Category: Living in Society

Politics mostly social commentary.

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Living in Society Sustainability

Enough Groundwater?

Community well.

Will the Silurian Aquifer have enough water to support the population that draws from it? Answers to that question are a bit sketchy due to infrequent research into groundwater projections. A 2011 study published by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources had this to say about nearby Coralville, which draws water from the Silurian Aquifer.

The City of Coralville may have to limit its future withdrawal of water from the Silurian aquifer to maintain the sustainability of the resource. Contingency plans should be prepared by the City of Coralville to evaluate alternative water sources.

Groundwater availability modeling of the Silurian Aquifer in East-Central Iowa, November 2011.

Read that quote again and say after me, “Yikes!”

Last summer, water usage on our community’s public water system surged with the drought. We are also on the Silurian Aquifer. So much more water was used during the worst days of drought the well faltered. We instituted voluntary conservation practices and the issue resolved. Usage dropped by 26 percent the following month. The question repeats itself. Will there be enough water in the aquifer?

In 2006 a similar study was published by the U.S. Geological Survey. While I was on the board of health, we reviewed it, and saw it’s conclusion that until 2025, projections indicated there would be enough water to serve the population. That was good enough for the Public Health Department and the Board of Supervisors. It may be time for a new survey, and perhaps one of the involved entities has already undertaken it. I hope so. The message was clear in 2011: decrease reliance on the Silurian Aquifer.

Things have shifted. Two of Big Grove Township’s neighboring cities, Tiffin and North Liberty, are among the fastest growing in Iowa. All those people will need water and their public water systems draw from the Silurian Aquifer. Similarly, there has been an exodus of population from rural parts of the state with many moving to urban areas where there are jobs, healthcare, and commerce. This also creates more localized demand for groundwater. Finally, our rivers have been a source of drinking water, as they are in Iowa City. Surface water quality in Iowa continues to get worse with extractive agricultural operations going on in almost every square inch of the state. For how much longer can cities rely on river water for humans to use? Drawing more from the Silurian Aquifer may not be a reasonable alternative when Coralville is being told to make other plans.

My point in this post is ground water is not a limitless resource. We should each be taking steps to minimize household use and if on a public well, use more of our water during off peak hours. The talk about water used for flushing the toilet, watering the lawn, and fixing household leaks is not a liberal conspiracy. Conservation benefits everyone.

We don’t know if there will be enough water for human populations. We cannot live without adequate water and our scientists and governmental organizations should make sure the projected usage models are accurate, and then work on solutions to shortages. If the Silurian Aquifer goes dry we are in for a wake up call. I predict it won’t be pleasant.

Editor’s Note: I checked with the county and, in fact, a new study of the Silurian Aquifer is in progress. Looking forward to reading it when finished.

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Living in Society

Global Day of Action Against Nuclear Weapons

A person wouldn’t know it in Big Grove Township yet today has been designated a Global Day of Action Against Nuclear Weapons by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). This is in advance of the upcoming Second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which convenes tomorrow in New York.

All around the world, people will be taking action to demonstrate to meeting delegations that we expect them to be bold, courageous and use the TPNW to dismantle nuclear deterrence, and make sure the rest of the world is paying attention to this crucial opportunity. “Your action can take whatever shape you can pull off,” ICAN said in a statement.

Absent interested others near me, this post is what I can pull off.

While the TPNW entered into force on Jan. 22, 2021, it has not been ratified by the countries that possess nuclear weapons. The United States has turned a blind eye to TPNW. It does not appear any of the nuclear states will break the silence and ratify the treaty any time soon.

During negotiation of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), signed in 1968, it was agreed by the parties nuclear weapons should be eliminated and the parties should work toward that end. If anything, the risk of detonation of nuclear weapons is as great as it has been. The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East created risk that one of the players (Russia and Israel particularly) will use nuclear weapons. People forget the devastation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 so we may be bound to repeat that error.

While our lives are complex and possess numerous challenges, nuclear abolition should be on our radar. One single activist won’t bring about the change we need. Working together, we might. It is worth the effort.

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Living in Society

Obligatory Post

Obligatory holiday feast plate photo – Thanksgiving 2023.

