A majority of Coralville City Council members are now are against the Rainforest project, although the latest defector, John Lundell, left some wiggle room. Early details over at the PorkForest site via the Cedar Rapids Gazette. There will also be a big story in tomorrow morning's Iowa City Press-Citizen.
This really puts the heat on David Oman, who has done little more than string everybody along for the past few years.
The new architect, announced earlier today, wants to create an entirely new building design. That's typical of ego-maniacs.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
The Dismantling Of McLeod USA Continues
From the DMR:
Gee, will all these people get million-dollar golden parachutes and their health care benefits paid for until October 14th like CEO Chris Davis and CFO Ken Burckhardt did?
Hardly. $3.2 million divided by 240 equals $13,333.33 per. Before taxes. Don't forget to factor in your taxes, unlike how McLeod employee Ronald Speltz did.
Perhaps some employees could come back as consultants through Alvarez & Marsal, the suits responsible for the current phase of dismantling. The pay is pretty good ($175 to $675 hourly, plus compensation for "reasonable out-of-pocket expenses."). You think that's gonna happen?
$175-675 an hour PLUS compensation for "reasonable out-of-pocket expenses"? What would that be? The daily bottle of Cristal?
McLeodUSA has laid off 240 employees in its 25-state footprint as part of its effort to restructure the financially troubled telecommunications company.
According to a regulatory filing late Tuesday, the Cedar Rapids-based company expects to pay $3.2 million for severance payments.
McLeod has 1,970 employees in total. The company provides voice and Internet services primarily to business customers. In the second quarter, McLeod lost $268 million, including payments of $4.8 million for financial and legal help in its restructuring efforts.
The layoffs come just two weeks after Chief Executive Chris Davis and Chief Financial Officer Ken Burckhardt resigned. The company is being managed by Alvarez & Marsal, a restructuring consulting firm.
Gee, will all these people get million-dollar golden parachutes and their health care benefits paid for until October 14th like CEO Chris Davis and CFO Ken Burckhardt did?
Hardly. $3.2 million divided by 240 equals $13,333.33 per. Before taxes. Don't forget to factor in your taxes, unlike how McLeod employee Ronald Speltz did.
Perhaps some employees could come back as consultants through Alvarez & Marsal, the suits responsible for the current phase of dismantling. The pay is pretty good ($175 to $675 hourly, plus compensation for "reasonable out-of-pocket expenses."). You think that's gonna happen?
$175-675 an hour PLUS compensation for "reasonable out-of-pocket expenses"? What would that be? The daily bottle of Cristal?
"I want to break news"
Carolyn Washburn is the new Veep and Editor of the DMR. She succeeds Paul Anger, who was kicked upstairs to a big Gannettoid job in Detroit.
There's not much at Technorati about her, but it looks like she was shopping around for a new job for a while.
Welcome British Architects
The Rainforest hired some British architects. Story at the PorkForest web site.
(Note to the other contributors: The old template got screwed up, so it was replaced)
(Note to the other contributors: The old template got screwed up, so it was replaced)
Goodbye Black Hawk County Sex Offenders
The Waterloo Courier's web site has a link to this map of where sex offenders can live in Black Hawk County after September 1, 2005.
Er, on second thought, it's more like where they can't live.
Update: But at least sex offenders can now walk into schools and vote!
Er, on second thought, it's more like where they can't live.
Update: But at least sex offenders can now walk into schools and vote!
$65.36 A Mile
From the Waterloo Courier:
According to Google Maps, the Carters were 15.3 miles from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
That comes out to $65.36 a mile, not including tip.
Looks like a heck of a deal today, eh? Now you have to play Survivor: New Orleans but without the million dollar prize, without Jeff Probst, and without all those cranky young hotties.
Calling the Tax Update Blog - here's a question for ya: Do you think, considering that cab drivers were allegedly charging $1000 to drive 15 miles to the airport prior to the arrival of what was then-thought to be a Category 5 hurricane, that the IRS would allow that sort of business deduction?
Too bad they couldn't have hitched a ride with the South Dakota family who hired a limo to drive them to Chicago for $3700.
The Carters, both 47, arrived in New Orleans on Aug. 24 for an emergency medical service conference. They had planned to leave Sunday, but roads were clogged by people evacuating the city and some cab drivers were demanding $1,000 for a trip to the airport, they said.Wow... that looks like fun. NOT!!!
When the storm hit, they found shelter in a hotel conference room. Now, because of a curfew, they must be at their hotel by 6 p.m. or face arrest. They are required to be in their dark, stuffy room by 9 p.m.
"It's really hot. It's just sticky," Annette Carter said.
The hotel, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, is housing about 3,000 people. It lacks running water, so hotel workers were providing bottled water and using propane stoves to heat chicken and mashed potatoes from a canceled banquet.
According to Google Maps, the Carters were 15.3 miles from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
That comes out to $65.36 a mile, not including tip.
Looks like a heck of a deal today, eh? Now you have to play Survivor: New Orleans but without the million dollar prize, without Jeff Probst, and without all those cranky young hotties.
Calling the Tax Update Blog - here's a question for ya: Do you think, considering that cab drivers were allegedly charging $1000 to drive 15 miles to the airport prior to the arrival of what was then-thought to be a Category 5 hurricane, that the IRS would allow that sort of business deduction?
Too bad they couldn't have hitched a ride with the South Dakota family who hired a limo to drive them to Chicago for $3700.
"I make the same as my male counterparts"
Jane Norman and Bonnie Harris have a piece in the DMR that's typical feminist reactionary statistics bending and spinning:
Linda Murphy must be one of those people who was born with her mouth located where her sphincter should have been. Because when you talk out your ass the way Ms Murphy does, that can be the only explanation.
In a lot of households, especially when children are in grade school, mothers typically either don't work or work on a part-time basis. Some mothers continue to hold down full-time positions, but they may be less ambitious because a more demanding job or role could cut into family time and schedules. So when you don't take that into account - and Jane Norman and Bonnie Harris clearly didn't - you come up with this sort of lefty-feminist crap in the DMR.
Related: Those "Troublesome" Stay-At-Home Moms
Iowa women lag behind men when it comes to earnings, and the situation is not improving, census estimates released Tuesday show.
A new survey says that Iowa women were paid an estimated 73.7 percent of men's median earnings in 2004, a percentage virtually unchanged from census findings five years earlier...
Linda Murphy, who shares a general law practice in Des Moines with another female attorney, called the report "disappointing, but not terribly surprising."
"It fits right in with a state that has never had a woman as governor and has never sent a woman to Washington," said Murphy, 54. "Iowa is behind the times, because women are simply not being treated as equals."
At a meeting with the Polk County Women's Bar Association earlier this year, Murphy said the group discussed how few women seem to become partners at law firms in Iowa.
Family considerations could be a factor, she said. "In many cases, women are the core caregivers," Murphy said. "But an argument could be made that men are also far more involved with that role now, and that should equal things out."
Linda Murphy must be one of those people who was born with her mouth located where her sphincter should have been. Because when you talk out your ass the way Ms Murphy does, that can be the only explanation.
In a lot of households, especially when children are in grade school, mothers typically either don't work or work on a part-time basis. Some mothers continue to hold down full-time positions, but they may be less ambitious because a more demanding job or role could cut into family time and schedules. So when you don't take that into account - and Jane Norman and Bonnie Harris clearly didn't - you come up with this sort of lefty-feminist crap in the DMR.
Related: Those "Troublesome" Stay-At-Home Moms
"Well one thing is for sure, Bush and his cronies are a far greater threat to our country than Saddam Hussein ever was"
Harold Brady of Maquoketa has a cranky letter to the QC Times today:
"How did we get into this deplorable mess?" - have these people been in a coma for the past 15 years?
It’s time for Bush, “the chicken hawk,” to attend some of the funerals he is responsible for.
This boondoggle is not a noble cause, Bush. Don’t you have any shame at all?
It’s time we, the people, rise up and demand an end to this insanity. The cost in young lives is unacceptable. The cost in U.S. treasure is unacceptable. How did we get into this deplorable mess?
Well one thing is for sure, Bush and his cronies are a far greater threat to our country than Saddam Hussein ever was. Lies and devious tricks, and our young people die an agonizing death in that harsh and bitter land. If this is not an impeachable offense, what is?
Congress, do your duty.
"How did we get into this deplorable mess?" - have these people been in a coma for the past 15 years?
Why every time I start talkin about boxing, a white man gotta pull Rocky Marciano out they ass?
36 years ago today, Rocky Marciano died in Iowa.
In Iowa???
From ESPN:
On Aug. 31, 1969, the day before Marciano's 46th birthday, Barbara Marciano had planned a joint birthday party for her husband and herself (Barbara had turned 40 on August 30) in their Fort Lauderdale home. But Marciano, in Chicago, chose not to attend. Instead, he flew with the nephew of a mobster to make a personal appearance in Des Moines, Iowa. The small plane crashed in a cornfield in Newton, Iowa, killing both passengers and the inexperienced pilot.
And here's another version:
In 1969, Rocky was a passenger in a small private plane going to Des Moines, Iowa. It was at night and bad weather set in. The pilot tried to set the plane down at a small airfield outside Newton, Iowa, but hit a tree two miles short of the runway. Rocky Marciano, another passenger, and the pilot, were all killed. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
And more at PlaneCrashInfo.com:
The single engine plane took off at night in rainy weather despite warnings of a building storm front. Fighter, Rocky Marciano, 45, killed. The pilot was not cleared to fly IFR and had only 35 hours of night flying experience. The plane got as far as Newton, Iowa. The plane was seen flying barely 100 feet off the ground when it entered a rolling bank of clouds. Reappearing once, it rose and disappeared again. The plane crashed into a lone oak tree in the middle of a corn field. After a stop at Des Moines, Marciano was on his way home to attend his birthday party. Pilot attempted operation beyond experience/ability level. Continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. Spatial disorientation.That's probably the correct story.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Iowa Ennui on Vilsack Hypocrisy
Iowa Ennui has an excellent report detailing Vilsack's hypocrisy with regard to the repayment of the Iowa Senior Living Trust Fund and to which profession he wishes to direct the money towards.
Rude.
Rude.
Welcome Iowa Jew-Haters
A reader pointed us to this article in the Waterloo Courier:
We seem to remember Tanis Diedrichs a lot better than Courier reporter Amie Steffen.
It was last November when Diedrichs wrote a ridiculous letter to the Waterloo Courier which accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing."
The letter was so outrageous that Michael Weinstein, the managing editor of HonestReporting in Israel, blasted Diedrich's allegations. The editor of the Waterloo Courier's editorial page agreed with Weinstein and apologized.
This Jerusalem Post article from June has a little more insight into Naim Ateek, president of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center.
Update: The Sabeel Iowa home page has a link over to a Rachel Corrie web site. We'd reprint that infamous picture of Corrie, but you can see it here.
And don't forget this link to the Sabeel parent organization in North America. You'll see their prominent link to a call for "morally responsible investment" which, if you read the document, basically rambles on and on about how morally irresponsible it is to invest in any Israeli-based or pro-Zionist company. It's classic "Jew-hater" behavior. Colleges and universities across the US are full of this nonsense.
The Iowa chapter of Friends of Sabeel will present a conference Oct.14-15 at Coe College in Cedar Rapids.
The conference will feature keynote speakers from universities and various churches as well as workshops including Interfaith Dialogue for Peace and Rebuilding Homes in Palestine.
Friends of Sabeel, an organization that gives voice to Christian Palestinians, was formed to support the Jerusalem-based Sabeel that works to bring understanding and promote peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"The conferences are a sort of outreach and educational tool," said Tanis Diedrichs of Cedar Falls, a planning committee member with Iowa's Friends of Sabeel. "We hope it will make people aware of the conditions in the Middle East."
Those conditions include the current forced withdrawal of Israeli settlements in Gaza, something Diedrichs said has been unfairly covered by the media.
"We never see the heart-rendering pictures of Palestinian homes being bulldozed or blown up. So, while this is hard for these people to be taken out of their homes, we should be seeing the others too," she said.
To the people who say the Palestinians are terrorists and suicide bombers, Diedrichs maintained the complexity of the situation.
"Not all Palestinians are terrorists, and this is what we get from the media," she said. "What is different between the high-tech bombs and bulldozers that Israel uses to kill Palestinians, and the (Palestinian) suicide bombers? It's still killing, and killing is killing. Dead is dead."
So Friends of Sabeel doesn't point fingers. Instead, the group aims their focus at achieving equality among all people, and the conference especially will try to promote understanding.
We seem to remember Tanis Diedrichs a lot better than Courier reporter Amie Steffen.
It was last November when Diedrichs wrote a ridiculous letter to the Waterloo Courier which accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing."
The letter was so outrageous that Michael Weinstein, the managing editor of HonestReporting in Israel, blasted Diedrich's allegations. The editor of the Waterloo Courier's editorial page agreed with Weinstein and apologized.
This Jerusalem Post article from June has a little more insight into Naim Ateek, president of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center.
Update: The Sabeel Iowa home page has a link over to a Rachel Corrie web site. We'd reprint that infamous picture of Corrie, but you can see it here.
And don't forget this link to the Sabeel parent organization in North America. You'll see their prominent link to a call for "morally responsible investment" which, if you read the document, basically rambles on and on about how morally irresponsible it is to invest in any Israeli-based or pro-Zionist company. It's classic "Jew-hater" behavior. Colleges and universities across the US are full of this nonsense.
Yepsen: "Fallon will be a factor"
We may have edited that headline a bit too much from this David Yepsen story which handicaps the Democratic nominees for Iowa guv.
Yepsen sure is playing down Chet "Kent Dorfman" Culver, isn't he?
We think Culver and Blouin are going to irritate certain factions within the Democratic party faithful, as Yepsen details.
That makes Patty Judge a dark horse (female, experienced, party person, rural), but we predict that some of the same Iowa Democrats who chose John Kerry at the caucuses will be saying that Judge isn't electable and that Chet Culver is. You just watch.
But we think Ed Fallon is the darkest horse of all. Seriously.
Yepsen sure is playing down Chet "Kent Dorfman" Culver, isn't he?
We think Culver and Blouin are going to irritate certain factions within the Democratic party faithful, as Yepsen details.
That makes Patty Judge a dark horse (female, experienced, party person, rural), but we predict that some of the same Iowa Democrats who chose John Kerry at the caucuses will be saying that Judge isn't electable and that Chet Culver is. You just watch.
But we think Ed Fallon is the darkest horse of all. Seriously.
2000 Feet Away
A reader writes:
You can do an Iowa Courts Online Trial Court search of the individual. Little information is available in the results. The section Filings is probably the most data-filled, but the details of the crime aren't usually available. For details, you have to cough up $25 a month, although you only have to buy a single month.
If the case went through the Iowa Court Of Appeals then there should be a lot more data available due to the background that has to be explained. It'll take some digging, and not everything will be available, but it's free. But it's rare to see cases get appealed where a guilty plea is entered.
Perhaps you should discuss this with the school's principal in order to find out if they're working with the police department and are aware of the situation. As we've seen in numerous news accounts, local police departments will be strict about enforcement. You might also phone your local Chief or department's shift commander for more information.
A neat tool to determine how far away sex offenders live from schools and day care centers is a pedometer application created using the Google Maps API. Just plug in the addresses, draw your lines, do your math, and you'll know if the sex offender is compliant or not.
My children attend XXXXX School, in... Des Moines. Yesterday, we learned that a man named XXXXXX, who is listed on the sex offender's registry for lascivious acts with a child, lives just a block away... I'm trying to determine exactly what he did to get onto the registry. Luckily, on Sept. 1, he'll have to move to a new home that isn't quite so close to the elementary school. But really, in a city 2,000 feet from a school is nothing. A pervert can set up on a main thoroughfare four blocks from a school and dozens and dozens of little kids will walk by your house every day.
Is there a site that can give me more details on the nature of this guy's crime?
You can do an Iowa Courts Online Trial Court search of the individual. Little information is available in the results. The section Filings is probably the most data-filled, but the details of the crime aren't usually available. For details, you have to cough up $25 a month, although you only have to buy a single month.
If the case went through the Iowa Court Of Appeals then there should be a lot more data available due to the background that has to be explained. It'll take some digging, and not everything will be available, but it's free. But it's rare to see cases get appealed where a guilty plea is entered.
Perhaps you should discuss this with the school's principal in order to find out if they're working with the police department and are aware of the situation. As we've seen in numerous news accounts, local police departments will be strict about enforcement. You might also phone your local Chief or department's shift commander for more information.
A neat tool to determine how far away sex offenders live from schools and day care centers is a pedometer application created using the Google Maps API. Just plug in the addresses, draw your lines, do your math, and you'll know if the sex offender is compliant or not.
Armand McCormick Factor, Part Two
The reader who pointed us in the direction of the story on UNI student, Silver Star winner, and Marine Corporal Armand McCormick, follows up:
Here's the Register's piece on Brad Kasal. It was published on February 26, 2005. Kasal's mission occurred on November 13, 2004. That's a 105 day difference.
The Powerlineblog out of Minneapolis provided a link to a blogger's story about 1st Sergeant Kasal on February 3rd - 23 days before the Register story appeared. Powerline's link is now incorrect, but this link to the Right Report's posting is valid.
You might remember this photo by Lucian Read. That's Kasal in the middle after he was shot 7 times:
But then perhaps you haven't seen it.
Your posting is exactly what I would've wanted to write- you nailed it exactly. It is beyond being a travesty that there is nil coverage of the accomplishments of our Iowa boys. The intentional spiking of positive stories is not surprising, but very troubling. They are so obsessed with their hatred of Bush that nothing positive dares to eek out of their filter.
Being former Army and National Guard I follow the war closely and I didn't even know about young McCormick being with Cpt Chontosh. It took months for the DMR to do a story about Brad Kasal.
My questions about the media is always 1) do you want the US to win in Iraq and 2) If yes, then what are you doing to help? In a time of war during another time and era their activity would be called treasonous.
Here's the Register's piece on Brad Kasal. It was published on February 26, 2005. Kasal's mission occurred on November 13, 2004. That's a 105 day difference.
The Powerlineblog out of Minneapolis provided a link to a blogger's story about 1st Sergeant Kasal on February 3rd - 23 days before the Register story appeared. Powerline's link is now incorrect, but this link to the Right Report's posting is valid.
You might remember this photo by Lucian Read. That's Kasal in the middle after he was shot 7 times:
But then perhaps you haven't seen it.
Vilsack's Got Gas
From the Mason City Globe Gazette:
Grassley blames a riding middle class in India and China. Something will have to be done about that. Time to boycott Wal-Mart and stop eating Aloo Gobi.
When you shut down a significant port for oil importing and close nine refineries in wake of a big hurricane, that's also a factor.
If anything, Vilsack should be calling for price controls like Hawaii did. That always works, right? Right???
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack asked federal leaders Monday to investigate high gasoline prices and to resist cutting assistance for low-income Iowans facing a jump in heating bills this winter.How stupid is Tom Vilsack? Doesn't he know that the reason gas prices are going up is because Chimpy McBushitler's Enron buddies in Texas and the House of Saud are in a conspiracy to milk us in the wake of our illegal war in Iraq which was ordered by the J-E-W-S???
Vilsack made his pleas as record oil prices continued driving up the cost of gasoline and heating fuels such as natural gas and propane. Hurricane Katrina’s impact on gulf coast refineries and drilling rigs threatened to push prices even higher.
The governor sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales asking the Justice Department to investigate whether illegal price gouging is inflating fuel prices in Iowa and elsewhere.
Vilsack also wants to know why the price of corn-based ethanol is rising when the price of corn is low.
Vilsack also asked Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller to explore the issues.
Grassley blames a riding middle class in India and China. Something will have to be done about that. Time to boycott Wal-Mart and stop eating Aloo Gobi.
When you shut down a significant port for oil importing and close nine refineries in wake of a big hurricane, that's also a factor.
If anything, Vilsack should be calling for price controls like Hawaii did. That always works, right? Right???
Volunteers
Mark Kresowik, president of the UI Student Government, writing in the Daily Iowan:
Why aren't community organizations overflowing with 30,000 volunteers? And why does the city have to hose down the sidewalks and replace the I and Y on the Dubuque Street sign every Sunday afternoon?That's a good pitch! Well done, sir!
The casual answer is that we're only here for four or five years, and then we're gone. We're here to go to school and have fun. But all of us are also here to learn how to live. Some of us learn skills for a job, others gain new perspectives on life, and most of us try to adjust to living on our own and being responsible. Getting involved in the community is the best way to learn how to become a member of society. Take some time to complete your education, gain valuable job skills, create new relationships, improve the lives of your fellow citizens, and even get a free ticket to a concert.
Turn off "The OC" and apply for a board or commission in city government. Put up your away message on AIM and sit on a nonprofit organization's board of directors. Quit the Halo game and join a neighborhood association. Ignore the urge to drink until you're sick all over the Ped Mall. Come to the UI Volunteer Fair on Wednesday from 12:30-5:30 p.m. in the IMU Main Lounge. You might even meet that special someone.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Always Crashing In The Same Car
Random notes that the Iowa State Patrol has a new vehicle crash and incident report database. It's available at http://accidentreports.iowa.gov/
This thing is a turd.
