Blog for Iowa

• Sarah Palin in Iowa Today, The Des Moines Register, Tom Harkin and Sun Myung Moon

  Sarah Palin in Iowa Today, The Des Moines Register, Tom Harkin and Sun Myung Moon
  In honor of Sarah Palin's visit to Sioux City today, which we did NOT send a reporter to cover, (we do have our standards) we would like to share with you a letter to the [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 06, 2009, 12:13pm EST
  by Trish Nelson

• No More Compromising on Health Care - Call on Senators to Reject All Public Option-Weakening Amendments

  No More Compromising on Health Care - Call on Senators to Reject All Public Option-Weakening Amendments
  Reports from The Hill are that Democratic Senators are preparing to offer a "compromise" amendment to the healthcare bill as soon as next week that would destroy the public option.
  
  It's likely to include every [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 06, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Sixty Iowans Protest in Des Moines, Demand Interest Rate Caps

  Sixty Iowans Protest in Des Moines, Demand Interest Rate Caps
  icci.org
  
  Direct action street protest also calls on state legislature to make interest rate caps permanent
   
  Sixty members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI) converged on ACE Cash Express on the corner of Carpenter and 19th Street Saturday to demand [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 05, 2009, 8:39pm EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Hey, Iowa Progressives! David Plouffe Announces "Beat Palin's Book for a Day"

  Hey, Iowa Progressives!  David Plouffe Announces "Beat Palin's Book for a Day"par·a·digm    (pr-dm, -dm)  n.
  
  1. One that serves as a pattern or model.
  2. A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 05, 2009, 7:00am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Iowa Should Lead on Banning Nuclear Weapons Testing

  

  Iowa Should Lead on Banning Nuclear Weapons Testing
  

  by Paul Deaton
  
  In an era when people say the U. S. Senate is more partisan than it has been since reconstruction, it was surprising when Sen. Chuck Grassley, recently said the following regarding the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty: "I voted against ratification of the CTBT" [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 04, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by paul deaton

• Hunger in Iowa

  Hunger in Iowa
  by Cathy Lafrenz
  
  It is the week after Thanksgiving and most of us have stuffed ourselves with turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie.  We have had turkey sandwiches, turkey casseroles and pecan pie for breakfast. We are full and now we are searching for the next [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 03, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by cathy lafrenz

• Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Candidate Francis Thicke Exclusive BFIA Interview - Part III

  Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Candidate Francis Thicke Exclusive BFIA Interview - Part III
  by Jay Mattsson
  
  Today in Part III of BFIA's exclusive interview, Francis Thicke discusses his ideas for a sensible, sustainable, and profitable agriculture future for the state of Iowa. 
  
  Click here to read Part I     Click [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 02, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Jay Mattsson

• Health Care Reform Update: House Committee on Energy and Commerce Website Hosts Valuable Information for Health Care Activists

  Health Care Reform Update: Iowan Testifies Before Congress on High Cost of Health Care for Small Business House Committee on Energy and Commerce Website
  by Alta Price, M.D.
  
  I am very excited about the big economic forum, When the Paycheck Stops, we are having in the Quad Cities [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 01, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Alta Price

• When the Paycheck Stops: A Forum on the Economic Crisis to be Held in the Quad Cities

  When the Paycheck Stops: A Forum on the Economic Crisis to be Held in the Quad Cities
  When the Paycheck Stops:  A Community Meeting for the Unemployed, Under-employed and Anxiously-employed
  
  Tues, Dec. 1st, Wed, Dec. 2nd, Thur, Dec. 3rd
  5:30-7:30pm each night
  The Laborer’s Hall
                              2835 7th Ave, RI, IL
  
      * [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 30, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Tracy Kurowski

• Monsanto Falsely Advertised Roundup as Biodegradable

  Monsanto Falsely Advertised Roundup as Biodegradable
  FoodConsumer.org
  
  France's highest court has ruled that U.S. agrochemical giant Monsanto had not told the truth about the safety of its best-selling weed-killer, Roundup. The court confirmed an earlier judgment that Monsanto had falsely advertised its herbicide as "biodegradable" and claimed it "left the soil" [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 29, 2009, 2:00pm EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Iowa Doesn't Have to Stink

  Iowa Doesn't Have to Stink
  The following is reprinted with permission from the author, an Iowa traveller from Missouri, who posted this e-mail on a list-serve we are on, explaining why she decided to write a letter to Governor Culver.  Below that, we have posted the actual letter to Culver. ' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 29, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Rural Iowa Democrats Launch Group, Hold First Event

  Rural Iowa Democrats Launch Group, Hold First Event
  Calling all rural Iowa Dems!  Now you can join with others to address concerns unique to rural Iowans.  If you are not already on Facebook, you can sign up now and join this group.  If you are already on [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 28, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Iowans Should Support President Obama on Iran Policy

  Iowans Should Support President Obama on Iran Policy
  by Paul Deaton
  
  Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 27, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by paul deaton

• Air America and Iowa Progressives Share Gratitudes This Thanksgiving

  Air America and Iowa Progressives Share Gratitudes This Thanksgiving
  Here is Air America's top ten list of things every progressive should be smiling about.  Below that, a few more thankfuls from Iowa progressives.  Happy Thanksgiving!
  