We collaborated on the Thanksgiving Day menu yet I did most of the cooking. I made baked beans, wild rice, steamed broccoli, sweet potato and apple sauce. No specific dessert yet the baked beans served double duty because of how much brown sugar was in them. I made applesauce in the morning from the last of the cooking apples in storage. It was prelude to making apple sauce cake, yet I didn’t get that far.

I used the Social Security Administration life expectancy calculator and found I can expect to live 14 more years based on gender and birth date. One presumes the SSA has more data than most to make this calculation. It doesn’t seem like a lot: 14 more Thanksgivings, 14 more garden harvests, 14 more springs and summers, 14 more winter writing sessions… I don’t look forward to reading all the obituaries yet I will. Hopefully my name won’t be among them until the statistics have been borne out. Fourteen is a finite number. As we all should know, it is 14, plus or minus.

Over time I watched the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption multiple times. As the character Andy Dufresne said in a letter to his friend Ellis Boyd Redding, “Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” That is, unless one consults with the Social Security Administration. After which we’ll have a pretty good idea when death is near.

The character Dufresne also famously said, “Get busy living, or get busy dying.” It’s good advice, especially as winter approaches and we get on with our lives.

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Living in Society

Changing My Socials

Geese hanging around, waiting to fly south, Nov. 22, 2023.

Stars were bright at 4:45 a.m. despite a neighbor’s holiday lights interfering with the darkened sky. Orion and Ursa Major were easily evident, as were outdoors lights in the yards of distant neighbors. Points of light all jumbled together to create a personal galaxy. So began a day of cooking for us and countless others scattered across the landscape. It is American Thanksgiving and eating well is a main part of the holiday.

Shortly after Threads launched on July 5, 2023, I signed up for an account. I deactivated my Twitter account yesterday after giving Threads a thorough test drive, investigating the consequences of switching, and saying my goodbyes to those left on the decimated platform who still followed me. I’ll be fine. It was time to choose and I could not adapt to the social media platform Twitter became after its acquisition by Elon Musk.

I tried out all the social media groups to which I belong. Everything I don’t use is tucked in a bookmarks folder. Threads will be my main microblogging site. It’s different going from 1,348 followers to 100, yet I’m committed to change and already am getting to know people behind accounts on the new platform. Friends from other platforms are joining us.

This week, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and others in the administration joined Threads. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has been on the platform as long as I have. I suspect these new presences will release a number of people who have been holding back in making a change. News media and corporate accounts may be the last to arrive because they continue to prefer to present breaking news on X. They will come around, I predict, because the eyeballs will increasingly be on Threads.

So, that’s that. I’ll say no more about social media for a while.

Yesterday marked 60 years since the JFK assassination. I have living memory of that day, which means I see my former self in those moments related to the news spreading to Iowa. I am still standing with the crossing guard at Fillmore and Locust Streets when she tells me the news. I am still walking south on Fillmore toward the school. I am still sitting in the darkened classroom waiting for news as to whether the president would live. These memories seem likely to stick with me as long as I am sentient. They say the book Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK by Gerald Posner is the final word on who killed JFK. When I get time and resources to buy a copy, I will. I know how the book turns out.

I’m going outdoors to do some star gazing before heading to the kitchen. The world remains full of wonder and with our engagement, decisions can be made. We pick our battles, hopefully decide well, and move on.

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Living in Society

Final Thanksgiving Post (I Hope)

The author’s first Thanksgiving in 1952 with Father and my maternal grandmother. Photo by Mother.

It would be great to write just one more post about Thanksgiving and be done with the holiday. Aside from the fact certain relatives get time off because of it, Turkey Day serves no useful purpose.

Politicians make hay over the cost of Thanksgiving dinner. The American Farm Bureau Association reported a 4.5 percent drop in price for the meal this year compared to last. The average cost of a dinner for ten people was $61.17, they said, although the longer term trend is an increase since 2019. Democrats focus on the price decrease, Republicans nit pick the data and find incremental increases, regardless of AFBA reporting. For example, the price of sauces and gravies is up 7.5 percent, reported my congresswoman. I think the purpose of the holiday is to be thankful for what we have and make sure everyone eats this day regardless of means. That gets lost in our politics.

There is social pressure to develop a narrative in response to the question, “How was your Thanksgiving?” Times I responded with “we didn’t do anything special,” killed the conversation. Years we prepared a special meal were at home, my spouse and myself. Because our child works in the entertainment industry, they usually had to work Thanksgiving. Who needs such social pressure? I’d rather discuss more important matters.