Searching is pointless. You might as well just click on the county and scroll. And the data's only posted for 15 days. Big flippin whoop. What a waste.
This thing is a turd.
Searching is pointless. You might as well just click on the county and scroll. And the data's only posted for 15 days. Big flippin whoop. What a waste.
The Armand McCormick Factor
A reader points us to this excerpt from the National Review about UNI student Armand McCormick's experience with anti-war types in Cedar Falls:
Naturally, we went to NewsBank to see if the Des Moines Register, central Iowa's premier monopoly corporate newspaper, had published anything about Corporal McCormick and his award. We found absolutely nothing.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette? They reported in late 1999 that McCormick won a high school wrestling match at the Five Seasons Center. That's it.
Google "Armand McCormick" and "Iowa" and you'll only find a single mention way down deep in a story in the Burlington Hawk Eye newspaper. You'll have to use Google's cache to read it.
We know you newspaperpeople read this blog. Your editors pitch-a-tent and get their knickers wet everytime any soldier with a remote connection to Iowa dies, but you people can't be arseholed into profiling a Silver Star winner. Talk about pathetic.
But as liberal professors and antiwar activists continue to wage a nationwide campaign to rid university campuses of military recruiters — in some cases going so far as to throw water bottles and scream epithets at them — it is easy to see why Sergeant Martinez would remain tight-lipped about being one of the nation’s most decorated heroes.
Indeed, as one campus newspaper reported, the rift between young veteran college students and their civilian classmates has left those who have served feeling isolated from campus life, “shunned” because of their service.
Just ask Armand McCormick, 23, a student at the University of Northern Iowa.
While walking to class one day, McCormick stopped to listen to a speaker during an antiwar student rally. When he challenged the protestor’s arguments, the “peace” activist sneered, “The Iraqis don’t want us there. If you think the war is okay, then why don’t you go and serve!”
There was an obvious problem with the protestor’s retort: He had no clue who he was talking to — -Silver Star recipient Marine corporal Armand McCormick.
“I’ve had a few conversations about [the War on Terror] in the liberal classrooms I go to everyday,” said McCormick. “A lot of the time I just look at them and tell them that they don’t have any clue what they’re talking about, because all they do is listen to liberal news. I always tell them, ‘If you don’t experience something, how in the hell can you say what will happen?’ ”
As Corporal McCormick rightly points out, his classmates’ reliance upon the elite mainstream media all but ensures that they are unfamiliar with the jaw-dropping acts of heroism he performed on March 25, 2003, in Ad Diwuniyah, Iraq. Far removed from the breezy comforts of a college campus, it was there, inside an enemy trench, that McCormick, along with his two fellow Marines, captain Brian Chontosh and corporal Robert “Robbie” Kerman, was swarmed by what officials estimate was a company-sized element of between 150 to 200 Iraqi fighters. When the smoke cleared, the three marines had not only survived, they had eliminated scores of enemy fighters and regained key territory. It’s the sort of incident the campus Left should think about the next time it proclaims how “courageous” it is in protesting the war.
Naturally, we went to NewsBank to see if the Des Moines Register, central Iowa's premier monopoly corporate newspaper, had published anything about Corporal McCormick and his award. We found absolutely nothing.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette? They reported in late 1999 that McCormick won a high school wrestling match at the Five Seasons Center. That's it.
Google "Armand McCormick" and "Iowa" and you'll only find a single mention way down deep in a story in the Burlington Hawk Eye newspaper. You'll have to use Google's cache to read it.
We know you newspaperpeople read this blog. Your editors pitch-a-tent and get their knickers wet everytime any soldier with a remote connection to Iowa dies, but you people can't be arseholed into profiling a Silver Star winner. Talk about pathetic.
Why Doesn't ISU Hire Ward Churchill?
From the Iowa State Daily web site:
The American Indian Studies program is in the process of organizing joint searches to be conducted with both the anthropology and philosophy and religious studies departments to hire two tenure-track professors to teach classes within the American Indian Studies program.
"We'd like to have people interviewed this spring and ideally begin their employment in the fall of 2006," said associate professor of English Sidner Larson, director of the American Indian Studies program with the new American Intercultural Studies Center.
The professors will be hired jointly with either the anthropology department or philosophy and religious studies department.
They really ought to hire that Ward Churchill guy.
Iowa State Unreadable Daily
A reader asked why we profile the University of Iowa's student newspaper, The Daily Iowan, much more often than ISU's Iowa State Daily.
Honestly, it comes down to what our tri-focals can handle.
Do you find it a pleasure to read the "black on dark dark grey" or "white on red with orange hovers" that the Iowa State Daily offers? School pride aside, that is a lameass color scheme. The Daily Iowan's traditional "black on white" wins every time.
Honestly, it comes down to what our tri-focals can handle.
Do you find it a pleasure to read the "black on dark dark grey" or "white on red with orange hovers" that the Iowa State Daily offers? School pride aside, that is a lameass color scheme. The Daily Iowan's traditional "black on white" wins every time.
36
Congrats to Dan Congreve of Bettendorf who scored a perfect 36 on his ACT exam - the only student in Iowa to do so.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Drew Miller Liveblogged the APME Conference
Drew Miller liveblogged the Associated Press Managing Editor's Conference in Ames the other day. Great posts on Bob Vander Plaats, Ed Fallon, Patty Judge, and an excellent roundup of the Q&A on different issues. Read all the entries. Very well done!
Related: The Bi-Partisan Trio
Related: The Bi-Partisan Trio
Too Close To New Orleans
Hey Random, aren't you glad you visited New Orleans a few months ago?
That place is going to be one nasty mess for the next several months.
And wave goodbye to the good old days of $2.40 a gallon gas in Iowa.
That place is going to be one nasty mess for the next several months.
Busted, down on bourbon street, set up, like a bowlin’ pin.
Knocked down, it get’s to wearin’ thin. they just won’t let you be, oh no.
And wave goodbye to the good old days of $2.40 a gallon gas in Iowa.
Hitch
Most major Iowa newspapers print the usual crop of false and negative letters to the editor about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on a daily basis.
How wonderful it would be if these writers would take a few minutes from reading Kos or cruising the DUmmy boards and read Christopher Hitchens' excellent piece in the Weekly Standard.
How wonderful it would be if these writers would take a few minutes from reading Kos or cruising the DUmmy boards and read Christopher Hitchens' excellent piece in the Weekly Standard.
Foreclosure and Bankruptcy and Scandal!
Donnelle Eller has a huge and rambling article in the DMR today about home foreclosure and bankruptcy. Not surprisingly it tries to give the reader the first impression that the sad sacks who lose their homes to foreclosure have mountains of medical bills. Here are the first three paragraphs:
First, David DeArmond needed back surgery. Then his wife, Susan, needed surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Bills piled up. Within a year, the Ankeny couple lost their home of nearly 20 years.
"Both of us were out of work at the same time. . . . We could see the writing on the wall," said DeArmond, 45. "It was a tough situation."
Then, in the 27th paragraph of the story, we learn what really happened:
DeArmond, who lost his home this month, said he was living like many Iowans do - buying new vehicles, eating in restaurants, saving little.
"We were living paycheck-to-paycheck," said DeArmond
You know, it doesn't really matter how much surgery you have when you're buying new vehicles, eating in restaurants, not living frugally, and losing all sources of income. The DMR clearly wants to blame the DeArmond's problems on their medical conditions by placing it at the front of the story, but the fact almost always is that people who go through foreclosure or bankruptcy have been spending money like drunken sailors on leave (Apologies to any drunken sailors on leave. - Ed.) and then things unravel because they lose their job and have no savings and no home equity.
The Polk County Assessor's database still shows the DeArmond's house as listed under their name, but it usually takes a long time to process foreclosures. It's not uncommon to see foreclosed homes sit empty for up to a year or even 18 months before the bank or mortgage company gets around to processing all the paperwork and selling them off.
Isn't it strange that the DeArmonds had no equity in their home after nearly 20 years? You can go back to 1992 in the assessor's database and see that the house was valued at $71,000 then. In 2005, it was valued at $159,500. If they've been living in that house since the mid-to-late 1980's then surely their original mortgage had to be based on an amount in the mid $50s to low $60s. And if, after 20 years of payments on a 30 year mortgage and no refinancing (30-year rates in the late 1980s averaged around 10%), their balance would be somewhere in the mid $30K range and their ticket would be just over $400 a month (add $250 a month for taxes and insurance for 2005). That's at least $120K in equity they should have been able to tap. Where did all that equity go? The DMR story doesn't go there.
Expect to see more bankruptcy stories like this in the coming months as the new bankruptcy reform law is about to take effect.
Cawelti On Faculty Bias
Scott Cawelti has a column concerning partisan bias within university faculties in the Waterloo Courier today. It's a good column, although this is the dumbest part and should have been edited out:
Should a university seek to establish the same proportion of conservatives at universities as make up the general population?
No. But not because intelligence and education usually lead to liberal thinking, though that's a tempting explanation for liberal dominance. Nor because liberals make more sense on issues of international importance, from global warming to energy independence.
Overlooking the ridiculous and sophomoric notion that "liberals is smarter because they is liberals", Cawelti does make a good point about not allowing government legislation into such matters.
We agree that government should have no business determining the partisan makeup of tenured faculty.
However, if certain professors wish to segregate themselves on the basis of their public political beliefs, we have no problem with that. More grist for the mill. Cawelti included.
Witness also Professor Dyke at DMACC, ISU physics professor John Hauptman, ISU journalism professor Dick Haws, ISU journalism professor Thomas Beell, Drake University journalism professor Lee Jolliffe, and former University of Iowa journalism professor Gilbert Cranberg.
Keep on showing your ass and we'll keep taking pictures. Just remember to wipe next time.
The Bi-Partisan Trio
Todd Dorman has an interesting piece in the QC Times on the meeting of Iowa Guv candidates Ed Fallon (D), Patty Judge (D), and Bob Vander Plaats (R) at a forum at ISU sponsored by the AP Managing Editors.
These three are far more interesting than Chet "Kent Dorfman" Culver and "Jim Ross" Nussle.
These three are far more interesting than Chet "Kent Dorfman" Culver and "Jim Ross" Nussle.
NamedPipe on the DMR's Blogs
NamedPipe raises a few questions about the DMR's new blogs.
We think these corporate blogs will continue to be lame, boring, unread, and eventually abandoned.
Related: Fermented Juice
Related: Juice Blogs Update
We think these corporate blogs will continue to be lame, boring, unread, and eventually abandoned.
Related: Fermented Juice
Related: Juice Blogs Update
The DMR: Iowa Needs More Low-Wage Hispanics To Do All The Shitty Jobs
What else could this column be saying?:
Shouldn't the schools be teaching English as a First Language?
Public schools didn't capitulate to other nationalities when they arrived in Iowa over the past century and a half. Why are we bending over for all the low-wage Hispanics, many of whom are here illegally? What makes them so damn special and protected in the eyes of the DMR?
If anything, we should be encouraging the immigration of people who occupy high-wage and technical positions, not the lowest rung on the ladder.
If Iowa wants to grow, welcoming newcomers from other countries is the best hope...
After stumbling in his first term by signing into law the bill making English the state's official language, Gov. Tom Vilsack is setting the right tone. He's speaking out on the value of bringing diversity to Iowa...
Most of Iowa's new immigrants are Hispanic. A new U.S. Census Bureau estimate released this month showed the state's Hispanic population has surpassed 100,000.
But an official count is not needed to see that Hispanics are increasingly part of life in communities all over Iowa, in the workplace, out shopping or in church. Some are new business owners and professionals, but many are in low-paying jobs.
School enrollment can perhaps best predict the future. Take the 1,239-student Hampton-Dumont district in north-central Iowa. In the seven years Lee Morrison has been superintendent, Hispanic enrollment has grown from about 9 percent to 20 percent, he said. Kindergarten classes this school year are nearly a third Hispanic.
Hispanic families long worked at the area's plant nurseries, Morrison said. Today, some work in chicken houses and hog confinements, and others travel as far away as Charles City, a 45-minute drive.
Besides teaching English as a second language, the district provides interpreters for parent-teacher conferences.
Shouldn't the schools be teaching English as a First Language?
Public schools didn't capitulate to other nationalities when they arrived in Iowa over the past century and a half. Why are we bending over for all the low-wage Hispanics, many of whom are here illegally? What makes them so damn special and protected in the eyes of the DMR?
If anything, we should be encouraging the immigration of people who occupy high-wage and technical positions, not the lowest rung on the ladder.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Vilsack's Priorities
From WHO-TV:
Wow, we didn't realize that Vilsack had to much time on his hands.
We suppose it's easier and a lot more fun spending your time proclaiming people and declaring all sorts of crap every day rather than, say, keep denying voting rights to ex-cons, like the 836 that Vilsack's office had done since 1999 before he decided to just do away with it.
It's not like we'd be any better if you elected one of us as the Governor of Iowa. As far as we're concerned, every day in Iowa would be proclaimed Jessica Alba Day. And she's probably never set foot in the state.
Some say you can't please everyone, but Governor Vilsack is trying his best.
Since taking office in January 1999 Vilsack has issued more than 1700 proclamations - some that pay tribute to seemingly conflicting causes.
They include Bible Week and Darwin Day, Marriage Fidelity Day and Unmarried Americans Week.
Vilsack's other proclamations raise awareness for health issues, identify unique aspects of Iowa life and declare disaster areas.
Vilsack has used declarations issued in his second term primarily to honor Iowans who make a difference in people's lives. Recipients receive keepsakes with an official seal that are often displayed prominently.
Wow, we didn't realize that Vilsack had to much time on his hands.
We suppose it's easier and a lot more fun spending your time proclaiming people and declaring all sorts of crap every day rather than, say, keep denying voting rights to ex-cons, like the 836 that Vilsack's office had done since 1999 before he decided to just do away with it.
It's not like we'd be any better if you elected one of us as the Governor of Iowa. As far as we're concerned, every day in Iowa would be proclaimed Jessica Alba Day. And she's probably never set foot in the state.
Stupid Criminals In Burlington
From WHO-TV:
Most criminals know not to take stolen items to pawn shops and other businesses that deal with reselling used merchandise since they usually work closely with the local police departments.
Regular users of eBay know you can track anything via My eBay. Just search for a specific item name, indicate how far of a distance you want eBay to search for it from your ZIP code, and then choose whether or not to be notified via email when an item appears.
If you keep a household inventory of your more expensive and insurance-worthy items (You do, don't you? -Ed) then tracking things stolen from your home on My eBay is that much easier in the aftermath of a burglary. You never know when you might get lucky. Being robbed sucks, but if you're able to catch the crook with some simple database searches via eBay then all the better.
A Burlington man has been arrested on burglary charges after some items taken in a break-in earlier this month turned up on e-Bay.
Police say Robert Cline was arrested yesterday after officials were notified the items were listed on the Internet auction site.
Cline is charged with three counts of third-degree burglary.
Police have been investigating a series of burglaries in and around the Burlington area for the past several months.
Most criminals know not to take stolen items to pawn shops and other businesses that deal with reselling used merchandise since they usually work closely with the local police departments.
Regular users of eBay know you can track anything via My eBay. Just search for a specific item name, indicate how far of a distance you want eBay to search for it from your ZIP code, and then choose whether or not to be notified via email when an item appears.
If you keep a household inventory of your more expensive and insurance-worthy items (You do, don't you? -Ed) then tracking things stolen from your home on My eBay is that much easier in the aftermath of a burglary. You never know when you might get lucky. Being robbed sucks, but if you're able to catch the crook with some simple database searches via eBay then all the better.
What's Wrong With Being Texty?
A reader points to this Des Moines Register article which seems to give off the impression that the Polk County Board of Adjustment is trying to put the screws on the Minx Show Palace's attempt to put up a plain sign to advertise their location. Minx is suing the Board.
While it's probably not appropriate to be putting up billboards showing naked women holding blankets over their cooters (story and picture here), we think the Board of Prudes is being excessive in not allowing a sign that merely says "Minx Show Palace" so that the business can indicate their location. We think the Board of Prudes is going to lose, and lose hard. (Pardon the pun - Ed.)
While it's probably not appropriate to be putting up billboards showing naked women holding blankets over their cooters (story and picture here), we think the Board of Prudes is being excessive in not allowing a sign that merely says "Minx Show Palace" so that the business can indicate their location. We think the Board of Prudes is going to lose, and lose hard. (Pardon the pun - Ed.)
Vilsack The Anti-Environmentalist
From the DMR Editorial Board:
The Editorial Board wants higher fines, and so do we.
We can't cover everything, but we were unaware that Vilsack vetoed increased fines on farmers who pollute our waterways with manure.
$25,000 isn't much and $10,000 is a joke. Make it $100,000 or $250,000 and you'll get better compliance.
Related: $50,000 Fine For 7000 Gallon Pig Manure Spill
At least three manure spills have fouled Iowa waterways this month. It's critical that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources be allowed to levy higher fines for environmental violations to encourage all farmers to prevent such degradation of the outdoors.
The highest administrative penalty is $10,000. Gov. Tom Vilsack vetoed legislation passed last session that would have raised it to $25,000.
The Editorial Board wants higher fines, and so do we.
We can't cover everything, but we were unaware that Vilsack vetoed increased fines on farmers who pollute our waterways with manure.
$25,000 isn't much and $10,000 is a joke. Make it $100,000 or $250,000 and you'll get better compliance.
Related: $50,000 Fine For 7000 Gallon Pig Manure Spill
Filth Spewer
We almost forgot to mention yesterday's Rekha Basu column in the DMR. It starts off like this:
The three friends had planned to spend most of last week camping out at the Iowa State Fair. One was coming from Storm Lake, one from Ames and one from Des Moines. But even the best-laid plans can go astray.
They hit the road Wednesday and didn't stop driving until 15 hours later - in Crawford, Texas.
Instead of the fair, they landed at Camp Casey. That's where Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, has stationed herself in an effort to meet President Bush, who's vacationing at his ranch up the road. She wants to ask him what noble cause is being served by the Iraq bloodshed.
Ah, remember the days when you opened the Des Moines Register and actually believed that was the whole truth and nuttin but the truth, sohelpyagawd?
This is from George Will's recent column:
Many warmhearted and mildly-attentive Americans say the president should have invited Sheehan to his kitchen table in Crawford for a cup of coffee and a serving of that low-calorie staple of democratic sentimentality -- ``dialogue.'' Well.
Since her first meeting with the president, she has called him a ``lying bastard,'' ``filth spewer,'' ``evil maniac,'' ``fuehrer'' and the world's ``biggest terrorist'' who is committing ``blatant genocide'' and ``waging a nuclear war'' in Iraq. Even leaving aside her not entirely persuasive contention that someone else concocted the obviously anti-Israel and inferentially anti-Semitic elements of one of her recent e-mails -- elements of a sort nowadays often found woven into ferocious left-wing rhetoric -- it is difficult to imagine how the dialogue would get going.
He: ``Cream and sugar?''
She: ``Yes, please, filth spewer.''
Do Democrats really want to embrace her variation of the Michael Moore and ``Fahrenheit 9/11'' school of political discourse?
Some of them do.
Here's Barb Ickes' recent column in the QC Times. Halfway down the middle is this:
Why, for instance, did we murder Saddam Hussein’s sons, but put him in prison and feed him Doritos? Why would we respond to the terrorist murder of 3,000 innocent Americans by giving up 2,000 more to insurgents?You know, if you work for a newspaper as a columnist and you write that sort of ill-informed shit, we think you should be shown the door. Seriously, you almost need to have part of your brain removed to believe that twaddle.
Related: The Times They Aren't A Changin'
Friday, August 26, 2005
Too Bad He Didn't Drive A Boat Drunk And Kill Somebody
From Radio Iowa:
Wow, over 30 years in prison for hitting a police officer with a stolen pickup truck and then attempting to run down the sheriff?
Jake Powell would be facing less time if he had just been driving a boat drunk, driving over another boat, killing a man and seriously injuring a woman, and then leaving the scene. Nice to see that Iowa's lawmakers have their shit together.
A former Charter Oak man faces more than 30 years in prison after his conviction for hitting a police officer with his car and trying to run down the Crawford County Sheriff. Thirty-four-year-old Jason "Jake" Powell was convicted Thursday by a Crawford County jury on four separate charges, including attempted murder. The charges stem from an incident back on February 12th in which Powell allegedly stole a pickup truck from a Denison residence. A sheriff's deputy recognized Powell while on routine patrol. When the deputy attempted to stop Powell, Powell sped away. A Denison police officer joined the pursuit and Powell rammed his squad car. Later Powell tried to run down Sheriff Tom Hogan, who had set up stop sticks to try and slow him down. Powell later abandoned the pickup in a field and was captured. In addition to the attempted murder charge, Powell was also convicted on charges of second-degree theft, eluding and assault on a peach officer. Powell is scheduled to be sentenced on October 10th.
