa Nice” perspective of Iowans to produce a state where kids can go to work about as soon as they can walk but can’t get a meal in the summer. 

Looks like Iowans are finally seeing through the hog manure (which is also at record highs) and realizing that Kim Reynolds and her legislative lackeys are producing a state that must live under their antiquated and religious realm or move on.

Iowans, this is an election year and a great opportunity to do something about this truly intolerable situation. You can’t vote out Reynolds herself this year,  but you can send her an unmistakeable message by voting out MAGAs (or republicans) in the state legislature. Based on their policies, there is certainly no reason to return them to office. Iowa’s legislature could use a good cleansing.

Don’t forget that Iowans once enjoyed a good balanced policy between the state and the unions representing various groups working for the state. Don’t forget that Iowas public school system was once literally the envy of the country. Having gone to school in Iowa meant you had received a good education. 

Children in Iowa didn’t go hungry. Iowa proudly partnered with the federal government to make sure no Iowa child went hungry. Can you remember that Iowa had laws that prevented skeezy companies from hiring Iowa’s kids to do dangerous work? Not anymore.

Iowa was once the home of empowered women. Now they can’t even make their own health care decisions, ironically thanks to a woman (Reynolds) and her lackey legislature. It is time to change that and let women make their own choices again. 

Now Iowa has taken away women’s ability to make their own medical decisions. Iowa has also enacted laws to let employers hire kids. Reynolds has denied aid for programs to feed kids in the summertime. Republicans in the legislature have done all they can to destroy unions in the state while rewarding corporations and the wealthy with tax cuts.

Perhaps the most symbolic blow is the sledgehammer Reynolds and her legislative lackeys have taken to our public school system. Many of those taxes we pay are supposed to go to public schools. That is changed now. Our tax dollars are now being funneled to wealthy private schools that are often religious in nature while public schools suffer. 

The legislature and Reynolds carved out a backdoor way to funnel tax dollars to those who do not need subsidies and taken it from the working and lower classes. What a scam on our public school system. And to add insult to injury, they gutted Iowa’s Area Education Agencies in the process making them much harder to access.

So if we can’t vote Reynolds out, vote out those who enact her policy into law – those Republicans in the Iowa legislature. You will be voting FOR good policy and responsible fiscal policy.

In my area that will mean votes for a couple of really good men. John Dabeet  https://www.dabeetforiowa.com  and Phil Wiese https://iowahouse.org/f/phil-wiese in his battle to take down Bobby Kaufmann. 

If you can, please help them to restore sanity to Iowa.

Posted in #nevertrump, #trumpresistance, 2024 election, Iowa Legislature, Kim Reynolds | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on What Can We Do About Iowa?

New Report: Iowa Produces The Most Factory Farm Waste In The Country

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Trish Nelson

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
September 24, 2024

Factory farms in Iowa produce 109 billion pounds of waste each year, according to a new report from Food and Water Watch about concentrated livestock operations in the U.S.

That’s 25 times more waste than what all Iowans combined produce, according to the report.

“Factory Farm Nation” is an analysis of the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture census of agriculture compared with previous ag census data.

Over the past 20 years, the number of animals living on factory farms, which the report defines as operations with at least 500 head of cattle, 1,000 hogs, 500,000 broiler chickens (annually) or 100,000 egg laying chickens, has increased by nearly 50%.

Iowa’s concentration of hogs in factory farms as defined by the “Factory Farm Nation” report. (Courtesy of Food and Water Watch)

The top 10 counties in the country with the highest density of factory hog populations are all in Iowa and North Carolina.

Ninety-five percent of counties in Iowa produce more animal manure than human manure, and all but six of Iowa’s counties qualify as high or severe hog density counties.

Compared to other states, Iowa stands out on the map showing the concentration of all livestock on factory farms: 

The Factory Farm Nation report shows the concentrations of animals on what it calls factory farms, throughout the country. (Courtesy of Food and Water Watch)

The heavy concentration of these farms causes environmental harm, like polluted water and air. And, the report says, it causes economic problems too.

The report points to rural Iowa as a “tragic case study in the social and economic harms associated with factory farm expansion.”

As operations grow in size, the number of farms decline. In fact, from 1997 to 2022, Iowa hog farms decreased from more than 17,000 farms to just over 5,000, while the number of hogs in the state increased from about 14 million head in 1997 to more than 23 million in 2022, according to USDA census data.

The Food and Water Watch report links a rise in factory farms to increased rates of poverty and economic inequality in a community.

