While dropping off four fire extinguishers for recycling in the county seat, nature called. The nearest public restroom was in the county administration building. The parking lot was almost empty, so I pulled in and did my business. On the way back to the car, I ran into the sheriff in his dress uniform. We exchanged pleasantries.
I’ve known him since he was elected to the city council in 2008. When he and his family moved outside city limits, I advised him as he started a garden. I worked on his campaign for sheriff. During the 2024 precinct caucuses, he, his spouse, and I were the only people attending on that cold, snowy evening. He is one of the good guys. If it matched his uniform, he would wear a white hat.
The encounter served me to ask, “What’s going on with my life?” That’s a rhetorical question because I know quite well what’s going on. I retired early so I could have some kind of creative life before I get infirm. As I exited the parking lot and turned west toward the warehouse club, I wondered how many more sunrises will I get?
A fierce urgency consumes me, or as Dr. King put it, “the fierce urgency of now.” There is much to accomplish, and given my good health and time left, more than a few things can be done. I need immediate, vigorous, and positive action in my life. The brief conversation with the sheriff informed me there is no reason to wait. The time for good works is now.
Each day I walk on the state park trail I observe my world. Because of when I walk, sunrises are a main feature. Not only can the sky be beautiful at that hour, it reminds us of the promise of a new day. Sunrises are more than enough reason to go on living. And so, I shall, as long as there is another.
My veterans group asked about having a social hour at the Hilltop Tavern in Iowa City last Friday. I don’t visit many taverns yet I like folks in our group and it was located across the street from the grocer from which I needed provisions. I drove the 14 miles to the county seat, parked in the grocery store parking lot, and walked across the street to get there.
The hill in “hilltop” refers to what was known as Rees’ Hill. This is from the Our Iowa Heritage website:
The area was generally known as Rees’ Hill – reflecting the winery and wine garden owned by Jacob and Agatha Rees across from the Hilltop Tavern location. The wine garden was well known and popular with Goosetown residents during the 1880s (and likely earlier). Jacob’s death in 1889, and Agatha’s (and son Frank’s) deaths in 1893 likely resulted in the closure of the winery. For many years, the property was either unused or planted for strawberries or general nursery. This property is where the Hy-Vee grocery store and gas station exist now at the corner of North Dodge and Prairie du Chien and occupied two acres. (The Origins of Iowa City’s Hilltop Tavern by Derek (D.K.) Engelen, Our Iowa Heritage).
The tavern opened after prohibition ended and has been in operation ever since. When I entered through the door in the photo, the bar was right there on the right, maybe 20 feet from me. People behind the bar immediately recognized that I entered and inquired what I wanted. I found my friends in a large, adjacent room with three pool tables and ordered a draft beer.
My friend, a banker before retirement, brought a roll of quarters so we could play eight ball. I hadn’t played since grade school but we formed teams and racked the balls twice. None of us were talented at the game, yet it helped pass the time by encouraging conversation.
What do aging septuagenarian veterans talk about on a Friday afternoon?
One of us recently had hip replacement surgery, and that took a bit of time. I obviously know hip surgery exists, but haven’t discussed it with someone who had it. I had questions. It turned out someone else had knee replacement surgery, so that led to a discussion of the differences between the two procedures.
About that time, someone walked up to ask if we minded if he played music on what in earlier years would be called a jukebox. We didn’t mind, and one of our party asked him to play some Kenny Rogers, which he did.
Being veterans, we discussed the extrajudicial executions of people suspected of being drug runners in the Caribbean Sea, and whether Admiral Mitch Bradley, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, would be the scapegoat for the president and secretary of defense to avoid responsibility for two specific killings that were clearly illegal. We drew no conclusions.
The prior day, the Iowa Legislative Services Agency released the first county supervisor redistricting plan. The Iowa Legislature earlier voted to require certain counties that elected supervisors at-large to divide into districts. Their idea is that creates an opportunity to elect some Republicans, although the logic is based on deceptive arguments. A lawsuit was filed to stop this process. Our group agreed the court system had little time to make a decision because of the long lead time to plan an election. We were in a wait and see mode until the lawsuit is resolved.
We talked some organizational business, finished our beverages and game, and headed out. It was a pleasant way for aging peace warriors to spend an afternoon in these trying times.
How do I feel now that the Democrats won the election? I feel it is the dawning of a new era, full of potential to make the country a better place for us all. It is a time to take control of what is lagging in my life and make something in the active days remaining. (Personal Journal, Nov. 19, 2006).
When Barack Obama won the presidency two years later, these feelings deepened. It affected me personally in that I felt I could leave my employer of 25 years and strike out again on my own. The country was going to be okay.
It was a false landing.
The reaction of the electorate in 2010 was brutal. It got worse. With today’s trifectas in the state and national governments, Republicans have been dismantling the world we knew. If in 2006 I felt Democrats had arrived, that feeling is gone today as we struggle our way back into a majority, or at least into breaking the trifecta. We can do that, yet the old ways are unlikely to work.