Wow, over 30 years in prison for hitting a police officer with a stolen pickup truck and then attempting to run down the sheriff?
Jake Powell would be facing less time if he had just been driving a boat drunk, driving over another boat, killing a man and seriously injuring a woman, and then leaving the scene. Nice to see that Iowa's lawmakers have their shit together.
You Crackerass Apathetic Iowans
Random mentioned a piece that appeared in the Daily Idiot yesterday by writer Charlie Moran about the excellent band Euforquestra.
It starts off like this:
We've had it with all these racists who constantly bash Iowa's "white" population for existing here. STFU. Some people aren't able to get beyond NASCAR, mayonnaise, and Doc reruns on the PAX channel and that's OK. Celebrate diversity! When you've been a fed a steady stream of REO Speedwagon all your life, what do you expect? And until you know Iowa's historical background with regard to minorities, we recommend that you move somewhere outside our borders and study up. Dumb asses.
Related: Heidi Schnakenberg's Constantly Changing Addresses
Related: Thanksgiving = Genocide
It starts off like this:
In a typical Midwestern town lacking in ethnic diversity, a stagnant pool of milky faces with lukewarm apathy can produce an imposing film across the lives of its residents. Short of passport requests and expensive airfare, those who wish to look beyond this white membrane are often left to rely on artists and academics to widen their worldview.What a rude way to start an article about a band. (Eufoquestra's web site is here. They're good!) Why doesn't Charlie Moran shut his pie-hole and just tell us about the band without insulting all the "white people" in Iowa first?
We've had it with all these racists who constantly bash Iowa's "white" population for existing here. STFU. Some people aren't able to get beyond NASCAR, mayonnaise, and Doc reruns on the PAX channel and that's OK. Celebrate diversity! When you've been a fed a steady stream of REO Speedwagon all your life, what do you expect? And until you know Iowa's historical background with regard to minorities, we recommend that you move somewhere outside our borders and study up. Dumb asses.
Related: Heidi Schnakenberg's Constantly Changing Addresses
Related: Thanksgiving = Genocide
State 29: The "Carnac The Magnificent" Of Iowa
We predicted that this would happen.
Somewhat Related But Really We Wanted To Say The Word "Vagina" Again Today: "The vagina is like a rainforest"
Des Moines School Board Member Jim Patch Wants Kids Who Can't Read To Pass To The Next Grade Level
Can you believe this nonsense? This asshole is on the Des Moines School Board:
Eight Des Moines school board candidates clashed over social promotion, the achievement gap and the closure of schools at a forum Thursday night held by the African-American Leadership Coalition.
About 50 people attended the 21/2-hour forum at Union Baptist Church. It didn't take long for differences to surface.
Des Moines school board member Jim Patch, 67, sent murmurs through the crowd when he voiced support for social promotion - passing students who aren't qualified to go on to the next grade.
"I would rather have a child move on through even if he's not ready," said Patch, who added that dropout numbers are equal for kids held back and those promoted when they aren't ready. "Keep them along with their peer group. If a kid is going to drop out anyway, he might as well drop out on schedule," he said.
Patch's comments stood in stark contrast to those of other candidates, most of whom oppose social promotion.
Talk about malfeasance. Talk about enabling child abuse. Jim Patch doesn't deserve to be on the Des Moines School Board, much less re-elected to it.
What kind of peer group are these children going to be in when they're out of school? Oh, we all know. The Polk County Jail. The Iowa Prison System. Or working an endless string of loser jobs because they cannot read, write, or compute.
Des Moines needs to permanently retire Jim Patch. Send him to Florida with Jim Billings, the State Board of Education member who thinks athletes with four D-minuses and two F's should be able to participate in school sports.
When is the public going to rise up and kick these worthless assholes out of their jobs and out of Iowa? We elect these fuckwits to represent us and to watch over our children!
Here's Mr Patch's bio:
Jim Patch retired from the Des Moines School District in May 2001 after teaching for 40 years. All three of his children graduated from Des Moines Public Schools. His career included Harding Middle School, Lincoln High School, Technical High School, and Central Campus. He taught industrial arts and auto body courses. He has a bachelor's and master's degree from Iowa State University.
Mr. Patch is a life member of the National Education Association and was a member of the DMEA and ISEA throughout his teaching career. He is currently an active member of both ISEA and NEA retired organizations. Since his retirement, Mr. Patch has been active in the Des Moines Retired Teachers organization where he servers as an officer. He also is active in political activities and is past board chairman of Wakonda Christian Church. He is a community volunteer in a variety of organizations.
2803 Stanton
Des Moines, IA 50321
515-285-5943 (H)
515-480-4392 (cell)
jim@patch4schools.com
Here's his web site (Java warning!).
"Social promotion" is so wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong!!!!
Related: "All D minuses and two F's is not a high standard by any stretch"
Good Riddance, Jim Billings
From the DMR:
Related: All D-Minuses and Two F's is Not a High Standard By Any Stretch
Jim Billings of Clive confirmed Thursday that he has resigned from the State Board of Education.
"I'm not going to be able to go to most of the meetings this year," said Billings, who plans a longer stay in Florida this winter. "If you're not going to be there, you really can't be an effective board member."
Billings is a former teacher, principal and school superintendent appointed to the board by Gov. Tom Vilsack in May 2002.
In last month's heated 5-4 vote against increasing state eligibility requirements for high school athletes, Billings was among those who voted no. Vilsack has asked the board to reconsider.
Related: All D-Minuses and Two F's is Not a High Standard By Any Stretch
Credit Cards
Christopher Pauling writes to the DI:
Both Mr Pauling and the DI editorial do have good points. While credit card issuers should not be banned from issuing them to under-21s - just what we don't need, the Elizabeth Dole Nannystate-ification of the credit card industry - companies need to act more responsibly.
If you're a college student who has taken out student loans, working part-time, and only making a small amount of money, you shouldn't be allowed to have a $2000, $5000, or $10,000 credit limit.
Related: ISU Debt Hell
Your editorial ("Credit-card bill misses the point," DI, Aug. 25) completely missed the point. How can you think "a plastic prohibition does little to encourage a lifetime of responsible use" when the bill forces a co-signature, financial capability, or a financial-counseling class? All three of these are ways to keep young credit-card users aware of how serious and damaging a credit card can be.
Your article is a dreary sob story about how the bill is going to take away your freedom of having a credit card and not allow you to build a positive credit history ... This is completely ridiculous! Most college students do not build a positive report while in college, and if they did, do you think they would pass a bill like this? A very high percentage have their credit ruined, keeping them from buying a house or vehicle down the line.
This is not a joking matter - thinking it's so terrible if your mother is looking over your shoulder or finding out that you need to pay your credit-card bill. Believe it or not, the magic age of 18 does not make young adults completely free and responsible people capable of making decisions that will affect the rest of their lives.
Both Mr Pauling and the DI editorial do have good points. While credit card issuers should not be banned from issuing them to under-21s - just what we don't need, the Elizabeth Dole Nannystate-ification of the credit card industry - companies need to act more responsibly.
If you're a college student who has taken out student loans, working part-time, and only making a small amount of money, you shouldn't be allowed to have a $2000, $5000, or $10,000 credit limit.
Related: ISU Debt Hell
Hiking Iowa
From the Daily Iowan:
Way cool.
While many 23-year-olds will spend tonight stumbling from bar to bar, one will read from her first travel guidebook at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St., advocating for her peers to ditch the bar crawl and reconnect with nature.
Presenting Hiking Iowa: A Guide to Iowa's Greatest Hiking Adventures on "Live From Prairie Lights" at 7 p.m. today, author Elizabeth Hill will respond to host Julie Englander's queries, read excerpts, and discuss when, how to intepret, and where to hike through Iowa's natural landscape...
The book chronicles 79 trails across Iowa, describing their environment, history, directions, and information such as which are dog-friendly.
Way cool.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
How Do You Forget Your Child?
We've been following the sad story in Mount Pleasant of the 1 year old girl who died after she was accidentally left in a hot car all day long when the mother forgot to drop her off at the babysitter's house.
Probably the most famous case of this kind in Iowa was in 2001, when Perry hospital executive Kari Engholm forgot to drop off her 7 month old daughter, Claire, at her child care provider. Engholm was later tried for involuntary manslaughter, acquitted, and then resigned her position.
One thing that we'll always remember is DMR columnist Marc Hansen writing a column that had the headline: In these hectic times, yes, you could forget a child. It was one of the most obnoxious and out-of-touch things the DMR has ever put out.
Probably the most famous case of this kind in Iowa was in 2001, when Perry hospital executive Kari Engholm forgot to drop off her 7 month old daughter, Claire, at her child care provider. Engholm was later tried for involuntary manslaughter, acquitted, and then resigned her position.
One thing that we'll always remember is DMR columnist Marc Hansen writing a column that had the headline: In these hectic times, yes, you could forget a child. It was one of the most obnoxious and out-of-touch things the DMR has ever put out.
Drunk Boater Update
From KLTM:
Justin Nearman is charged with operating a motor boat while intoxicated resulting in the death of Michael Brosnahan, and operating a boat while intoxicated resulting in the serious injury of Jill Brosnahan, both felonies. But Wednesday, he was in court, strictly charged as a fugitive from justice.
He's the man authorities believe is to blame for driving a boat drunk on West Lake Okoboji on August 12 and hitting another boat, killing a passenger on board. Wednesday, Justin Nearman had his day in court. He, along with several family members sat quiet during the 10 minute long extradition hearing. During the proceeding, the 29-year-old's attorney, Nichole Carper, first wanted to clarify whether Nearman should really be classified as a fugitive of justice. She told the judge the Sioux Falls man did not flee after charges were filed, in fact he cooperated with authorities. Carper also told the judge Nearman was preparing to turn himself in. The judge told the courtroom, after charges were filed Tuesday in Dickinson County, Iowa, Nearman was found in South Dakota, so that indeed does make him a fugitive.
Nearman's attorney then told the judge, Nearman will not waive extradition. Instead, he will post the $42,000 cash bond and turn himself into Iowa authorities like he'd planned. If he does not pay that bond, Nearman will have to return to court in Minnehaha County for another extradition hearing on September 19th.
According to court papers, Nearman has served time and paid fines for two different DWI charges, one in 1997, the other in 2001. Nearman's record also shows three different times where he was arrested for possessing alcohol as a minor.
And from the DMR:
If convicted of both felonies, Nearman could face up to 30 years in prison.
Another man, Ryan Deighton, 21, of Sioux Falls, was a passenger in the boat, but he is not the owner and does not face charges in the case, said John Quinn, a supervisor in charge with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
Officials with the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office said the crash happened about 2 a.m. Aug. 12 when a boat rammed Brosnahan's craft and vaulted over it before disappearing.
Is that for real? If you're drunk driving a boat and you kill someone and seriously injure another person, are accused of hit and run, and have previous automobile drunk driving convictions on your record, then the best the State can do is put you away for up to 30 years? That's crazy!
Earth to Vilsack, Rants, Gronstal, and all the other drunk driving appeasers in the Iowa Legislature: this is not acceptable! If you kill somebody while operating a car or a boat under the influence then it should be at least a mandatory life sentence without parole. What is the matter with you people? Are you politicians so preoccupied with doling out your "fiscally prudent" taxpayer-financed corporate welfare and granting full citizenship and voting rights back to sex offenders that you can't make Iowa's laws targeting drunk drivers who kill and maim the strongest in the nation?
Justin Nearman, if convicted, will probably be out of prison and on parole by the time he's 38 to 45, depending on how things go. Maybe even earlier. Michael Brosnahan, on the other hand, will still be dead. Jill Brosnahan and her family will still be dealing with their loss.
Related: Suspect Charged In Drunk Boating Death
ISU Debt Hell
Via Drew Miller's blog, we came across this story in the Iowa State Daily that is rather shocking:
This is a really bad sign.
What can be done to reverse this?
Iowa has one of the best College Savings plans in the country. If you have a minor child and you're not putting money every month into this plan, there's something wrong with you. Or you're bloody minted. Or, like multi-millionaire Hawkeye football coach Kirk Ferentz, you let your kid live in taxpayer-subsidized housing for the poor.
Is it any wonder why so many people who attend Iowa's public universities leave the state in search of employment? Granted, on the whole Iowa employers pay less than other companies in nearby states for most lines of work, but it certainly doesn't help by walking off the graduation stage with more than $30K hanging over you like the sword of Damocles.
Iowa State ranked second in the nation among public institutions in highest debt among graduates, according to a recent survey. Iowa Board of Regents members say recent tuition hikes may not be the reason for the ranking, though.
Sixty-eight percent of ISU students graduated with an average debt of more than $27,000, according to a study published by U.S. News and World Report 2006 Edition of America's Best Colleges...
Roberta Johnson, director of financial aid, said more than 37 percent of 2004 graduates with debt were more than $30,000 in the red from student loans...
According to the survey, Iowa State is ranked 11th nationally in graduate debt among all institutions, public and private, in addition to being ranked second among national public institutions.
This is a really bad sign.
What can be done to reverse this?
Iowa has one of the best College Savings plans in the country. If you have a minor child and you're not putting money every month into this plan, there's something wrong with you. Or you're bloody minted. Or, like multi-millionaire Hawkeye football coach Kirk Ferentz, you let your kid live in taxpayer-subsidized housing for the poor.
Is it any wonder why so many people who attend Iowa's public universities leave the state in search of employment? Granted, on the whole Iowa employers pay less than other companies in nearby states for most lines of work, but it certainly doesn't help by walking off the graduation stage with more than $30K hanging over you like the sword of Damocles.
Rainforest Countdown
As Casey Kasem says: "Let the countdown begin!"
Casey Kasem also said "Okay, I want a goddamned concerted effort to come out of a record that isn't an up-tempo record every time I do a goddamned death dedication! This is the last goddamned time, I want somebody to use his fucking brains to not come out of a goddamned record that is, uh, that's up-tempo and I've gotta talk about a fucking dog dying!"
Casey Kasem also said "Okay, I want a goddamned concerted effort to come out of a record that isn't an up-tempo record every time I do a goddamned death dedication! This is the last goddamned time, I want somebody to use his fucking brains to not come out of a goddamned record that is, uh, that's up-tempo and I've gotta talk about a fucking dog dying!"
We Get Letters
From a reader:
No, we're going to forward your letter to the proper email address. Somehow you've reached State 29 in error. "Crystal meth of journalism" - not quite, sir! We are the street legal Tussin DM of journalism criticism or our editor's name isn't Dexter Methorphan.
Update: The author of the letter doesn't mind being named, and in fact we've commented on his writing in the past. Once, rather negatively, and twice (here and here) quite glowingly, even though both positives were published under the black veil of anonymity. Keep up the good work, sir!
Your site is like the crystal meth of journalism: cheap, fast, and probably distributed by some asshole out of a trailer park. Naw, I'm just playin', for the most part I like your space quite a bit. I check for it because the mix of clever commentary and common-sense criticism certainly beats reading the op-ed page of (insert your daily newspaper of choice).
My only real critique is that you guys sometimes come off like arrogant jerks...and that's fine, but you often spend too much time marginalizing opinions that you disagree with instead of really trying to counter them with quality rebuttals.
You going to post this letter up and make fun of me now?
No, we're going to forward your letter to the proper email address. Somehow you've reached State 29 in error. "Crystal meth of journalism" - not quite, sir! We are the street legal Tussin DM of journalism criticism or our editor's name isn't Dexter Methorphan.
Update: The author of the letter doesn't mind being named, and in fact we've commented on his writing in the past. Once, rather negatively, and twice (here and here) quite glowingly, even though both positives were published under the black veil of anonymity. Keep up the good work, sir!
You've Got Four Weeks, Oman
The Coralville City Council members are making the rounds of the media and David Oman is still in his bunker.
More at the PorkForest web site.
It won't be long, but we should be seeing many more frantic letters to the editor penned by all the bigwigs who invested their, er, reputations with this project rather than their cash. You can bet on that. Just watch. We're salivating.
And in the event that Oman and Company unveil non-taxpayer financing of the additional $90-odd million over the course of the next month, you can be sure that what originally cost $180 million in 2003-2004 will not cost $180 million by the time the thing is supposed to be completed in 2009.
More at the PorkForest web site.
It won't be long, but we should be seeing many more frantic letters to the editor penned by all the bigwigs who invested their, er, reputations with this project rather than their cash. You can bet on that. Just watch. We're salivating.
And in the event that Oman and Company unveil non-taxpayer financing of the additional $90-odd million over the course of the next month, you can be sure that what originally cost $180 million in 2003-2004 will not cost $180 million by the time the thing is supposed to be completed in 2009.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Today's Featured Polk County Jail Inmate: Jessie Joe Hill
From WHO-TV:
A man, arrested 26 times since 1991, is back in jail again. This time for leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen Porsche. His name is Jessie Hill, and earlier this month he was charged with impersonating an officer and driving with a suspended license. Police say he used a flashing yellow light to pull over a car, and lecture the driver about traffic safety.
This latest arrest is the 16th time he's been arrested for driving on a suspended license. But those are just some of the charges against him. Today, we wanted to know how Hill kept getting back on the street. Channel 13's Patrick Dix looks at a long history that finally caught up with Jessie Hill.
Jessie Hill thought he'd ditched police, who were chasing him while he drove stolen Porsche when he ditched the car on Des Moines' east side Tuesday. Hill didn't realize, a long history in and out of the Iowa court system was finally catching up with him. It might surprise you to know, when Hill got behind the wheel of that stolen car, he was already facing charges for forgery, unlawful use of a license and driving on a suspended license from a July arrest. Even more surprising, is the fact that Hill managed to get out of jail days after that arrest.
Since 1991 Hill's been in prison at least three times. He's faced a laundry list of charges including theft, assault and forgery. Police have also cited Hill for driving with a suspended license more than 15 times in 15 years. So why did authorities let a man with a record that long out of jail?
Drake law professor Bob Rigg says Hill's case is a lesson in the dangers of an overcrowded court system. Rigg says when Hill and countless others go through their initial appearance before a judge in Iowa, the judge doesn't have their record to look back on. Rigg says, "The judges don't have the time they don't have the personnel so no one can present their history to the judge."
Most of the time that means a minimal bond to get out of court. In Hill's case, a little less than a thousand dollars and he was out on the street. This time when Hill went to court a judge set a $65,000 bond. He's still in jail tonight. Prosecutors we talked to say they'll seek all the jail time they can against Hill.
The judge doesn't have the accused criminal's record to look back on?
Are you kidding?
Ever heard of a database? They are these programs within computers. It's hard to believe, but you can actually keep a criminal's record in one of them. In fact, you can keep a lot of criminal records in them. The world's first electronic digital computer was invented in Iowa by John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry about 70 years ago. Perhaps those guys could write a program for these judges. Oh, wait. No, they can't. Atanasoff and Berry are dead. Fuck it. Nevermind.
Betchabygollywow, here's a database that anybody can look at!
Search for Jessie Joe Hill and you'll find at least 100 entries for this squinty-eyed, inbred-looking bastard. Who knows how many entries there are. We had to click at least 7 times before the scroll bar reached the bottom of the list. No shit.
There ought to be a law that says if you get busted more than 100 times for anything then you're going before the firing squad. We could call that rule 100 Strikes And You're Out.
Kossacks Taking On Faux-Centrist DLC, Led By Vilsack
We're amused at the kerfuffle that this Daily Kos post has generated in the bloggasphere:
We can only hope that the Kossacks put on the vest and attempt to detonate their verbal shrapnel amongst such aiders and abettors of Right-wing smear attacks as Hitlery, Al From, and Vilsack.
You can just imagine what kind of dictator Kos would make. He'd probably make Pol Pot or Stalin look like humanitarians.
Related: Maryland Is The Heartland
Ultimately, this is the modern DLC -- an aider and abettor of Right-wing smear attacks against Democrats. They make the same arguments, use the same language, and revel in their attacks on those elements of the Democratic Party that seem to cause them no small embarrassment.
Two more weeks, folks, before we take them on, head on.
No calls for a truce will be brooked. The DLC has used those pauses in the past to bide their time between offensives. Appeals to party unity will fall on deaf ears (it's summer of a non-election year, the perfect time to sort out internal disagreements).
We need to make the DLC radioactive. And we will. With everyone's help, we really can. Stay tuned.
We can only hope that the Kossacks put on the vest and attempt to detonate their verbal shrapnel amongst such aiders and abettors of Right-wing smear attacks as Hitlery, Al From, and Vilsack.
You can just imagine what kind of dictator Kos would make. He'd probably make Pol Pot or Stalin look like humanitarians.
Related: Maryland Is The Heartland
When Slumlords Fail To Use The Internet
From the QC Times:
According to the Scott County Parcel Records search, the current tenant of 1847 W 5th St in Davenport appears to be 20 year old Harley Allen Deruyter.
