The party leaders in the Iowa House and Senate held news conferences this morning, discussing school spending (the unenforceable legal deadline to set the level of state aid to public schools for the 2013/2014 school year is today) and the various tax policies that are being cussed and discussed under the golden dome.  You can listen for yourselves to what Democrats had to say at 10:30 a.m., followed by what Republicans had to say half an hour later at 11.

AUDIO of Democrats’ news conference.

AUDIO of Republicans’ news conference.

One of the Occupy Des Moines protesters who’s been arrested several times in the past three months has written a letter from the Polk County Jail.  It was distributed via email by one of his “Occupy” colleagues this morning.  Read (nearly all of) it below (I left off the request for donations to the commissary/inmate funds for Frank Cordaro, author of the letter, and Eddie Bloomer, Cordaro’s “Occupy” jail-mate):

WHOSE JAILS?  OUR JAILS! 

by Frank Cordaro, February 2, 2012

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  A person can’t keep collecting trespassing convictions, get fined plus court costs and refuse to pay any fines before a judge will eventually send you to jail.  My arrest at the state capitol Sunday night was my fifth arrest with Occupy Des Moines.  I already plead guilty to two of those charges and was fined (which I will not pay in solidarity with the poor, who cannot).  So after a long night in the Polk County Jail “fish bowl”, Des Moines Catholic Worker and fellow Occupy Des Moines member Eddie Bloomer and I decided to take our chances when the jail court judge, who offered to roll all of our 3 outstanding trespass charges into one guilty plea.  After reviewing our past records, the judge sentenced Ed to 15 days and me to 30 days in jail.

Just before sentencing, I told the judge it was a great honor and a privilege to be arrested at the state capitol standing up for free speech and everyday she gave me in jail only helped to enhance that honor and privilege…and I meant it.

The Occupy Wall Street movement is a social movement.  And like all social movements, our ideas follow our bodies, whether we are occupying public space to exercise our free speech rights, or protesting in the streets at the G8/NATO, or risking arrest at presidential candidate offices.  We lead with our bodies, willing to put a little human equity and personal sacrifice on the line for what we believe.  We are what democracy looks like in a political system completely bought, owned, and scripted by the corporate elites – the 1 percent.

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The New York Times has a story this morning about the Obama campaign’s decision to return donations after discovering the family involved has a family member who’s a fugitive in Mexico — and there’s an Iowa link to this story. According to the NYT, Pepe Cardona fled the US after being charged in Johnson County, Iowa, with fraud in connection with the start-up of a telemarketing company. Cardona had been president of the University of Iowa’s student senate and he had been accused of mishandling student funds.  There are some other Iowa-specific mentions in the NYT story, such an effort to get former Governor Chet Culver to pardon Cardonas.

Here’s a lengthy Cedar Rapids Gazette story from last fall, when WikiLeaks made a bunch of diplomatic cables public and Cardona was mentioned as having organized a hit on a rival casino owner in Mexico and being a major player in Mexico’s drug wars.  The CRG story traces Cardona back to his roots in West Liberty, Iowa.

Sam Kass, the assistant White House chef, is First Lady Michele Obama’s point-person for her food-related initiatives.  He talked with Radio Iowa early this morning about the first lady’s upcoming trip to Iowa, this Thursday, for a “Let’s Move” event at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.  (Listen to the conversation here.)  I asked Kass what he had for breakfast.  “Oatmeal and coffee,” Kass said.  (Full disclosure: I had yogurt with granola and really strong coffee for breakfast.)

In case you missed it, Michele Obama’s three-day tour of the country to tout her “Let’s Move” initiative brings her to Des Moines first, this Thursday.  Read the details below:

WASHINGTON – On February 9, 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama will kick off a three day, nation-wide tour celebrating the second anniversary of Let’s Move!, her initiative to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. Since launching Let’s Move! on February 9, 2010, significant progress has been made to solve the problem of childhood obesity. Parents, businesses, educators, elected officials, members of the military, chefs, physicians, athletes, childcare providers, community and faith leaders and kids themselves have made substantial commitments to improve the health of our nation’s children. Through working together with Let’s Move!,  these groups have provided children with healthier food and greater opportunities for physical activity in schools and communities, helped get families the information they need to make healthier decisions, supported a healthy start in early childhood, and have worked to ensure more people have access to healthy, affordable food.  The Let’s Move! tour will highlight examples of people making changes across the country, from a single family to an entire state.