  10) A president who can form a coherent sentence, and answer serious questions without a [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 26, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Iowa Progressive Radio!! Fallon Forum Takes on Glenn Beck Tonight!

  Iowa Progressive Talk Radio!  Fallon Forum Takes on Glenn Beck Tonight!
  Please tune in at 7:00 pm on 98.3 fm or livestream at www.983wowfm.com
  
   Call-in
  
  (515) 312-0983
  
  Is Beck bad for America? What do you think?
  
  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 25, 2009, 4:09pm EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Iowa Ag Secretary Candidate Francis Thicke Talks to BFIA about rBST, GMOs, CAFOs, and Local Control

  Iowa Ag Secretary Candidate Francis Thicke Talks to BFIA about rBST, GMOs, CAFOs, and Local Control
  by Jay Mattsson
  
  Today in Part II of a BFIA exclusive interview, Francis Thicke discusses his ideas for a better agriculture future for the state of Iowa. 
  
  Click here to read [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 25, 2009, 7:07am EST
  by Jay Mattsson

• Health Care Reform Update: Science or Rationing?

  Health Care Reform Update: Science or Rationing?
  by Alta Price, M.D.
  
  Health care reform proposals to encourage the scientific study of medical testing or medical treatments will help improve our health and lower costs. The anti-reform myth that comparative effectiveness research is code for rationing is ridiculous. I guess it [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 24, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Alta Price

• AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka: Jobs Crisis—Fix It Now

  Let the Conversation Begin:  A Unified Approach to the Economic Crisis
  by Tracy Kurowski
  
  On December 3, President Obama will convene a summit on jobs. With the national unemployment rate officially in the double-digits, the economic crisis has affected every sector of our nation's economy having dramatic results on the' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 23, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Tracy Kurowski

• An Iowa Perspective on Coal's Assault on Human Health

  An Iowa Perspective on Coal's Assault on Human Health
  by Paul Deaton
  
  When we consider the use of coal in Iowa, there are many of us who remember the coal trucks plying the streets and alleys of our childhood, dropping loads of the black stuff down chutes leading to a basement' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 22, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by paul deaton

• Get Senate Debate Updates Today From Health Care forAmerica NOW!

  Get Senate Debate Updates Today From Health Care for America NOW!
  HealthCareforAmericaNow.org
  
  Thursday, Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled the health care bill he's going to bring to the Senate floor for debate. The bill makes health care more affordable for middle-income families. It would end insurance industry abuses. And [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 21, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• On Nuclear Disarmament for Iowa

  On Nuclear Disarmament for Iowa
  by Paul Deaton
  
  When Dr. Helen Caldicott moved from Australia to the United States, she became what Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy called, “the First Lady of the Nuclear Freeze Movement in the 1980s.” Less well known is that Dr. Caldicott traveled around Iowa with Tom [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 20, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by paul deaton

• Sarah Palin Supports the Local Community Radio Act for Iowa

  Sarah Palin Supports the Local Community Radio Act for Iowa
  Sorry, we have no idea if Sarah Palin has ever even heard of the Local Community Radio Act - our title today serves as a comment on the broken media's obsession with Sarah Palin, and could also be viewed as a [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 19, 2009, 7:15am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Meet Francis Thicke - Progressive Democrat for Iowa Agriculture Secretary

  Meet Francis Thicke - Progressive Democrat for Iowa Agriculture Secretary
   by Jay Mattsson
  
  I’ve known Francis Thicke and his wife, Susan, for over 30 years, and I can testify that he is the real deal. Francis is running for Agriculture Secretary because he has a sincere impulse to engage in [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 18, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by jay mattson

• Organizing for America/Iowa New Headquarters Open House

  Organizing for America/Iowa - New Headquarters Open House
  [Note from BFIA:  Dr. Alta Price's Health Care Reform Update will be back next Tuesday]
  
  You Are Invited - Organizing for America Open House
  
  You can RSVP here
  
  Organizing for America (OFA) will be hosting an open house at our new Iowa Headquarters before the [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 17, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Iowa Federation of Labor Endorses Kirsten Running-Marquardt in House District 33 Special Election

  Iowa Federation of Labor Endorses Kirsten Running-Marquardt in House District 33 Special Election
  by Tracy Kurowski
  
  For nine years, House District 33 was represented by Dick Taylor, a former IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) member, who announced his retirement in early October, triggering a Special Election to be held [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 16, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Tracy Kurowski

• Join an Iowa Rapid Response Team for Health Care Today

  Join an Iowa Rapid Response Team for Health Care Today
  OrganizingforAmerica
  
  Across the country, Rapid Response teams of active volunteers will develop a plan to organize their areas - and then execute it in the crucial hours before votes in the House or Senate, right when swing members of Congress [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 15, 2009, 9:47am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Searching for Iowa's Agricultural History

  Searching for Iowa's Agricultural Historyby Cathy Lafrenz
  
  I am a farmer.  Plain ... simple.... a farmer.  I grow food.
  