Harley has racked up a number of burglary and theft convictions in Muscatine and Scott counties, including one as a juvenile. He was also charged with sexual abuse in the 3rd degree several months back, but it was later dismissed. You can look it up yourself at the Iowa Courts Online Search.
Assuming the current tenant is Mr Deruyter, the owners of Jaresa Properties LLC could have looked up this information and saved themselves, the neighborhood, and the police department a lot of headaches. People under the age of 21 with burglary and theft convictions usually aren't the kind of tenants you want.
We also did a search on the previous tenants. Brenda Burmeister looks like a real winner. And Jaresa Properties had to sue the tenant before her, Karen Weathers, for defaulting.
It's good to see the QC Times publishing the address and property owner's name, but it would also serve the public to know the name of the bad tenant, his or her background, and all the sordid details of the police calls. We have a right to know, you know?
At some point, the city or neighborhood ought to be able to file a class-action lawsuit against slumlords who keep introducing loser after loser into an area. Too bad it's not possible.
Some neighbors who live near a house in the vicinity of Monroe Elementary and Smart Intermediate schools say they have been terrorized by a group of juveniles and others who claim to be gang members.
But police say the owner of the house at 1847 W. 5th St., Davenport (Google Maps/Satellite), has started eviction procedures against those who live at the property and that there have been extra patrols in recent days aimed at curbing vandalism, disturbances and other trouble.
“We know the name of the kids and I’ve talked to the parents and they told me that their son is a gangbanger and his friends are gangbangers and there is nothing they can do,” said Lezly Flynn, who has complained to aldermen and Mayor Charlie Brooke about the situation.
The residents of the house were not at home or available for comment when a Quad-City Times reporter made two visits there this week. Jared Malone, who is listed by the Iowa Secretary of State as the registered agent for Jaresa Properties LLC, the owner of the house, did not return repeated telephone calls from the Times seeking comment on the tenants and the eviction action.
Since May 1, police have responded to complaints at the address 26 times, according to their records. The calls include disturbances, property damage cases, theft complaints, domestic incidents and complaints involving juveniles, police spokesman Capt. David Struckman said. In addition to the calls, police have made 10 extra patrols of the area since Aug. 14.
According to the Scott County Parcel Records search, the current tenant of 1847 W 5th St in Davenport appears to be 20 year old Harley Allen Deruyter.
Harley has racked up a number of burglary and theft convictions in Muscatine and Scott counties, including one as a juvenile. He was also charged with sexual abuse in the 3rd degree several months back, but it was later dismissed. You can look it up yourself at the Iowa Courts Online Search.
Assuming the current tenant is Mr Deruyter, the owners of Jaresa Properties LLC could have looked up this information and saved themselves, the neighborhood, and the police department a lot of headaches. People under the age of 21 with burglary and theft convictions usually aren't the kind of tenants you want.
We also did a search on the previous tenants. Brenda Burmeister looks like a real winner. And Jaresa Properties had to sue the tenant before her, Karen Weathers, for defaulting.
It's good to see the QC Times publishing the address and property owner's name, but it would also serve the public to know the name of the bad tenant, his or her background, and all the sordid details of the police calls. We have a right to know, you know?
At some point, the city or neighborhood ought to be able to file a class-action lawsuit against slumlords who keep introducing loser after loser into an area. Too bad it's not possible.
"Mother" Sues North Liberty Police Department
From the Daily Iowan:
You know, North Liberty should be suing Patricia McAtee for being a lousy "mother" to Kyle Wasson. The shitbag "kid" of hers was 24 years old, hopped up on drugs, endangering the public, eluding police, and he attempted to steal a police car after fighting with an officer. He deserved to get shot. And this lawsuit deserves to be thrown out.
Patricia McAtee is suing the North Liberty Police Department for punitive damages nearly two years after her son was shot by Police Chief Jim Warkentin during an active pursuit.
In February 2004, a grand jury determined that Warkentin should not face criminal charges for his actions, but McAtee feels that he and the North Liberty police still owe her something for the loss of her son, Kyle Wasson.
On Aug. 28, 2003, Warkentin spotted Wasson traveling 20 mph over the speed limit on his motorcycle and attempted to stop him.
When Wasson didn't pull over, Warkentin continued pursuit, eventually onto a bike trail near Wickham Elementary School in Coralville.
Warkentin, 38, drove his 2003 Dodge Intrepid into Wasson's motorcycle and attempted to arrest him, but Wasson broke away from Warkentin and attempted to steal the police cruiser. Warkentin reached into the car for the keys, but when Wasson didn't stop, the police chief responded with gunfire. He shot Wasson in the left side of his chest...
McAtee contends that Warkentin used excessive force in apprehending Wasson, denying the 24-year-old his rights. She believes that Warkentin owes her compensation for Wasson's rights, life, funeral expenses, loss of income, and her extreme pain and mental anguish.
McAtee is suing North Liberty police for employing Warkentin and not adequately supervising or training him.
In addition, McAtee is suing the department for establishing a custom that allows officers to pursue someone if they are suspected of operating while intoxicated or those who leave the scene of a serious accident, despite a policy that states that pursuits aren't justified for a misdemeanor offenses.
Wasson had methamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and pseudoephedrine in his system.
You know, North Liberty should be suing Patricia McAtee for being a lousy "mother" to Kyle Wasson. The shitbag "kid" of hers was 24 years old, hopped up on drugs, endangering the public, eluding police, and he attempted to steal a police car after fighting with an officer. He deserved to get shot. And this lawsuit deserves to be thrown out.
Juice Blogs Update
Looks like the DMR's Juiceblog contest is winding down. The winner gets to blog for 6 months at the DMJuice web site.
Considering the banal postings we've read, we can't imagine that anybody would keep reading this crap. And it's hard enough to focus when trying to read the hipster "black type on very very dark bluish-green background."
Here are some of the latest crop:
Awful.
Considering the banal postings we've read, we can't imagine that anybody would keep reading this crap. And it's hard enough to focus when trying to read the hipster "black type on very very dark bluish-green background."
Here are some of the latest crop:
Monica Thompson: Today is my baby’s 9th birthday, and is also the 2nd most significant day of my life (right behind my own birthday). Today is the day I became a mother. Technicly, I became a mother sometime in late November/early December of ‘95, but as soon as you start discussing conception dates, everyone gets uncomfortable.
Kelli Starcevich: Did you get a call last night? You know the call I mean. The phone rings right in the middle of last week’s Daily Show, which you TiVoed, and had just settled down to watch in uninterrupted peace. “Hi, this is Someone You Don’t Know. I’m calling with a great offer on Something You Don’t Want. How are you?”
Katie Dunbar: When it comes to all things Iowa I am an amateur to say the least. I have never been to the infamous state fair, never seen an I-Cubs game, growing up sweet corn was a treat not a staple. In fact for the longest time, Des Moines was nothing more to me than the mailing address on my blasted credit card statement.
Awful.
Rob Borsellino Googles Himself
When he's not attending Ed Fallon rallies, secretly watching FOX News, or defending anti-Zionists who hate President Bush, Rob Borsellino is thinking up new ideas for his column.
Today he Googles himself.
The dormant blogs Hog Haven and Ayuhwa.org get namechecked, but not this one, despite holding down tenth and eleventh place.
We actually kind of like Rob Borsellino, in an odd way. Maybe because he still looks like a 1970s-era Ken doll. He has a real cheeky quality at times, especially when he doesn't write columns that parrot the Gannett corporate anti-Bush line. Get him off of national politics and he's amazingly truthful, such as saying that Wayne Ford is "pretty far to the left" and his description of the crowd at the Ed Fallon campaign kickoff.
But just because we like somebody's cheeky qualities doesn't mean that they're immune to serious criticism. Borsellino's column about Cindy Sheehan was disgraceful. Why even write something like that? There are so many more interesting things to write about in our own backyards.
Coralville Starting To Play Hardball
More at the PorkForest web site.
It's essentially a rewrite of the Press-Citizen piece from the other day, but you get more of an impression that the Coralville City Council has finally grown a couple. And the Register confirmed that Oman & Company owe money to the previous architect firm.
It's essentially a rewrite of the Press-Citizen piece from the other day, but you get more of an impression that the Coralville City Council has finally grown a couple. And the Register confirmed that Oman & Company owe money to the previous architect firm.
Steve King Hates And Discriminates Against Illegals, Part Trois
Iowa Ennui completely nails it.
Related: Steve King Hates And Discriminates Against Illegals, Part Deux
Related: Steve King Hates And Discriminates Against Illegals, Part Deux
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Suspect Charged In Drunk Boating Death
From Radio Iowa:
A 29-year-old South Dakota man has now been charged in connection with the fatal hit-and-run boating accident that happened almost two weeks ago on Lake Okoboji. Justin Allen Nearman of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was charged with operating a motorboat while intoxicated, resulting in the death of another person. Nearman was arrested in Sioux Falls on Tuesday afternoon. Fifty-one-year-old Michael Brosnahan, a Perry dentist, was killed August 12th on West Lake Okoboji. His funeral was held Monday. His wife, Jill, was seriously injured but she has been released from the hospital.
Nearman faces a second felony charge of drunken boating, causing serious injury, in connection with the injuries Jill Brosnahan suffered. Officials believe 21-year-old Ryan Deighton of Sioux Falls was a passenger in the boat that hit the Brosnahans, but charges are not being filed against Deighton. The boat involved was found eight days after the accident -- still at the lake. Baskins says Nearman -- the South Dakota man that's been charged in the accident -- did not own the boat.
Iowa is already soft on drunk drivers who kill (here and here). Maybe they'll go even lighter on this suspect because he was only operating a boat while drunk. Yeah, that's the ticket. Just drop all charges against the guy. He's probably really sorry and everything. Give him a medal and a voter registration card. We hear Alfredo Parrish is looking for another guilty client so he can milk more money out of Iowa's taxpayers. This suspect may be white, but he is from South Dakota, so he might as well be a minority.
John Edwards To Be Keynote Speaker At Tom Harkin's Annual Steak Fry
Found it here, buried way at the bottom.
Last year's steak fry served up Sheryl Crow and typical Harkin larfs like this:
Wow, original! Are you peeing your pants with laughter yet?
Update: Old news. Oh well, you can't do everything. It would be interesting if Leana Stormont or Katy Robinson crashed the party. Especially Katy. Half-nekkid, shackled, and bootylicious.
Last year's steak fry served up Sheryl Crow and typical Harkin larfs like this:
The senator said Bush's health care plan is to "pray you don't get sick."
He also told the riled crowd they needed a president "who knows how to speak English."
Wow, original! Are you peeing your pants with laughter yet?
Update: Old news. Oh well, you can't do everything. It would be interesting if Leana Stormont or Katy Robinson crashed the party. Especially Katy. Half-nekkid, shackled, and bootylicious.
Steve King Hates And Discriminates Against Illegals, Part Deux
Yesterday, we linked to Radio Iowa's piece about Steve King's illegal immigration "discussion" and made fun of both Steve King's thoughts and the Iowa Democratic Party's quoted response.
Here's the rest of the Iowa Democratic Party's response. It gives a lot more background and information about who was there.
As for the criticism by Iowa Democrats, Tancredo has gotten a lot of press by playing it up to the "Bomb Mecca" moonbat crowd, but everything that J.D. Hayworth has been saying is correct.
Steve King continues to be Iowa's Dumbest Congressman ™ and his 10-foot high fence idea is totally ridiculous. Dude, have you ever heard of a shovel? Wire cutters?
And we still think that if Sally Pederson had her way she'd totally capitulate to the views of Wayne Ford. We don't think either side in this debate has their head screwed on properly.
Here's the rest of the Iowa Democratic Party's response. It gives a lot more background and information about who was there.
As for the criticism by Iowa Democrats, Tancredo has gotten a lot of press by playing it up to the "Bomb Mecca" moonbat crowd, but everything that J.D. Hayworth has been saying is correct.
Steve King continues to be Iowa's Dumbest Congressman ™ and his 10-foot high fence idea is totally ridiculous. Dude, have you ever heard of a shovel? Wire cutters?
And we still think that if Sally Pederson had her way she'd totally capitulate to the views of Wayne Ford. We don't think either side in this debate has their head screwed on properly.
University of Iowa Defeats Unionization
Yeah, we missed this (from the Daily Iowan):
If the union supporters want to cop the attitude that they're smarter than the 66% who voted against the measure, go right ahead, but that's a losing strategy.
By a surprisingly large majority, the UI professional and scientific staff voted 1,221-641 against a staff union this past weekend...
Union opponents charged it was unethical to raise the issue over the summer, worried that if only a tiny fraction of members voted and a bare majority approved the union, thousands of employees would be forced to unionize without having a choice in the matter. Staff members wisely solved that problem for themselves by making their choices heard - turnout in the election was almost 75 percent. Interestingly, more people voted "Yes" to hold the election on the issue than voted "Yes" to have a union. Employees were far from indifferent on the subject.
Supporters are framing their defeat as a success, noting the more than 600 "Yes" votes and hinting that they may try to unionize again in the future. They vow to focus more on educating people, implying that those who voted "No" simply didn't understand why they should have voted "Yes."
If the union supporters want to cop the attitude that they're smarter than the 66% who voted against the measure, go right ahead, but that's a losing strategy.
State 29, You Are The Quirky
From Iowahawk's latest column:
Thank you, Iowahawk!
At least we aren't being called "devious, truculent and unreliable" by another blog, although we'd probably consider that a badge of honor as well.
I also want to direct your attention to other high-quality blogroll arrivals:
- State 29. Quirky, Iowa-centric, libertarian, deserving a much bigger audience. One of my daily reads, and highly recommended.
Thank you, Iowahawk!
At least we aren't being called "devious, truculent and unreliable" by another blog, although we'd probably consider that a badge of honor as well.
Who Signs Off On This?
This column is in today's QC Times:
What editor at the QC Times thought that this was an intelligent column to print? It was originally run in Newsday on June 26, 2005.
What kind of partisan jerk signs off on running this sort of smear? Les Payne, if you've read any of his columns, is an obvious hater of anything Republican. He adds nothing to the discussion.
Republicans do a lot of annoying things, but to somehow equate the modern-day Republicans with the KKK members of Mississippi back in 1964 and to kick Reagan over it seems an especially low blow.
The QC Times needs to apologize for running this crap. This sort of column serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever.
Klan triple murder and the rise of the GOP
By Les Payne
The conviction of the 80-year-old Mississippi racist for a 41-year-old murder reminds us that the new Republican Party, the GOP that gave us Nixon, Ford and Reagan, Bush 41 and his unspeakable son, rode into power on the backs of the Ku Klux Klan.
This triple murder in June 1964, to sum up for the attention-deficient, hastened the passing of the first Civil Rights Act in July of the same year.
After signing the bill into law, Lyndon Johnson reportedly told close associates that "I am afraid we have lost the South for a hundred years."
What the Democratic president from Texas meant was that the entrenched power, savvy and resources that resided in the Southern white male — and I might add racist — wing of the Democratic Party would migrate to the Republicans. Since JFK in 1960, no Democrat has won a presidential election unless — as with Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton — he was himself a white male from the South.
So what has the recent conviction of Klansman Edgar Ray Killen in Philadelphia, Miss., to do with the modern GOP? More than the party would openly admit.
The white South as a touchstone for success has not been lost on the GOP. It was no accident that Ronald Reagan launched his 1980 presidential campaign by trekking to Philadelphia in search of symbol and Mississippi blessings. It was at this terrible place, so sacred then to Cowboy Reagan, that, on the night of June 21, 1964, the Klan abducted and murdered Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner.
Their disappearance shocked the nation mainly because two of the victims were white, a fact their humble survivors woefully concede all these years later.
Forty-one years to the date after the killings, Killen, the Klansman, was convicted of manslaughter and given a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison for his role in the case. This was by no means swift justice.
The incident itself helped grease the wheels of American history. Without it, the Civil Rights Act may not have passed, and certainly not by a 73-27 vote margin in the Senate. Almost immediately, the racist Dixiecrats within the Democratic Party began looking for a new lair.
It was Reagan who fell into a swoon over the Dixiecrats and began wooing them with great vigor. By his second term, they had been won over as "Reagan Democrats" fulfilling LBJ's prophecy that pursuing equality for African-Americans would cost the Democrats the White House.
The South may have lost the Civil War, but it appears to have won the peace, along with the Klan.
Les Payne is a Pulitzer-prize winning columnist for Newsday.
What editor at the QC Times thought that this was an intelligent column to print? It was originally run in Newsday on June 26, 2005.
What kind of partisan jerk signs off on running this sort of smear? Les Payne, if you've read any of his columns, is an obvious hater of anything Republican. He adds nothing to the discussion.
Republicans do a lot of annoying things, but to somehow equate the modern-day Republicans with the KKK members of Mississippi back in 1964 and to kick Reagan over it seems an especially low blow.
The QC Times needs to apologize for running this crap. This sort of column serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever.
A Hospital? In West Des Moines? Phooey!
Jeff Talon notes that Iowa Methodist is once again attempting to get the State's blessing to build a hospital in dinky, little, non-growing West Des Moines.
The thing that kills us is that so many people involved with keeping the stranglehold concentration of hospitals in Des Moines proper are the ones bitching and whining and moaning about the general public's inability to have access to health care.
Staggeringly hypocritical, if you ask us.
The thing that kills us is that so many people involved with keeping the stranglehold concentration of hospitals in Des Moines proper are the ones bitching and whining and moaning about the general public's inability to have access to health care.
Staggeringly hypocritical, if you ask us.
Terrorists Usually Tell You What They're Going To Do
Leana Stormont has a column in the Press-Citizen today. It ends like this:
It's amazing that the FBI hasn't charged anybody in the burglary, terrorism, and theft at Spence Labs last year.
If we were working for the FBI, we'd have the biggest wiretap in the world on Leana Stormont.
What UI knows is that if labs had windows and we could see the crimes committed against animals in the name of "science," moral people wouldn't issue polite requests calling on researchers to stop. They'd throw bricks through those windows to halt the slaughter from which science so routinely spares us all of the sight.
It's amazing that the FBI hasn't charged anybody in the burglary, terrorism, and theft at Spence Labs last year.
If we were working for the FBI, we'd have the biggest wiretap in the world on Leana Stormont.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Pierre Pierce Admits Sexual Assault
From the DMR:
Former Iowa Hawkeye basketball player Pierre Pierce pleaded guilty Monday to one count each of third-degree burglary, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal mischief in the fourth degree.
Pierce, 22, reached a plea agreement Monday when prosecutors agreed to drop two 25-year, first-degree burglary charges in exchange for the guilty plea.
"The plea bargain is fair and I advised my client to accept it," Pierce's lawyer, Alfredo Parrish, told Dallas County District Judge Gregory Hulse.
The agreement also calls for Pierce to receive a suspended sentence on a third-degree burglary charge that carries a maximum five-year prison term.
The plea agreement was reached after attorneys met with Hulse as jury selection resumed for Pierce’s trial.
Under questioning from Hulse, Pierce admitted he held his former girlfriend against her will and tried to sexually assault her.
‘‘I did hold (the woman) against her will when she tried to leave her home,’’ said Pierce, who was wearing a yellow shirt, tie and tan pants.
‘‘Did you intend to commit a sex act when you did this?’’ Hulse asked Pierce.
‘‘Yes, your honor,’’ Pierce said.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers will argue Oct. 14 at Pierce’s sentencing over how much prison time he should serve on the other three charges. The maximum sentence is now four years...
A guilty plea for assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, a misdemeanor, may require Pierce to register on the state’s sexual offender registry for 10 years.
We'll bet that Pierre Pierce will see little, if any, time in the pokey. Most Iowans would prefer that this loser just disappear from Iowa forever. He clearly has anger, obsession, and rage issues against women that need to be controlled through considerable psychotherapy. We doubt that those issues will be addressed and it wouldn't surprise us if Pierce reoffends in the future.
Related: State 29 Pierre Pierce Archive
Steve King Hates And Discriminates Against Illegals
From Radio Iowa:
And what was the Iowa Democratic Party's response? They've got to be kidding:
So when did Wayne Ford's views take over the Iowa Democratic Party?
Western Iowa Congressman Steve King hosted a conversation about illegal immigration this (Monday) morning in Des Moines. King, a Republican from Kiron, brought in the father of a 9/11 victim who's pushing the federal government to crack down on illegal immigration as well as a couple of congressmen who focus on the issue.Yeah, obviously the people who flew the hijacked jet airplanes into the World Trade Center buildings, the Pentagon, and crashed one into a Pennsylvania field were Mexican.
"We need a national debate on immigration and this is the place to set the groundwork for it here in Iowa and that's what we're attempting to do here today," King told reporters. Iowa's role as the state that hosts the first test of the next presidential campaign is the reason. "This is about presidential politics. I make no bones about it," King says. "I want Iowans to understand immigration policy and I want them to challenge the presidential candidates when they get here and ask them the hard questions." King wants to spend nearly 700 million dollars to build a fence along the country's southern border.