Thanksgiving is a boon to retailers and if one ventures out during the days before the holiday, a well-curated shopping list combined with excellent knowledge of store layouts is essential to maintaining good mental health. I went out on Monday and the stores were already crowded. Our specialty items for the big meal — sweet potatoes and wild rice — were already in the pantry so I stocked up with a 20-pound bag of organic rice, salt for the water softener, items for the freezer, and plant-based beverages. We were almost out of some items, otherwise I would have avoided shopping completely.

While growing up, Thanksgiving was a big deal and a living celebration. After Father died in 1969, the holidays weren’t as much fun any more. Eventually my side of the family just stopped celebrating Thanksgiving. In retrospect, my maternal grandmother was the person who held this tradition together. She died in 1991.

I no longer feel particularly alone on Thanksgiving, even if my spouse is away from home. With telephones and video conferencing, they day is highlighted by such contact and the opportunity to get caught up with each other. Anymore, contact doesn’t always happen on that Thursday, but during the days before and after.

Below is a Thanksgiving dinner we prepared for the two of us in 2013. We had leftovers for a week. We no longer prepare such massive feasts. Rice and beans makes a complete meal. Throw in a sweet potato and a relish tray and we are good to go.

Thanksgiving dinner in 2013.

I wish readers a happy holiday season. Hopefully we each have plenty for which to be thankful. Thanks for reading.

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Reviews

Book Review: The Wide-Brimmed Hat

I’m cautious when I write the first Goodreads review of a book that has been published for more than 20 years. That I read The Wide-Brimmed Hat at all is attributable to finding a first edition copy in a thrift shop or used book sale, and that it was written in and largely about Iowa and Midwestern values. I knew Susan Kuehn Boyd by name yet had no prior knowledge of her as an author before seeing this book.

The most interesting part is excerpts from Boyd’s May 1970 diary during the anti-war protests at the University of Iowa where her spouse Willard (a.k.a. Sandy) was president. I was a senior in high school that year and what I knew about that period was there were protests and the university closed early for the academic year because of them. Protesters occupied the president’s office in May 1970.

In her diary, Boyd shows a privileged life in the university community. During the protests, she and her family moved out of their home for security reasons, attended group luncheons as usual, and ate gourmet food, all well removed from main protest actions. She mentions both her spouse and D.C. Spriesterbach, who both have written about May 1970 in their books. Susan Boyd’s narrative adds another layer of perspective and I’m thankful to have found it.

The stories, play, and poetry that comprise the main part of the book are better suited to magazines like Mademoiselle which published some of her work. The book was readable and if one enjoys the kind of stories anthologized in short story collections, there is something here for you.

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Living in Society

Curating a Personal Library

Author’s workspace on Nov. 13, 2023.

A library is curated, which means it inherently contains the biases of the librarian or curator. How will books be organized? When space is at a premium, which go to a thrift shop and which go into a box for potential future use? Which books should be acquired and which checked out of a library? I have a lot of books — a few thousand in my writing room alone. My collection of books, papers and other media is idiosyncratic. That’s as it should be. The meaning of the collection goes little further than the door through which I took this photo. My library mostly serves my writing.

As winter approaches, the pace of my reading increased. I’m reading about 50 pages a day and more if the text is engaging. Since the coronavirus pandemic began I read an average of 58 books each year. A recent Gallup poll found Americans started 12.6 books per year and finished five of them on average. This chart from the poll tells the story that reading books in America is in decline:

When I retired during the pandemic I adopted a firm rule that no matter what, I’d read at least 25 pages per day. This is harder when garden work is in full swing, and easier when I’m more home bound in winter. What I didn’t plan is how to curate the books and papers accumulated since the 1950s. Curation includes acquisition and disposal, two skills I haven’t practiced with consistency in decades.

I used to buy books at thrift shops and yard sales, but I haven’t been to one of those in years. I do buy new books, mostly based on recommendations from people I know on social media or related to my writing projects. The whole thing is hodge-podge and it shows.

Work on my autobiography energized the curating process. In addition to telling my story, writing includes going through possessions the way a Forty-Niner panned for gold in the California Gold Rush. The yield has been more than a few good nuggets.