“We found that the Iowa counties that sold the most hogs and had the largest operations experienced declines in real median income and population from 1982 to 2017, as well as losses in wage jobs and local businesses that exceeded the state average.”

The report says Iowa must enact a moratorium on new factory farms, stop the expansion of “industry scams like factory farm gas, ethanol, and carbon pipelines” and pass the Clean Water for Iowa Act, a bill that was introduced in the House last year, but never advanced.

Iowa is most heavily concentrated in hog operations, but the maps from the same report show some counties with severe concentrations of beef cattle, milk cows and egg laying hens.

In addition to excessive amounts of waste, the report alleges that concentrated animal feeding operations cause increased health risks for workers, water shortages, declining farmer profits and increased consumer prices.

The report puts the blame on corporations who “dominate every step along the food supply chain” and the elected officials who fail to uphold antitrust laws and clean water and air acts.

“We need to organize and educate within our own communities on the countless harms of factory farms and the need for new farm policies that work for people and animals — not corporations,” the report reads.

Food and Water Watch, via the report, said elected officials need to prioritize investments into local and regional food markets, reestablish supply management controls like price floors and expand crop insurance to more specialty food crops, in addition to banning new factory farms and enforcing existing laws.

“We need to vote for candidates who share this vision of a more just and sustainable food system — and who are willing to take on the agribusiness giants that are only out to promote their corporate interests.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and X.

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Legislative Update: 40 Days To Election Day

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Trish Nelson


Do you subscribe to your Democratic statehouse representative’s newsletter?   It’s a good way to get information local to you without searching through the vast wasteland we call the internet.

Check out this legislative update/newsletter from my state Rep. Elinor Levin.

Fewer than 40 days until Election Day, and the energy and power around House District 89 is fantastic. Early voting will start on October 16, and I recommend you get to the Auditor’s Office or to one of the Satellite Voting locations around Johnson County to ensure your voice is heard. If you prefer to vote on election day, know that some polling places in our District have changed due to construction (my own in Precinct 27 is one!), so check your location at https://gis.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/pollingplaces/ and then click to view your sample ballot! We have contested races for President, Congress, Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners, and County Agricultural Extension Council. AND, on the back, we have judicial retention, two proposed constitutional amendments, and a public conservation measure to consider.

In between knocking doors and registering voters, I’m heading to the National Renewable Energy Lab in Denver to better understand the kind of resilient, sustainable grid Iowa can create for our future.

Locally, we have just wrapped up a fantastic Welcoming Week, we’re in the middle of Climate Fest activities, and there is so much more to enjoy this fall, whether you’re into sports, arts, food, or SPOOKY season! I hope you enjoy some of the cooler weather and take the opportunity to gather, learn, celebrate, and engage!

Putting People Over Politics

We are all proud of our state’s long history of strong public schools and vibrant communities where neighbors look out for one another. Iowans expect their elected leaders to put politics aside, listen, and work together to make progress on the issues important to them.

We couldn’t agree more. That’s why we’ve developed a policy agenda that puts people over politics.

The agenda has four main components, all of which are supported by a strong majority of Iowans, aimed at improving the lives of everyday people: lowering costs and raising wages for Iowans, protecting reproductive freedom, investing in public schools, and legalizing marijuana.

Lowering costs for Iowans

Too many Iowans are struggling to make ends meet today. Their wages simply aren’t keeping up with the rising costs of healthcare, food, childcare, and utility bills. We need to make housing and childcare affordable, cap healthcare costs while expanding access to mental healthcare, and lower taxes for working families instead of giving more handouts to big corporations.

Protecting reproductive freedom

Everyone deserves the right to make their own healthcare decisions, especially when it comes to reproductive care and abortion. We will guarantee reproductive freedom by adding it to Iowa’s Constitution and fighting for Iowans to have access to abortion care, IVF, and birth control.

Investing in public schools

Iowans have always counted on our great public schools to educate our kids and be the heart of our communities large and small. But we’ve lost ground and our public school kids are losing out and teachers are leaving the classroom. We must fully fund public schools to keep up with rising costs and make sure every kid in every zip code gets a great education. We also need to raise pay for all educators to give them a seat at the table, end vouchers and keep public money in public schools, empower local schools and AEAs to do what’s best for students, and end book bans passed for the special interests.

Legalizing marijuana

A majority of adult Iowans support legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Legalizing marijuana for adult use will keep Iowans safe, stop our tax dollars from going to neighboring states, improve the quality of life for Iowans suffering from chronic illnesses, and stop wasting state resources to punish Iowans unfairly.

