tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45378611579010510062024-02-06T20:47:30.751-06:00Notes by GrahamGrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-71110293065130542702018-01-08T13:00:00.000-06:002018-01-09T11:53:11.668-06:00Why Oprah Winfrey for President may not be such a crazy ideaSunday night, the entertainment elite gathered to celebrate themselves. Again.<br />
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They do this often because a broad swath of the public is always willing to tune in – apparently pretty people saying pretty things is an easy sell.<br />
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The gala du jour was the Golden Globes, the one where the Hollywood Foreign Press hands out trophies to television and movie types during a swanky dinner at a glitzy hotel. Events such as the Globes, the Oscars, the Grammys, and the Tonys don't vary much from year to year or from each other. However, occasionally, an award recipient or presenter has been known to add something relevant to a national discussion by veering from the usual script.<br />
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The 2018 Golden Globes may be remembered for something more significant; it may have served as the launching stage of a presidential candidate.<br />
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Depending on the climate of the times, many stars use award broadcasts to protest or show support for something. Some go it alone as Bette Davis did in 1936, wearing a dowdy costume from the set of “Housewife” instead of a ball gown to make a statement about the objectification of women. Katharine Hepburn followed Davis’ lead by appearing at the 1974 Oscars ceremony clad in dirty gardening clothes and clogs.<br />
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More often, the stars align. They coordinate the message, wearing red ribbons to bring attention to AIDS, blue ribbons to support civil rights and the ACLU, or pink ones to raise awareness for breast cancer. This year's Golden Globes attendees shunned colorful garb and wore black to speak out against the sexual harassment our country, at long last, has begun to find the courage to confront.<br />
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Women were front and center at the Beverly Hilton soiree last night. Barbara Streisand, the only woman to receive a Golden Globe for directing, was there. She won for directing “Yentl” in 1984. The often-unvarnished Frances McDormand accepted her globe for acting by standing up for women and saying, “Trust me: The women in this room tonight are not here for the food. We are here for the work.”<br />
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But the most poignant speech was delivered by industry icon Oprah Winfrey.<br />
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Oprah (does she need a last name?) began her acceptance of the 2018 Cecil B. DeMille award for a lifetime of contributions by recalling how she felt watching Sidney Poitier receive his Oscar in 1964. Oprah told us how as a young girl sprawled on her mother’s linoleum kitchen floor in Milwaukee she watched a black man be the first to break through this particular wall of racism. We could sense this moment was one of the many that made Oprah the woman she is today.<br />
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Oprah spoke of women who stood firm to bring change in the world. She talked of unsung heroes and those who have taken their place in history books. Oprah addressed the importance of free speech and the crucial role of an independent and vigorous media. She challenged her listeners to be better people. Most significant, she oozed confidence and control. Oprah wanted us to see she could be trusted to hold the light high and that she was capable of pointing the way forward.<br />
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Oprah was not just performing; she was leading. She elevated her audience, revealing a new perspective of our nation’s horizon. She wanted people to feel a part of something larger than themselves. Oprah did not mention a candidacy, but few who watched could deny there was more to this than Hollywood showmanship.<br />
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At a time when the current occupant of the White House is so preoccupied with self, tweeting things such as “my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart,” Oprah reminded us America can be and should be something more than it is today. Our charge isn’t to make America Great again; our charge is to make America live up to the ideals we have yet to achieve.<br />
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It is possible the leader who will show the way to that bright new day may have taken the first steps walking to a podium in Hollywood last night. Crazier things have happened.<br />
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First published by <a href="http://dmreg.co/2EoKu9w" target="_blank">The Des Moines Register</a>. </div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-49994566188750205782017-02-23T12:00:00.000-06:002017-02-23T15:07:23.862-06:00Water Works bill would hurt Des Moines residents; why is city supporting it?House File 316, drafted by Rep. Jarad Klein from Keota, a town 100 miles away from Des Moines, would dismantle Des Moines Water Works by making it a department of the city of Des Moines and reassign some DMWW assets to other area municipalities. Klein and his backers are laughably arguing that this bill, introduced in the House Committee on Agriculture, has something to do with regional governance. The bill’s real aim is to scuttle the lawsuit DMWW filed over agriculture pollution against drainage districts in three north-central Iowa counties.<br />
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Klein has received support for and, possibly, help to draft this vindictive bill from a group of lobbyists/attorneys who represent both the Iowa drainage districts and the city of Des Moines. While it can be argued such a glaring conflict of interest would prevent a group of attorneys from representing entities serving people on opposite sides of a federal court case, the support Klein is receiving from the Des Moines City Council is even more dubious.<br />