In addition to preparing a bound book, I hope to reduce possessions by 75-90 percent. You can’t take it with you and our millennial child may never be able to afford a house. Nor would I want them to accept and store all my stuff. When they visit, we discuss what is of interest and what is not. It is a recurring thing we do that I enjoy.

Who knows when I’ll need to refer to a 1920s book titled Rural Sociology? I want to be able to find it when I do. Will I ever need to refer to my facsimile of the 1771 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica? With Google I likely won’t need it to gather information, yet there are reasons to keep it… idiosyncratic ones. Should I keep my copy of Charles and Mary Beard’s The Rise of American Civilization, purchased at the local library used book sale to which it was donated by the estate of Alexander Kern? Kern was one of the first American Studies professors in the program in which I matriculated. His more important papers reside in the University of Iowa Special Collections. Don’t get me started on the problems with the Beards’ book. I feel I should keep it just for those issues.

Using the verb to curate is not likely the intended use for what I do with my collection of stuff. Cataloguing the books is out of the question. Like most people, I seek truth and meaning in my life. Part of that is dealing with too many books, papers and media by making something of them the way my forebears mined coal. I want a work product both recognized and useful to others.

Based on the numbers in the Gallup Poll, I’m different from most Americans when it comes to reading and collecting books. I’m okay with being different.

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Living in Society

A Look at the New Guy

There were political groups, the Republicans came first…

Even though State Representative Brad Sherman is one of the most radical, right wing members of the Iowa legislature, a Democrat would have a heart of stone if they couldn’t empathize with his situation when he announced he would not seek re-election in House District 91.

Sherman wrote, “My Daughter (age 41) died suddenly and unexpectedly at the beginning of the summer, leaving her husband and 4 children (ages 15 to 7). Carole’s father (from SE Missouri) also died a short time later. Both of these events seriously changed our schedules. Then, throw in hip replacement surgery (six weeks ago) for good measure, and that pretty much summarizes our Summer and Fall.” After this boatload of trouble, Sherman decided to move out of district to Algona to be closer to the four grandchildren.

Sherman endorsed Judd Lawler as his replacement when he announced he wouldn’t run in the 2024 election. This is an old political trick, used by both Democrats and Republicans, to stave off competition in a primary. When Sherman ran in 2022, there were six Republicans in the primary, so it may be needed to ensure he influences his replacement.

What do we know about Lawler? Not much. He has been employed by Evelaw since January 2023 as a legal writing coach according to his LinkedIn profile. Here’s a screenshot from the Evelaw website:

I would argue the legislature already has too many lawyers. What matters more is where Judd will land on policy. According to Sherman’s endorsement, “Judd is a man of faith and a life-long conservative. He has a very impressive resume, yet he is a humble man with a sincere desire to serve.” That tells us a little. Lawler established a website which can be found here. Take a look and judge for yourself and judge whom he will serve in the legislature.

Suffice it to say that without Brad Sherman the dynamic of the race for this seat has changed. Now Democrats need a candidate.

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Living in Society

Night Out After the Election

In the Amana Colonies on Nov. 9, 2023.

I drove my 2019 Chevy Spark due west from North Liberty into gathering darkness between plot after plot of agricultural land. I paid close attention to the road as there was little traffic and light faded to darkness all around, making it difficult to see where the blacktop ended. A combine had its headlights on while harvesting corn.

The trip was an informal get-together of Iowa County Democrats and some friends from Johnson County. The big news of the evening was that extremist state legislator Brad Sherman, who represents us in House District 91, decided not to run for re-election. Republicans already recruited someone else to run for the seat. The only person who knew anything about them was a member of a farm family who saw him occasionally at the Farm Services Agency. The news surprised everyone.

(UPDATE: After this article was posted, Sherman made an announcement via email here).

I haven’t seen much of my Iowa County friends since the 2022 election. I felt I’d better attend to re-establish friendships begun during that campaign. Once we have candidates for the statehouse, I expect to be spending more time with them. It was announced no one decided to run for state senate or the house at this time.

A group from Johnson County was in attendance. My connection to many of them goes back to the 2004 campaign. I had fun chatting with them and getting caught up. We are all getting older. So many people came the restaurant had to call in extra staff to attend to us.

Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst attended. She represents the party well when communicating with media or the public in her leadership role. I told her as much. She said I should run for the House.

My spouse and I discussed me holding public office and it is not in our sweet spot. Who needs the public scrutiny that comes with it? In an Iowa House race, there will be scrutiny. I have been writing in public for so long I’ve taken more than a few extremely liberal positions in newspapers and on my blog. My support, with a small band of clergy, for Iowa City to become a Sanctuary City is sure to come up. I expect most of my controversial writing is easily accessible and would be used against me. Who needs that?

My friend Ed Flaherty, with whom ten of us started the Iowa Chapters of Veterans for Peace, was in attendance, as was his son. Ed and I discussed Saturday’s Armistice Recognition in Iowa City and I said I’d be there. His son Brian was chair of the Johnson County Democrats during the 2008 election cycle when Iowa voted for Barack Obama as president. I recently re-posted my story about closing down the offices here.

One of the people active in local demonstrations after Hamas bombed Israel last month was there. We reviewed the situation and planned actions. We also discussed Newman Abuissa’s Nov. 3 letter to the Cedar Rapids Gazette asking Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart to issue an apology for statements about antisemitism she made regarding a group of university students. Abuissa is chair of the IDP Arab American caucus and friends with James Zogby, founder and president of the Arab-American Institute. In Eastern Iowa we have plenty of connections to what’s happening in the Middle East.

I made it a point to seek out everyone I knew and catch up. By the time I made the rounds of every table, it was past my normal bedtime.I was so busy talking I forgot to order a beverage, which usually is a locally made root beer. To avoid back roads, I took Highway 6 back to the metropolitan area and made it safely home. I am glad I went to the gathering.

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Living in Society

Election Results in Big Grove – 2023

District-wide school board election results from the Johnson County, Iowa Auditor.

Election day was not a big deal in Big Grove Township as only 51 of 1,222 registered voters cast a ballot in the school board races. Locals realized the inevitability of two incumbents running for two positions they held the last term or longer. If people wanted to vote, fine. Most realized a single vote did not make a difference during this election and found other things to do with their time. There are no trends to observe or wisdom to be garnered from the results now known.

Congratulations to Adam Haluska and Jami Wolf for deciding to serve on the school board another four years and then for winning their uncontested race.

The contested races for Solon School Board were in 2019 and 2021 when there were more candidates running against establishment views. Establishment voters beat them all down. Apparently, this same surge of younger people running for the board didn’t see an opportunity this cycle.

Elsewhere in the county progressives mostly won. Of note is that Laura Bergus beat incumbent Pauline Taylor in the District A Iowa City City Council race 5,942 votes to 2,995. Bergus ran an innovative campaign and brought in a number of younger voters. Her victory was a sign that the electorate is turning away from the long-time Johnson County Democratic machine into something more hopeful. It was a shocker when SEIU, the union Taylor helped organize in the county, endorsed Bergus. It was also a sign of the times.

Statewide, the book banners, curriculum white-washers, and so-called pro-parent groups did poorly as their bankrupt ideas indicated they should. Those folks were not an identified presence in Big Grove Township. If anything, the Solon District is built around parents who want a say in how the school operates. That’s why it attracts so many young, Republican people to the area. The conservatism is baked into why the schools are what they are.

In the rest of the country, it was a good night for progressive policies. I usually follow Virginia politics as my father’s family came from coal country in the Southwestern part of the state. This time, Virginia Democrats retained the state senate and flipped the state house to Democratic. Well done, Virginia.

I don’t have anything to say about the Ohio initiative to enshrine in the state constitution the right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions. Scores of articles appeared after the polls closed to examine that issue. Pro choice folks scored a victory, and deserve one minute of celebration. With abortion, there is almost never agreement or a final word. The compromises in Roe vs. Wade are likely the best society could do. The U.S. Supreme Court unleashed chaos when they overturned Roe. Any reasonable person would say the court’s action was intentional, long-planned, and based on what moneyed interests want the court to do.

Here in Big Grove Township we don’t get all drama-queen about elections any longer. We’re just thankful there were two candidates on the ballot for two positions. In the nearby City of Swisher, it was write-in votes only as no one ran for mayor. 104 voters wrote someone in. Let’s hope they take the job, something not always guaranteed.