  And I am bothered by the fact that we as Iowans, know more about our I-phones and our cars than we do about the food we eat.  Most of you can [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 14, 2009, 8:18am EST
  by cathy lafrenz

• An Iowa Veteran's Perspective on Afghanistan

  An Iowa Veteran's Perspective on Afghanistan
  Afghanistan Tipping Point
  
  by Ed Flaherty
  
  It appears the U.S. is at a true tipping point in its Afghanistan war policy. President Obama, after eight meetings with his "war council" (why can’t they call those things peace councils?), has reportedly rejected all four options [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2009, 12:49pm EST
  by Ed Flaherty

• New Report: Pollution Up 35% in Iowa since 1990

  New Report: Pollution Up 35% in Iowa since 1990
  EnvironmentIowa.org
  
  Environment Iowa will release a new analysis of government data today on trends in carbon dioxide from fossil fuel consumption in Iowa and nationally from 1990 to 2007.  This is the first time the 2006 and 2007 state data have [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 12, 2009, 7:37am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Iowa Veterans for Peace

  Iowa Veterans for Peace
  Blog for Iowa contributors and veterans Paul Deaton and Ed Flaherty of eastern Iowa are honoring the day by holding up a Veterans for Peace banner along US Highway 6 this morning.  "Veterans are for peace, not war," Deaton said. 
  
  Paul and Ed are outstanding [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 9:44am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Glenn Beck Calls SEIU "Radical," "Marxist," Calls Nurses "Amazing"

  Glenn Beck Calls SEIU "Radical," "Marxist," Calls SEIU Nurses "Amazing"
  Here is an excerpt from an article we found on AlterNet.org yesterday, thanks to a post on the Iowa Media Reform list-serve.  We are delighted to present to our readers yet another reason to call your local radio station and demand [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Health Care Reform Update: Success in the House!

  Health Care Reform Update: Success in the House!
  By Alta Price, M.D.
  
  Saturday the House of Representatives passed an excellent health care reform bill. There are so many good things about this bill, I couldn’t begin to cover them all. I would refer you to the Kaiser Family Foundation [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 10, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Alta Price

• President Obama Signs Unemployment Insurance Extension – Economy Still Slumps

  President Obama Signs Unemployment Insurance Extension – Economy Still Slumps
  by Tracy Kurowski
  
  On Friday, November 6, 2009, President Obama signed an extension of unemployment benefits for the nation’s 15.7 million unemployed workers.
  
  While great news for the 600,000 unemployed who have exhausted their benefits, the need for the unemployment insurance [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 09, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Tracy Kurowski

• Iowa Democrats Vote for Health Care Bill, Against Stupak Amendment

  Iowa Democrats Make History - Loebsack, Braley, Boswell, Vote for Health Care Bill,  Against Stupak Amendment
  Blog for Iowa thanks Iowa Democratic Congressmen Dave Loebsack, Bruce Braley, and Leonard Boswell, for voting yea to the health care reform bill which passed in the House of Representatives last night. 
  
  Loebsack, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 08, 2009, 8:55am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Jon Stewart Impersonates Glenn Beck for Entire Segment

  Jon Stewart Impersonates Glenn Beck for Entire Segment
  Huffingtonpost.com
  
  "You know who else didn't answer medical questions?  Hitler." ~ Jon Stewart
  
  The "Daily Show" host spent an entire segment acting like, talking like, crying like, dancing like, and gesticulating like Glenn Beck. He was inspired by the fact that Beck' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 07, 2009, 7:11pm EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Iowans Can Take Action on Nuclear Disarmament

  Iowans Can Take Action on Nuclear Disarmament
  by Paul Deaton
  
  Nuclear disarmament is an Iowa issue for a lot of reasons. So why do so many Iowans seem unaware or unconcerned about the importance of nuclear disarmament?
  
  The President continues to keep the “nuclear football” nearby; enabling the rapid and mutually assured [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 06, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by paul deaton

• Free Seminars for Progressive Iowa Women

  Free Seminars for Progressive Iowa Women
  Dawn's List and EssentialEstrogen.com
  
  While lunches may never be free, Democratic and progressive women in Iowa do have an opportunity to grab some free technology training in the coming weeks.
  
  Essentialestrogen.com is working with DAWN (Democratic Activist Women's Network) to [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 05, 2009, 7:47pm EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Western Iowa Needs Help From Eastern Iowa Progressives

  Western Iowa Needs Help From Eastern Iowa Progressives
  Environmentiowa.org
  
  [Note from BFIA:  Since we no longer have actual journalism, we have to ante up cash if we want to get the facts out.  Not to be opportunistic, but it can never be said too many times:  Media Reform Now!]
  