…First Lady Michelle Obama will kick off her three day national tour in Des Moines, Iowa, to highlight Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative, a private-public partnership launched in August by Governor Terry Branstad and other government and business leaders to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation by 2016. More than 10,000 children grades 6 – 9 from Iowa schools will fill Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines to participate in a high-energy, interactive celebration of the Let’s Move! anniversary, hosted by Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative.

Mrs. Obama will be joined by former Iowa Governor and current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Iowa Governor Branstad, as well as NASCAR racing champion and member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Carl Edwards, Olympic figure skating champion and member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Michelle Kwan (who was recently inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame), Olympic champion gymnast Shawn Johnson, 2011 WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings, Health and Fitness Expert Bob Harper, Iowa State University Basketball coach and former NBA player Fred Hoiberg – who are all committed to helping kids embrace good health, nutrition and physical fitness.  Governor Branstad will sign a proclamation establishing February 9 as “Let’s Move! Day in Iowa” to celebrate the second anniversary. 

The behind-the-scene tensions between Camp Branstad & BVP2010 were in full view today. As you may recall, Terry Branstad, Bob Vander Plaats & Rod Roberts were the three candidates in the primary for the GOP’s 2010 gubernatorial nomination. Branstad won. Branstad appointed Roberts to head his Department of Inspections and Appeals. Vander Plaats is now CEO of The Family Leader, a conservative Christian group.   The latest skirmish started after this news release was issued at 9:02 a.m.:

Pleasant Hill, IA – The FAMiLY LEADER learned that Governor Branstad has approved the use of the word “Governor’s” as part of the title of the upcoming 7th Annual Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) Youth. 

This is an obvious change in his position.  On January 18th, a spokesman for Governor Branstad’s office told The FAMiLY LEADER that the administration was planning to contact event coordinators and request the exclusion of the word “Governor’s” from the Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth.  The FAMiLY LEADER publicly complimented the Governor’s action via an email alert.

Last week, The FAMiLY LEADER learned the Governor has changed his stance by sending a letter of support to conference personnel saying, “I support the conference and its goal of eliminating bullying and making Iowa schools safe for all students.  I do not object to you including the word ‘Governor’s’ in the conference title.”  Governor Branstad also said, “You have my very best wishes for a successful conference this year and in future years.”  Through this letter, Branstad voices his full support of the mission of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning agenda through his high praise and the lending of his official title, “Governor”, to their conference.

Bob Vander Plaats, President and CEO of The FAMiLY LEADER, says, “Governor Branstad needs to be held accountable for his support of this conference and the promotion of a very radical and dangerous left-wing agenda.” 

As a former teacher, coach, and high school principal, Vander Plaats reiterated his and The FAMiLY LEADER’s opposition to harassment and bullying of any type within a school setting.  Bob remarked, “Effective leaders in education provide safe learning environments.  However, effective educational leaders also lead with a focus on academic achievement versus agenda acceleration.  It is greatly disappointing and, frankly, disturbing that Branstad and his administration have chosen to be puppets to a far-left agenda versus being effective educational leaders.”

According to the conference website (http://iowasafeschools.org/content/view/13/82/), the mission of the Annual Iowa Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth is to a) engage and educate students, educators, parents, community leaders, youth-serving professionals, policy makers, and others concerned about issues relevant to the LGBTQ community, and b) encourage networking and activism to inspire our communities to promote diversity, equality, and social justice.  The website also claims goals of eliminating bullying in Iowa schools and creating leadership opportunities for LGBTQ youth.  

According to the event’s website, about half of the attendees are students.  The FAMiLY LEADER is particularly disturbed by some of the components of the Governor’s Conference noting that special bathroom instructions are provided in the conference FAQ’s saying “transgender friendly restrooms will be available for the gender any individual identifies with”.  Parents can only conclude that their teenage daughter may well be sharing a restroom with a male who “identifies” as a female.  Also troubling is the fact that exhibitors are allowed to distribute condoms and/or safe sex kits. 