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Des Moines City Council Member Christine Hensley has been a vocal critic of the DMWW lawsuit. Now, Hensley’s city council has made the decision to support HF 316 outside of the public meeting process. The public does not know which council members support dismantling DMWW, although Mayor Frank Cownie told me he would remain neutral, and council member Skip Moore has stated his opposition.<br />
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If the Des Moines City Council had wished to expand DMWW board representation, it could have moved to do so on its own and long ago without this action by the General Assembly. The city could have authorized a referendum. Voters may have opted against giving up their assets and control in return for nothing, but the city could have asked.<br />
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The mayor, with the approval of the city council, appoints the board of DMWW, a responsibility the mayor appears to place low on his priority list. One member of the DMWW board, Dave Carlson, was appointed to a six-year term in 2003 when George W. Bush was a new president and Barack Obama was still an Illinois state senator. Carlson’s term expired in 2009, but the mayor could not be bothered to fill the seat until last week, nearly eight years or one full term plus two years after Carlson’s term expired. Other than deciding behind closed doors to back HF 316, the city council has never discussed the need or acted on regional governance. The council’s previous lack of interest and public action is suspect and should concern the people of this city.<br />
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Had the Des Moines City Council met in public to discuss HF 316, council members could have been asked if they would continue the lawsuit when the stripped DMWW became a department of the city. Avoiding this question is likely part of the reason the council ducked public debate.<br />
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The June DMWW trial will most likely be canceled should HF 316 become law — it will be argued the pending change in ownership of DMWW leaves the case without the filing party.<br />
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The dismantling of DMWW will give away assets owned by the people of Des Moines, and throw water management into disarray. Water rates will increase. Those advancing HF 316 wish to stop a lawsuit that might help curb water pollution, which harms public health and causes environmental damage from Iowa to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.<br />
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Klein, Hensley, Farm Bureau and company's goal is to circumvent the lawsuit instead of arguing the merits of a case they will likely lose.<br />
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The Des Moines City Council and those in the General Assembly who support HF 316 are working against the people of Des Moines and are standing in the way of efforts to protect Iowa’s water. The only ones who stand to benefit from HF 316 are the agriculture industry and the politicians they fund.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/1WdghjH" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a> . </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-80512501033477812412016-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:002017-02-23T15:07:38.494-06:00Let’s set politics aside and work to protect Iowa’s waterOn Election Day, President Barack Obama reminded Americans, “No matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning and America will still be the greatest nation on Earth.” He was, of course, correct. The morning revealed a people united in the pursuit of a more perfect union. We may occasionally disagree on which path to take, but we are bound by a shared belief that a government by the people is a government for the people. In trying times, we must rededicate ourselves to finding common ground. The obstacles in our way will not be overcome if we are distracted by political power struggles. Such conflict does nothing to solve the problems our nation, state and communities face.<br />
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Few issues are more vital to the future of Iowa and its people than Iowa’s increasingly polluted water. As chairman of the board of Des Moines Water Works, I am acutely aware that the political forces in our state have yet to find common ground on how to stem agriculture pollution. The federal lawsuit DMWW filed 18 months ago continues to wind its way through the legal process, but most Iowans agree, regardless of the outcome of this case, the solution will not come entirely from the court. Iowa must adopt reasonable measures to keep pollution from reaching waterways in the first place, which is why the DMWW board and many leaders involved in government, academia, business and the agriculture industry continue to seek reasonable plans to protect water cooperatively. However, some who are more interested in political retribution than adopting policies and programs to protect Iowa’s water are attempting to derail such cooperation.<br />
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Shortly after DMWW filed a lawsuit arguing drainage districts in three northern Iowa counties should be responsible for the quality of water they release, an agriculture industry-funded group began paying for television ads attacking DMWW’s leaders. Politicians in the General Assembly filed bills to penalize Des Moines for what Gov. Terry Branstad said was DMWW’s "war on rural Iowa." These ads, statements and political machinations were initiated to punish DMWW for raising the water pollution issue. No one can reasonably argue any of these actions forwarded constructive discussion.<br />