  How long are [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 05, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Outstanding Iowa Waters Under Attack by Big Ag Lobbyists

  Outstanding Iowa Waters Under Attack by Big Ag Lobbyists
  Environmental Law and Policy Center
  Protecting the midwest's environment and natural heritage
  elpc.org
  
  We’re fighting to protect some of Iowa’s most pristine lakes and streams, and we need your help. Iowa’s legislature and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are considering [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 04, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Health Care Reform Update: Kudos to the Quad-City Times for Making Health Care Reform Real for Its Readers

  Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}

  Health Care Reform Update: Kudos to the Quad-City Times for Making Health Care Reform Real for Its Readers

  by Alta Price, MD

   

  When I sat down [...]

  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 03, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Alta Price

• Party of "No" (no leaders/no ideas/no morals) Blocks Obama's Department of Labor Appointee

  Party of "No" (no leaders-no ideas-no morals) Blocks Obama's Department of Labor Appointee
  by Tracy Kurowski
  
  Nine months has passed since the start of the Obama administration, and Republicans continue to block the appointment of M. Patricia Smith as Labor Department Solicitor, the nation’s top cop prosecuting labor' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 02, 2009, 5:00am EST
  by Tracy Kurowski

• One Iowa To Hold Public Forums on Marriage Equality

  One Iowa To Hold Public Forums on Marriage Equality
  OneIowa.Org
  
  One Iowa will host a series of public forums to continue the statewide conversation about marriage equality.  Below is the schedule through December 2009.  To find out more, visit OneIowa.Org
  
  
  Nov. 5 | Washington
  
  Nov. 12 | Cedar Rapids
  
  Nov. 16 | Council [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 01, 2009, 7:10am EST
  by Trish Nelson

• Deja Vu All Over Again! Cereal, Sugar, and Iowa Kids

  Deja Vu All Over Again!  Cereal, Sugar, and Kids
  by Cathy Lafrenz
  
  Does this really surprise you? 
  
  Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I was a young mother.  I (like lots of Baby Boomers) was a rebellious mother and did such subversive things as nursed my daughter and [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 31, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by cathy lafrenz

• Learning from the 1999 Vote on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Part 3

  Learning from the 1999 Vote on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Part 3
  by Daryl Kimball
  
  This article is re-printed with permission of the author.
  
  Opposition Tinged With Regret
  
  Even as they prepared to vote against the CTBT, many Republicans were clearly disturbed by the politically charged nature of the debate and frustrated [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 30, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by paul deaton

• Local Community Radio Bill Now in House of Representatives

  Local Community Radio Bill Now in House of Representatives
  The Local Community Radio Act is a bill currently in the House of Representatives that will allow local communities non-commercial access to the publicly owned airwaves.  
  
  Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Campaign Director of the Prometheus Radio Project, and Mike Doyle (D-PA) [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 29, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Grassley Challenger Calls for Expansion of High Speed Internet for Rural Iowa

  Grassley Challenger Calls for Expansion of High Speed Internet for Rural Iowa
  "Small town businesses as well as farmers should be able to take advantage of this and expand their markets"  ~
  
  Krauseforiowa.com
  
  Bob Krause, Democratic Candidate for the U. S. Senate, said today that he would work for expanded [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 28, 2009, 12:00pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Public Supports Moving Forward on Climate Change

  Public Supports Moving Forward on Climate Change
  Americanprogress.org
  
  Found this link on Iowa Policy Project's Twitter feed...
  
  Health care reform is occupying almost everyone’s attention these days, which is understandable given its level of importance and how close we are to big decisions in Congress. But other critical issues remain' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 28, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Health Care Reform Update: This Thing Is Going To Work (Or, Woot!)

  Health Care Reform Update: This Thing Is Going To Work (Or, Woot!)
  By Alta Price, M.D.
  
  I just heard on the tee vee Harry Reid’s announcement that the health care reform bill in the Senate will include a public plan option, even if it is one with a state level [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 27, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Alta Price

• Iowans Play Prominent Role at Showdown in Chicago

  Iowans Play Prominent Role at Showdown in Chicago
  Larry Ginter of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (ICCI.Org) was featured on Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! this morning, shown on video rallying the crowd of protesters at the American Bankers Association convention in Chicago.  Watch the video on' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 26, 2009, 1:00pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Union Holds Rally for Hundreds of Locked Out Workers in Muscatine, Iowa

  Union Holds Rally for Hundreds of Locked Out Workers in Muscatine
  by Tracy Kurowski
  
  Photo:  The rat is a prop used at picket lines for various reasons, usually a strike, lockout, or when unfair labor practices are being committed.
  
  On Saturday, October 24, 2009, more than one hundred people came out for a [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 26, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Tracy Kurowski

• Are Iowans Being Brainwashed by Fox News?