And what was the Iowa Democratic Party's response? They've got to be kidding:
The Iowa Democratic Party issued a statement calling King and his guests extremists and radicals who seek "hate and discrimination."
So when did Wayne Ford's views take over the Iowa Democratic Party?
Iowa - A State Of Bruises And Sunburn
Michael Barone's excellent and sober analysis of the 2004 election in this Washington Times column today is quite an eye-opener and his quote "The 2004 results showed the red states getting redder and the blue states getting less blue" is poignant.
Iowa is one of those states that is a bit of an anomaly. Not really red. Not really blue. We're more like a state of bruises and sunburn.
Iowa is one of those states that is a bit of an anomaly. Not really red. Not really blue. We're more like a state of bruises and sunburn.
Don't Be A Dick
Dick Doak pinches out a nasty column today in the DMR:
One of the questions Cindy Sheehan has said she wants to ask President Bush is whether he has urged his two military-age daughters to join up.
Sheehan is the Gold Star mom who set up camp outside the president's Texas ranch, and the question she raises is one almost everyone else has been too polite to ask: If the commander in chief expects the sons and daughters of other Americans to face duty in Iraq, should he expect any less from his own children?
Dick completely forgets that America's military is all-volunteer. Nobody conscripted Casey Sheehan. (read this Mark Steyn column in the Chicago Sun-Times for more thoughts along this line - Ed.)
And did anybody ever hector Bill Clinton about forcing Chelsea to sign up for the military when Clinton bombed Serbia and Iraq? Surely some fool did, but has our favorite Dick ever bothered?
During World War II, four sons of President Franklin Roosevelt saw military duty while their father was in the White House. Elliot Roosevelt served in the Army Air Corps, flew missions in North Africa and the Mediterranean and commanded a reconnaissance wing that scouted for the D-Day invasion. Franklin Jr. served in the Navy, winning a Purple Heart and a Silver Star. James won a Navy Cross and Silver Star while serving in the Marine Corps. John served five years in the Navy.Roosevelt also had all Japanese-American men on a prepared "blacklist" arrested and held without a hearing on December 8, 1941. Then he issued Executive Order 9066 which uprooted 120,000 Japanese and Americans of Japanese descent from their homes and businesses and housed them in interment camps.
Of course, the entire nation was mobilized for World War II. Many other top government officials and members of Congress had children serving in uniform. That's a stark difference from today, when hardly any of the civilians making the big decisions in Washington have children suffering through dust storms and roadside bombs in Iraq.
[President Bush's] reply to a question of why he won't meet with Sheehan will go down as one of the most callous ever directed at a parent who lost a child in service to the nation. It's "important for me to go on with my life. . . ," he said. "And part of my being is to be outside exercising."What is the point of this section?
Thereupon the president took off on a ride around the ranch on what was described as a $3,000 Trek Fuel-98 carbon-fiber mountain bike.
Hey, Dick, the President can't meet with every family member of every serviceman killed or injured. And Bush has already met with Sheehan in 2004.
What do you want, Dick?
And describing the type of bicycle the President rides is important? Surely Dick turned a blind eye to John Kerry's $8,000 custom Serotta Ottrott bicycle.
We say we support the troops, but we really don't. We shrug when Marines have to use lightly armored amphibious vehicles in the desert. We don't institute a draft or call for enough volunteers so that the troops don't have to serve two, even three tours of duty. We don't insist they be given a clearly definable mission. We aren't outraged when the top brass claims misdeeds are solely the fault of enlisted personnel. We don't demand investigations of what went wrong so mistakes won't be repeated.It's pretty clear that Dick Doak is projecting here. Dick obviously doesn't support the troops, and admits it. Dick would like to see a draft reinstated and the Bush daughters forced the serve and preferably die in Bush's unjust war that he about.
Maybe, along with the president, we're all on vacation. Maybe it's about time for it to end.
As for the clearly definable mission, we can only guess that Dick Doak has his head up his ass, or Gilbert Cranberg's ass. Newspaperpeople who act like this way in print like to play the fool to make their point in order to be obsequious with the far-left groups who exploit anti-Zionist Jew-haters like Cindy Sheehan. It's just disgusting.
Possession of Alcohol Under Legal Age
Looks like the kids are back in Iowa City, according to the weekend arrest blotter.
ITEASP
Todd Dorman offers up the ITEASP, a test for our lawmakers, in the Mason City Globe Gazette. It's funny.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Nancy Clark's Blogger-Bashing Column Has Been Deleted
It seems that the Des Moines Register has removed Nancy Clark's infamous blogger-bashing column. See for yourself.
We noticed this today when perusing Clark's section on the DMR web site.
Click on the link from this cache. It's gone. Same with this Google cache from August 14th.
Try from our original link. Nothing. Try from the followup. Zilch!
Er, what's with that?
Orson Swindle from the EDSBS web site conducted an interview with Nancy Clark that was published on August 11th. Fanblogs.com's analysis of the interview cuts to the chase with regard to Clark's aversion to bloggers. It turns out that the old "Steve Alford hot tub" rumor (Oh great, now everybody will be coming here after searching for that topic - Ed.) was the reason. Naturally, Fanblogs.com consults all the usual outlets for determining which "blogs" printed the rumor and couldn't come up with anything. Obviously, Ms Clark's attempts to smear bloggers wasn't verified, wasn't scrutinized by editors, wasn't fact-checked and proofed. Perhaps Ms Clark was thinking of message boards, a product of the internet which has been around in one form or another since 1978.
Here's more from the interview:
OS: Do you differentiate between bloggers and message boards?
NC: I differentiate between good, responsible bloggers and those who spew junk. Some of my friends are bloggers.
OS: You care to name them?
NC: No, I’d rather not.
OS: You stated that some bloggers are “losers”. Do you think most bloggers are “losers?”
NC: I couldn’t give you a percentage. I certainly think some of them are.
OS: Any in particular?
NC: No.
OS: How about us?
NC: Well I told you, you were the only one who bothered to call me. I think you must have a responsible bone in your body.
Nevermind that Captain Ed emailed Nancy Clark, only to have it deleted without being read.
But if you're looking around for Nancy Clark's original column, have no fear. The ever-trusty NewsBank has a copy:
Read the blogs and message boards if you want. But do it for entertainment, n ot information.
NANCY CLARK
***CLARIFICATION*** A column by Nancy Clark published in Thursday's newspaper included the incorrect use of the word "voracity", instead of the word "veracity". Clark submitted the column without the error. The mistake was generated by an editor after she filed the column. Ran 06.08.2005 Sports page 1.
Today I'll be talking with Dan McCarney.
The bloggers won't.
I'll also be posing questions during Iowa State's media day to Bret Meyer, Todd Blythe and Jason Scales.
The bloggers won't.
Monday, I'll be chatting with Kirk Ferentz.
The bloggers won't.
I'll also get in a word at Iowa's media day with Drew Tate.
The bloggers won't.
Tuesday, I'll interview Mark Farley at Northern Iowa's media day.
The bloggers won't.
Wait! Come back! This isn't an exercise in name-dropping.
It's about you, and what you should pay attention to as we enter the thick of the college football media days season.
Of course you're going to hang on every word the stars say. But are you also going to take note of who's taking the notes?
You really should know who's asking the questions. It's important. It's the only way you can discern fact from fiction.
Too often you can't tell the two apart, according to some "light" reading I did over the summer.
The State of the News Media Report is an annual review by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, part of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.
The conclusion of the 600-page report was that the traditional "journalism of verification," in which reporters check facts, is being infringed upon by a new model of journalism that is "faster, looser and cheaper."
In the new "journalism of assertion," as the report calls it, information is offered with little time and little attempt to independently verify its voracity.
In other words, bloggers and some radio and cable talk show hosts make up stories and spread rumors. Too often, consumers don't know the difference between these lies and mainstream news reports.
Because of this shift, there is no longer widespread agreement on basic facts. We don't all know the same thing.
Some Iowans "knew," for example, that Tate, the Iowa quarterback, had a broken leg before last season's Capital One bowl, while others knew he was healthy.
The report on the threat to traditional journalism focused on political reporting -remember the allegations by the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" that, after weeks of reporting, were found to be unsubstantiated?
But I think "journalism of assertion" is just as pervasive in sports. Lies and rumors about coaches and players in Iowa City -accepted as fact until proven otherwise by the mainstream media -have sadly become routine. Ask Steve Alford. Ask Jennie Lillis.
Read the blogs if you want. Read the message boards. But do it for entertainment, not information. Don't accept anything you read on them as truth unless it has been independently verified.
Usual scenario: A loser tries to make himself seem important by posting information that makes him appear to be an insider, "in the know."
Worse case scenario: Gambling interests, bookies, the mob pass off inaccurate information about a player or team as truth to try to influence wagering or the outcome of a contest. They're counting on readers and viewers to be gullible.
Don't be.
Know that if the information is coming from the mainstream media -the accredited reporters, broadcasters and photojournalists -they are following strict professional guidelines that the looser outlets don't require. The information has been verified, has been scrutinized by editors, has been fact-checked and proofed.
Know that my colleagues and I really will be talking to McCarney and the stars in the next few days, and that they said exactly what we report.
Columnist Nancy Clark can be reached at (515) 286-2517 or nclark@dmreg.com
Fermented Juice
Want to look at a whole bunch of unreadable blogs? Surf right over to the blogs section of the DMJuice.com site. Or just read these excerpts:
Kevin Schmidt:
Erin Capps:
Joe Winn:
Olivia G. Howe:
Your ass?
Kevin Schmidt:
Speaking of drinks, I must have missed the meeting about Jagermeister. It seems like everything has Jager in it these days. I’m waiting for someone to order a glass of Merlot and tell the bartender to drop a shot of Jager in it while they’re it. But that’s a whole other subject.
Erin Capps:
Anonymous online communication can bring the worst out in people. I’ve been guilty of it. I’ve talked shit online when I would never have said the same thing if I were face to face with the person. It’s easy to attack when I’m sitting by myself in the comfort of my own living room in my pjs, eating a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream surfing the net.
Joe Winn:
Realizing that the summer was drawing to an end, I decided it was time to expose my pale body to the sunlight. It isn’t that I’m nocturnal or the heir to Dracula’s estate, it’s simply that I’m quite fearful of the sun. Occasionally I sit at the front window of my house and peak through the slightly cracked blinds, studying the light’s movements and tendencies, attmpting to devise a plan for dominance over its wrath. It seems harmless enough, for two elder women walk with their dogs and a slew of young children dance merrily through a sprinkler and take sporadic trips down the Slip N’ Slide. But I know something that these people don’t – UV-rays are a bitch.
Olivia G. Howe:
The dream went something like this: Maddux was lost at Adventureland. Angelina somehow didn’t notice because she was busy riding a roller coaster marathon with Nicole Kidman, who had on a silver headband and giant sunglasses (where does this stuff come from?)
Your ass?
Kool Keith Likes Des Moines Rappers
AllHipHop.com has a great interview with Kool Keith:
AllHipHop.com: I saw this photograph of a built up Pontiac Trans-Am of yours. How’s the car collection sizing up?
Kool Keith: I have thousands of cars, but I have five I drive regularly. When I was little, I was a fiend [for cars]. I used to watch this old guy work on them. I’m not into driving too much, I like to subway, I like to take pictures, write and experience s**t when I’m traveling. I collect porn [nowadays].
AllHipHop.com: Porn is so mainstream now. What’s your favorite porno movie and who is your favorite girl?
Kool Keith: I like a lot of the Alexander Devoe films, like Ass Worship, I like the camera angles they use. I’m into Evil Empire Stuff. Well, when I was in LA, I had the best friends Champaign, Spantaneeus Xtasy. Some people in Rap have porn girls up in their videos and s**t, try and hang with them, but I actually have fun with these girls. We had great parties in LA. I had more fun than the average basketball player. These girls are still my friends to this day. I used to go to the AVN [Adult Video News] awards show out in Las Vegas. I had great friends in porn, Ron Hightower used to live up the street from me.
AllHipHop.com: They say Vivid Video is the Def Jam of porn. Do you like the girls from Vivid?
Kool Keith: You see, the Vivid girls are too commercial for me. They’re not exactly my style. I get bored with that plot and drama stuff.
AllHipHop.com: Your style is so unconventional in the last ten years. Who inspires you?
Kool Keith: I go buy C-Bo [albums]. I listen to new rappers from all over the country: Seattle, Denver and even all over the world” Paris, Brazil, Canada. New York people don’t listen to a wide range of rappers, there are rappers all over the world right now. The DJ’s out in New York don’t understand that there are talented rappers in Des Moines, Iowa that are dope.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Gilbert Cranberg: "A lie is a knowing mizsstatement of fact"
What else could explain Gilbert Cranberg's ridiculous opinion piece in today's DMR other than perhaps Cranberg can't get his head out of his ass?
(Gilbert Cranberg is the DMR's former editorial page editor. He later went on to become the George Gallup professor of journalism at the UI J-skool. - Ed.)
After spending a few paragraphs rambling on about agenda-driven polls by the media which leave people the impression that BUSH LIEDDDDD!!!!!!! about the war in Iraq, Cranberg then spends another paragraph explaining the definition of the word lie. But it doesn't appear that the information has been verified, has been scrutinized by editors, has been fact-checked and proofed:
We've never heard of the word "mizsstatement" before. Is that the title of Missy Elliott's new CD? Man, we're out of the loop.
We can only guess that Gilbert Cranberg is too retarded to snoop around the internet for Security Council Resolutions Concerning Iraq.
What is it with these seemingly intelligent people, especially those who work for or worked for newspapers or taught journalism at the college level, who can't be arseholed into looking up information? If that isn't malfeasance, we don't know what is.
(Gilbert Cranberg is the DMR's former editorial page editor. He later went on to become the George Gallup professor of journalism at the UI J-skool. - Ed.)
After spending a few paragraphs rambling on about agenda-driven polls by the media which leave people the impression that BUSH LIEDDDDD!!!!!!! about the war in Iraq, Cranberg then spends another paragraph explaining the definition of the word lie. But it doesn't appear that the information has been verified, has been scrutinized by editors, has been fact-checked and proofed:
A lie is a knowing mizsstatement of fact. "Intentionally misleading" and "intentionally exaggerated" simply are euphemisms for the same thing, and it is clear that a large chunk of the public believes it was lied to by the administration.
We've never heard of the word "mizsstatement" before. Is that the title of Missy Elliott's new CD? Man, we're out of the loop.
We can only guess that Gilbert Cranberg is too retarded to snoop around the internet for Security Council Resolutions Concerning Iraq.
What is it with these seemingly intelligent people, especially those who work for or worked for newspapers or taught journalism at the college level, who can't be arseholed into looking up information? If that isn't malfeasance, we don't know what is.
Anti-Zionists Of The World, Unite And Take Over
A reader sends us this interactive map from Moveon.org which details rather extravagently the "vigils for Cindy Sheehan" that occurred last week.
The way the dots line up, you'd think Iowa was just a hotbed of Sheehanarama.
But if you click on the state of Iowa, you'll find fewer dots across the state than on the faces of most teenagers.
Carroll County had a whopping two people. Buena Vista county had three people. Marshall had nine. Winneshiek and Des Moines counties each had 10. Des Moines (the city) had 20. Black Hawk county had 27. Linn County had 34. And Johnson County only had 106 - not the 150 that the press reported.
DI columnist Barry Pump was at the rally at the UI Pentacrest in Iowa City, spotted and interviewed Pulitzer-prize winner Marilynne Robinson, but turned in a column ("Hippies Unite!") that was good until the final two paragraphs when it completely petered-out. Pump blew a chance to ask the Sheehan supporters, Robinson especially, if they agreed with Sheehan's anti-Zionist rantings.
The way the dots line up, you'd think Iowa was just a hotbed of Sheehanarama.
But if you click on the state of Iowa, you'll find fewer dots across the state than on the faces of most teenagers.
Carroll County had a whopping two people. Buena Vista county had three people. Marshall had nine. Winneshiek and Des Moines counties each had 10. Des Moines (the city) had 20. Black Hawk county had 27. Linn County had 34. And Johnson County only had 106 - not the 150 that the press reported.
DI columnist Barry Pump was at the rally at the UI Pentacrest in Iowa City, spotted and interviewed Pulitzer-prize winner Marilynne Robinson, but turned in a column ("Hippies Unite!") that was good until the final two paragraphs when it completely petered-out. Pump blew a chance to ask the Sheehan supporters, Robinson especially, if they agreed with Sheehan's anti-Zionist rantings.
Rainforest Update
David Oman is playing "follow the architect" and the former firm's head is concerned that all his bills haven't been paid. More at the PorkForest web site.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Grassley/Harkin "Homeland Security" Pork Tour Continues
From the Washington Evening Journal:
There's about 1900 people in Columbus Junction, Richland has less than 600, and Winfield has about 1100.
In 2003, FEMA granted Columbus Junction $48,024 and Winfield got $110,250.
In less than two years, Winfield got almost $225,000 from Federal taxpayers. And that's just what you know about here.
Pork, pork, pork. Here pigggggy pigggggy piggggggy!
Three area fire departments will receive part of a $5.3 million grant from the US Department of Homeland Security to Iowa, senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin announced.
The funding is intended to increase the effectiveness of fire prevention and to support firefighter safety.
The Columbus [Junction] Fire Department was awarded $114,000; the Richland Fire Department was awarded $109,391; and the Winfield Fire Department was awarded $123,500.
There's about 1900 people in Columbus Junction, Richland has less than 600, and Winfield has about 1100.
In 2003, FEMA granted Columbus Junction $48,024 and Winfield got $110,250.
In less than two years, Winfield got almost $225,000 from Federal taxpayers. And that's just what you know about here.
Pork, pork, pork. Here pigggggy pigggggy piggggggy!
Make Your Own Fuel
You've got to love a news story that starts off like this:
And you can, too! Just go to the Azure Biodiesel Company's web page to learn more.
If you're the assistant to the assistant manager at Long John Silver's you could have a real nice side business going fairly quickly.
Dan Dykema, of Sully, was fed up with the high price of fuel, so he began making his own.
And you can, too! Just go to the Azure Biodiesel Company's web page to learn more.
If you're the assistant to the assistant manager at Long John Silver's you could have a real nice side business going fairly quickly.
"Ethanol is harmful to the ozone"
Randall Rolph of Nashua, writing to the Waterloo Courier today, says the following after talking about the current state of gas prices and the "quagmire in Iraq":
We couldn't find any instance of a news organization reporting this. The only thing we could find was Randall Rolph's post to the Deaniac Blog For Iowa message board mentioning this same quote. Even Drew Miller asks for a source in the comments, but doesn't get anything. If anybody wants to ping the Charles City Press about this, go for it, but let us know if you find anything.
Politicians never know when to STFU, so you never know. Jim Leach got so delusional a few months ago that he actually claimed he supported the use of force in Iraq, even though he voted against it and everything else related to the war.
We always seem to get pegged as a kind-of right wing blog for Iowa, but the truth is that we're always sitting around waiting for Iowa's politicians to totally screw up. What the hell else do we have to do around here? Sit around and watch the corn grow?
Related: Steve King: Iowa's Dumbest Congressman
Related: Tom Harkin: Judge Priscilla Owen Is "Wacko" and Christian broadcasters are "sort of our home-grown Taliban"
Related: Chuck "Tax Increase" Grassley
Related: Nussle Rhymes With Numbskull
Adding insult to injury is Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa). During Latham's recent stop in Charles City, the congressman was asked about his support for the energy bill, in particular the lack of attention and emphasis on renewable fuels. Latham's response was astounding, as he replied, "Ethanol is harmful to the ozone."
As a representative of an agricultural-based economy, as well as the largest ethanol producing state in the United States, Latham's remarks and attempt to disseminate misinformation regarding ethanol and its effect on the ozone is outrageous. Not only are his remarks outrageous, but an insult to the constituents he has been sent to Washington to represent.
We couldn't find any instance of a news organization reporting this. The only thing we could find was Randall Rolph's post to the Deaniac Blog For Iowa message board mentioning this same quote. Even Drew Miller asks for a source in the comments, but doesn't get anything. If anybody wants to ping the Charles City Press about this, go for it, but let us know if you find anything.
Politicians never know when to STFU, so you never know. Jim Leach got so delusional a few months ago that he actually claimed he supported the use of force in Iraq, even though he voted against it and everything else related to the war.
We always seem to get pegged as a kind-of right wing blog for Iowa, but the truth is that we're always sitting around waiting for Iowa's politicians to totally screw up. What the hell else do we have to do around here? Sit around and watch the corn grow?
Related: Steve King: Iowa's Dumbest Congressman
Related: Tom Harkin: Judge Priscilla Owen Is "Wacko" and Christian broadcasters are "sort of our home-grown Taliban"
Related: Chuck "Tax Increase" Grassley
Related: Nussle Rhymes With Numbskull
How Much Diversity Does The Iowa State Fair Need?
All you need to know about the DMR's fetish with "diversity" is contained within this rather absurd article by reporter Jose De Jesus ("State Fair seeking views of Hispanics"):
Fantasia Juvenil is from Chicago.