House Democrats will use this People Over Politics agenda to guide their work during the 2025 legislative session. Iowans have every right to be frustrated with politics today. While we may disagree, we’re committed to listening and fighting for the Iowa values we all share.

Overwhelming Majority of Iowans Want Reproductive Freedom

64% of Iowans say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a new poll released by the Des Moines Register. An even larger share of women, 71%, believe they should be able to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions without interference from politicians.

After the six-week abortion ban went into effect in Iowa this summer, Iowans could soon be seeing the dangerous effects of the ban that have already been seen in other states with similar legislation.

Recently a woman died in Georgia, a state that has a six-week abortion ban like Iowa, due to not getting the emergency care she needed. Because of the law, she was denied necessary life-saving care. She was the mother of a 6-year-old child. Another woman died in Georgia because she was scared to go to the doctor due to the ban. She was the mother of three young children.

The Republican lawmakers’ 6-week ban has real-life, deadly consequences for the citizens of Iowa. Time and time again, these restrictive bans have cost women their lives, and have led to fewer options for people in emergencies.

Iowans know that personal decisions should be respected and valued. All Iowans deserve the right to reproductive freedom, and access to quality medical care.

Do You Have a Plan to Vote? Vote Early from Home!

As Election Day gets closer it is important to have a plan to vote, ensuring your voice is heard on November 5th.

Iowa voters have a few options when deciding how to cast their ballot, including having the option to vote from home. Iowans can either request to vote from home or vote early in person at their local County Auditor’s Office. Absentee ballots must be returned to the County Auditor’s Office by 8 pm on Election Day.

On November 5th polls will be open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm, for voters to cast their vote at their local polling place. Those voting in person on Election Day must show a form of identification, the most common being a driver’s license or non-operator ID. Iowans can register to vote now through Oct. 21st or on Election Day.

Capitol and Community Updates

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RECERTIFICATION ELECTIONS: Public employee union recertification elections start at 7:00 am on October 8th and run through 9:00 am on October 22nd.

GOVERNOR REYNOLDS USES FEDERAL COVID RECOVERY DOLLARS TO FUND CHARTER SCHOOLS: Governor Reynolds has once more redirected funds designated for COVID recovery to finance her favored initiatives. This includes over $4 million in assistance allocated as grants to 11 charter schools.

SEPTEMBER IS COLLEGE SAVINGS MONTH: When Investing in a 529 plan like College Savings Iowa, children are six times more likely to attend an institute of higher education or training if they have a savings account in their name according to educational researchers.

STATE PARK VOLUNTEER DAY SEPT. 28: Several state parks and forests are hosting volunteer events with a variety of projects. Find a park near you to volunteer to help!

ALLIANT ENERGY RATE INCREASES: The Iowa Utilities Commission approved Alliant Energy’s request to increase the average residential monthly charge for electric customers from $13 to $15.50 and a revenue increase of $14 million for natural gas rates.

URBAN WATER GRANTS AVAILABLE: The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is accepting pre-applications for urban water quality improvement projects. Over the last decade, the state has supported nearly $15 million in these cost-share urban conservation projects.

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Trump, GOP Working Harder To Disenfranchise Voters

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Trish Nelson


The Al Franken podcast:

“Trump and the GOP are working harder to disenfranchise voters NOW than they were in 2020. They are no longer a majoritarian party and want to disrupt our electoral process as much as they can. How will we preserve the integrity of this election? What are some of the ways that Trump and GOP lawyers will attempt to derail the will of the people? Our friend and top Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias from Democracy Docket joins us to break down some of the ways that our democracy is under attack and what we can do to fight it. Support Marc and Democracy Docket: https://www.democracydocket.com/”

“Join the excitement of our LIVE podcast taping in St. Louis on October 10. I’ll be recording a live podcast with special guests Emily Wales, Jason Kander, and Diana Kander. Come join us! https://www.alfranken.com/appearances”

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The Education Wars Coming To Iowa

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Trish Nelson


Upcoming event announcement from Iowa CCI:

All of us – including future generations – benefit from strong public schools because they’ve helped make our country far more equal, educated, and democratic. That was one of my main takeaways from the new book, The Education Wars.

And I am incredibly excited that one of the authors, Jennifer Berkshire, is coming to Iowa in October for a series of conversations on what we can do together to win honest, equitable, and fully-funded public education. Learn more and sign up to join us at one of our stops here!

