President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Provenance unknown.
Today begins the Democratic National Convention. Many of our most active Democrats will be attending the four-day event at the United Center in Chicago. That means a break for the rest of us.
I am interested in the speeches. I usually watch the keynote address in which a rising star gets a chance for a national audience. This year, Joe Biden will give the keynote address. For those who have been following his rise to the presidency and administration, there will be no surprises as he mentions some of his many accomplishments and makes the case for electing Kamala Harris. I plan to watch Biden’s speech, if not live, then afterward.
In 1980 we heard Ted Kennedy’s concession speech. In 1988, in a surprisingly long speech, we heard from Bill Clinton. In 2004, the convention introduced us to Barack Obama. I don’t expect any memorable speeches this year as conventions have become carefully scripted. The challenges of the current campaign are formidable. There is no place for distraction or personal ambition. We must return to the words of Ted Kennedy:
I speak out of a deep belief in the ideals of the Democratic Party, and in the potential of that Party and of a President to make a difference. And I speak out of a deep trust in our capacity to proceed with boldness and a common vision that will feel and heal the suffering of our time and the divisions of our Party. (Ted Kennedy, 1980 Democratic National Concession Speech, Aug. 12, 1980).
Every indication is that Kamala Harris will do what Kennedy suggested. There is an energy behind her nomination and we hope it will carry us to every city and hollow, every village and farmstead, to turn out votes for the Harris Walz ticket.
Republicans have been hard at work creating restrictions on the ability to vote. On Sunday, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported on one part of a 2021 law that went into effect: moving any registered voter who missed voting in a single general election from active to inactive status. This is a sort of head fake in that an inactive voter can vote in the next general election. What we know is activists will work hard to find every potential voter, get them registered and to the polls, regardless of obstacles Republicans throw up. Try though they might, Republican election laws represent tinkering around the edges of a movement we hope will carry the election.
I have realistic expectations about Iowa. Our hope is three of the four Democrats running for Congress will be elected. We hope Republican attacks on public schools will yield us votes. We hope the newly approved law that bans abortion when a “fetal heartbeat” or cardiac activity is detected, before many people know they’re pregnant, will convert into votes from women to carry us back to majorities in the state house. Those are our hopes yet they may be dashed by the rough politics of 2024. Returning to Ted Kennedy:
And someday, long after this convention, long after the signs come down and the crowds stop cheering, and the bands stop playing, may it be said of our campaign that we kept the faith. (Ted Kennedy, 1980 Democratic National Concession Speech, Aug. 12, 1980).
May it be said of our party after the 2024 Democratic National Convention, we found our faith again.
On Friday I put the cost of printing 25 copies of my memoir on my credit card and uploaded my manuscript and photo. My team contact said it will take about eight days to get the copyright and printing will follow soon thereafter. The cost included copyright, International Standard Book Number and Library of Congress registration. Things moved very quickly from the time I contacted Prime Publishing online. I was ready.
I know one other author who used Prime to make his books and he was very satisfied. In my case, I am publishing privately with no plan for commercial sales. The cost is much less than taking it to a local print shop.
So that’s that.
I need to organize my files for storage. After Labor Day, I pick up work on the second volume. I had 65,000 words written when I left part two to finish part one. It needs a better outline and eventually a re-write. Publishing the first volume is a turning point. I’m closing the door on that part of my life. It already feels different.
The Art of Power: My Story as America’s First Woman Speaker of the House by Nancy Pelosi is a solid read from a person at the center of American politics since first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1987. In a time when the average American adult finishes just over five books per year, Pelosi’s book is perfect. It is an easy read, about timely topics, and general enough to interest an average reader through to the finish.
Pelosi emphasizes the book is not a memoir. It is the story of her time as the 52nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. It is also the story of Democratic accomplishments during the last 37 years. We Democrats don’t tell our story in clear, measured prose often enough. More books like this are needed.
While I lived through this period as an adult, Pelosi pulls a narrative together that not only rings true to the times, it leaves out much partisan drivel a lesser writer might include. It brings focus on important events and legislation from her unique platform.
Some say Nancy Pelosi is a lightening rod in politics. What I say is she is a person with an accomplished life who wrote a book well worth reading.
I went to the garden to see if there was any decent basil. There was. With it, plus garlic scapes, an onion from my plot, and the first harvest of San Marzano tomatoes, I made a traditional pasta sauce for dinner. There was just enough for the two of us because that is how many tomatoes there were. I look forward to this meal all year.
