SundayMorningCoffee

Sunday Morning Coffee 29 August 2021

Politics and Opinion...it's what I get to do each Sunday Morning.  Welcome to Sunday Morning Coffee with some of the news you've seen or, perhaps, missed all laced with my commentary. Why?  Why not...right?  Let's go!

Super Spreaders All

Well the Iowa State Fair is over...nearly one-million folks decided to chance it as hospitals in the area are filling. Meanwhile we're seeing that South Dakota held the Sturgis event that brought several hundred thousand people to the community. Masks? Nah! Testing? Nah! Vaccines? "Nah, I'd rather get a tattoo!" Meanwhile it's college football season where thousands of fans will flock to games in states with lousy vaccine numbers. It's going to be an interesting September.

Waste Water

Here is something special. The City of Des Moines, Iowa has been conducting tests of the waste water to detect levels of the coronavirus. And...gosh...guess what?  The sample taken two weeks ago had double the amount of virus than in the sample four weeks ago and nine times that of a sample taken in early July. Congratulations to "My Body - My Choice" folks! The most selfish people on the planet. Not only are you contributing to the spread you are also contributing to hospitals becoming full and not being able to care for people who have other serious medical conditions. "I just worry about the long term effects of the vaccine..." Have you seen the long term effects of COVID? Please....

California Recall Election

What a goofy idea. Gov. Gavin Newsome (D-CA) may lose a recall election. The law says that people can vote "Yes" or "No" if the governor should be recalled. If they vote "No" they are done. If they vote "Yes" they get to choose from over three dozen candidates on the ballot. The one that gets the most votes becomes governor.  So, follow this:  52% of the voters say that Newsome should be recalled. Then the candidate that gets the most votes...wins the election. Even if only 15% of the people vote for him/her.  How is that democracy?  The leading candidate projected to win....if Newsome loses the recall...is a far right radio talk-show host who is Black and who is also a "White Supremacist".  Wrap your head around that...  

Afghanistan

I know you Monday Morning Quarterbacks are at it. Polls show that President Biden is floundering and below the red-line of 50% approval. Some, even from his own party, are calling for him to resign. Are you all crazy?  Well, yes...I know you are. It's really easy to throw rocks when you're not the one making decisions.  So, I suspect you are all in for expending more American lives fighting an unending and unwinnable war?  Twenty years people and if there is a failure it is our own failure for believing we could transform that messy nation into a democracy. Hell, we're trying our best to destroy this democracy.  Weary....

Partly Personal

I know...really short today. It's been a busy weekend already. I was in Mason City tending to the congregation there and what a great experience that was. We held an in person service and then yesterday a two hour session on the Torah Reading of the week. Always enlightening and interesting. Only those vaccinated were welcome and we did social distance.

Running for public office is tough. Been there...done that. Today I'm off to Ankeny to knock doors for Andrea Phillips who is running for the Iowa House. The special election is September 14 and it could very well be a pick-up for the Democrats in Polk County. People from all over the state have come to Ankeny to help out.  If you are able here is her website.  If you can help in any way...please do.  It matters.

Thanks for reading and have a great Sunday.  

 

 

Sunday Morning Coffee 22 August 2021

Good Morning, or Good Day, depending on when you open this.  Back with just half a cup of Sunday Morning Coffee it's been a busy morning as I have full charge of "Critter Duty" oh, and that water in the office.  Getting dried out.  Take a sip and here we go!

Afghanistan 

We've all heard the term "Monday Morning Quarterback" and I've seen hundreds of you post all kinds of stuff. The bottom line is that President Biden took what he was given and not being willing to sacrifice even more American lives ended this decades long war. Polls indicate that the American people are with him on this. Sure, it is messy and it is similar to every "war" we have fought since WWII where we simply can't "win" and have no real good way of getting out. If you wish to "blame" somebody check the presidents and generals that lied to us...all the time.  

One other thing: 1040-WHO the 50,000 watt blowtorch based in Iowa put out a post last week saying, "Should President Biden be removed from office over Afghanistan?"  Let me offer another question: "Should the FCC pull the license of 1040-WHO for enabling people who spread conspiracy theories and misinformation?"  Lies are...people...lies.