Public School Strong – Iowa orientation
September 24 @ 6pm:  RSVP here

The Education Wars book talks
October 5 – October 8

Honest, equitable, and fully funded public education does not serve the ruling elite well. Reynolds and her statehouse allies want to remain in power and are using a national playbook to push vouchers, ban books, and gut the AEAs at our expense.

As Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider write, “We have a strong economy, a better society, and a healthier democracy as a result of our free and universal approach to K-12 education.” That’s why we reject Reynolds’ vision for our public education, and we’re going to do something about it.

I hope you’ll join us and author Jennifer Berkshire in Ankeny, Des Moines, Tama, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, or Iowa Falls. Learn more and RSVP here.

For strong public schools!

Tim Glaza
Special Projects Director

P.S. – books will be available for purchase at each stop, and Jennifer will stick around for book signings and conversation after the meetings

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Iowa’s State Capitol Is Not A Church

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Trish Nelson

Dual readings in Tama County remind us: Iowa’s state capitol is not a church

Dave Leshtz is the editor of The Prairie Progressive.

The mind is its own place, and in itself

Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.

           –John Milton, Paradise Lost

It was a beautiful day for a drive, with big clouds billowing in a vast Iowa sky. My destination was the town of Toledo, where an “Iowa 99 County Bible Reading Marathon” was taking place on September 16.

Iowa’s past two governors have signed annual proclamations encouraging Iowans to read the entire Bible at the state capitol building and at all of Iowa’s county courthouses.

When I arrived at the Tama County Courthouse, a balding man in overalls and a white t-shirt stood at a podium in the center of a large concrete platform about five feet off the ground. He was reading from a bible: “God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.”

But the man in overalls was not the only one reading.

Only a few feet from the platform was a stand of fir trees. Behind the trees was a tall concrete monument with the letters GETTYSBURG chiseled near the bottom. Nestled between the trees and the monument was a large table with a microphone and two speakers. The table was draped with a large black sign with white letters: The Satanic Temple of Iowa.

Behind the table sat a bearded man who was reading from Paradise Lost, John Milton’s epic poem from the 17th century: “Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.”

How did these side-by-side readings come to pass in a town of 2,388 people?

****

The Satanic Temple of Iowa gained statewide notoriety last December, when a defeated legislative candidate from Mississippi traveled to Des Moines and vandalized the temple’s display at the state capitol. The display featured a statue of Baphomet, a pagan deity popularized by British writer Aleister Crowley (you can see Crowley’s picture on the album cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band).

The statue of Baphomet, damaged beyond repair by the Mississippi loser, had been permitted in the Capitol rotunda as part of an annual holiday display. The perpetrator of the damage was immediately charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. Soon after, the Polk County Attorney’s Office raised the charge to felony third-degree criminal mischief – and a hate crime. (Prior to trial, the vandal pled guilty to reduced charges and received a deferred judgment with two years’ probation.)

This alleged hate crime didn’t prevent The Satanic Temple from marching in Pride parades over the summer, sponsoring a book club, and planning a two-day public reading of Paradise Lost, an epic poem that the temple considers foundational to a contemporary understanding of Satan. Milton’s blank verse masterpiece, according to The Satanic Temple’s Facebook page, has been “pivotal in imbuing the figure of Satan with enlightenment-era values in Romantic literature, the religion of Satanism, and popular culture.”

The marathon reading was planned for the state capitol rotunda in Des Moines, but a strange coincidence occurred. The same day the temple’s event appeared on the Capitol Building Complex’s calendar, Iowa’s Department of Administrative Services changed its policy on multi-day events, no longer allowing them on the Capitol grounds.

And that’s why two marathon readings took place on this fall day in Iowa. The Satanic Temple of Iowa had followed the lead of the Iowa 99 County Bible Reading Marathon and scheduled its reading of Paradise Lost on the grounds of the Tama County Courthouse.

****

Milling near The Satanic Temple’s table were four temple members dressed in black. As I approached, one smiled at me and asked, “Would you like a slice of pizza? We’re on our lunch break.” That’s how I met Adramelech, a thirty-ish man with a goatee and sideburns. (Adramelech, roughly translated as “magnificent king,” appears in the Hebrew bible as well as in Assyrian demonology.)

Adramelech and his colleagues, they told me, are all Iowans. One of the women is from Waterloo; her brother-in-law taught in the Tama school district. Adramelech’s grandfather worked at the nearby Meskwaki Casino. The group started The Satanic Temple of Iowa five years ago.