Without eight seasons of working on Susan’s farm, I wouldn’t be half the gardener I am. Garlic alone is a testament to the value of learning on the farm over successive years. Susan also taught me the value of a vibrant local food system. That said, my views of a local food system have evolved. What matters more is how we engage with the food system to provide nutritious meals year-around. It is important to know the face of the farmer, yet locale is not always the penultimate concern.
Bonner apples from local orchard; Red Haven peaches from Michigan; plum tomatoes for sauce; cherry tomatoes mostly for the food pantry; Cavendish bananas; local melon; tomatillos, Vidalia onion. Aug. 10, 2024.
When local farmer Paul Rasch gets Red Haven peaches from his relatives in Michigan, I’m likely to buy a bag. This summer treat is better than stone fruit I buy at the grocer, and part of a tradition going back to 2013 when I first worked at his orchard. These peaches have always been good, and they come only once a year. I’m okay with living with their season.
I have not been able to grow an adequate number of good-sized onions. I lean on the grocers because their produce is consistently available and good quality. We like Vidalia onions because of their sweetness. Buying them from a major grocer keeps us in supply. We also get yellow onions and probably should get white onions. When we do, it’s at the grocer.
It makes little sense to buy many apples at the store. We have a couple of great local apple orchards with a wide variety of fruit. During my eight seasons at Wilson’s Orchard I learned which varieties ripen when and our apple consumption follows the season. If we are lucky, I get a good crop at home for cooking, eating fresh and storage. When we don’t have a crop, I buy certain varieties to meet our needs, including a large amount of Gold Rush for storage into winter. We don’t eat many apples the rest of the year and when we do get them from a grocer, we buy organic.
There is no comparison to fresh, home grown tomatoes. When they are in season, we eat some daily. When they are out of season, we rarely buy them at the grocer. With tomatoes, it’s all about the flavor of home grown.
Life with a kitchen garden is a series of moments like the dinner with fresh, home made pasta sauce or from the bite of a Red Haven peach. These moments don’t go on forever, yet if we are lucky, they will repeat from time to time.
Like it or not, the demise of my handheld device on Thursday marked the end of an era. I procured my first smart phone — that’s what we called them then — to work on a political campaign in 2012. When the technician told me last week he could not recover my files or contacts because of the way the phone failed, I thought for a minute and walked away from all that. I don’t feel better, yet I am free.
What burned me particularly is my back up — the contact files on Microsoft Outlook — had wiped all the phone numbers there as well when I upgraded to the online version. I guess I’ll find out to whom I want to speak going forward. A main loss is recognizing who might be calling. Just like that, an era of telephony was over.
My spouse and I scheduled a day to go through papers and came upon a stack of clippings from when my father-in-law was installing rotary dial telephones around Iowa and Illinois in the 1950s. He lived in a small trailer, which he hauled around to Martelle, Marengo, and other less populous towns. He helped usher in a new era of rotary dial telephones. The family revisits this story often.
I don’t have much recollection of using the telephone in the 1950s. In fact, the telephone was not that important to my life, outside work, into the late 1990s when I got a flip phone to carry with me while traveling. I installed telephones in several places I lived during the interim, including in Germany where I seldom used it because the rates were so expensive. We used home telephones mostly for calling family and friends, and for staying in touch with work.
While wireless telephony has its roots in the 19th Century, what we called cell phones came into their own around 2000 when I got my flip phone. I could take a photograph and text it to someone else, in addition to talking to them on a call. Freeing myself from wired infrastructure was revolutionary. The smart phone, with its instant access to the internet was another wireless development that changed how we interact with the world.
It will be straight up work to rebuild my important contacts. In a way, being free from all the telephone history is a positive. In my remaining seasons on Earth is will mean a less cluttered life. Damn! Like many things, I just wasn’t prepared for a change.
Democrats are riding a blue wave of excitement caused by Biden’s announcement he wouldn’t accept the nomination for president, Kamala Harris garnering enough votes from delegates to the Democratic National Convention to clinch the nomination, and Minnesota governor Tim Walz joining the ticket. Meanwhile, back at the country club, Republicans gathered and griped last Tuesday.