The Insurrection

Want to know the real reason the GOP and their enablers are foaming at the mouth about Afghanistan? No, it's not that they care one bit about the women and children of that nation. It is because they will try anything to get YOUR mind off the failed coup that took place on January 6. They want so badly to get that behind them they are willing to shill lies and deception from here to there.  They realize that your attention span is short so the hope is that these traitors will have you forgetting all about the insurrection. It's really pretty simple.   

Oh Really?

Last week the former aide to Vice President Pence, Olivia Troye, made a startling claim about immigrant visas for our Afghani allies. It seems that the former president and the self-loathing Steven Miller were the people that put the screws on visas.  Now, unlike the folks in right-wing media news NBC went out and verified her claim citing a letter written two years ago by former Secretary of Defense Gen. Jim Mattis to the White House imploring them to not withhold visas. Then yet another former White House staffer can forward to defend the claim. The bottom line is that the former administration kicked the legs out of the visa program.  After all "those people" were/are...Muslims.  

Evil Black People

Speaking of being removed from office...the Lt. Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick (R-TX) is yet another example of a white GOP bigot. Last week this person had the gall to get on national news and say the spike in COVID19 cases in Texas is the fault of unvaccinated black folks who tend to be Democrats so it is not the GOP but the Democrats who are responsible for this surge. There are no words. That an elected official can get on the air and make this kind of statement.  But, he is not alone. The governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds (R-IA) just weeks ago blamed the surge of COVID19 in that state on "illegal immigrants" who are not vaccinated.

News Flash:  The largest number/percentage of unvaccinated people in Texas are...yes...white. Oh...Iowa too. (Image: KHOU)

Voting Rights

Let me be very clear about something. Our democracy is on the line this November and November of 2022. If the GOP are able to win in city and school board elections and then take control of the U.S. House in 2022 we are doomed. This crowd wants nothing other than to destroy our democracy and they are doing it right now in plain sight.

This is why we, as Democrats & Independents need to stand up and vote. Because if we fail...we all will fall. It is that serious. They will lie and do anything to overturn the right to vote and when that is gone...  Get your butt to the polls and turn the GOP away.  By the way...starting on Tuesday you may request a ballot.  These signs will be popping up all over Polk County, Iowa.

The State Fair Queen

While she is a lousy governor Kim Reynolds (R-IA) rocks the Iowa State Fair. Got the jeans, belt buckle and the "aw shucks" down to a science. No, wait...can't be.  She doesn't believe in science. But she does know where her base likes to spend time so she's been very visible. Even wearing her "official" State Fair shirt...with other members of the Iowa GOP.  Oy...

We decided not to attend this year. Not that we don't love the fair it's just that I have trust issues. (Image: Iowa Capital Dispatch) 

Partly Personal

See, told you it was going to be just half-a-cup. My Bride is on a camping trip with Jovie at Wildcat Den State Park in Eastern Iowa. So far...no reports of any wildcats. But they are clearly enjoying the trip.  Camping...yikes.

Thanks for reading now, go out and have a great week!

Sunday Morning Coffee 15 August 2021

About a week ago a steaming, hot cup of Sunday Morning Coffee needed some ice as morning temps were in the high 70's. This morning we're looking at 58. Welcome to Iowa...right? Stuff is happening and let's do some politics and opinion to help you warm up a bit.

Afghanistan

Before the U.S. blundered into our longest war it was the Soviet Union that got their butts beat. We followed into a war that, I believe, we don't much understand. It's sort of like the Vietnam of this generation. With all our technology, with all our advanced ability it's tough to defeat an enemy that has more time than money. While I think pulling out is the right thing the fact that we left so many allies behind and didn't do a proper job in getting them out shows how very little we knew and know about Afghanistan and the Taliban victors.  We knew we were going to get out...we should have, when we had a bigger military presence, gotten those folks out. Welcome to Saigon 2.0. 

The Biggest Traitor

It was a scathing article in The New Republic authored by Mary Trump, niece of "45" who described Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as, "the most dangerous Republican enabler" of her uncle.

She added even more spice when she wrote that McConnell is "...the greatest traitor to this country since Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee."  The only difference between McConnell and Lee is that the Kentucky Senator is that, "...he has been trying to take our country down from within". 

And he is doing it all with...cover: "And yet - whether it was denying Merrick Garland a hearing, pushing through Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation, or ending the filibuster as it applied to Supreme Court nominees but employing it to block legislation that would expand voting rights - his anti-democratic maneuvers have been  performed within the bounds of the system".

Yep..