  Are Iowans Being Brainwashed by Fox News?
  Brainwash:  subject (a person) to a process by which ideas are implanted in the mind
  
  Well, it does feel like torture, listening to Fox or right-wing talk radio for any length of time at all.  To listen, you either have to allow [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 25, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Constitutional Clash: When English-Only Meets Voting Rights in Iowa

  Constitutional Clash: When English-Only Meets Voting Rights in Iowa
  by Michael A. Zuckerman
  
  Cornell University
  Yale Law & Policy Review, Vol. 28, 2010
  
  Posted with permission from the author.  The following is an excerpt (citations have been excluded for space).  Click on the link at the bottom of the post to download [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 24, 2009, 1:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Learning from the 1999 Vote on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Part 2

  Learning from the 1999 Vote on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Part 2
  by Daryl G. Kimball
  
  What Went Wrong in 1999
  
  This article is re-printed with permission of the author.
  
  The record of the CTBT in the Senate from 1997 to October 1999 suggests that the October 13 vote was not simply [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 23, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by paul deaton

• Iowans Turn Wine Into Water

  Iowans Turn Wine Into Water
  by Cathy Lafrenz
  
  Last week, the World Food Prize was awarded in Des Moines to Gabisa Ejeta for his development of a drought-resistant variety of sorghum. Sorghum is a major food source in the Sudan and drought conditions have left millions of [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 22, 2009, 8:21am EDT
  by cathy lafrenz

• Mike Denklau Attacks Steve King for Partisanship, Distractions

  Mike Denklau Attacks Steve King for Partisanship, Distractions
  

  Denklau for Congress.com
  
  At first look, Steve King challenger Mike Denklau may not seem like someone you would expect to be able to put an end to the long Iowa nightmare of Steve King's tenure in Congress, but even if he does not [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 21, 2009, 1:00pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• URGENT! Save the Internet - Contact Boswell & Grassley for Opposing Net Neutrality

  URGENT!  Save the Internet - Contact Boswell & Grassley for Opposing Net Neutrality
  The following is a message from Free Press:
  
  Sometimes politicians need to be reminded whom they really work for. Now is one of those times.
  
  On Friday, Rep. Leonard Boswell put the interests of telecom lobbyists ahead of [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 21, 2009, 1:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Health Care Reform Update: It's Time to Deliver

  Health Care Reform Update: It’s Time to Deliver
  by Alta Price, M.D.
  
  Today, Tuesday, October 20, is a national Congressional call in day for health care reform, with Organizing for America (OFA) as the lead organizer. Call your members of Congress and tell them it’s time to deliver [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 20, 2009, 12:00am EDT
  by Alta Price

• Progressive Talker Ed Schultz Dropped From Boone, Iowa Station

  Progressive Talker Ed Schultz Dropped From Central Iowa Station
  Do you live in or near Boone, Iowa?  I just found out today that the Boone station, KWGB, has dropped its only progressive program host.  Reason given was Ed used the words "hell" and "damn" on the air.  Ed [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 19, 2009, 5:00pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Current State of Talk Radio in Iowa a Crime

  Current State of Talk Radio in Iowa a Crime
  CNN is doing a series this week on Talk Radio. Randi Rhodes was on this morning for a segment. She will also be on Wednesday. 
  
  Today's discussion included the factoids that 91% of talk radio is conservative - not because [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 19, 2009, 12:00pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Are State Budget Cuts Fair and Reasonable?

  Are State Budget Cuts Fair and Reasonable?
  by Tracy Kurowski
  
  The union members most affected by Governor Culver’s ten percent across-the-board state budget cuts will be the 40,000 state employees represented mainly by AFSCME. However, the cuts announced on October 8, 2009, aren’t solely a union issue. In addition to [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 19, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Tracy Kurowski

• Governor Culver's TV Ad on Balanced Budget

  Governor Culver's TV Ad on Balanced Budget
  
  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 18, 2009, 8:37pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Politics of Division: Iowa NAACP President Endorses Anti-Gay Vander Plaats for Governor

  Politics of Division:  Iowa NAACP President Endorses Anti-Gay Vander Plaats for Governor 
  One Iowa
  
  Rev. Keith Ratliff Sr., registered Democrat and president of the Iowa-Nebraska chapter of the NAACP announced his support for anti-gay Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats on Monday. If elected, Vander Plaats has pledged [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 18, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Iowa Congressmen Support Local Community Radio Act (HR1147)

  Iowa Congressmen Support Local Community Radio Act (HR1147)
  This week, a bill passed out of the Energy and Commerce committee that will allow the FCC to license hundreds of new low power non-commercial radio stations nationwide.  Representatives Dave Loebsack and Tom Latham are co-sponsors of the Local Community Radio Act [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 17, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Learning from the 1999 Vote on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Part 1

  Learning from the 1999 Vote on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Part 1
  This article is re-printed with permission of the author.
  