Iowa has been a Republican state for as long as I can remember. As Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan pointed out,
There were only two windows EVER – one in the 1960s and one from ’06-’10 – where Iowa Democrats held a trifecta of the House, Senate, and Governor. Democrats typically did not run things, but made up a large enough minority that the GOP needed them to govern. So compromises were struck. (Sullivan’s Salvos, Nov. 27, 2025 by Rod Sullivan).
I remember the landslide victory of Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and the coattails he had in Iowa and everywhere. The election replaced ten-year incumbent Republican Congressman Fred Schwengel with Democrat John Schmidhauser, for whom my father campaigned. However, the landslide did not have staying power and Schwengel was reelected after Schmidhauser served a single term.
During the 2006 election, Dave Loebsack was elected to Congress and served until January 2021. Notably, Loebsack won in part by running up the voter margin in Johnson County. His successor in the Congress, Mariannette Miller-Meeks buffered the effectiveness of that liberal county, margin-style strategy and won three elections. Loebsack was an effective congressman, yet his success has not yet been replicated.
Where do we go from here? We go on living our best lives.
While Iowa voted for Richard Nixon in 1960, our family was proud to have supported John F. Kennedy and claim him as our president. The national impetus after JFK’s assassination was to elect LBJ and Iowa voted for him and other Democrats like Schmidhauser. It was a landslide like no other in American politics. There will be a similar impetus in the electorate as Republicans overstep their mandate in our present political life. What Republicans are doing already negatively affects so many people I know. Our lives are poorer for their governance and that will not stand.
This time, Democrats must realize any victory lacks permanence. There is no landing platform. If anything voters are more fragmented than ever with the help of computer applications we all use. If Democrats break the trifecta, or gain a majority, we must do everything we can to advance our agenda as quickly as we can, knowing the period of opportunity will have a short half-life. We can win an election, yet permanent change does not appear to be part of the bargain. With staying power off the table, we must work at it both before and after the election. I believe we can do that.
I am hopeful a good life is still possible in Iowa. What I have come to know is it must be lived outside party politics. That’s hard for me to say as I’ve been a partisan most of my life. However, I will grasp the opportunity for a better future wherever together we can make one.
In his new book, Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future, author Dan Wang contrasts the engineering society of building stuff in China with the lawyering society of delaying and litigating things in the United States. The comparison seems apt and I recommend the book.
It seems obvious the United States is bogged down with lawyerly concerns, beginning with the current president. Donald Trump has weaponized the Justice Department to serve his every whim. Likewise, he has a large stable of attorneys representing him on countless legal matters. More than any person I know, the president is the living incarnation of “lawyering up.” How is that working for most Americans?
The problem I see is the president’s approach results in China getting way out ahead of the United States in technology development important to our global future. China’s embrace of renewable energy alone will make them a formidable power going forward. They who control energy can control a lion’s share of the economy. The president should get out of the way and enable the country to embrace renewable energy now.
The downside of lawyering up is we can’t develop technological innovation to create a society in which we all want to live.
2025 was a sleeper election in Big Grove precinct. There were three at-large school board director contests and incumbents were the only candidates on the ballot. There was no known write-in campaign so incumbents won:
Results screen captured from the Johnson County, Iowa auditor’s results page 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2025
Daniel Coons won his school board election to fill a vacancy:
Results screen captured from the Johnson County, Iowa auditor’s results page 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2025
There was one Kirkwood Community College Director on the ballot and one candidate.
Results screen captured from the Johnson County, Iowa auditor’s results page 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2025
On Sept. 26, I wrote about the election in the nearby City of Solon: “Greg Morris seems likely to win one council seat. Through his work with the volunteer fire department he is well known in the community and a constant, positive presence. Incumbents for council have an advantage, but it could be a jump ball for their seats. Will see if any issues arise that make this a race.” Here are the results:
Results screen captured from the Johnson County, Iowa auditor’s results page 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2025
As expected, Greg Morris was the top vote getter for three positions. The two Democratic incumbents, Lauren Whitehead and Cole Gabriel, lost their elections to newcomers Tim Gordon and Matthew Macke. When the City of Solon has a mind to change things, they do.
The second No Kings Rally in Mount Vernon, Iowa, on Oct. 18, 2025, was much better attended than the previous one. I did not count yet there were at least 500 people participating. The rally started off with a gathering outdoors at the First Street Community Center, then walked a block or so to line the streets at Highway One and First Street. Here’s what the rally looked like.
Community Center RallyCrowd size.Another crowd shot.The U.S. is all of US.
About all I heard from the speaker was, “something, something, Heather Cox Richardson.”
I found some farmer friends with whom I talked about apple trees. Former Iowa House member David Osterberg was there. He represented us when we first moved to Big Grove Township. Former Congressman Dave Loebsack arrived early to get a good perch. We reminisced about his first election to the Congress in 2006. Here are Dave and Terry Loebsack with their flags.
Terry and Dave Loebsack at the No Kings Rally in Mount Vernon, Iowa on Oct. 18, 2025.
There were hundreds of people, and many signs.
Release the filesNavy Vet fighting for Democracy again!Stand Up!No Kings I love America!Along Highway One.More signs.