The U.S. Census

Last week many white folks learned that their biggest fear is becoming reality. It is the same fear "45" so well played and continues to play. What might that be? According to the new Census numbers white people are swiftly becoming the minority population as our nation becomes more diverse and it scares the hell out of some. Here you go:

People of color now represent 43% of the population; up from 34% just ten years ago. The non-Hispanic White share of the US population fell to 57% in 2020, shrinking by six percentage points since 2010, the largest decrease of any race or ethnicity. The share of those who identified as Hispanic or Latino or as multiracial grew the most.

And, as we look to the future: Non-White US residents younger than 18 now make up 53% of the population among minors, up from 47% in 2010.

Now you know why Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and his puppet Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) are screaming, "Everything that is bad is happening because those brown people are in our country!"  And, white people are afraid and they are fighting back...want proof?

Hiding in Plain Sight

Just hours ago officers of the Los Angeles Police Department stood by as members of the white nationalist Proud Boys beat up on journalists and bystanders at an anti-vax/mask event outside of the LA City Hall. What might have been their response had it been a group of black or brown folks swinging at journalists or bystanders? The dogs and clubs would roll like thunder and there wouldn't have been enough handcuffs to go around.

We already know of several police officers from around the country that took part in the violent insurrection on January 6. Many of those have been fired. However, what a perfect place for white nationalists to hang out...in plain sight.  Some clearly think that "Protect & Serve" is something that ain't equal. (Photo: LA Times)

See You At The Fair!

Ugh...another year of missing the Great Iowa State Fair. Nope...ain't going. It's not that I'm not vaccinated against COVID it's just that I don't trust you are. And, while my risk is low I'm too damn busy to be sidelined by even a mild case of Delta...if I were so lucky. So, nope. Enjoy your funnel cakes and corndogs. I'll miss hanging around with friends at Stockman's chasing down a burger with a beer or six. Meanwhile my friend Brian Duffy distributed this cartoon in advance of "fair-time". It fits...and hey, take your chances.

The 51st State

I am constantly amazed at the work my friend Tamyra Harrison does when it comes to Iowan's For D.C. Statehood. While RAGBRAI 2021 is a memory the memory of what she was able to accomplish in just one day is pretty amazing. Tamyra set up a booth along the route and garnered signups from 28 different states, the District of Columbia and even from folks in Europe. What?  She tells me that the excitement of seeing, in the middle of the nation, a group of people supporting statehood for D.C. was, for many overwhelming. Gaining signatures and handing out "51 State Cookies" is a labor of love for Tamyra and I love her for doing this work!  Well done my friend and YOU can help out by heading to that website and signing up. Come on...let's do this!

Ankeny For The Win

Also in the "Let's Do This" department: Andrea Phillips is running for the Iowa House out of Ankeny. Look, this will be a pick-up for the Democrats and a start a rolling back the draconian policies of Reynolds and her lemmings. Not only is Andrea an outstanding candidate she is also living in a community that is trending blue. To get this done we need you to step up. So, as long as you're getting involved with Iowan's for DC Statehood...click here for AndreaForIowa and let's do this as well!  Do it now...the election is September 14. 

Partly Personal

I gotta go. Promised I'd head to the softball field early today. Then get back to cut some video of a class I'm teaching at NIACC this next month on the Jewish Faith. I'll share that video with you as well. Who knows...it will be virtual and if you want to come along for the class love to have you.

Have a Great Sunday and thanks for reading! 

Sunday Morning Coffee 8 August 2021

I think today is the final day for the 2020 Olympics. "I think" because I've not seen a minute of the games this year. Not to say I don't enjoy sport and I do get the news highlights.  Looks like I'm not alone. Last Sunday’s NBC audience of 13 million was down 51% from the 26.7 million who watched the corresponding night in Rio.  It's been that way from the start. Let's move on....

Infrastructure Week

Looks like this is it. 18 members of the GOP Senate voted with Democrats to end debate and more on to a vote. Trouble is there are still some outliers. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) he is against speeding up the vote because of the dollars this adds to the deficit. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Japan when the 2017 Tax and Jobs Act was passed that cut taxes and added trillions to the deficit. Didn't make a peep.  Can't trust them...not one bit.