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The change in the balance of power at Iowa’s Statehouse has re-energized some who wish to protect narrow interests by thwarting DMWW’s lawsuit and its efforts to protect our most precious shared natural resource, water. One such punitive measure being revived by obstructionists is a bill aimed at effectively dismantling DMWW. This bill passed the Iowa House last year but died in the Senate. Those pushing a bill to rewrite Iowa Code Section 388.1 and other similar bills are doing so to halt the federal water pollution lawsuit, not to address any other matter.<br />
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DMWW is the regional supplier of safe, affordable drinking water for central Iowa. Established nearly 150 years ago, the people of Des Moines are both DMWW's primary customers and its owners. Today, water systems throughout the region are supplied by DMWW, meaning most every person in the area’s suburban communities, cities and counties drink DMWW water. We are committed to continuing to seek ways to collaborate, manage more efficiently and equitably govern. But don’t be fooled. The bill mentioned above is not an effort to govern better, it is a questionable maneuver designed to strip an asset from the people of Des Moines. Should it pass, it too will land in court. This bill is vindictive politics at its worst.<br />
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The issue is Iowa’s water quality. A few supported by narrow interests are trying to use the politics of division to distract. I love Iowa, and I firmly believe it and we are better than this. What we face is not a war between urban and rural interests. We are all on the same side as Iowans and as Americans. Let us agree to work together to protect water. We should argue about what path to take and then agree to use science and facts to help us decide together which route to take. Now is not the time for political retribution and obstruction. Now is the time to find common ground. Now is the time for progress.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/1WdghjH" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a> and The Gazette in Cedar Rapids. This link, <a href="http://bit.ly/2gEII8m">The Gazette in Cedar Rapids</a>, is an editorial that followed my essay. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-67123841745658598252016-05-08T00:01:00.000-05:002016-05-09T08:54:43.503-05:00It's time for more than talk on Iowa's water pollutionA few days after the New Year Governor Terry Branstad unveiled a water quality plan he called his “ biggest and boldest initiative” ever. Legislators’ hopeful statements about water policy echoed through the Capitol rotunda. After a year of verbal threats, suggestions of legislative retaliation and being disparaged by television ads funded by the Iowa Farm Bureau, my colleagues at Des Moines Water Works and I were cautiously optimistic. Perhaps this would be the year words would lead to action.<br />
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It was not to be.<br />
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Decades of talk in Iowa about curbing agriculture water pollution resulted in a plan that relies on volunteerism. The U.S. has not relied on voluntary compliance to control industrial air pollution. It would be foolhardy to so in the matter of agriculture water pollution. Iowa’s declining water quality demands more than optional compliance.<br />
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Not only did talk not lead to action during this year’s legislative session, most proposals discussed were misdirected – the Governor’s plan and many of the others amounted to little more than money for farmers, money not tied to results. Reasonable standards and regulation must be part of any successful effort to reduce agriculture water pollution.<br />
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<b>Effective action will consist of three components</b><br />
1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Stop pollution where it starts. Law and policy must ensure all water discharged into public waterways — regardless of whether from government, farm or other business— meets acceptable standards to protect public health.<br />
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A sustained funding mechanism linking dollars to permanent behavior change. All plans must include basic standards of care for all agriculture businesses — tailored to the landscape for maximum benefit.<br />
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Accountability measures establishing long-term responsibility for protecting the environment. The plans must include a timeline for pollution reduction requirements, benchmarks to assess progress, local watershed goals, and enforceable environmental protection duties. Scientifically verifiable water quality data must be collected, analyzed and reported, and made readily available to the public.<br />
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<b>Iowa’s water did not become suddenly polluted</b><br />
At the time the U.S. government was spending $375 million to build the Panama Canal, $300 million was being spent to drain Iowa’s wetlands, which once stretched across North Central Iowa. Thousands of miles of clay pipe, called tiles, were placed in trenches dug mostly by hand. These tiles carried groundwater to ditches. Ditches lead to streams. Streams lead to rivers, and eventually, this water empties into the Gulf of Mexico.<br />
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“Corn doesn’t like wet feet,” is a familiar farm saying. Landowners placed tiles a few feet underground in patterns specifically designed to whisk water away from crop root zones, the feet of crops like corn and, later, soybeans. Iowa law made it possible for owners of adjacent land parcels to form government drainage districts. Drainage districts coordinated the planning and construction of the intricate systems to carry groundwater from the valuable farmland that arose from marsh.<br />