  by Daryl G. Kimball
  
  When President Bill Clinton described the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as “the longest-sought, hardest fought prize in arms control history,” he was not exaggerating. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 16, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by paul deaton

• Iowans Can Take Action on Climate Change

  Iowans Can Take Action on Climate Change
  by Paul Deaton
  
  Here in Big Grove it is sometimes difficult to see much beyond the property, so when we talk about climate change, as the folks at Blog Action Day suggested we do today, it is a micro perspective that may be [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 15, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by paul deaton

• Iowa Civility Gains Foothold Against Right Wing "Shock Jocks"

  Iowa Civility Gains Foothold Against Right Wing "Shock Jocks"
  Civility wins over hyperbole on a local progressive talk radio program now on the air in Iowa.  The Fallon Forum is an island of intelligent, rational talk radio in an ocean of right-wing wackiness. 
  
  Ed and Lynn Fallon have [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 14, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Health Care Reform Update: A Word of Encouragement on the Public Option

  Health Care Reform Update: A Word of Encouragement on the Public Option
  by Alta Price, M.D.
  
  One of the most frequent requests I get from friends and family is to reassure them that a good health care reform bill will pass in Congress, and that it will include the public [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 13, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Alta Price

• Labor, Progressives, Protest Outside Grassley's Davenport, Iowa Office

  Labor, Progressives, Protest Outside Grassley's Davenport Office
  [Photo:  BFIA's own Alta Price, M.D., making sure the progressive voice is heard as she hits the streets of the Quad Cities with labor activists, progressive activists and citizens fighting for health care reform]
  
  by Tracy Kurowski
  
  Davenport, Iowa - More than fifty people [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 12, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Tracy Kurowski

• Iowa City Democrats, Grassley Challengers, and Elected Officials Turn Out in Force at University of Iowa Homecoming Parade

  Johnson County Democrats, Grassley Challengers, and Elected Officials Turn Out in Force at University of Iowa Homecoming Parade
  Despite the cold temps, enthusiasm ran high for Dems at the UI Homecoming parade last night in Iowa City.  Talk of Grassley's plunging poll numbers, the challengers' campaign strategies, Obama's [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 10, 2009, 11:19am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• An Iowa Nuclear Disarmament Primer, Part 3

  v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Normal 0 false false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 09, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by paul deaton

• Iowa Veterans Speak Out Against War in Afghanistan

  Iowa Veterans Speak Out Against War in Afghanistan
   The following letter to the editor was published in the Des Moines Register, Iowa City Press-Citizen, and Cedar Rapids Gazette on the ninth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. 
  
  ~ October 7th marks the beginning of the ninth year of the US [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 08, 2009, 8:12am EDT
  by Ed Flaherty

• Secretary Vilsack Hailed as the “New Champion of Local Food”

  U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Hailed as the “New Champion of Local Food”  by Francis Thicke
  
  Francis Thicke (Tic-kee) is running as a Democrat for the office of Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in the 2010 election.
  
  A recent story on National Public Radio highlighted the Obama administration’s push to encourage [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 07, 2009, 1:00pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Grassley Challenger Tom Fiegen Talks to Blog for Iowa about Global Warming, Guns and Butter, and Heroes

  Grassley Challenger Tom Fiegen Talks to Blog for Iowa about Global Warming, Guns and Butter, and Heroes
  by Dave Bradley
  
  [Note from BFIA:  After reading this great interview by Dave, please check out the BFIA action alert below]
  
  Dave Bradley and his wife, Carol, are activists from West Liberty. Both feel that retiring [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 07, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Dave Bradley

• Health Care Reform Update: Medicare Reform - Rationality versus Rationing

  Health Care Reform Update: Medicare Reform – Rationality versus Rationing
  by Alta Price, M.D.
  
  The private insurance industry and their supporters, like our own Senator Chuck “pull the plug on grandma” Grassley, are doing their best to scare the elderly into believing that health care reform threatens Medicare. Of course, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 06, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Alta Price

• Labor Day Monday: "Lost Decade" for Youth Workers - One Third of Workers Under 35 Live With Parents

  Labor Day Monday: "Lost Decade" for Young Workers  - One Third of Workers  Under 35 Live With Parents
  Release of National Survey of Young Workers
  
  Youngworkers2009.org
  
  After “Lost Decade,” Young Workers Less Likely to Have Health Care, Economic Security and Confidence in Future than 10 Years Ago
  
  Young workers today are significantly [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 05, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Tracy Kurowski

• Iowans Pressure Gov. Culver to Deliver on Local Control Over Large Hog Operations

  Iowans Pressure Gov. Culver to Deliver on Local Control Over CAFOs
  The Des Moines Register
  
  More than 60 Iowans called on Gov. Chet Culver on Saturday to make good on a campaign pledge to give locals more control over large hog operations that stink and sometimes pollute Iowa's waterways.
  
  Three years [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 04, 2009, 1:00pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Thoughts on Health Care Reform from the President of the Iowa Federation of Labor

  Thoughts on Health Care Reform from the President of the Iowa Federation of Labor Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
  
  How many of you have seen a flyer or poster about a fund raiser for someone who needs help with health care costs? 
  