Should this roll through, and I think it will, we've got a real chance at building back our country from rural to urban. This will mean great jobs for so many people and just what we need. It's a big deal folks.  Next up: Much needed help for working families. (Image: Engineering News Report)

Black Unemployment

The U.S. added nearly one million jobs back in July said the Labor Department on Friday. Champaign corks were popping all over. But, there is a but.  Black unemployment numbers are still terrible. Stay with me on this because it matters.

Nearly 250,000 African Americans left the workforce and the total number employed fell by 12,000 - a measure that rose solidly for whites, Hispanics and Asians.

The numbers indicate the drop in the Black unemployment rate was driven not by more people finding jobs, but by a rise in the number of people setting their job searches aside. The share of Black people either working or looking for work, known as the labor force participation rate, also fell 0.8 point last month to 60.8%. 

Equal opportunity remains...unequal. (Image: Brookings Institute) 

No Shot, No Service

We’ve all seen the signs…No Shoes, No Shirt…No Service.  Well, you can now add something else to that well known sign:  No Shot…No Service.

It’s becoming more popular all across the United States but the question is…how do you “prove” you are vaccinated?

You can carry around one of those flimsy CDC pieces of paper but, what if you lose it or leave it at home?  Here is a quick tip. Take a photo of it with your smart phone and then keep it in your favorite file. That was, if you lose it, you can go back to the clinic or department and request a new one. And, in these early days of providing proof many businesses are accepting the image. But...some may not. There are apps out there one is VaxYes.com and here is the link. Please know that I get nothing for that suggestion...just passing it along. (Image - Atlanta Journal-Constitution) 

Richard Trumka

Last week we lost a giant in the battle for working families and a fair shake at work. Richard Trumka the AFL/CIO President died suddenly of a heart attack while camping with his family. He was 72. Trumka rose through the ranks of the labor movement the "old school" way. He worked and worked to defend organized labor no matter what group. I remember watching him beam in to several Iowa AFL/CIO meetings where he could not attend in person. What happens next? Stay tuned.

Schools in Iowa

School starts soon. Good luck with that as Iowa continues to see higher infection rates of the Delta variant. But, don't expect Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) to adjust her wishes that despite science we should allow school districts to use their best judgement. It ain't gonna happen unless Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) tells her to do it. Who, by the way, has a mess on his hands regarding immigration. But it does make one wonder what really goes on at those governor conferences....

The Great Iowa State Fair

On the show Friday we were talking about the Iowa State Fair, something that I truly love, and I was asked if I was going this year. The answer is a clear...nope. Not gonna do it. As much as I would love to hang around the cattle barn and have a beer or three at Stockman's just can't bring myself to mix and mingle that much. Besides the fair is installing metal detectors at the entrances. What about my pocket knife and.... Have a great time sorry to miss out again this year. 

Flipping Ankeny!

We've got a real shot come September 14. Recently John Landon (R-Ankeny) died in office from what I'm told has been a long battle with cancer. The governor has set September 14 as a special election day for the Ankeny, Iowa seat. And, we've got a great candidate ready to roll. Andrea Phillips who raised all kinds of cash in her 2020 bid is back and she needs all of our help. Doesn't matter where you live you can make calls, knock doors, chip in. We can flip this seat and Andrea is the person to do that. Don't put this off, we've only got a month.  Go now to AndreaForIowa.com and sign up. It's critical my friends. 

Partly Personal

I have a hand-held Sony voice recorder that has been with me for years. I had a bit of time last week and plugged it in to my computer and up popped dozens of interviews I'd done going as far back as 2014. Among them was then Vice President Joe Biden as he rode into Des Moines with the Nuns on the Bus. Remember?  What a hoot as he explained why he said yes for making the trip. The clip below is just three minutes long. Enjoy.

Joe Biden September 2014 DSM Nuns on the Bus

Gotta go. I hear my Bride has a long list of projects.

Have a great Sunday and remember...Andrea for Iowa!

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Morning Coffee 1 August 2021

Welcome to Sunday Morning Coffee and to a brand new month. If it doesn't "feel" like a new month it's no doubt because we're fighting the same stuff we did two months ago, six months ago...last year. But read on there is plenty of politics and opinion just ahead.

Deja Vu...Yet Again

So, let's see...let's talk pandemic. The number of COVID cases are up from last July. On July 30, 2020 the U.S. reported 69,604 cases. On July 30, 2021 the number of cases reported totaled 101,098. Yeah, so Deja Vu.