The crowd stretched for blocks.
On the corner.Looking up hillLooking toward the hilltop from the end of the protest line.
And these…
Costumed protesters.Flags.
The clear autumn day was a backdrop for everyone to feel good about standing up for our rights. A lot of work remains to take back our government for everyone. Days like this make us hopeful. The feeling is infectious.
Beef and meat prices have little immediate impact on our family of vegetarians. About the only time I noticed the price of meat was while buying some for a low-income household. My money would have gone farther if prices were not so high.
“Beef prices have climbed to record highs after cattle ranchers slashed their herds due to a years long drought in the western United States that dried up lands used for grazing and raised feeding costs,” reported Reuters. “By the beginning of the year, the herd had dwindled to 86.7 million cattle, the smallest number for the time period since 1951, according to U.S. government data.”
Sounds like the impact of the climate crisis. Just saying.
The president said he is looking at doing something. “(The price of beef is) higher than we want it, and that’s going to be coming down pretty soon too. We did something,” Trump said in typical obfuscatory language. “We are working on beef, and I think we have a deal on beef.”
When the president says he “did something,” he is fighting a fire he started. That’s one heckuva way to run a government. This is also true with the collapse of the soybean market for American farmers, and so much more.
Here’s the core of it. Many people feel meat is an important part of an American diet. Cattle supply is one thing yet the Trump tariffs are another driving up prices. “The Trump administration’s tariffs are hitting major beef suppliers such as Brazil — and are set to push prices for American consumers even higher,” reported the Washington Post.
It’s no secret livestock farming is a primary cause of the climate crisis. Farmers and scientists are seeking solutions like anaerobic manure digesters in confinement livestock operations. They capture methane released as manure is processed into liquid fertilizer and bedding material for cows. The better solution is to find other sources of nutrition than meat.
I endeavor to set aside the drama of politicians in Washington, D.C. We, as a society should reduce our consumption of meat. There are plenty of other great tasting, nutritious things to eat. Likewise we can and should address the climate crisis… before it’s too late. The meat of it is eat less meat.
Early steel cage wrestling match. Photo Credit – Online World of Wrestling website.
In July, word came from the president he was considering a cage match wrestling event to be held on the White House lawn. As the Skydance – Paramount merger closed on Aug. 7, and UFC signed an exclusive deal with Paramount+ four days later, the UFC match to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary appears to be inevitable and will be aired on Paramount stations, including CBS, the former home of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite.
Trump’s affection for professional wrestling is well known, as is his induction into the WWE hall of fame in 2013. Regardless of concerns about propriety, a cage match is an expression of the president’s character. The event is expected to host some 20,000 of his closest fans on the lawn and be available to countless others via the internet. From where do cage matches come?
The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis from 1960 until 1991, according to Wikipedia. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo, originating as part of the Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club. Unlike modern professional wrestlers of the WWE, Gagne was an amateur wrestling champion who was an alternate on the U.S. freestyle wrestling team at the 1948 Summer Olympics. He ran the AWA with a conservative sensibility, Wikipedia said, firmly believing that sound technical wrestling should be the basis of a pro-wrestling company. Cage matches reflect no basis in technical wrestling as Gagne had come to know it. I submit they are about the fans.
Father and we kids attended a professional wrestling match at Municipal Stadium in Davenport. The stands were not packed although because of the popular Saturday morning television program, All Star Wrestling, the event drew a good-sized crowd. Patrons were unruly, with arguments breaking out among them. I almost got into a fight after mouthing off to a stranger. That day there was a cage match during which constructing a cage of chain-link fencing was part of the spectacle. Was that real blood when one wrestler crushed another against the cage wall? It was hard to say from the bleachers. Young women would visit the motel across the river where the wrestlers stayed and attempt to accompany them on tour. Such plebeian entertainments were typical in my home town. This is a crowd that later would evolve into MAGA cult members.
Once one admits a cage wrestling match is not sports, then what kind of spectacle is it? I have to believe we could all be pursuing more constructive use of our time. It’s a free country, though, and a wrestling star is president. Celebrating professional wrestling is just one more way our culture is getting away from us as the country marks its 250th birthday.
It feels necessary for Kamala Harris to have written 107 Days. I’m glad she did. It was a quick read that touched the high points of her short presidential campaign. Hearing the story, in her voice, is important. It’s essential reading for anyone who follows presidential politics.
I make it a point to read or be familiar with every presidential memoir going back to Harry Truman, who was president when I was born. While Harris lost the 2024 election, she is part of the story of Joe Biden’s presidency and his eventual dropping out of the race for re-election. 107 days is not long enough for a modern presidential campaign and while Harris’ campaign staff worked diligently and smart in her recounting, they couldn’t get her across the finish line.
Harris chose not to make this a detailed account of her campaign. I respect that choice. It is a high level view full of her reactions to main events as they unfolded. There is value in that.
Even before it was published there were reviews out there. I don’t want to repeat, deny, or defend that work. My statement is if one is interested in U.S. presidential politics in the 21st Century, you should have 107 Days on your to be read list.
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