The FAMiLY LEADER does not support LGBTQ behavior and believes that a conference of this nature approves, promotes, and accelerates this behavior among students.  According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “men who have sex with men and persons exposed through high-risk heterosexual contact account for 82% of all HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed in 2006”.  Therefore, The FAMiLY LEADER concludes that this conference is encouraging dangerous and unhealthy behavior while claiming to “provide a safe and supportive place in which to learn” as stated on their website.

The sponsors of the conference include the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB), Aviva, and Rockwell Collins.  The FAMiLY LEADER assumes that taxpayer dollars are indirectly being used to support the conference since school districts use taxpayer money for ISBA dues and ISEA is comprised of members whose salaries are paid with public funds. 

Vander Plaats commented on the irony of Branstad’s support for a left-wing agenda while former Iowa governors, Vilsack and Culver, chose to remove their title of “Governor” from the annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast.  “Vilsack and Culver had no problem upsetting the conservative base when they removed their title from a prayer breakfast, while Branstad surrendered to political pressure and abandoned his alleged conservative principles.”  “Leaders….lead,” expressed Vander Plaats, “Branstad caved.”

Branstad was asked about BVP’s statement during his weekly news conference.  After a reporter cited the “puppet of the left-wing agenda” line, Branstad and his staff (standing in the back of the room), laughed heartily.  “I’m not a puppet to anybody,” Branstad added. “He knows better than that.”  Read more here.

Iowa Republican Party chairman Matt Strawn announced this morning that he is stepping down, effective Friday, February 10, 2012.  “It’s a shame,” one Republican legislator involved in a presidential campaign that wasn’t Rick Santorum’s told me about an hour ago. Other legislators expressed similar sentiments and talked of Strawn’s success as a fundraiser for the party. 

Strawn was elected chairman in January of 2009.  Here’s a blog post with the background.

Last week Iowa’s Republican governor said during his weekly statehouse news conference that Strawn had done a “reasonable job” as party chairman, a less than ringing public endorsement.  Speculation now starts as to who Branstad wants to take over, and whether the RPI’s state central committee would even ratify Branstad’s choice. (You may recall that Branstad’s preferred candidate for a state senate race in the Marion area this fall was not the choice of local Republicans.) 

Other candidates for the job of state party chairman last time around were Andy Cable of Eldora (Hardin County GOP chair), Danny Carroll of Grinnell (a former state legislator who is now the statehouse lobbyist for The Family Leader), Matt Randall of Ames (former RPI treasurer), Paul Pate (former Iowa Secretary of State, former Cedar Rapids mayor), Christopher Reed (former candidate for US Senate & US congress), Gopal Krishna (he was the treasurer of the Iowa GOP in 2009) and Des Moines attorney Ted Sporer (Polk County GOP chairman back in 2009). Sporer and Krshna were running as a chair/co-chair ticket in ’09. Here’s a blog post about the January, 2009 public forum featuring all but two of those candidates.

Below are today’s official statements from a variety of notables about Strawn’s exit.

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President Obama just began speaking in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  ”It is wonderful to be back here in Iowa,” he said.”I know there’s been a lot of excitement here over the past couple of months. It  kind of made me nostalgic,” Obama said. The crowd laughed. “I used to have a lot of fun here in Iowa. I remember a great backyard barbecue out in Marion way back in 2007. Good burgers. I did not have as much gray hair back then, but you know when I think about all the days I spent in Iowa, so much of my presidency, so much about what I care about, so much about what I think about every day has to do with the conversations that I had with you in people’s backyards, VFW halls, you know, those conversations I carry with me. All across this state in all 99 counties, and I was in, I think, just about every county, we talked about for years how the middle class was having a tougher time.  Hard work had stopped paying off for too many people.”

Obama then began talking about the themes he stressed during his “State of the Union” speech last night and after a few minutes he mentioned Conveyor Manufacturing and Engineering, the company that’s playing host to him today.

“We have a huge opportunity to help companies like this,” Obama said.