Chicago is not Iowa. Neither is Minnesota.
Iowans aren't looking for diversity from the Fair. They want the same-old, same-old: funnel cakes, circus rides, hog calling, lemonade, tractors, giant steers, Bill Riley, the demolition derby, rock and roll has-beens, and country singers.
Start importing a whole bunch of non-Iowan things to Fair so that you look good to the DMR and the race pimps and you'll wreck it for sure.
Fairgoers who would appreciate an increase in diverse acts and attractions at the Iowa State Fair may see changes soon as the result of new research targeting Hispanics, the fastest-growing segment of the state's population.
The research, being conducted for the first time this year by fair officials, includes questionnaires asking Hispanics why they attend the fair, what they like and don't like, what they want to see added and where they are from, said Lori Chappell, the fair's marketing director...
The fair featured only two shows targeting Hispanics: a Sunday evening of Fantasia Juvenil, a 25-member Puerto Rican dance troupe with traditional dances such as salsa and merengue, and Latin Sounds Orchestra, a 12-piece group from Minnesota featuring authentic beats such as mambo and cumbia.
Fantasia Juvenil is from Chicago.
Chicago is not Iowa. Neither is Minnesota.
One way of reaching out to Hispanics, Perez suggested, is bringing a big-time name performer such as Colombian-born Shakira or Puerto Rican sensation Marc Anthony to the fair. That, for sure, will bring Hispanics to the fair, she said.That's probably a good idea, but Shakira and Marc Anthony aren't at the point in their careers where they're hitting the midwest fair circuit yet. They're still doing Radio City Music Hall and numerous arenas, respectively. Why would they come to Iowa now? Give 'em 20 years.
Iowans aren't looking for diversity from the Fair. They want the same-old, same-old: funnel cakes, circus rides, hog calling, lemonade, tractors, giant steers, Bill Riley, the demolition derby, rock and roll has-beens, and country singers.
Start importing a whole bunch of non-Iowan things to Fair so that you look good to the DMR and the race pimps and you'll wreck it for sure.
Neil Daniels Of Coralville Alert
Neil Daniels of Coralville, who once wrote that "The GOP has created an atmosphere of anti-intellectualism rivaling the Khmer Rouge", has a letter in the Daily Iowan today concerning Congressman Jim Leach. It drifts from CAFTA to logging to Tom DeLay before ending with this howler:
We guess Neil Daniels missed this Jane Norman article in the DMR a few months back that said:
Jim Leach voted against HJ 114 on October 10, 2002. This was the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq.
Jim Leach was also voted against H.Res.557 on March 17, 2004. This was approving removal of Saddam & praising the valiant service of US troops.
Then, via Muscatine Journal, we caught Jim Leach lying about his alleged support of "use of force" in Iraq a few months ago.
The thing about moonbats like Neil Daniels is that their anger is all skewed. If you're going to attack Jim Leach, punch him in the nuts about lying about supporting the use of force in Iraq. Hammer the issue. Go to a Leach public meeting, use the quote from the Muscatine Journal against him, and see what happens. THAT would be beautiful!
If Leach had real integrity, he would rebuke his party's neoliberalism and declare himself an independent and speak out very loudly against Bush and his administration's amazing incompetence in Iraq. The loud voices at Leach's August community meeting said America's is emotionally and (physically in Iraq) bleeding because of Republican Party sins.
We guess Neil Daniels missed this Jane Norman article in the DMR a few months back that said:
Rep. Jim Leach was No. 2 in the House when it came to Republican opposition to Bush and actually exceeded Harkin's percentage.
CQ computed that Leach, who represents a Democratic-leaning eastern Iowa district, voted against Bush 53 percent of the time in the House.
And when it came to votes in opposition to the House Republican position, Leach came in at No. 1, voting against his party 34 percent of the time.
Jim Leach voted against HJ 114 on October 10, 2002. This was the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq.
Jim Leach was also voted against H.Res.557 on March 17, 2004. This was approving removal of Saddam & praising the valiant service of US troops.
Then, via Muscatine Journal, we caught Jim Leach lying about his alleged support of "use of force" in Iraq a few months ago.
The thing about moonbats like Neil Daniels is that their anger is all skewed. If you're going to attack Jim Leach, punch him in the nuts about lying about supporting the use of force in Iraq. Hammer the issue. Go to a Leach public meeting, use the quote from the Muscatine Journal against him, and see what happens. THAT would be beautiful!
Katy Hansen UN Whitewash
Katy Hansen, a self-described "executive director of the Iowa United Nations Association", has a guest opinion piece ("Don't Oversimplify Oil-For-Food Issue") in the Iowa City Press-Citizen today will make anybody who's been following the UN's Oil-For-Food scandal via Claudia Rosett (example) want to puke.
Hansen is one of these idiots who thinks the United Nations can do no wrong. We've covered her public apologies for this corrupt organization in the past. If she thinks she can sweep all the genocides, unenforced resolutions, child-sex scandals, and graft under the rug, she's crazy.
Related: The Katy Hansen Effect
Related: Peg Maher: Worldwide Welfare Queen
Related: Bushitler, UN Cheerleading, and Keeping It Real
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Polk County Jail Inmate Search Back Online
A regular reader of State 29 notes that the search capabilities of the Polk County Jail Inmate web site is running again and current.
Some highlights from today:
- JEREMY JOHN STEENHOEK - OPERATING VESSEL WHILE INTOXICATED - 3RD OFFENSE
- JEFFREY LEE GRAHAM - Height 6' 04" - Weight 345 - BURGLARY-1ST DEGREE
- GARRY GLENN HALEY (pictured) - BURGLARY-2ND DEGREE - NARCS - CONSPIRACY TO MANUFACTURE SCH II - DRUG PARAPHERNALIA - INTERFERENCE W/OFF ACTS W/INJURY-MISDEMEANOR
Aiming For A Cure
From Radio Iowa:
The losses of two Cedar Rapids-area families are turning into big gains for sick kids. Two mothers whose young sons recently died of cancer raised money and spent five-thousand dollars on toys this week to donate to the University of Iowa's Children's Hospital.
Susan Grosclaude, of Marion, says her son spent time in the hospital and died last year. Grosclaude hopes the toys help make the stay a little nicer for the two-dozen children now being treated for cancer at the Iowa City facility.Grosclaude says "They just need something to make their days better."
Jodie Ries, of Alburnett, was also on the shopping spree. She lost her son to cancer less than three months ago. Ries says she spent a lot of time in the hospital while her son was being treated and knows what might please young patients, buying items from board games to electronics for every age group. Ries says "It's difficult but we know that it's something he would want us to do, to give back to the hospital and to the other kids."
While this is the first donation of toys from the group, Ries says it won't be the last. Two years ago, she and her husband formed the "Aiming For A Cure" foundation, to raise money for such gestures. For more information, surf to "www.aimingforacure.com".
It's a good cause.
Too bad they don't have a Paypal link on their web site.
Drug Testing, DNA Samples, and.... Nose Prints?
There's a lot going on in this Waterloo Courier story about the Iowa State Fair's 4-H Grand Champion Market Steer competition.
At least Lance Armstrong and Rafael Palmiero don't need nose printing.
"The vagina is like a rainforest"
From a Yahoo News press release:
Insert "PorkForest" joke here. (Uhhhhh, maybe not... - Ed)
We have a Google News Alert for Iowa and rainforest, but this is the most interesting thing we've caught from it.
Update: If a vagina is like a rainforest, and a rainforest gets built in Coralville, then if people are allowed to camp out in the rainforest for $42 a night like Dr Ted Stilwell suggested, is that prostitution?
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Women who have active sex lives often find they suffer from itching, odor, or irritation afterwards. The vagina is like a rainforest -- an ecosystem that requires a specific climate in order to thrive. Like the rainforest, it can be devastated by changes that may seem completely unrelated, or even appear insignificant.
The proper climate in the vagina is proper pH balance. When pH is unbalanced it can cause uncomfortable vaginal symptoms such as odor, irritation, discomfort and even infections. This imbalance can be caused by common events such as menstruation, unprotected sex, douching and the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy or with certain contraceptives. Vaginal pH can be normalized with products like RepHresh Vaginal Gel.
Insert "PorkForest" joke here. (Uhhhhh, maybe not... - Ed)
We have a Google News Alert for Iowa and rainforest, but this is the most interesting thing we've caught from it.
Update: If a vagina is like a rainforest, and a rainforest gets built in Coralville, then if people are allowed to camp out in the rainforest for $42 a night like Dr Ted Stilwell suggested, is that prostitution?
Mid-American Energy Raising Natural Gas Prices 30% to 40% This Winter
From the QC Times:
Mid-American Energy has also seen an increase in the cost of political kneepadding.
Just a few weeks ago they contributed $100,000 to Vilsack's Heartland PAC which, as we mentioned at the time, is out of the DC "heartland" of Silver Springs, Maryland, and whose web site is hosted by a company that handles George Soros-funded MoveOn.org splinter groups, Americans Coming Together, Al Franken, and the moonbatty Democracy For America.
Those who use natural gas to heat their homes should brace themselves for prices that are expected to be 30 to 40 percent higher this winter than last.
Allan Urlis, director of media relations for MidAmerican Energy Co., said there are three factors contributing to the projected increase in the price of natural gas: increasing prices for crude oil, high demand for natural gas to generate power to run air conditioners during a summer heat wave, and higher than normal tropical storm activity.
Mid-American Energy has also seen an increase in the cost of political kneepadding.
Just a few weeks ago they contributed $100,000 to Vilsack's Heartland PAC which, as we mentioned at the time, is out of the DC "heartland" of Silver Springs, Maryland, and whose web site is hosted by a company that handles George Soros-funded MoveOn.org splinter groups, Americans Coming Together, Al Franken, and the moonbatty Democracy For America.
Jayne Lady Supports Four D-Minuses And Two Fs
When we first read this commentary in the Daily Idiot by writer Jayne Lady, we almost thought it was a satire:
If this was published in The Onion, we would know exactly what we're dealing with. But it's not.
We really don't know what to say about this commentary. It's so mind-bogglingly sophomoric.
As for Lady's assertion that children in high school are legally forced to attend, that's incorrect. Dr Trudy Day, the Principal at City High in Iowa City, says that students in Iowa can legally drop out at age 16.
Update: We almost missed this letter to the DMR today:
Wow, we don't know if Mr Ewing has ever hung drywall, finished cement, or driven a truck before, but without a basic understanding of mathematics, geometry, engineering, and the industrial and fine arts; you'll do crappy work, get a bad reputation, and probably get sued.
And what is Mr Ewing inferring with regard to "racism or intellectual bigotry" and that standards "further drives the wedge between the haves and the have-nots and serves only to further demean and exclude the less intellectually capable"? It's just too ugly to speculate.
Related: "All D minuses and two F's is not a high standard by any stretch"
Some Iowans want a stricter standard for high-school sports eligibility. Currently, Iowa high-school athletes can be failing two classes and passing the rest with D-minuses and still be eligible to play sports. Gov. Tom Vilsack criticized the recent 5-4 Board of Education decision to leave standards where they are, saying the decision "accepts failure." What's wrong with accepting failure?...
I'm sure many UI students are sympathetic to how easy it can be for a bad grade to sneak up at you at midterm - and know how it's possible to turn that bad grade around. By refusing to accept any F's, sticklers for stricter standards are unfairly punishing average students.
Conventional wisdom might prompt one to support higher standards, in a knee-jerk sort of way, but mouthing vague platitudes about "raising expectations" just ignores the reality of most students' high-school experience. For some kids, the focus is squarely on education. There should be appropriate academic programs to support and challenge these students. But for most, high school is also a place for socializing and socialization. There should be a place in the school system for them, too.
Extracurricular activities such as sports shouldn't be a special privilege doled out to those with perfect GPAs. They should be a vital part of the school environment. Participation in extracurriculars helps engage students who may be uninterested by the traditional school system - and with curricula that amount to little more than test-taking and fact-spewing, who can blame them?
Not everyone is in high school because they want to make straight A's. Unlike college students, high-school students are legally forced to attend school. College students (and college athletes) should make every effort to succeed academically, because they are ethically obligated to not waste their professors' time and effort - or their parents' money. What obligation do high-school students have, if they didn't choose to be there in the first place?
An inflexible policy that eliminates sports participation for academically struggling athletes will only cause them more frustration and disengagement with the system, which isn't likely to motivate them to excel. If teachers and coaches at a particular school decide to make extracurriculars conditional on a student's grades, they are free to have stronger eligibility requirements at the local level. In fact, many schools do. What's the point of taking the control away from individual schools?
High school is glorified baby-sitting. It exists because parents need a place for their children to be while they're at work. It's wonderful if a student can find intellectual satisfaction in fulfilling scholastic requirements. But do we really need to punish those who don't? If a football jock can sit through Western Civ or Advanced Typing without expiring from boredom, I say let him play, regardless of grades.
Jayne Lady, a UI journalism major and DI editorial writer, can be reached at jayne-lady@uiowa.edu
If this was published in The Onion, we would know exactly what we're dealing with. But it's not.
We really don't know what to say about this commentary. It's so mind-bogglingly sophomoric.
As for Lady's assertion that children in high school are legally forced to attend, that's incorrect. Dr Trudy Day, the Principal at City High in Iowa City, says that students in Iowa can legally drop out at age 16.
Update: We almost missed this letter to the DMR today:
Is it fair or even reasonable to raise the academic standards for participation in extracurricular activities, or is it racism or intellectual bigotry to place such demands on all students?
Employing the proposed standards further drives the wedge between the haves and the have-nots and serves only to further demean and exclude the less intellectually capable. Where does such a student learn the value and importance of team play?
Perhaps the student has chosen a career path that doesn't require such high academic standards. The question has to be raised as to who is going to do the drywalling, cement finishing, truck driving, etc.? Does it create an inferiority complex?
Design curriculums that fit the needs of the student, not what some academic scholar thinks is necessary for higher education and that is imposed on all students.
-Si Ewing,
Des Moines.
Wow, we don't know if Mr Ewing has ever hung drywall, finished cement, or driven a truck before, but without a basic understanding of mathematics, geometry, engineering, and the industrial and fine arts; you'll do crappy work, get a bad reputation, and probably get sued.
And what is Mr Ewing inferring with regard to "racism or intellectual bigotry" and that standards "further drives the wedge between the haves and the have-nots and serves only to further demean and exclude the less intellectually capable"? It's just too ugly to speculate.
Related: "All D minuses and two F's is not a high standard by any stretch"
Pathetic Turnout For Jew-Hater At Pentacrest In Iowa City
If Moveon.org can only turn about about 150 people to support Jew-hater Cindy Sheehan on the Pentacrest on the University of Iowa last night, that's a really poor showing.
Update: Ames had a whopping 60 people.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Des Moines Register: We've Never Heard Of Inflation
For all the big boned... we're sorry... big BRAINED people working at the Des Moines Register, you'd think they'd factor in that thing called inflation into this article today by somebody writing under the black veil of anonymity:
In 2000, CNN reported that the average price of gasoline in 1981 was $1.38 a gallon (not adjusted for inflation).
Take that $1.38 price and 1981 year over to the Westegg Inflation Calculator and you'll find:
What cost $1.38 in 1981 would cost $3.09 in 2005.
So it's not a record.
And don't expect the DMR to issue a correction.
"Gasoline prices in Iowa keep rising, setting new records.
On Wednesday, AAA recorded a statewide average price of $2.494 for unleaded regular and $2.534 for diesel. Both were records.
The average price in the Des Moines area was $2.485 for unleaded regular, also a record.
A month ago, Iowa's average price for regular gasoline was $2.225. A year ago, it was $1.788, according to AAA.
Nationally, the average price on Wednesday was $2.564 for unleaded regular and $2.618 for diesel — both records.
In 2000, CNN reported that the average price of gasoline in 1981 was $1.38 a gallon (not adjusted for inflation).
Take that $1.38 price and 1981 year over to the Westegg Inflation Calculator and you'll find:
What cost $1.38 in 1981 would cost $3.09 in 2005.
So it's not a record.
And don't expect the DMR to issue a correction.
How can there be such a thing as “Democratic” pork?
Former Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Gordon Fischer has a post at his Iowa True Blue blog concerning House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Ross Nussle's approval of pork-barrel/deficit spending.
Fischer makes an excellent point until he steps into it, nose deep, with this ridiculous answer to a perfectly valid question:
Gee, we wonder what Gordon Fischer was spinning when Democrat Dan Rostenkowski was heading Ways & Means from 1981 to 1994. We had some pretty big deficits during those years, no? Oh, wait, here are the numbers from the CBO. Chew on that for a while, Gordo.
We know exactly how Gordon Fischer would probably spin it: "Reagan tax cuts, Star Wars, Bush war, no veto, blah blah blah blah blah." Fischer wouldn't bother to mention that the Democrats totally ruled the House until 1995, and, if Republicans wanted their pork, they had to deal with Rosty, Leon Panetta, or James R. Jones.
We bashed Jim Ross Numbskull when he was cheerleading a $333 billion deficit. But when you have partisan assholes like Gordon Fischer boldly proclaiming that Democrats don't engage in pork, you really have to bash them upside the head as well. And especially after reading Tom Harkin's Pork Blog.
Fischer makes an excellent point until he steps into it, nose deep, with this ridiculous answer to a perfectly valid question:
Q. OK, I admit it. Mr. Nussle has been a terrible chair. Why don’t you criticize Democratic pork?
A. How can there be such a thing as “Democratic” pork? Republicans control the White House, and both houses of Congress. No appropriations bill – no bill of any kind – could possibly pass even if every single Democrat voted for it. Pork has to have support of Republicans, and specifically, pork has to pass through the Budget Committee, which Mr. Nussle chairs. Mr. Nussle has a special and unique responsibility for the national budget, as Chair, a responsibility he has squandered and wasted. Our nation’s finances are a mess. This is undeniable. Why defend the indefensible?
Gee, we wonder what Gordon Fischer was spinning when Democrat Dan Rostenkowski was heading Ways & Means from 1981 to 1994. We had some pretty big deficits during those years, no? Oh, wait, here are the numbers from the CBO. Chew on that for a while, Gordo.
We know exactly how Gordon Fischer would probably spin it: "Reagan tax cuts, Star Wars, Bush war, no veto, blah blah blah blah blah." Fischer wouldn't bother to mention that the Democrats totally ruled the House until 1995, and, if Republicans wanted their pork, they had to deal with Rosty, Leon Panetta, or James R. Jones.
We bashed Jim Ross Numbskull when he was cheerleading a $333 billion deficit. But when you have partisan assholes like Gordon Fischer boldly proclaiming that Democrats don't engage in pork, you really have to bash them upside the head as well. And especially after reading Tom Harkin's Pork Blog.
Iowa Speedway Update
You'd be hard-pressed to find much in the Iowa media concerning the progress of the Iowa Speedway (Newton Racetrack).
WHO-TV had a short piece concerning the end of a particular contract with H.R. Green back on August 5th.
WhoWon.com reported on August 10th that the City of Newton is still waiting around for UBG Financial to complete the financing.
You remember UBG Financial, right? The Minneapolis Strib found that they're located in a "virtual office" in way-out suburban Atlanta and we discovered that the domain name's contact is some Volvo dealership's Internet Sales Manager.
The Newton Daily News has a closed web site and we haven't heard a peep from the DMR.
Radio Iowa's last report on the Iowa Speedway was July 20th. Time for a followup?
Meanwhile, construction has begun at the Iowa Speedway. They even have a webcam and a photo gallery.
WHO-TV had a short piece concerning the end of a particular contract with H.R. Green back on August 5th.
WhoWon.com reported on August 10th that the City of Newton is still waiting around for UBG Financial to complete the financing.
You remember UBG Financial, right? The Minneapolis Strib found that they're located in a "virtual office" in way-out suburban Atlanta and we discovered that the domain name's contact is some Volvo dealership's Internet Sales Manager.
The Newton Daily News has a closed web site and we haven't heard a peep from the DMR.
Radio Iowa's last report on the Iowa Speedway was July 20th. Time for a followup?
Meanwhile, construction has begun at the Iowa Speedway. They even have a webcam and a photo gallery.
Nearly Naked and Shackled Female In Downtown Des Moines!
Radio Iowa has pics and a story of Katy Robertson, a professional animal-rights protester, who was half-naked and shackled to protest the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus that was coming to Des Moines. More at the Des Moines Register.
PETA should come out with an "alternative circus" featuring shackled, half-naked former models. That's got to be more popular than sitting around a hot tent with the kids smelling all that barnyard ass. The tofurky sold at the food stand might not be a big hit, but you never know.
Update: One wonders if Des Moines City Councilwoman Christine Hensley would have said about the protest, "If they claim it's a protest, how do we challenge that otherwise?"
Chris Davis And Her Golden Parachute At McLeod
From the Des Moines Register:
Chris Davis will be given a one-time, $1.38 million payment for stepping down as McLeodUSA's chief executive - four years after the company brought her aboard to turn the company around.