Adramelech and the other church members laughed often as we talked, occasionally exclaiming “Hail, Satan!” in response to something from Paradise Lost being read aloud at their table. They turned serious when explaining why their multi-day reading was at the Tama County Courthouse rather than at the state capitol in Des Moines, as originally planned.

They were concerned that the state’s abrupt policy change also affects a three-day resource fair for homeless veterans held annually on the Capitol grounds. As the dual readings continued, I walked into the courthouse and said hello to some administrative staff members in their offices. “Thank you for hosting these events,” I said to a clerk at her desk.

She responded in a friendly but firm tone, “We are not hosting anything. The Board of Supervisors had it on the agenda. We have nothing to do with what goes on out there.”

The Satanic Temple received no pushback from the supervisors after its reading was approved for the courthouse lawn. Some county residents later questioned the decision, but all was peaceful during the side-by-side events.

The Satanic Temple is waiting to see whether Governor Kim Reynolds makes an exception for the veterans’ event or for the Iowa Congressional Prayer Caucus, which still has events listed on the Capitol Building Complex’s Calendar.

The governor’s proclamation suggests state favoritism toward Christianity, one of many religions practiced by Iowans. It is the kind of proclamation usually issued by the leaders of theocracies.

Anyone who feels strongly about the separation of church should remind Reynolds that neither the state of Iowa nor the United States has an official religion, that all religions are equally welcome, and that the state capitol building is not a church.

This article first appeared at bleedingheartland

BH editor’s note: You can listen here to a short recording of these dual readings in Toledo on September 16. Michael D. Davis also covered the Satanic Temple and Bible reading events for the Marshalltown Times-Republican.

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Pro Tips With Tim Walz

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Dave Bradley

3 minutes. Tim Walz with some repair tips and more:

 

 

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Sunday Funday: It Is Finally Fall Edition

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Dave Bradley

1 minute:

Been hot hasn’t it? Summer now comes early, often in March now and stays usually through September these days. As it cools down Americans will be focusing on perhaps their most important election ever. Not only is it important at the presidential level but also every single down ballot race is really important.

In the presidential contest we have a broken down old man obviously in the early throes of dementia against a much younger, vibrant, incredibly intelligent candidate. I can’t believe this contest is even-steven these days. Your vote never counted more.

In the down ballot, Iowa has seen what one party rule can bring and it is bad. We are losing our public schools, abortion is for all practical purposes outlawed and the quality of life in Iowa is sinking like a rock daily. Iowa’s youngsters are abandoning ship like mad. If you want more of this, keep voting MAGA.

Here we go:

A) At an event in Washington, DC, DonOLD Trump said what group (that he was speaking to) would have a lot to do with his loss if he loses this year?

B) Speaking to the Sunday morning talk shows last Sunday morning who said he would “make up stories to highlight how tough it is for Americans today”?

C) In a survey of the world’s richest nations, which country came in dead last for health care outcomes?

D) Rich Lowry got his 15 minutes of fame last week by doing what?

E) There was good news for the Biden-Harris administration as the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by how much?

F) Israel pulled off an incredible terror attack on Hezbollah last week in which Hezbollah’s what were blown up?

G) Candidate Trump is planning a trip to what small city he and his VP candidate partner have maligned in made up stories?

H) In baseball this week, what superstar Los Angeles Dodger set an incredible record y passing 50 home runs and stealing 50 bases in a season?

I) In Portage county, Ohio the sheriff had residents gather what information that he planned to use later?

J) Tongues are wagging wondering if Candidate Trump is taking application for wife #4 from whom?

K) Voters in North Carolina got an in depth look at MAGA gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson the indicated he was really into what entertainment?

L) What DonOLD Trump supporter posted on X last week “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala”?

M) The Indiana Fever made it into the WNBA. Who will they meet in the first round of the playoffs?

N) It is Hispanic American Heritage month in the US! What large South American nation is NOT considered Hispanic?

O) What rapper is on suicide watch in NYC after his arrest on sex trafficking charges earlier in the week?

P) Check that map! What state put razor wire on their border with what other state this week?

Q) How many countries 21have Spanish as their official language?

R) Canadians are laughing at a comment by what US politician that he would make Canada “turn on their faucets” to send water to drought stricken California?

S) What superstar entertainer hosted a town hall Thursday night featuring Kamala Harris?

T) Today is the Autumnal Equinox. What does equinox mean?