Ensconced at one of their favorite watering holes, the Cedar Rapids Country Club, Republicans laid out their grievances. They criticized President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Governor Walz. RPI chair Jeff Kaufmann had a take, Chuck Grassley did, too. Former Iowa Governor and ambassador to China Terry Branstad said, “a presidential candidate from California was ‘the scariest thing I can think of.'” Kaufmann thought Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro would get the nod for vice president and accused the vice president, whose spouse is prominently Jewish, of antisemitism in picking Walz. Such malarkey suggests they may have had a cocktail or two in the middle of the day on a Tuesday, even if I know many of them are teetotalers. Other than in the local newspaper, the event got little attention.
I have three comments for Republicans gathered to complain at the country club:
Joe Biden is not running for president
You can’t always get what you want.
Get over it.
Country club membership is not something to which I aspired. I’ve been inside the Cedar Rapids Country Club a few times, for company holiday parties and political events, yet who even belongs to a country club? People with means. When Robert Reich talks about rich fat cats I suspect more than a couple were in attendance at Tuesday’s grievance party. Working people were… working.
That’s the difference between Democrats and Republicans. While regular people are busy contributing to society, Republicans are off at the country club making the rules. Wealth and political influence have the power to set the rules of the game. Jeff Kaufmann, Chuck Grassley and Terry Branstad are all aware of and have been participants in this dynamic.The 2023 legislative session provides a textbook example of the influence of wealth.
In May 2023, Governor Reynolds signed Senate File 228 into law. Under the change, Iowans hurt in truck crashes would only be able to get up to $5 million in a lawsuit. With her action, Iowa became the first state in the country to legally cap liability damages against trucking companies. Capping liability has long been on the trucking industry’s to-do list. With the Republican trifecta, they were able to get it done. This is a single example among many as to how wealth and power set the rules regular folk live under.
When Donald Trump announced for president in November 2022, it was in a speech to those gathered at Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Florida. Surrounded by allies, advisers, and conservative influencers, Trump delivered a relatively subdued speech, rife with spurious and exaggerated claims about his four years in office, according to CNN. His decision to announce two years before the general election may have been good for Donald Trump. He doesn’t understand, and probably doesn’t care, that that’s not how we do presidential politics. That’s another difference between Democrats and Republicans: we care about the rules of the game.
July 21 was the day President Biden announced he would not accept the nomination of his party for another term as president. It is now 20 days later and we have Vice President Kamala Harris officially nominated for president along with a vice presidential running mate, Tim Walz, announced on Tuesday, Aug. 6. The campaign raised hundreds of millions of dollars, and recruited thousands of volunteers. Excitement is in the air. Something is bugging me. I don’t want to be disappointed again.
I’m referring to the 2016 election. Like many Democrats I worked hard to elect Hillary Clinton. She may not have had a chance in Iowa, yet we felt the rest of the country would pull through for her. As far as we know, they did not and we know what happened next. After the 2020 election, we must be prepared for shenanigans in November.
Attorney Marc Elias believes Republicans already have a plan to steal the 2024 election. “I think we are going to see mass refusals to certify the election (in November),” Elias told Rolling Stone Magazine. “Everything we are seeing about this election is that the other side is more organized, more ruthless, and more prepared.”
The Republican plan goes something like this, (h/t Iowa Democrat Kim Mathers):
Position Republican election deniers on election boards in swings states and across the country. Rolling Stone and American Doom identified nearly 70 pro-Trump election conspiracists, currently working as county election officials. These officials have questioned the validity of elections or delayed or refused to certify results. At least 20 of them have refused or delayed certification in recent years.
County election boards with election denier members would refuse to certify elections where their candidate loses. This results in state results that can’t be certified, they assert. If they can deny 270 electoral votes to a candidate other than theirs, the election goes to the U.S. House of Representatives. There, each state gets one vote and a simple majority wins. In this scenario, someone who lost in the electoral college and who lost the popular vote could be installed as president.
This scenario doesn’t keep me up at night. It does nag at me. Republicans, according to Elias, “are counting on not just that they can disrupt the election in big counties, they are counting on the fact that if they don’t certify in several small counties, you cannot certify these statewide results.”
By all accounts, the November election is expected to be close. Harris has multiple paths to 270 electoral votes and those paths depend upon fair play in the conduct of our elections. Because our election system has been so bulletproof, we take it for granted there will be fair reckoning of votes cast.
We mustn’t lose sleep over concerns about Republican shenanigans because most of us don’t control what election officials may do. Our election system held steady in the past, and we must trust it will again. With awareness of the potential disruptions, let us hope such awareness is proper inoculation against disappointment.