The financially troubled Cedar Rapids telecommunications company will also pay Davis for her remaining unused vacation and maintain her health benefits through Oct. 14, according to the filing Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commis- sion.
Monday, McLeod announced Davis' resignation as of Aug. 12 . She will remain chairwoman of the board of directors.
McLeod spent millions in 2001 to bring Davis to Iowa, including paying for her commuting flights from her home in Hilton Head, S.C. Company executives had hoped the woman who helped revive ailing Gulfstream Aerospace could do the same for McLeod.
Davis' base salary was $400,000 a year, not including bonuses and stock options.
Chief Financial Officer Ken Burckhardt also resigned. His separation agreement pays him $910,000, according to the filing.
The company appointed as chief restructuring officer Stan Springel from Alvarez & Marsal , a restructuring consulting firm. According to the filing, McLeod will pay Springel $125,000 a month. Also, Alvarez & Marsal employees will be paid between $175 to $675 hourly, plus compensation for "reasonable out-of-pocket expenses."
Since March, McLeod has paid Alvarez & Marsal about $1.7 million . The company said it is unlikely that shareholders will recover anything in the restructuring.
Absolutely disgusting and immoral.
If you're a McLeodUSA employee, we advise you to steal everything not bolted down and sell it on Ebay for whatever you can get.
And the next time Chris Davis shows up from Hilton Head for a board meeting, you get a bunch of people together to tar and feather her jet.
Now that's what we'd call a morale-building exercise!
The Times They Aren't A Changin'
Rob Borsellino turns in a disgraceful column today that tries to bridge the gap between 1960s-era activism and total loon job and Jew-hater Cindy Sheehan.
Well, Rob, we remember the 1960s as a time when Jews were hated and murdered by the KKK for helping blacks achieve civil rights in the South. Sheehan keeps that old fashioned Jew-hatred alive with her calls for "Israel out of Palestine!"
And we wonder if Rob Borsellino is aware that David Duke thinks that Cindy Sheehan is right.
Maybe the Times They Are A Changin' for Rob Borsellino.
Update: Borsellino should know better.
Related: Jew Hater To The Press-Citizen: Why Didn't You Cover The Rachel Corrie Martyrdom Propaganda Tour?
Related: Jew-Haters In Iowa
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
"It's going to look like Pee-Wee Herman's house before long"
From the Centerville Daily Iowegian, which always seems to have interesting stories:
Everyone knows the old adage, "one man's trash is another man's treasure" but few have taken it to heart like Rick Burkey of Mystic.
The former welder, machinist and maintenance man makes colorful and playful sculptures from "junk" like old satellite dishes, bicycle rims, cookware and more.
Burkey started making these sculptures about a year ago and in that short time he has filled his yard with Whirly-Gigs, a giant caterpillar and flowers that look like they came through the looking glass...
According to Burkey, people have asked to buy his art but because most of his materials are found or given to him he finds it hard to price his pieces. He finds it especially difficult if someone wants a piece made to order.
How much for the alien T-shirt, sir?
$50,000 Fine For 7000 Gallon Pig Manure Spill
From the Des Moines Register:
Here's the press release and link to the lawsuit that Tom Miller's office put out back on March 15, 2004.
40 neighbors pushed the DNR, so in a way the fine seems rather paltry for the amount of work that went into it. Can you imagine living a half mile away from 12,000 hogs?
In our opinion, the State should be putting the screws on "farmers" who flaunt the law, annoy their neighbors, and wreck the environment. If that $50,000 fine was more like $5 million we'd like to think that the irresponsible "farmers" would be inclined move elsewhere or find another line of work.
The owner of a 50,000-head hog operation sued by the state for numerous environmental violations has agreed to a $50,000 settlement, the attorney general’s office announced Tuesday.
Audubon County farmer Lawrence Handlos admitted in a consent decree to a 7,000-gallon manure spill that reached the East Branch of the West Nishnabotna River in December 2003. He also admitted to construction of hog buildings without a permit and failing to implement pollution plans at some of his nine confinement sites in Audubon County, according to the decree.
Here's the press release and link to the lawsuit that Tom Miller's office put out back on March 15, 2004.
40 neighbors pushed the DNR, so in a way the fine seems rather paltry for the amount of work that went into it. Can you imagine living a half mile away from 12,000 hogs?
In our opinion, the State should be putting the screws on "farmers" who flaunt the law, annoy their neighbors, and wreck the environment. If that $50,000 fine was more like $5 million we'd like to think that the irresponsible "farmers" would be inclined move elsewhere or find another line of work.
How Did Michael Gartner Want Vision Iowa Conflict Of Interest Rules Back In 2000?
Last week, Principal Park (nee Sec Taylor Stadium), which is owned by the City of Des Moines, received a $950,000 Vision Iowa grant for improvements. Principal Park is home to and rented by the Iowa Cubs, which is mostly owned by the disgraceful former head of NBC News, Michael Gartner. Gartner was, up until earlier this year, the head of the Vision Iowa board. He's now the head of the Iowa Board of Regents.
The Des Moines Register didn't disclose this information initially. It took until Saturday's issue before any connection was made, and that was because Gartner got all snippy about later questions concerning conflict of interest - so he dictated his version of events to the DMR.
But what did Gartner say about conflict of interest rules with regard to Vision Iowa in the past?
From a reader, via NewsBank. This was published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette on September 14, 2000:
The Vision Iowa Board questioned its guidelines on conflict of interest Wednesday, trying to decide when members should refrain from voting on projects.
The board is trying to remove ambiguity in its guidelines before it starts awarding nearly $200 million in state funds to Iowa cities wishing to undertake community attractions and tourism projects.
Board member Marvin Berenstein of Sioux City said he wanted to discuss the guidelines to give the board greater credibility. Most of the members, he said, have possible conflicts of interest under the current guidelines, which might render the board unable to have many members vote on certain projects.
For example, committee Chairman Michael Gartner owns a minor league baseball team in Des Moines...
The current guideline, which comes from the Iowa Department of Economic Development, says that if a member has an interest in a contract for a project, either direct or indirect, the interest will be disclosed to the board in writing and the member cannot participate in action by the board on the contract.
Gartner said that if members choose not to discuss a contract just because they have an interest in it that it would hurt the board because of the loss of information.
Wow! No matter which way you slice Gartner's context on this issue, he appears kind of slimy at best and an opportunistic whore at worst. Don't you think?
The City of Bettendorf Owns A Money-Losing Gym
From the QC Times:
The future of the city-owned Bettendorf Life Fitness Center may hinge on the results of a marketing study.
The center has been losing members and profit for the past several years, and Bettendorf officials appear unwilling to dip into the city's general fund to bail it out.
"As long as it's paying for itself, it's not an issue," said Mayor Mike Freemire. "But if it's not paying for itself, it's reasonable to ask whether it's right to have one taxpaying neighbor subsidizing another neighbor's workout."
In 2001, the Life Fitness Center had 2,287 annual members. That number had fallen to 1,393 by April of this year. In addition, the center is looking at a deficit of $107,000, according to finance director Carol Barnes.
Check out the quotes by the people who want to keep this turkey flying. And they want to spend more money on a marketing study? These Socialists never give up, do they?
Michael Gartner: "Somewhat Offensive"
From a reader, and confirmed via NewsBank. This is from Cedar Rapids Gazette Editor Mark Bowden's column yesterday:
Did you catch Regents President Michael Gartner's reaction last week (page 1B, Thursday) when The Gazette asked him about the Board of Regents' creation of a high-paying job for Greg Nichols, the board's outgoing executive director? The new job allows Nichols to stay on the public payroll while earning a doctorate at Iowa State University.Gee, Bowden, where have you been?
Gartner says our inquiry about the board's decision was "somewhat offensive."
Once known for his mettle as a newspaper editor and broadcast news executive, Gartner seems to have lost his appreciation for the news media's role to ask tough questions of public servants, such as him, if there is ever to be any public accountability of government bureaucracies, such as the regents.
Good journalists challenge authority. When did he forget that?
Do we have to go over the Dateline NBC/GM Exploding Fuel Tank lie or the trashing of Arthur Kent one more time?
Gartner was the head of NBC News at the time!
Yet Iowans shrugged when Gartner came back to Iowa in exile. And because Gartner is one of those liberals who never has to say he's sorry, the Democrats-in-charge bent over, applied the KY, and let him do whatever the hell he wants.
Recent: Michael Gartner: Principal Pork Update
Monday, August 15, 2005
Accordionblogging Ed Fallon
Welcome Instalanchers!
Congrats, Ed, for getting second place.
Radio Iowa has a nice picture of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed Fallon at the Iowa State Fair today (above), and O. Kay Henderson's article is very well done. Read it and then come back.
Now that you're back, also check out Gradualdazzle for more pictures and, well, what else can you call it but accordionblogging? We owe her, bigtime.
Earlier today: Ed Fallon On The Accordion
Instalanchers: Send Ed Fallon some Paypal. He's the best guy running for Governor in Iowa and here's why.
Congrats, Ed, for getting second place.
Radio Iowa has a nice picture of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed Fallon at the Iowa State Fair today (above), and O. Kay Henderson's article is very well done. Read it and then come back.
Now that you're back, also check out Gradualdazzle for more pictures and, well, what else can you call it but accordionblogging? We owe her, bigtime.
Earlier today: Ed Fallon On The Accordion
Instalanchers: Send Ed Fallon some Paypal. He's the best guy running for Governor in Iowa and here's why.
"I've got my sassiness back"
From the Cedar Rapids Gazette, via NewsBank:
Earlier story: One Tough Cookie
One day shy of a 20-week hospitalization, plane crash survivor Caryn Stewart returned home.
Returning to her West Union home Friday night, the 8-year-old helped her father, Brian, unpack the van, but then announced she was going to the barn for a visit...
"I don't really need a nurse anymore," she said as she adjusted the supports she wears on her lower legs. "Besides," she said with her characteristic dry humor, "there's no call button here."
Her brother Christian rolled his eyes as she ordered him to catch her pony so she could take a stroll. "I've got my sassiness back," she admitted.
Unlike her classmates at West Union Elementary, Caryn didn't get a summer vacation. The crash left her fighting for her life at University Hospitals in Iowa City.
Once her skin grafts were complete on both arms and both legs, the left side of her face and on one spot on her head, Caryn spent several more weeks at Covenant's rehabilitation center...
Although her wheelchair will be parked at school in case she gets tired, Caryn hopes she won't need that either. She's walking on her own, with just a slight limp as she continues to strengthen the muscles in her arms and legs. She'll participate in physical education classes and do everything her classmates do, but perhaps in a little more moderation than in the past.
Caryn's first day of school is Aug. 22. She's been given exercises to do on her own time, and toward the end of her school day, she'll need to visit Palmer Lutheran Health Center in West Union four days a week, for two-hour therapy sessions. For a few weeks, she returns to Covenant for two hours of therapy on Fridays.
But perhaps the best therapy of all, for the spirited little girl who survived jumping from the wreckage of an airplane, is finally being able to just be Caryn.
In the few days until school starts, Caryn says she wants to play with her pets on the farm and enjoy being home.
Earlier story: One Tough Cookie
Cumming, Iowa
You've got to wonder if the small town of Cumming, the birthplace of Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, has as much of a problem with stolen signs as this Austrian village does.
Dorman Roundup
Todd Dorman's slightly snarky column in the Mason City Globe Gazette gives a good roundup of major political items in Iowa this past week. Dorman's column also runs in the QC Times.
We've always liked Dorman's analysis and we'll be mentioning his columns more often in the future.
We've always liked Dorman's analysis and we'll be mentioning his columns more often in the future.
Ed Fallon On The Accordion
If anybody's going to the fair today, take a camera and get some pictures of this:
Attention any news reporters reading this. You might want to ask Fallon about the recent death of Myron Floren and if Floren's playing might have influenced him in any way.
Related: Oh, Fallon!
FALLON TO COMPETE IN STATE FAIR ACCORDION CONTEST
State Representative and gubernatorial candidate Ed Fallon (D-Des Moines) will take part in the Iowa State Fair’s Accordion competition, today at 2:30 in Pioneer Hall at the State Fairgrounds. Fallon is a two-time champion in the event.
“Music is very important to me, and I always try to leave time to fit it into events,” Fallon said.
Fallon plans to play three short pieces: a waltz, a polka, and a zydeco. He will be available for interviews following the event.
Attention any news reporters reading this. You might want to ask Fallon about the recent death of Myron Floren and if Floren's playing might have influenced him in any way.
Related: Oh, Fallon!
Have A Beer At The Rock In Prevention Concert
A reader writes:
We wonder if Jeff Lamberti was in the crowd.
Related/Background: Rock In Prevention Scandal
Wanted to mention that Rock In Prevention was the featured entertainment at the State Fair on Sunday.
The thing I really enjoyed about Rock In Prevention's act was being able to go to one of the four beer stands in the vicinity of the amphitheater and get an iced cold beer to drink while watching the show. I was kind of hoping to be able to raise a lit cigarette lighter in the air and yell "Free Bird" but the only songs that were performed had to do with school lunch and self-affirmation. Boring.
Thought you might be interested. Keep up the good work.
We wonder if Jeff Lamberti was in the crowd.
Related/Background: Rock In Prevention Scandal
"Chimpanzees are not known to wear business suits"
When you read this story in the DMR today about what a scientist at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa is asserting, you really have to wonder if somebody from The Onion didn't author it.
Mitigating factor: Ned Zissou is quoted.
This is an article that the media does every now and then in order to sway opinion concerning some lunatic group's agenda. They get some fruitcake (Robert Shumaker) who makes some crazy assertions without any recent examples to back it up. Then the reporter goes and gets reaction quotes from people whose livelihood involves what the fruitcake is also involved with. Anybody with half a brain can see what's going on here. They want us to believe that the Taco Bell Cowboy Monkey is having the beans and rice beaten out of him.
Todd Versteegh On Felon Voting
Todd Versteegh has an excellent rebuttal to the Iowa City Press-Citizen's editorial concerning Vilsack's executive order about felon voting. Read the whole thing.
Related: This Is Not A Complicated Issue
Related: This Is Not A Complicated Issue
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Welcome Nebraska Sex Offenders Elected To Public Office In Iowa
From WHO-TV:
A member of the Pacific Junction City Council is facing charges of failing to register as a sex offender.
Forty-nine-year-old William Oscar Green III was convicted in Plattsmouth, Nebraska in 1996 of attempted sexual assault of a girl younger than 14.
He was arrested on August third for failing to register at a new address.
The city's attorney, T-J Patterson says that if Green is convicted of the felony, he would be ineligible to vote and would not be eligible for city council.
Mayor James Lovely says Green moved two blocks about three months ago.
The charge in Nebraska was a misdemeanor so Green was able to run for city council.
More from the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, whose article gets the guy's name wrong (we'll leave that part out):
Lovely said Green has been elected overwhelmingly for three consecutive terms.
"As a council member, he has done quite a bit for Pacific Junction," Lovely said. "We'll wait to see how it plays out Monday night and go from there."
Here's the page for William Green at the Iowa Sex Offender Web Site.
Some form of attempted sexual assault of a girl under age 14 in Nebraska is considered only a misdemeanor?
Perhaps Governor Vilsack could issue an executive order changing that law in Iowa down to a misdemeanor. Give the guy a break. After all, the guy's done "quite a bit for Pacific Junction."
You bet he has. Pacific Junction is now marked as the town that elects sex offenders to their city council. And re-elects them. Overwhelmingly.
Related: Dear Governor Vilsack
Tom's Trip Blog
Tom Harkin has a really good-looking blog on his web site that covers his travels throughout Iowa during this month.
Despite looking really good, you can't help but notice the amount of money Harkin is able to dole out for projects throughout Iowa. That's part of the game of being a senator, of course, but he's being hypocritical by also bitching about the size of the Federal Budget deficit. Does he think that he doesn't contribute to it?
For example, do taxpayers need to be giving Burlington $40,000 so that they can build a new grocery store? Does Dubuque need $43,000 to restore the Old German Bank? Why can't the folks in Glenwood pay for their new $750,000 HVAC system? And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Real Iowa
Barb Heideman writes to the Waterloo Courier:
That's what Iowans are all about.
I would like to send a large "thank you" to a lady named Kristi and two State of Iowa workers. My motorcycle quit running on Highway 58. I thought it was out of gas. So after 20 minutes or so of sitting there, this lady stopped and went to go get some gas for me. The gas station did not have a can so Kristi went to Wal-Mart and bought a can. Then brought me gas and water to drink. She would not take any money from me. There are few people in the world who would do that. She is a angel from heaven. God sent her down to take care of me. The two state workers are awesome people also. They tried to push-start my motorcycle and it did not work. So they called the Harley shop for me and they came out to Highway 58 to get my motorcycle. The Harley shop was also awesome because they took me home to my car so I could go back to work. It is very hard to find such wonderful people in the world but I found them. I will never be able to thank Kristi and the gentlemen enough.
That's what Iowans are all about.
You're On Vacation, Have A Cigar
Jamie Tisdale of New Liberty might need one. Jamie writes to the QC Times today:
You know what we need? We need a married commander-in-chief who will flirt with, get blowjobs from, and stick cigars in the vaginas of his young female interns - preferably while on the job and in the office. When is somebody like that going to run for President? Because we'd vote for that sort of clown in an instant.
Other than the president, or someone who is semi-retired, who else can spend 33 days away from the office? Something tells me the roughly fifty percent of the people in this country who voted for him didn't do so for his "brush-clearing" capabilities. Mr. Bush has plenty of time to clear brush and mountain bike after his second term is over.
Of course, the president's most ardent supporters will state he just needs to work from the comfort of his ranch. I have a buddy whose National Guard unit is in Iraq right now. He is not afforded the comfort of "working from home." My friend's leave is roughly half of the president's current vacation, yet he works in Iraq without the benefit of weekends off or 2-hour exercise breaks in the middle of his day.
A boss who doesn't match his or her employees hours is annoying. A commander-in-chief who pulls people away from the families and communities to make them work around the clock and then gives himself month-long vacations is deplorable.
You know what we need? We need a married commander-in-chief who will flirt with, get blowjobs from, and stick cigars in the vaginas of his young female interns - preferably while on the job and in the office. When is somebody like that going to run for President? Because we'd vote for that sort of clown in an instant.
School money for poor kids cut
That's the headline of this story in the QC Times this morning:
You know, that sounds like an appropriate cut to us.
Any "parent" who needs some sort of Federal program in place to encourage them to be a part of their children's education is probably the biggest piece of shit imaginable. You know the type. They breed generations of losers that fill up our jails and prisons.
The amount of federal money Davenport schools received this year to help teach low-income children dropped 5 percent, despite an increasing number of children who qualify for the help.
The loss meant a $187,406 cut in teachers, paraeducators and programs. For some schools, notification came just days before the beginning of the school year.
"It's devastating," said Sheri Womack, principal at Madison Elementary School, which lost a full-time teacher who worked with the school's most at-risk children, focusing on reading skills. "It's just really sad for the kids. That's the hardest piece."
A program that worked with the school's parents, encouraging them to be a part of their child's education, also is gone, she said.
You know, that sounds like an appropriate cut to us.
Any "parent" who needs some sort of Federal program in place to encourage them to be a part of their children's education is probably the biggest piece of shit imaginable. You know the type. They breed generations of losers that fill up our jails and prisons.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Jail Inmate Search and Crime Statistics in Des Moines
Both the Polk County Jail Inmate Search and the Des Moines Police Department Crime Statistics web sites appear to either screwed up or are no longer maintained.
The jail's inmate search capabilities reveal only two prisoners tonight, which certainly isn't true. And the DMPD stopped displaying crime statistics on the web as of February 2005.
If a police department displays anything, it's usually like this page at the Waterloo Police Department's web site (note: Java warning!), where the latest stats displayed are from 2003 and are just a pile of numbers.
This is not a good thing.
People want to know what sort of crime is happening around them, and it's up to cities, counties, and the state to start providing that sort of information.
One way is to allow the tracking/searching of crime statistics using the Google Maps API, such as ChicagoCrime.org does.
Now if you just peruse that Chicago site for a while you might think it's a crime-ridden big city, but we're certain that if Iowa cities and counties had to display crime stats on the web, particularly via a Google Maps API, we'd have a lot of people all upset about the amount of crime that goes on. Just look at Des Moines' crime stats from Feb 2005 and before.
Isn't giving the general public that sort of information in an easily searchable format a good thing? Not for cops - who have to deal with the crap day in and day out and know the truth about the situation. And not for politicians, who would rather do anything but deal with the worst of the worst in society.
The jail's inmate search capabilities reveal only two prisoners tonight, which certainly isn't true. And the DMPD stopped displaying crime statistics on the web as of February 2005.
If a police department displays anything, it's usually like this page at the Waterloo Police Department's web site (note: Java warning!), where the latest stats displayed are from 2003 and are just a pile of numbers.
This is not a good thing.
People want to know what sort of crime is happening around them, and it's up to cities, counties, and the state to start providing that sort of information.