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Meandering streams and rivers were redirected, becoming straight channels to expedite the increased water flow. Verdant marsh became fertile farmland. Iowa’s agriculture industry boomed, but the boom came with an environmental cost.<br />
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Crops use nutrients found in Iowa’s fertile, black soil, but farmers must continually apply additional nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to meet increasing yield demands. Nitrifying bacteria found in the soil break this fertilizer into nitrate. Nitrate finds its way into groundwater. Most of this groundwater would not have moved or would have moved slowly under natural circumstances, but, thanks to efficient modern drainage systems installed to keep the feet of crops dry, it now flows virtually unimpeded into streams and rivers.<br />
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High nitrate concentrations in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome, which decreases the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin and can lead to death. Research indicates nitrate contribute to cancer, thyroid conditions, and diabetes in others. These threats caused Congress to include a process for establishing standards for nitrate concentration levels in the 1974 Safe Water Drinking Act. Iowa’s rivers regularly surpass the federal regulation requiring drinking water contain no more than ten parts per million of nitrate.<br />
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<b>Ending Iowa’s water crisis will require leadership</b><br />
Iowa’s economy and farmers have profited for more than 100 years from human reengineering that forever altered the land and waterways of our state. The bill for Iowa’s ailing environment and protecting human health from polluted water is past due. Draining Iowa’s wetlands took political capital, cooperation, and concentrated effort. Fixing the resulting problems will take nothing less.<br />
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We must demand more than talk from those we elect. It is time for action.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/1WdghjH" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<br />GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-12876273748663455802016-02-28T15:27:00.000-06:002016-03-01T15:27:20.411-06:00Benchmarks and accountability needed to clean up Iowa's waterwaysAs they are with the stagnant national political climate, Iowans are growing weary of the debate over Iowa’s water pollution problem. Sadly, if fatigue drains public interest, common sense could be silenced and those who support the agriculture industry’s continued self-regulation without accountability will win.<br />
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Iowans need to stand together and insist lawmakers and policymakers act now.<br />
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Sensible laws limiting water contamination, holding agriculture landowners and renters responsible for the pollution they cause, and implementing plans for cleanup are required and long overdue. Voluntary measures will continue to have little impact.<br />
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While public discussion about what can be and needs to be done about Iowa’s fouled water was elevated last year, little has been accomplished. And, the General Assembly appears poised to let another year pass without taking significant action.<br />
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Every day Iowa’s water becomes more polluted with toxins discharged by the agriculture industry. These agrotoxins endanger public health, degrade the environment and threaten our state’s future. While it has been estimated the agriculture sector represents one-third of Iowa’s economy, protecting water is vital. For decades the needs of industry have been placed ahead of people and planet — the financial interests of the few trump the health and well-being of the many.<br />
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Agricultural production in the U.S. impacts water, soil, air, wildlife and human health has been estimated at a cost of $5.7-16.9 billion per year and few if any of these costs are borne directly by industry.*<br />
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In 2015 alone, Des Moines Water Works spent $1.5 million in operating costs to denitrify water largely polluted by agricultural tile drainage discharge. The costs of denitrification must be paid by ratepayers. Iowans are right to ask whether it is fair for taxpayers to be responsible for paying the costs of cleaning up industry’s pollution.<br />
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This summer more public beaches will be closed due to toxic algae blooms created by farm pollution, more Iowa waterways will be added to the 725 already designated as impaired for uses such as swimming and fishing and water utilities across Iowa face taking emergency measures to meet the standards imposed by the Safe Drinking Water Act.<br />
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Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy, our state policy for reducing nutrient pollution, remains voluntary for those involved in the agriculture industry, landowners and those renting the land alike. This toothless initiative lacks timelines for pollution reductions, plans for implementation, local watershed goals and mechanisms for funding the cleanup. Bold action is necessary to restore our rivers, lakes and streams. However, to achieve real progress, any water quality proposals or plans must include three key elements.<br />
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1. Stop pollution where it starts. Law and policy must ensure that all water discharged into public waterways — regardless of whether from farm, industry or municipality — meets acceptable, permitted limits, tailored to protect public health.<br />