On Wednesday I finished formatting part one of my autobiography for printing. The story ends with finishing my education as I turned 30 years old. Not all of my education was formal schooling by design. I accumulated many experiences in diverse social settings, including work, military service, and travel. With formatting done, I must go through the entire document one last time for content, spelling and language. Whatever deficiencies in the story must be addressed, although I think I’m there before I begin. The process of printing the book is a matter of a couple weeks, so meeting my end of year deadline should be doable.
On Thursday my hand held device died. While reading an email it went into a continuous loop of reboot, failing to restart each time. I figured out how to turn it off manually. I set the device aside for 30 minutes and tried again. I got a message there was a problem with the software. Because of the way it failed, I lost all my saved text messages, most of my files stored on the device, and most of my contacts. Like it or not, I’m getting a fresh start. As I told the technician at the phone store, “I’m ready to walk away from it.”
August 9 is a day for personal remembrance. It is the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan. That bombing was not necessary to end World War II, and arguably, neither was the Hiroshima bombing. There were needless lives lost in Nagasaki.
Today is also the day Richard Nixon resigned from the presidency, having announced it on national television the previous evening.
Richard Nixon announced his resignation from the presidency on Aug. 8, 1974. I had no idea who Gerald Ford was, or what kind of leader he would be. The next day he said, “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.”
I felt a strong sense of social responsibility and the moral outrage of youth in what I believed were the deception and lies of a man in whom the country had put its trust. Hearing Nixon’s address that night, in our small apartment, was catharsis. I remember this feeling as I typed here in Big Grove Township tonight. I was relieved that Nixon was leaving. More importantly, I felt that the many protests and demonstrations during the Vietnam war had finally borne fruit. Direct action to support a just cause could accomplish things, even force out a sitting president. It was a heady feeling.
Even with many experiences by the time I reached age 22, it was that moment of seeing Nixon resign on television that opened the possibilities of the world. I became aware that direct action, in concert with others I did not know, could engender change in society. I also learned that the people, places, and things we read about can be grounded in a reality that is not that distant from where we live. We are connected to each other in unlikely ways.
I refused to purchase a copy of Nixon’s memoirs until after his death. I did not want him to benefit from my interest in his presidency. In a way, Richard Nixon, with his deceit, arrogance, and imperial presidency, contributed to my political awakening. This led me to understand what I had studied in school was grounded. It was an unlikely connection for which, in retrospect, I am thankful. I wasn’t sure what would be next yet felt that I could take a couple of months and find out what else was in the world. (An Iowa Life, The Memoir of Paul Deaton, unpublished).
Now that part one of the memoir is finished, I look forward to finishing the rest. It is work to be taken up once harvest is finished.
Before I concentrate volunteer political work on the general election, our county auditor resigned unexpectedly due to illness. I am a delegate to the special convention for Democrats to pick a nominee for the November ballot. Four candidates approached me to say they were running. This post reprints their announcement email where one exists. I want to get this information out there, so I am running it as is without analysis.
First to contact me was Royceann Porter on July 30 via telephone. I know Royceann from promoting her campaign for county supervisor. She said she meets the qualifications, which include a high school diploma. She cited her five years on the county board of supervisors as related experience. I supported her in the special election, and in her re-election. I told her I would give her fair consideration. UPDATE: Porter telephoned me on August 18 to say she was ending her campaign and endorsed Julie Persons.
Next to contact me on July 31 was Julie Persons. I know Julie from working to elect House District 91 candidates. I like her personally and the story about Julie becoming mayor of Swisher speaks to her devotion to public service. Here is the unedited email she sent:
Dear Johnson County Democrats:
My name is Julie Persons. I am the Mayor of Swisher, Public Relations Chair for the JC Dems, and a longtime private sector customer service professional. I am writing to let you know I am running for County Auditor and I would appreciate your vote.
Many of you have gotten to know me over the past few years. I’ve walked alongside you in parades, sent you the weekly JC Dems newsletters, and consistently volunteered. In May of 2023, I was honored to receive the Johnson County Democrats Volunteer of the Year award. My experience with the Johnson County Democrats has been the most rewarding of my life. The friendships, support, laughter, and memories are invaluable to me. When you vote for me, you are voting for a true-blue Democrat who has paid her dues!
I am an Iowa native, originally from Davenport. Like many of you, I came to Johnson County for college and stayed for the past 25 years. I have lived in Iowa City, North Liberty, and the past eleven years as a Swisher resident. Professionally, I have two decades of leadership in customer service, a vital aspect of the Auditor’s Office. Having led several teams, I can seamlessly continue the office’s mission and invigorate the team with renewed energy.