  We have all seen them.  Maybe [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 04, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Tracy Kurowski

• Grassley Challengers Blast Chuck for "Reverse Robin Hood" Amendment

  Grassley Challengers Blast Chuck for "Reverse Robin Hood" Amendment
  Candidates for U.S. Senate Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause went on the attack Friday after Senator Grassley confirmed just whose side he is on (health insurance companies) and whose side he is NOT on (Iowans) in the fight for health care reform.
  
  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 03, 2009, 10:00am EDT
  by Dave Bradley

• University of Iowa Hosts Energy and Climate Change Symposium Oct. 16-17 – Iowa City

  University of Iowa Hosts Energy and Climate Change Symposium
  The University of Iowa will host a symposium October 16-17 examining new energy opportunities being created in response to the growing challenge of climate change.
  
  Energy and Climate Change in the Midwest: Creating Opportunities in the New Economy, will [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 03, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• An Iowa Nuclear Disarmament Primer, Part 2

  An Iowa Nuclear Disarmament Primer, Part 2
  by Paul Deaton
  
  We don’t talk much about the legacy of the “greatest generation” when it comes to their creation and deployment of nuclear weapons. We grew up in an environment of “duck and cover” exercises at school, neighbors building bomb shelters and [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 02, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by paul deaton

• Glenn Beck Sells Snake Oil to Unsuspecting Iowans

  Glenn Beck Sells Snake Oil to Unsuspecting Iowans
  First, there is something being done by citizens nationwide, which you can participate in (see below), but we also need to take responsibility for what goes on here in Iowa, where GB reaches a large audience of unsuspecting natives who, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 01, 2009, 10:21am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Grassley Challenger Tom Fiegen Talks to Blog for Iowa about Crooks, the Fairness Doctrine, Blogs and Grassley - (Part 3)

  Grassley Challenger Tom Fiegen Talks to Blog for Iowa about Crooks, the Fairness Doctrine, Blogs and Grassley -  (Part 3)
  by Dave Bradley
  
  Dave Bradley and his wife, Carol, are activists from West Liberty. Both feel that retiring Chuck Grassley and finding the person to do that job, are the most important tasks for [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 30, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Dave Bradley

• An Open Letter to the Iowa DNR on Particulate Matter 2.5 Compliance

  Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 29, 2009, 1:00pm EDT
  by paul deaton

• Health Care Reform Update: Blue Dogs Do Some Things Right

  Health Care Reform Update: Blue Dogs Do Some Things Right
  by Alta Price, M.D.
  
  As health care reform bills move through Congress over the next few weeks, different factions will negotiate changes to make the bill more beneficial to their constituents, or, in some cases, their donors. We progressives reflexively [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 29, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Alta Price

• Demand Rational Radio in Iowa!

  Demand Rational Radio in Iowa!
  Have you had enough of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Dennis Miller, Michael Savage, Jan Mickelson, Steve Deace, Fred Thompson, and friends saturating the publicly owned radio airwaves across Iowa and across the nation? 
  
  Here's what we're doing about it in eastern Iowa. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 27, 2009, 9:50pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Healtha Care Organizing Workshop in Marion, Iowa

  Health Care Organizing Workshop in Marion Thursday
  Next Thursday evening, Organizing for America will be holding a special health care organizing workshop at the Marion Public Library in Marion, IA. Derek Eadon, our Iowa State Director, will be on hand to discuss the current status of health insurance reform and how we [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 27, 2009, 8:10am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Iowa Policy Research: Vicious Rancor v. Potential Future

  Vicious Rancor Versus Potential Future:  A Commentary of This Debate
  Iowa Policy Research
  
  by Tony E. Hansen
  
  What is so troubling about most of the rancor surrounding recent proposals around Washington is that for at least 8 years (perhaps since the late 1970s) we have waited in vain for real policies to move [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 26, 2009, 10:24am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• An Iowa Nuclear Disarmament Primer, Part 1

  An Iowa Nuclear Disarmament Primer, Part 1
  by Paul Deaton
  
  Many of us were sleeping when President Obama addressed nuclear disarmament to a crowd in Prague on April 5, 2009. It seems the whole United States has been asleep regarding nuclear disarmament. Whatever your politics, we should be ready to [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 25, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by paul deaton

• Former FCC Commissioner: Congress and FCC Abandon Citizens - Appeal to Rupert Murdoch Our Only Hope

  Former FCC Commissioner:  Congress, FCC Abandon Citizens - Appeal to Rupert Murdoch Our Only Hope
  FromDC2Iowa
  
  by Nicholas Johnson
  
  "Rupert Murdoch, this Australian-born, 78-year-old media mogul, and 132nd richest person in the world, controls the News Corporation, which owns Fox. And today, unlike 1932, he can legally use his media to spew" [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 24, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• 2009 QC Earth Charter Summit - Local Foods

  2009 QC Earth Charter Summit
  Building a Local Foods MovementBy Caroline Vernon
  
  
  You’re invited to attend!
  