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2. Include a sustained funding mechanism binding incentives to permanent behavior change. All plans must include basic standards of care for all agriculture businesses — tailored to the landscape for maximum benefit.<br />
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3. Include accountability measures in order to establish long-term duties to protect our shared environment. The plans must include a timeline for pollution reductions goals, benchmarks to assess progress, local watershed goals and enforceable environmental protection duties. This means scientifically verifiable water quality data must be collected, analyzed and reported, and made readily available to the public.<br />
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Governor Branstad and Iowa’s legislators have it in their power to act, but doing so means standing-up to powerful agriculture industry leaders. Tell the Governor and your other elected representatives it is time they stand with and for you. Saving Iowa’s water for Iowans is more important than protecting a powerful industry political group.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://bit.ly/1OFlBmT" target="_blank">print edition of The Gazette</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a></div>
<br />GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-18204240342880370482015-12-13T12:00:00.000-06:002016-01-20T12:25:47.145-06:00Proposals to clean Iowa's water are a start, but more will be neededWater pollution poses significant environmental and public health risks and has become a growing financial burden for Iowans. Recent water pollution proposals by <a href="http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/corbetts-engage-iowa-pushes-flat-income-tax-clean-water-20151117" target="_blank">Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett</a> and <a href="http://www.thegazette.com/subject/opinion/blogs/24-hour-dorman/a-second-plan-for-clean-water-20151210" target="_blank">State Senator Rob Hogg</a> included preliminary funding concepts, but more is needed. Payments to water utilities and additional farm subsidies are not enough to solve Iowa’s agriculture pollution problem.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBqgOkDhnKVwT0ze60qo_oXZPkxqDMFPaDPHv05qFUduYfI1seDNTEEtVp5qh9FOoDdp1LnjYRP7mLWUBHpfu1WzZ1u0qbYQm6r4as6ksx4W_MF1oOl2JnKonrg0aAts8D6EB9WV1EnGQ/s1600/AR-151219903.jpg%2526MaxH%253D1400%2526MaxW%253D1596.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBqgOkDhnKVwT0ze60qo_oXZPkxqDMFPaDPHv05qFUduYfI1seDNTEEtVp5qh9FOoDdp1LnjYRP7mLWUBHpfu1WzZ1u0qbYQm6r4as6ksx4W_MF1oOl2JnKonrg0aAts8D6EB9WV1EnGQ/s320/AR-151219903.jpg%2526MaxH%253D1400%2526MaxW%253D1596.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)</td></tr>
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The Corbett and Hogg proposals are, in part, reactions to a federal lawsuit filed by Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) against government drainage districts. DMWW took this action earlier this year after decades of failed attempts to engage state officials, agriculture industry representatives and community leaders to seek solutions.<br />
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Government drainage districts were built a century ago to empty natural wetlands and construct some of the world’s most fertile farmlands. Remarkable feats of ingenuity, these systems have been re-engineered over the years to move water from farm to river. Unfortunately, these systems also release large amounts of pollution into Iowa’s waterways. Legal responsibility for this pollution has not been assigned and its impact has been ignored, as pollution grows steadily worse.<br />
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Agriculture and chemical-polluted water being dumped by drainage districts is not the result of the latest rain, drought or some other act of Mother Nature. Intricate systems efficiently move water tainted with dangerous toxins from ground to waterway — water that would have stayed put or moved much more slowly without man’s intervention.<br />
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Drainage districts should have the same responsibility for what spills from their pipes as do sewer, stormwater utilities, and factories. Stopping polluted water at the source is central to the DMWW case.<br />
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Solving agriculture water pollution will take more than money. The Hogg and Corbett proposals present ways to pay for some water initiatives, but both lack the controls, monitoring and regulation needed to adequately ensure we stem the flow of agriculture pollutants.<br />
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An effective plan to reduce agriculture pollution must:<br />
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1. Improve testing and monitoring of waterways to pinpoint pollution sources and measure results of programs;<br />
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2. Create policies that assign responsibility and regulate all significant point sources of polluted discharge equally and without exclusion;<br />
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3. Fund cleanup of Iowa’s dirty water<br />
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These three elements are vital because many local water utilities and Iowans who draw water independent of public utilities often lack the information they need to evaluate water quality and the tools required to remove pollution.<br />
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It has been suggested the Hogg and Corbett proposals would be advanced in exchange for DMWW dropping its suit. Iowa’s problem is much larger than what has been raised in the DMWW suit. Without all three above elements, Iowans may realize little benefit in the short term and we will fail to make meaningful progress in reducing Iowa’s agriculture pollution long term.<br />