Last year, the city of Swisher faced a vacancy in the mayorship. I assumed the responsibility for my town and accepted the position. Navigating this role (with the support of dedicated staff) has proven to be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my career. Public service aligns perfectly with my passions. I am very proud of the things we have accomplished in Swisher under my leadership.
With nearly 160,000 Johnson County residents relying on this office, and the responsibilities include facilitating accessible and efficient voting, including satellite voting; managing the claims for the county; and maintaining the real estate records of the county. My goals include ensuring the department is transparent for the public, and expanding voter accessibility through satellite voting locations and additional social media pushes. Johnson County is a leader in voting in Iowa. We should be proud of how we handle this critical role. I truly believe the more information we can give to the citizens of Johnson County, the more successful we will be.
With your support we can elect the first female County Auditor in 48 years! If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me via email or phone 319-936-1603. Thank you and I hope to see you at the county convention.
Sincerely, Julie Persons
Alex Stanton emailed me on August 1. I don’t know Alex yet he telephoned to introduce himself. Here is the unedited email I received:
Hello, Johnson County Convention Delegate:
As a delegate, you have an important responsibility: Finding the Democratic nominee to replace Auditor Travis Weipert on the General Election ballot. It’s deeply unfortunate that Travis’s health took away a job that he felt so passionately about, and I know how important continuing the great work undertaken by the Auditor’s Office during his tenure is to you, which is why I’m asking you to consider me, Alex Stanton, as the Democratic nominee for Auditor this fall. Let me tell you why.
I’ve had the honor of spending just over the last 6 years working at the Johnson Auditor’s Office under Travis’s leadership, first starting in Minutes & Publications before moving to my current role as Elections Technician III at the end of May 2018. During my time in the office, I have created ballots, overseen voting public equipment testing, helped our office navigate the logistics of voting during the Covid-19 pandemic, trained hundreds of pollworkers, coordinated the successful deployment of all voting equipment needed for elections ranging from 1-precinct Special Elections to 75,000+-voter turnout General Elections, AND served as Administrator for our Community ID program. I have been a steady hand that has carried and grown the proud tradition and sterling reputation of the Johnson County Auditor’s Office.
Beyond the basic nuts and bolts of making elections happen, I’ve also worked to build areas in the office that needed improvement, primarily in regards to communicating with our voters. That led me to build our “Johnson County Votes!” iconography, create a noticeable brand identity, and build our social media infrastructure to keep voters and candidates engaged and aware of elections and the work of our office. I’ve been honored to have county staff, the public, and other counties tell me how they appreciate our posts and even ask to steal them to help in their outreach efforts. I even worked with staff and smaller counties to create a Social Media Toolkit that we’ve shared across the state to help counties with less resources easily schedule ready-made posts to help their voters. I’m incredibly proud of my work in this area, but I know there’s even more we can do, including better targeted outreach to underrepresented communities and those exiting incarceration who want their rights restored.
I’ve also been incredibly privileged to earn the respect of Auditors and election offices statewide, and I am humbled they reach out to me to be a source of information. I have been one of the only non-Auditor or Deputy election staff members to be asked to lead training at State Election Administrator Training education courses – which I’ve done multiple times – as well as serving on the Iowa Precinct Atlas Consortium, which crafts the strategic vision for an epollbook system used by over 80 Iowa counties as well as tests any updates for compliance with Iowa law. My hard work, knowledge, and passion for elections and the work of Auditor’s Office has made me a trusted name across the state, and I am running to keep the growth and leadership we’ve seen from Travis going by using what I’ve learned both from him and from the other election leaders I’ve met both in Iowa and across the country. I am so happy to announce that my trust statewide has already earned me the endorsements of Black Hawk County Democratic nominee for Auditor, Karen Showalter, Democrtatic Dubque County Aduitor Kevin Dragotto, and Democratic Clinton County Auditor and 2022 Lieutenant Governor candidate, Eric Van Lancker.
A little about me personally: I’m a lifelong Iowan who has lived in Johnson County for the last 15 years. I’ve been married to my wife, Christina, for 10 years and have 2 kids, ages 6 and 2. I’m a 2021-2022 Graduate of the Greater Iowa City Community Leadership Program, and I’ve served on the City of Iowa City Parks and Recreation Committee since August 2023. I interned with the Obama campaign and the Iowa Senate Democratic Research staff, as well as served as a Central Committee member for the Marion and Johnson County Democratic Parties. I have previously worked at United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties and spent almost 4 years at Shelter House. I love this community, and it has given so much to myself and my family. I’m ready to give back, and I hope you’ll join and vote for me at the Convention on August 24th.