Meanwhile we're still fighting about voting. It was last summer the former president said that if he loses the voting system is "rigged" and "dishonest" setting the stage for what was to follow. Fast forward to this past week and he's still saying that and the My Pillow Guy is planning to "prove it" in a syndicated TV event starting on August 12th. And he is predicting that, "because of this revelation President Biden and Vice President Harris will resign on August 13th." Ok.... Meanwhile Mike Lindell pulled all of his My Pillow ads off Fox News. Why? Hell, even they wouldn't run ads promoting the event.  (Photo: CNBC)

Remember when every week last year was "Infrastructure Week". We're there again. Oh, and   let me echo Dr. Dr. William Barber II who said last week voting rights should take precedence over infrastructure. "If we can not allow people their constitutional right to vote than all the infrastructure in the nation will not matter because millions are shut out of the process." 

Yep...sorta feels like "Groundhog Day" eh Bill?

Taxes? My Taxes?

Last week we learned that the Justice Department told the Treasury Department that it "must" turn over former president #45's tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee, which first requested them more than two years ago. Why and what's the big deal? Let us turn to the U.S. House Panel that made the request and said the tax returns could, "...reveal hidden business entanglements raising tax law and other issues, including conflicts of interest, affecting proper execution of the former President's responsibilities." So, there is that. By the way didn't we just learn that a close associate to the former president was actually a paid foreign agent for another country?  Nah...nothing to see here, move along now.

$200,000? Or $300,000?

There seems to be some question as to exactly how much it cost you Iowa taxpayers to have sent Iowa State Troopers to Texas last month. Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Baynes estimated expenditure to cost about $300,000. Of that, he said $100,000 was
regular salary cost, another $150,000 was for overtime costs, and the remainder covered other expenses. The move was all about optics as Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) continues to take moves out of the play books of Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX). Think not? Last week she also parroted the Abbot line that COVID19 cases in are going up because of infected aliens coming into the state. Look for her to start fortifying the border with National Guard troops especially if people are coming here from Missouri. More on that later.

When first reported the figure was said to be $200,000 so it looks like the governor shaved a hefty 100 grand from the number.  How? Well, she reasoned included in that $300,000 figure was regular pay of $100,000 so "really" it's only $200,000 more. Yesh!  But, then again if those 29 troopers were in Iowa rather than on a goose chase and photo op in Texas....might Iowans have been more safe? Hell, we might have raised more than $100,000 in traffic fines....right?  Anyway check this graphic from the Iowa Starting Line and learn what $200,000 might have meant for...Iowans.  Thank you Ty Rushing for the image!

Meanwhile - The Iowa State Fair

It's August and I know you have your little heart set on funnel cakes and corn dogs. Right? Just think of it...you and a million other folks
crowding around the Big Boar just to check out the size of his testicles. I get it. I love the fair and Stockman's and the Cattle Barn. No really. Some of my best memories come from there.  I was asked last week if I was going and said, "Nope. There is no way I'm going to go and put myself in front all those folks."  While Fair CEO Gary Slater says it is a "Celebration of Iowa" I am reminded that Gary is from Missouri and the nation has a pretty good idea of what folks there think about COVID and vaccines. (Hint: "The virus is fake and I don't know what's in that vaccine so it ain't goin' in my body!)

And another thing: There are reports that the Iowa State Fair will have metal detectors at the entrances. I suspect it's because they want to confiscate pocket knives? (If so they'll have quite a haul.) No, the reason is...guns. Which does not make a lick of sense because in Iowa you can carry now without a license. And, aren't those gun shows held at the fairgrounds anyway? Finally I ain't going because I was really looking forward to taking my bazooka. Have fun.

Partly Personal

My bride is off camping...again. I'm really glad she loves to do this stuff as it allows me to do my part to save the electrical grid. You see when she is home you can hang meat in our house. Before she left I was wearing two jackets and sweat pants. It sort of feels like the beer cooler at HyVee. (Not that I would know anything about....that!)

Then one of my granddaughters was off on RAGBRAI last week with about 28,000 of her closest friends. Now I get to wait another two weeks until I see her in person. I know you folks think it's nuts to be this concerned about the pandemic...but I also actually pay attention to the news...both sides.  And, yes, I've gone back to mask wearing in public. I sorta like it...that way I don't have to smile at other folk.

Gotta go...I figure I've got about six hours to get some other stuff done before the camper returns.  

Have a great Sunday and thanks for reading!