  
  The 2009 Quad Cities Earth Charter Summit
  “Building a Local Foods Movement”
  
  Saturday, September 26, 2009, 9am-3pm
  Augustana College - Wallenberg Hall
  
  Local Food is the theme of the 2009 Earth Charter Summit, focusing on PACG’s Local Foods Initiative - [...]

  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 23, 2009, 1:33pm EDT
  by Caroline Vernon

• Grassley Challenger Tom Fiegen Tells His Story to Blog for Iowa: Fiegenomics - Part 2

  Grassley Challenger Tom Fiegen Tells His Story to Blog for Iowa:  Fiegenomics - Part 2
  by Dave Bradley
  
  Dave Bradley and his wife, Carol, are activists from West Liberty. Both feel that retiring Chuck Grassley and finding the person to do that job, are the most important tasks for Iowa Democrats next year.  Dave [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 23, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Dave Bradley

• Health Care Reform Update: Saving Money on Health Care by Changing Our Diet

  Health Care Reform Update: Saving Money on Health Care by Changing Our Diet
  by Alta Price, M.D.
  
  This fascinating opinion piece from the New York Times, "Big Food vs. Big Insurance", suggests that requiring health insurers to take all comers, regardless of pre-existing conditions or their risk of getting [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 22, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Alta Price

• Labor Day Monday: AFL-CIO Delegates Elect Two Women Officers to Lead Largest Labor Federation

  Labor Day Monday:  AFL-CIO Delegates Elect Two Women Officers to Lead Largest Labor Federation
  Labor Day Monday is a new weekly Labor update on Blog for Iowa.
  
  by Tracy Kurowski
  
  By unanimous consent, the delegates at the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh elected Liz Shuler as the AFL-CIO’s first woman Secretary-Treasurer on Thursday, September 17, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 21, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Tracy Kurowski

• Move Over, Shock Jocks! Iowans Are Taking Back the Talk Radio Airwaves!

  Move Over, Shock Jocks! Iowans Are Taking Back the Talk Radio Airwaves!
  by Ed and Lynn Fallon
  
  Dear Friends,
  
  For too long, Iowa’s airwaves have been dominated by Rush Limbaugh, Jan Mickelson, Steve Deace, Glen Beck and Michael Savage. Well, we have great news: times are changing!
  
  Beginning Monday, September 21st, we [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 19, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Congress Has The Votes Needed To Pass A Public Option - TODAY.

  Congress Has The Votes Needed To Pass A Public Option - TODAY
  From Howard Dean, M.D.
  
  We've worked together since the beginning of the healthcare debate to draw a line in the sand - the choice of a public option must be included in any reform bill passed this year.' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 18, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• An Iowan's View of the Joe Wilson Flap

  An Iowan's View of the Joe Wilson Flap
  by Paul Deaton
  
  I am okay with Joe Wilson shouting out “You lie!” during the President’s speech last week, and my perspective is from near the corner of Second Street and C Street in Washington, DC where I was having dinner with friends [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 17, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by paul deaton

• Grassley Challenger Fiegen Talks to Blog for Iowa About Wedge Issues and Fiegenomics

  Grassley Challenger Tom Fiegen Talks to Blog for Iowa About Wedge Issues and Fiegenomics - Part 1
  by Dave Bradley
  
  Dave Bradley and his wife, Carol, are activists from West Liberty. Both feel that retiring Chuck Grassley and finding the person to do that job, are the most important tasks for [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 16, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Dave Bradley

• Health Care Reform Update: Right Wing Arguments Against Health Care Reform

  Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}

  Health Care Reform Update: Right Wing Arguments Against Health Care Reform
  

  by Alta Price

  
  

  A listener named Sean (or perhaps Shawn) sent this to the Stephanie Miller [...]

  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 15, 2009, 5:00am EDT
  by Alta Price

• Organized Labor Celebrates in Quad Cities

  Organized Labor Celebrates in Quad Cities
  QC Labor Focuses on Employee Free Choice Act, Health Care Reform With Public Option
  
  PHOTO: AFSCME members Preston Smith, Greg Johnson and Tracy Nesseler
   
  Contributed by Tracy Kurowski
  
  Dozens of union locals, politicians, community leaders and thousands of spectators came out on Labor Day to celebrate [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 14, 2009, 1:00pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson

• Harkin Steak Fry with Jokes - Indianola, Iowa

  Harkin Steak Fry with Jokes
  Indianola, Iowa
  
  As we drove into Indianola Sunday, shortly after noon, we started to tense up, wondering where the protesters were going to appear.  Bracing ourselves, we continued across town.  Spotting the “Harkin Steak Fry” sign on the corner, we kept going, and right before [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 14, 2009, 11:33pm EDT
  by Trish Nelson