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Let me be clear, I applaud Senator Hogg and Mayor Corbett for adding something constructive to consider. This type of productive dialogue stands in contrast to the political ad campaign the so-called Iowa Partnership for Clean Water, an organization co-chaired by Mr. Corbett and largely funded by the Iowa Farm Bureau, has been waging for much of this year. As of this month, this group has spent over $550,000 on television ads criticizing Des Moines Water Works for filing its water pollution case and personally attacking DMWW officials. I am hopeful Mr. Corbett will suspend his participation in the creation of attack ads and fully embrace the process of finding meaningful solutions.<br />
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I am optimistic. Iowans have a history of working together to solve difficult problems. It is possible the Corbett and Hogg proposals are the first signs consequential progress can be made curtailing agriculture water pollution. But, it is important we understand that spreading a few dollars around to make a lawsuit go away is of little consequence if we do nothing to stop agriculture water pollution at the source.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">• Graham Gillette is chairman of the Des Moines Water Works Board of Trustees. Comments: grahamgillette@gmail.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://bit.ly/1YdlvbM" target="_blank">print edition of The Gazette</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Cedar Rapids, IA, USA41.9778795 -91.66562320000002741.7889735 -91.988346700000022 42.1667855 -91.342899700000032tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-57677578310439849992015-11-30T00:00:00.000-06:002015-11-30T08:17:31.429-06:00Lawsuit aims to reduce ag pollutionChristine Hensley offered an opinion [<a href="http://dmreg.co/1SW0jp2" target="_blank">Lawsuit can detract from water goals, Nov. 23</a>] in her capacity as co-chair of the Iowa Partnership for Clean Water. This is important to note because Hensley was not speaking for the city of Des Moines, where she serves on the City Council. Hensley raised her voice for a political organization largely funded by the Iowa Farm Bureau, a group that has spent over $400,000 on television attacking Des Moines Water Works for filing a water pollution case this year. Hensley’s piece is the latest act sanctioned by her allies to distract, confuse and distort facts with the hope Iowans will focus on anything but Iowa’s agriculture water pollution problem.<br />
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Agriculture water pollution poses significant environmental risks. Water pollution poses a threat to public health and a growing financial burden for DMWW ratepayers. For more than 20 years, DMWW engaged with state officials, agriculture industry representatives and community leaders to seek solutions. Only after it became apparent these conversations were not going to produce meaningful results did DMWW file a lawsuit in federal court — that is what reasonable people do when faced with critical problems that cannot be solved when one side is unwilling to recognize the other side’s rights.<br />
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When it comes to water pollution, big agriculture is fighting to maintain the status quo of inaction. Vocal agriculture industry leaders and their supporters don’t want enforceable pollution limits that may decrease profits. Hensley and the agriculture industry craft far-flung, incendiary suggestions hoping people will choose sides. This isn’t about sides in a political fight; it is about protecting a natural resource. The DMWW case against drainage districts in three counties has one thing at its core: limiting agricultural water pollution.<br />
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Government drainage districts were built to empty natural wetlands and construct some of the world’s most fertile farmlands. Remarkable feats of ingenuity, these systems continue to be re-engineered over the years to move water from farm to river. Unfortunately, these systems move pollution into rivers. Legal responsibility for this pollution has not been assigned and its impact has been ignored, as it grows steadily worse.<br />
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Agriculture- and chemical-polluted water being dumped by drainage districts is not the result of the latest rain, drought or some other act of Mother Nature. Intricate systems efficiently move water tainted with dangerous toxins from ground to waterway — water that would have stayed put or moved much more slowly without man’s intervention.<br />
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Drainage districts, like sewer, storm water utilities, and factories, discharge into rivers. Drainage districts should have the equal responsibility for what comes out of their pipes. This is the purpose of the DMWW case. Note, this does not place the burden on farmers individually, but on the collective government entities managing the land drainage infrastructure.<br />
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Rhetoric cannot obscure that the DMWW case has one aim: reducing agriculture water pollution at is source. There are steps Iowa can take now:<br />
<ol>
<li>Improve testing and monitoring of waterways to pinpoint pollution sources;</li>
<li>Create policies that assign responsibility and regulate all significant point sources of polluted discharge equally and without exclusion;</li>
<li>Fund cleanup of Iowa’s dirty water</li>
</ol>
DMWW has a proud history providing central Iowa with safe, affordable drinking water. I do not wish to minimize the myriad of issues raised in the previous essay. The cost of capital improvements and population growth are important, but they are unconnected. The issue is water pollution.<br />