One way is to allow the tracking/searching of crime statistics using the Google Maps API, such as ChicagoCrime.org does.
Now if you just peruse that Chicago site for a while you might think it's a crime-ridden big city, but we're certain that if Iowa cities and counties had to display crime stats on the web, particularly via a Google Maps API, we'd have a lot of people all upset about the amount of crime that goes on. Just look at Des Moines' crime stats from Feb 2005 and before.
Isn't giving the general public that sort of information in an easily searchable format a good thing? Not for cops - who have to deal with the crap day in and day out and know the truth about the situation. And not for politicians, who would rather do anything but deal with the worst of the worst in society.
Michael Gartner: Principal Pork Update
Michael Gartner defends himself in today's Register concerning the awarding of a $950,000 Vision Iowa grant to Principal Park, the home of the Iowa Cubs.
Gartner is one of the main owners of the Iowa Cubs and was, until recently, the head of the Vision Iowa board. He's now the head of the State Board of Regents. None of this was mentioned in the Register article published on Thursday.
Selections from today's piece:
Although his minor league baseball team's stadium will get nearly $1 million from the state board he led until recently, Iowa Cubs owner Michael Gartner said he took pains to stay clear of involvement with the application for money the project was awarded this week.Gartner has had problems numerous times in the past. We really don't have any reason to believe any bullshit story he dictates to the DMR, but we'll accept it - with a little assistance.
Instead, Gartner says his time as chairman of the Vision Iowa Board, which oversees of tourism project grants, actually delayed Principal Park's $6.5 million expansion.
"My view is that my being on the board penalized my partners for several years, in that they couldn't apply for anything, or I discouraged them for applying, while I was on the board," he said.
Gartner, who left the Vision Iowa Board in January, gave advice to the city of Des Moines, the stadium's owner, before the application process started. He answered questions as the team's owner when city officials were compiling the request.
But the influential Des Moines executive and publisher said he purposely attended none of the board meetings where the $1.2 million request to renovate the Des Moines stadium was discussed.
Board rules forbid former board members from approaching the panel about any project that is under consideration while they are serving on the board. The Des Moines application came after Gartner left the board.
What's more, state law bars former state officials for two years from lobbying boards on which they served.
To avoid the appearance of impropriety, Gartner said, he also never saw the application.
Instead, Gartner said he left the task of fielding questions to the team from city officials to the I-Cubs general manager, Sam Bernabe.
The city, not the baseball team, was awarded $950,000 by the board on Wednesday, part of a $6.5 million addition to the downtown ballpark. The team leases the stadium from the city.
Congrats on the "fiscally prudent" taxpayer-financed corporate welfare that you, er, indirectly received, Mr Gartner. We're sure the golden parachute you received after resigning in disgrace from NBC News could have covered it. But who knows? Most of that could have been eaten up when Arthur "The Scud Stud" Kent sued you.
Iowa: Drunk Drivers Who Kill Get To Drive Drunk Again
What do you want to bet that this asshole will not be permanently banned from driving:
If you kill somebody while driving drunk you should be getting the death penalty, not a $5000 fine and a paltry sentence (how much time do you think the guy really served?). You shouldn't be getting your license back at all.
Related: Iowa Still Soft On Drunk Drivers Who Kill
Related: Iowa: Soft On Drunk Drivers
Related: Polk County Drunk Drivers
A North Liberty man who was convicted of killing a teenage boy in 1993 while driving drunk was arrested Thursday for drunken driving again.
Lawrence Michael Henning, 48, of 505 Penn Court, Apt. 2, was arrested at 9:40 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 965 and Cherry St.
The arrest came after Henning was involved in a non-injury accident when another driver pulled out in front of his vehicle.
Police records show his blood alcohol count was 0.160, double the legal level in Iowa.
Officers on the scene reported he emitted an odor of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and had trouble balancing. He admitted to police that he'd been drinking at a North Liberty bar.
Henning was sentenced to two years in prison in 1992 and ordered to pay nearly $5,000 in fines, restitution and court costs after he was found guilty of vehicular homicide in the death of Christopher Harding, 13.
If you kill somebody while driving drunk you should be getting the death penalty, not a $5000 fine and a paltry sentence (how much time do you think the guy really served?). You shouldn't be getting your license back at all.
Related: Iowa Still Soft On Drunk Drivers Who Kill
Related: Iowa: Soft On Drunk Drivers
Related: Polk County Drunk Drivers
Friday, August 12, 2005
A+ For Vilsack On Athletic Eligibility
That didn't take very long.
Vilsack repsonded quickly to the five losers on the State Board of Education (three of the five were appointed under Vilsack) who thought that a student-athlete can play with four D-minuses and two Fs. This is from WHO-TV:
It also sends the message that five members (Gene Vincent, Sally Frudden, Jim Billings, Wayne Kobberdahl, and Rosie Hussey) of the State Board of Education have their heads permanently rammed up up their asses. What else could possibly explain such an asinine vote? And this is the fifth time it's been brought up and shot down!
This notion that "local control" should rule is bogus. 62% of school districts have stricter standards than "Four D-minuses and two Fs." Is that something to be proud of?
It's not unlike the sexual-assault enablers in control of the schools in Avoca, where "tea-bagging" (having high school boys hold you down while others rub their penises all over your face - but not your lips) is not only allowed, but, it seems, encouraged as a rite of passage.
We don't always praise Vilsack a lot around here, but it's good to see him reacting to this quickly.
Vilsack repsonded quickly to the five losers on the State Board of Education (three of the five were appointed under Vilsack) who thought that a student-athlete can play with four D-minuses and two Fs. This is from WHO-TV:
Governor Vilsack is sending the Iowa Board of Education back to the drawing broad on the issue of the eligibility threshold for high school athletes.
The board five-to-four yesterday to keep current academic requirements for Iowa's high school athletes -- pass four classes with a D-minus or better to play. That means a student can fail two classes and still be eligible.
This was the fifth time in three years that the state board has considered increasing academic standards for student athletes, but failed to take action.
Vilsack told an education panel today that the board's failure to pass new standards sends the wrong message to young people.
It also sends the message that five members (Gene Vincent, Sally Frudden, Jim Billings, Wayne Kobberdahl, and Rosie Hussey) of the State Board of Education have their heads permanently rammed up up their asses. What else could possibly explain such an asinine vote? And this is the fifth time it's been brought up and shot down!
This notion that "local control" should rule is bogus. 62% of school districts have stricter standards than "Four D-minuses and two Fs." Is that something to be proud of?
It's not unlike the sexual-assault enablers in control of the schools in Avoca, where "tea-bagging" (having high school boys hold you down while others rub their penises all over your face - but not your lips) is not only allowed, but, it seems, encouraged as a rite of passage.
We don't always praise Vilsack a lot around here, but it's good to see him reacting to this quickly.
NIMBY Ferentz
From the Iowa City Press-Citizen:
It will also be interesting to see what your son Brian gave up living in so he could go and slum in taxpayer-subsidized apartments that were intended for the poor.
Mrs Ferentz should be glad that the Johnson County Board of Supervisors isn't wanting to put the road directly through their bedroom, because in a post-Kelo world it's entirely possible. Actually, because she's whining so much, they probably should.
Hey, we're just going along with the Des Moines Register Editorial Board, who wrote under the black veil of anonymity the following:
There's only one cause that could draw Mary Ferentz, wife of Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz, into the limelight: Protecting her family's privacy.Well, well, well, Mrs Ferentz, perhaps the public will get to see what the $2 million a year your husband earns can buy (Google map of the area).
Ferentz was one of several residents of Johnson County's North Corridor who attended Thursday night's Board of Supervisors meeting. The residents asked the board to amend its five-year road plan, which calls for a new stretch of Newport Road to cut through the Ferentz's and another property.
"When (Kirk) took the position six years ago, Hayden Fry's first advice was to buy a house as far away from anything as possible, and then build a moat around it," she said. "What we cherish most is our privacy."
The new stretch of Newport Road would run from Saddle Club Road to Sugar Bottom Road. Supervisors plan to build it rather than improve an existing stretch of Newport Road because the existing road would require extensive work.
Supervisor Mike Lehman estimated that building the new stretch would cost the county $1.8 million, while improving the existing road would cost $3.2 million.
Ferentz said if the road is built, she and her family, which includes five children, would move.
"We can't go out in public; we can't even go to a baseball game or a wrestling match without a circus ensuing," she said. "The only place we have privacy is our home. The road would put our house on full display."
It will also be interesting to see what your son Brian gave up living in so he could go and slum in taxpayer-subsidized apartments that were intended for the poor.
Mrs Ferentz should be glad that the Johnson County Board of Supervisors isn't wanting to put the road directly through their bedroom, because in a post-Kelo world it's entirely possible. Actually, because she's whining so much, they probably should.
Hey, we're just going along with the Des Moines Register Editorial Board, who wrote under the black veil of anonymity the following:
Writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens said the court long ago accepted the idea that justification for government to exercise its power of eminent domain is broader than simply "public use." Even the classic example of taking property for railroads directly benefited private railroad companies. Likewise, the court has said private lands could be taken so mining companies could extract and transport minerals.That Karma thing can really bite you in the ass, can't it?
It is frightening to think the government could take your home (even if it pays market value) to make room for, say, a big-box retail store. Yet, a hard-and-fast rule that prohibits condemnation for economic development would stifle renewal of struggling communities.
The court wisely resisted writing such a rule. That leaves the job of defining the scope of condemnation actions to state and local government decision-makers, who must face public wrath if they take condemnation powers too far.
"All D minuses and two F's is not a high standard by any stretch"
Updated below -
Wow, it doesn't get any dumber than this. From the Des Moines Register:
In light of Guv Vilsack's recent calling for tougher standards and longer days in Iowa high schools, you wonder what he thinks? Does any reporter have the balls to call Matt Paul to get a quote?
Who are two of the five morons who think student athletes can get away with four D-minuses and two Fs?
President Gene Vincent of Carroll joined the State Board in 1996. He has served on the Carroll Community School Board of Directors since 1978, including 13 years as Board President. Vincent also has served on committees with the Iowa Association of School Boards. Vincent owns real estate and commodity brokerage businesses in Carroll.
Vice President Sally Frudden of Charles City was appointed to the Board in 1993. She holds a doctorate degree from Iowa State University in Educational Administration and is professor emeritus from the University of Northern Iowa, where she served 18 years as a faculty member in the College of Education. Frudden also did educational consulting with Iowa State University's School Improvement Project.
Frudden serves as the board president of TLC: The Learning Center, a private, nonprofit community childcare and education center in Charles City. She is a member of the Focus on Early Childhood Team of the Iowa Learns Council, and is a member of the University of Northern Iowa Foundation Board of Trustees. Frudden has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the New Iowa Schools Development Corporation, Community College Coordinating Council, Iowa Coordinating Council for Post High School Education, Reading Recovery Task Force and Advisory Board, and as president of the board of directors of the Charles City Area Development Corporation. She was co-founder of the Charles City Citizens Against Child Abuse and was a member of the founding board of directors of Camp Courageous of Iowa.
If allowing a student athlete... hell, any student... to pass through the system with four D-minuses and two Fs... isn't that a form of child abuse?
We will find out who the other three board members are who voted to allow this in due time. The Board publishes their meeting minutes on the internet, but the latest ones aren't up at the time of the writing of this.
And if that isn't enough, guess who lobbied for keeping the crap standards? That's right, Iowa's favorite race pimp and anti-American, Wayne Ford:
And it looks like Wayne Ford hasn't seen any physical activity since about, oh, high school.
Update: The Mason City Globe Gazette has the list of who voted to keep the crappy standards.
In addition to Gene Vincent of Carroll and Sally Frudden of Charles City, here are the other idiots who need to resign, be kicked off, or just constantly ridiculed in public:
Jim Billings of Clive was named to the State Board of Education in 2002. He is a retired past President of Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville/Emmetsburg, a position he held for eight years. Prior to that he was Vice President at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and St. Louis Community College, St. Louis, Mo. He also served as Superintendent of Ballard of Huxley for 11 years and 1 year at Adair-Casey. He was secondary principal at Ballard and Colo and taught in Macon, Mo. Billings is a native of Albia and a graduate of Truman State University and Drake University.
Wayne Kobberdahl of Council Bluffs joined the State Board in 2004. He is retired from Iowa State University, where he was a community development specialist for 27 years. He also was a professor at Waldorf College, a research associate at University of Nebraska, and a public school teacher in North Dakota and California. Kobberdahl has served on the Iowa Western Community College Board of Trustees and as president of the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees. He is active in numerous community and state organizations focused on rural and economic development, as well as social, cultural, and educational issues.
Rosie Hussey of Mason City joined the State Board in 2004. She is chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of North Iowa and serves as a trustee of North Iowa Area Community College. Hussey also is a Mason City Chamber Ambassador, chair of the Workforce Development Board, and a member of the Board of Opportunity Village in Clear Lake. She was born and educated in St. Louis.
There you go. Those are the five members of the State Board of Education who think four D-minuses and two Fs is an acceptable grade point average for student athletes.
Three of the five who voted in favor of keeping the rotten standards were appointed by Vilsack.
Now if you were running for governor wouldn't this be an issue to make a lot of noise about? Let's see if anybody bothers to make a peep.
Later update: Even Radio Iowa listed how each board member voted. What is the matter with the Des Moines Register? Is it impossible for the monopoly corporate newspaper in Central Iowa to tell the public who voted which way?
Wow, it doesn't get any dumber than this. From the Des Moines Register:
The state Board of Education voted Thursday against increasing state eligibility requirements for high school athletes - a debate that got so heated it led one member to call for the board president's resignation.
"All D minuses and two F's is not a high standard by any stretch," said board member Gregory McClain of Cedar Falls, who later called for the resignation of President Gene Vincent of Carroll.
Board member Charles Edwards, who is dean of the Drake University business and journalism schools, had proposed requiring student athletes to pass all of their classes beginning in fall 2006.
He called it a modest change from the current standard, which since 1992 has required student athletes only to pass four of their classes with a D- or better - meaning they can fail two courses and still play sports.
The sharply divided board rejected the idea on a 5-4 vote. Those who voted against it said they favored local control.
"For students in Iowa, I think it sends the wrong message," Edwards said. "I think it undermines our credibility when in one area we have the authority to set standards, we have such a minimum that is, in my opinion, embarrassing."
In light of Guv Vilsack's recent calling for tougher standards and longer days in Iowa high schools, you wonder what he thinks? Does any reporter have the balls to call Matt Paul to get a quote?
Who are two of the five morons who think student athletes can get away with four D-minuses and two Fs?
President Gene Vincent of Carroll joined the State Board in 1996. He has served on the Carroll Community School Board of Directors since 1978, including 13 years as Board President. Vincent also has served on committees with the Iowa Association of School Boards. Vincent owns real estate and commodity brokerage businesses in Carroll.
Vice President Sally Frudden of Charles City was appointed to the Board in 1993. She holds a doctorate degree from Iowa State University in Educational Administration and is professor emeritus from the University of Northern Iowa, where she served 18 years as a faculty member in the College of Education. Frudden also did educational consulting with Iowa State University's School Improvement Project.
Frudden serves as the board president of TLC: The Learning Center, a private, nonprofit community childcare and education center in Charles City. She is a member of the Focus on Early Childhood Team of the Iowa Learns Council, and is a member of the University of Northern Iowa Foundation Board of Trustees. Frudden has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the New Iowa Schools Development Corporation, Community College Coordinating Council, Iowa Coordinating Council for Post High School Education, Reading Recovery Task Force and Advisory Board, and as president of the board of directors of the Charles City Area Development Corporation. She was co-founder of the Charles City Citizens Against Child Abuse and was a member of the founding board of directors of Camp Courageous of Iowa.
If allowing a student athlete... hell, any student... to pass through the system with four D-minuses and two Fs... isn't that a form of child abuse?
We will find out who the other three board members are who voted to allow this in due time. The Board publishes their meeting minutes on the internet, but the latest ones aren't up at the time of the writing of this.
And if that isn't enough, guess who lobbied for keeping the crap standards? That's right, Iowa's favorite race pimp and anti-American, Wayne Ford:
See, kids, you too can get four D-minuses and two Fs and still end up on the liberal plantation by carving out a district in Des Moines and staking your claim.
State Rep. Wayne Ford of Des Moines urged the state board to vote against increasing statewide athletic eligibility requirements. Local school districts are able to pass stricter standards, and a 2003 survey showed that 62 percent do.
"I am the kid you're talking about," said Ford, 54, who played high school football but revealed that he had been on a "lower track" academically. "Athletic competition provides a way for young students to improve their status in life. I'm a clear example."
And it looks like Wayne Ford hasn't seen any physical activity since about, oh, high school.
Update: The Mason City Globe Gazette has the list of who voted to keep the crappy standards.
In addition to Gene Vincent of Carroll and Sally Frudden of Charles City, here are the other idiots who need to resign, be kicked off, or just constantly ridiculed in public:
Jim Billings of Clive was named to the State Board of Education in 2002. He is a retired past President of Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville/Emmetsburg, a position he held for eight years. Prior to that he was Vice President at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and St. Louis Community College, St. Louis, Mo. He also served as Superintendent of Ballard of Huxley for 11 years and 1 year at Adair-Casey. He was secondary principal at Ballard and Colo and taught in Macon, Mo. Billings is a native of Albia and a graduate of Truman State University and Drake University.
Wayne Kobberdahl of Council Bluffs joined the State Board in 2004. He is retired from Iowa State University, where he was a community development specialist for 27 years. He also was a professor at Waldorf College, a research associate at University of Nebraska, and a public school teacher in North Dakota and California. Kobberdahl has served on the Iowa Western Community College Board of Trustees and as president of the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees. He is active in numerous community and state organizations focused on rural and economic development, as well as social, cultural, and educational issues.
Rosie Hussey of Mason City joined the State Board in 2004. She is chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of North Iowa and serves as a trustee of North Iowa Area Community College. Hussey also is a Mason City Chamber Ambassador, chair of the Workforce Development Board, and a member of the Board of Opportunity Village in Clear Lake. She was born and educated in St. Louis.
There you go. Those are the five members of the State Board of Education who think four D-minuses and two Fs is an acceptable grade point average for student athletes.
Three of the five who voted in favor of keeping the rotten standards were appointed by Vilsack.
Now if you were running for governor wouldn't this be an issue to make a lot of noise about? Let's see if anybody bothers to make a peep.
Later update: Even Radio Iowa listed how each board member voted. What is the matter with the Des Moines Register? Is it impossible for the monopoly corporate newspaper in Central Iowa to tell the public who voted which way?
Thursday, August 11, 2005
The Leslie School and Morgan Cline
The Centerville Daily Iowegian has an excellent story about the history and preservation of the old Leslie one-room country school, now relocated in Exline.
While there were numerous people who were involved with donating, moving, and restoring the building, longtime Appanoose County benefactor Morgan Cline has helped this school become a museum.
If you're not familiar with Morgan Cline, you should be. He's one of the greatest Iowans of modern times. Cline became a pharmacist and later made his fortune in advertising in New York City, but he never forgot his roots. Cline has helped refurbish numerous buildings in Appanoose County over the years, including the Continental Hotel and the Ritz Theater on the square in Centerville. Cline also recently created a new dialysis center at the local hospital. And all with his own money.
You should also check out Chuck Offenburger's site for a thorough story from January 2004 concerning the Exline Old Country Store that Cline built.
Tsoncigarettes
The Mason City Globe Gazette has an editorial about raising taxes that just defies logic:
And what are the reasons the Globe Gazette holds this position? They think that higher cigarette taxes will do the following:
Here are some of the things that ridiculously increased cigarette taxes will do:
While we're left-leaning libertarians who don't smoke, we think the Sta
Convenience stores and other retailers near Iowa's Minnesota border are experiencing a run on cigarette sales since a 75-cents-per-pack state tax increase went into effect in Minnesota on Aug. 1. That was on top of an existing 48-cents tax, raising the total for our northern neighbors to $1.23 per pack.
Minnesota's tax had already been higher than Iowa's 36 cents per pack, but the new rate means a carton of smokes costs $8.70 less in taxes in Iowa than it does in Minnesota. That much of a difference makes it worthwhile for some people to get in the car and pay us a visit.
Much as we like Minnesotans adding to our state tax collections, and much as our border retailers appreciate the business, we'd like to suggest, once again, that it's high time Iowa raised its cigarette tax.
And what are the reasons the Globe Gazette holds this position? They think that higher cigarette taxes will do the following:
- Lower property taxes
- Increase funding for community colleges
- Might make teens think twice about starting
- Iowa needs to be in the "middle of the pack" with regard to other states' tax rates.
Here are some of the things that ridiculously increased cigarette taxes will do:
- Eliminate "tourism" from Minnesotans
- Increase "tourism" by Iowans to Missouri
- Increase thefts of cigarettes
- Tax poor people more, since they smoke the most
While we're left-leaning libertarians who don't smoke, we think the Sta