If you didn’t learn your lesson from Trump stock, Trump casinos, Trump steaks, Trump vodka, Trump shoes, and Trump bucks, there is still time to buy Trump crypto. – Rick Lenzie

Answers:

A)  Jews

B) MAGA VP candidate JD Vance

C) The US – despite paying way more for health care than any other nation

D) He said the “N” word on the Megyn Kelly Show (Lowry claims he mispronounced a word)

E) 50 basis points or .5 percent

F) personal communication devices (pagers and walkie talkies) 

G) Springfield, Ohio

H) Shohei Otani

I) Addresses of homes with Harris/ Walz signs in their yards

J) Laura Loomer

K) Pornography and sex outside of marriage

L) Elon Musk – the Secret Service is investigating

M) The Connecticut Sun 

N) Brazil – kind of a technicality – “Hispanic” means Spanish speaking – Brazilians speak Portuguese

O) Sean Combs

P) Texas was trying to run razor wire on its border with Mexico, but put it on their border with New Mexico instead.

Q) 21

R) DonOLD Trump – what the hell is he talking about?

S) Oprah Winfrey

T) equi means “”equal” and not mens “night” – this is the day when day equals night

Stock market up.

Interest rates down.

Inflation down.

Gas prices dropping.

I think it’s safe to say that Biden and Harris have done an excellent job with the economy. – Sarah Ironside

Posted in #nevertrump, #trumpresistance, 2024 election, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: It Is Finally Fall Edition

Advice From Rachel Bitecofer

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Dave Bradley

Ran across a tweet from Rachel Bitecofer. If you are not familiar with her, she is a political scientist who is often on MSNBC with a progressive view of the current political scene. Last week she sent an ominous message:

@RachelBitecofer

We need a plan for when MAGA tries to close down urban polling places with bomb threats on Election Day. 

Note:  in a separate tweet that I can’t find, Bitecofer advised people to vote early to avoid the possibility of your polling place being shut down.

This is a rather shocking statement. One thing almost never think about in this country is violence on Election Day. However as we saw on January 6, 2021 when Trump calls the troops out there are enough crazies to do his bidding. And he will be desperate this year.

Since MAGAs can’t win on issues, one of their fallback positions is to suppress the vote. They have been doing voter suppression forever but have gotten much more open and brutal about it since the advent of Trump. The reason the country is teetering on the abyss of shutdown is because MAGAs want to pass a law that would greatly suppress the votes of women.

Using a requirement that voters prove their citizenship by producing their actual birth certificate. If the current name does not match the name on the birth certificate the voter must prove that they are the person on the birth certificate. 

Since most women change their name upon getting married and there is often no “official” document for that, the mismatch between the birth certificate and the current name would disqualify a voter. As I noted this would most frequently be a woman.

Many lessons to take from the admonition above.

First we all need to be very aware that voting may be disrupted in your normal polling location. You have an alternative which is to vote early. 

However, since much of the early voting is done by mail, the Trump administration had the foresight to break the US mail system. Right now we are hearing many stories of mail taking weeks to go across town. If you vote early you may want to hand deliver or find some other method to have your absentee ballot returned to the auditor’s office.

Many years ago the parties could authorize people who could get completed ballots from invalid voters and turn them in to the auditor. Now that person must be a “close” relative. Not sure what close means, but if you decide to have someone turn it in for you, check with the auditor if that person is close enough of a relative.

As Bitecofer says, it would be a good idea to vote early this year, yet using the mail system may not be reliable enough. Therefore I would recommend going to the auditor’s office and vote there. And do it early enough such that if a problem is discovered, there is adequate time to correct it and still get that vote in.

If you can, plan to vote with a neighbor, friend or relative so you can have another set of eyes and ears if there is a problem. It never hurts to have a backup. Wives and husbands are good voting partners.

If you do end up voting on Election Day, try to get there early so if there is a problem there is still time to resolve the issue so you can vote.

The most important point this year is to vote for Democrats. We all need to vote for people who will strengthen our democracy. MAGAs are those who are enacting voter suppression laws and trying to take away citizens rights to vote. This is a huge detriment to democracy.

One other point. Remember that the MAGA presidential candidate is running to keep himself out of jail. I don’t know about you, but my moral compass tells me not to vote for convicted felons. 

At levels below the presidency my vote will be going for those who will keep the democratic system intact. I will not vote for this who put party first. Short form: vote for Democrats to maintain democracy!

Prediction:    Donald Trump will try to instigate riots in key cities on Election Day to keep Democrats from getting to the polls. – Mark Romano

Posted in #nevertrump, #trumpresistance, 2024 election, voter suppression | Tagged , , | 2 Comments