Finally, Shannon Patrick emailed me on August 5. State Representative Elinor Levin telephoned on August 7 to endorse Shannon for county auditor. Elinor and I see each other often at party events and I like her personally and as a legislator. I haven’t met Patrick. Here is his unedited email.
Dear Paul,
I am writing to introduce myself to you, to ask you to attend the Johnson County special nominating convention on Saturday, August 24th at 9:00 a.m. at Liberty High, and to support my nomination there.
I am Shannon Patrick, and I am seeking the Democratic nomination for Johnson County auditor. I am doing so because I have a long-time dedication to preserving and expanding voting rights, and my combination of professional and community experience are uniquely suited for this office.
You may recognize my name from my prior work with the JC Democrats, from candidate forums and other League of Women Voters events, or from the monthly Press-Citizen column that I write with my amazing wife, Kelcey Patrick-Ferree. Professionally, I work in IT management and currently oversee the team that is responsible for updating, maintaining, and correctly using the University of Iowa’s donor and alumni database.
Before I say more about me, these are what my priorities would be as auditor.
Keep making voting easier and more secure. Continuing drive-through-voting. Improve the quality of our voter data so that voters know where to go and have fewer issues at the polls. Develop a communications strategy. Make voting easier outside of Iowa City.
Prepare the office for 21st century threats. Hacking, ransomware, foreign interference, and disinformation campaigns pose real risks to our elections, and the auditor will be responsible for making sure that we have plans for them.
Work with local organizations to improve voter turnout. Recent state laws mean that the auditor’s office needs a different approach to promoting voting. The auditor needs to rely more on local partners. Unless our state government changes, Johnson County will be under a microscope, and we need to do this right.
Staffing and operations. Make sure that interacting with the auditor’s office keeps getting easier. Keep up with technology so that staff grow and do more meaningful work each year. Ensure that taxpayer money is spent as effectively as possible. Make the Auditor’s Office a place where staff want to stay and do their best work.
Why do I think I can do all that?
First, I have worked in data and data management for 20 years. I am experienced at managing multiple teams, growing and developing staff, and leading efforts to continually improve teams and processes. I would bring a unique combination of knowledge, tools, and best practices to the auditor’s office.
But I know that this isn’t just a technical role. A truly successful auditor also needs strong community partnerships. I have served on platform committee, chaired the lively IC10 precinct caucus of 2020, and volunteered with the Eastside Dems. I have served as the treasurer of the state League of Women Voters and as the Advocacy Chair of the Johnson County League board. I also have ties to groups like the Interfaith Alliance, the South District Neighborhood Association, and other local nonprofits and activist groups. I’m known in the community and am prepared to continue my voting rights work as auditor.
What’s more, in my advocacy work for the League, I had a special focus on voting, elections, and good governance. For example, I helped lead a group that worked with partner organizations throughout Iowa to generate, obtain signatures for, and present a statewide petition opposing Iowa’s 2021 anti-voter law. I spoke in the Rotunda at the Capitol and presented the petition to the legislative leaders’ offices. My role with the League has involved following, lobbying about, understanding, and communicating changes in election laws to voters throughout Iowa.
In short, I have the combination of experience and outreach that will continue and expand the successes of the auditor’s office.
Will you support my nomination?
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reply to this email or to contact me at (319) 382-6568. I look forward to seeing you at the special convention.
Sincerely, Shannon Patrick
I do plan to attend the special convention. I may (or may not) post my analysis of this race. Comments welcome.
More than any recent summer, this one has been exceptional for growing food in the garden. The rain came, then it came some more. Ambient temperatures were not too hot, and if they climbed above 90, it wasn’t for long. It has truly been the summer of the garden. I can feel it every time I go out there.
A garden represents humans asserting their will over nature. I have not been so disciplined. All the same, I’m getting onions and potatoes, yellow squash and zucchini, kale and collards, parsley and basil, peppers and peas, and oh my God, tomatoes! Today I harvested Zestar! apples and they are great tasting. I can’t keep up with the genetics and environment producing this abundance. That is okay. Let nature have its way.
If I live my life according the Social Security life expectancy calculator, I can expect to plant 13 more gardens. That’s exactly what I plan to do. We’ll see if I can take better control, not that I want to. It is all part of the great circle of life and I’m in it!
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