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Water utilities and Iowans who draw water independent of public utilities should no longer be put at risk and placed fully on the hook for solving a problem created by industry upstream. DMWW is willing to collaborate to pursue solutions, but such an endeavor begins by honestly acknowledging water pollution is the problem and identifying its cause. Only then will Iowa be able to start solving its agriculture water pollution problem.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/VPDSua" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-9292022610127983032015-08-25T01:45:00.000-05:002015-08-26T09:49:22.688-05:00We need public discussion of Iowa's water problemsThe political organization founded and primarily funded by the Iowa Farm Bureau is making good on its promise to hold a discussion on Iowa’s nitrate polluted water. On Aug. 26, the Iowa Partnership for Clean Water will take a break from running television ads opposing the Des Moines Water Works lawsuit to host a discussion titled, “Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy and Rural/Urban Collaboration: Making a Meaningful Impact on Water Quality.” The group may deserve credit for taking this small step, but I encourage the group to think bigger and do more.<br />
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Des Moines Water Works CEO Bill Stowe has been invited and will participate in Wednesday’s discussion with staff members from the city of Cedar Rapids, the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. One of the political group’s leaders, Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett, will moderate the discussion.<br />
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The group has these goals for the meeting:<br />
<ol>
<li>An enhanced understanding of how to educate rural and urban Iowans about the Nutrient Reduction Strategy and its intended purpose;</li>
<li>Identify the most impactful rural and urban conservation practices that can be put to use;</li>
<li>Discuss the maximization of rural-urban partnerships and models for success that can be duplicated across the state.</li>
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It is unlikely the invitation-only event will help much, but it is something.<br />
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Iowa’s polluted water is causing great harm. The voluntary strategy the sponsor group has publicly defended is not having the impact Iowa needs. Education and understanding is important, but the so-called strategy will have little impact unless the science it contains is put to widespread use to combat the problem.<br />
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We should agree developing and implementing conservation practices is necessary and building rural-urban partnerships is a noble pursuit. But we must accept that the problems faced in one community are often dramatically different than those faced in another. For instance, the city of Cedar Rapids has used federal dollars and other resources to initiate some interesting tests, but Cedar Rapids takes its water from slowly dwindling aquifer supplies deep in the earth, while Des Moines relies on water from rivers that have seen a record number of days with nitrate concentration levels exceeding safe drinking water standards.<br />
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Iowa needs a real strategy, one that combines the science that is the backbone of the current document with:<br />
<ol>
<li>Improved testing and monitoring of Iowa’s water quality to pinpoint pollution sources;</li>
<li>Policies that regulate all significant point sources of polluted discharge without exclusion;</li>
<li>Funding to cleanup Iowa’s dirty water.</li>
</ol>
When public discussions occur that address these things, Iowa will at long last begin to position itself to take a bite out one of its most serious problems, polluted water. I am not sure what Wednesday’s discussion is designed to do, but it isn’t this. However, I remain optimistic. Perhaps soon Iowa policy makers will have productive public dialogue that begins to nibble around the edges of the actual issue.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/VPDSua" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-38440240056386996972015-08-02T01:42:00.000-05:002015-08-25T10:46:30.100-05:00Let’s stop denying ag pollution and start fixing itDes Moines Water Works commenced legal action in January against agricultural drainage districts in three northern counties because water pollution from drainage districts that turned wetlands into farmland poses significant health risks and a financial burden down river. This, however, is not just a DMWW issue.<br />
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This summer the Iowa Department of Natural Resources posted 14 swimming advisories cautioning Iowans to stay out of the water at 11 state parks due to toxic blue-green algae blooms, which feed on excess phosphorous and nitrogen mostly from agricultural discharge. The Boone water utility also violated safe drinking water standards due to high nitrate concentration.<br />
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For decades, DMWW has sought to work with government officials and groups to find solutions to water pollution. Time and again, the voices of those DMWW represents were silenced by big agriculture’s political machine. Their heavy-handed tactics have increased since the lawsuit was filed. An Iowa Farm Bureau formed group has spent more than $275,000 the last two months airing campaign-style attack ads. Those wishing to deny that farm-related water pollution is a problem continue to take to the media with misleading information.<br />
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It is time Iowans put a stop to politics as usual. Trade groups may see this as their latest public relations gambit, but I sense Iowans no longer want to gamble with water.<br />
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DMWW cannot compete with industry’s political war chest and it will not try. Iowa needs ideas, which turn into plans, which lead to action. Let’s examine one.<br />
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At its core, DMWW’s lawsuit has two goals, stopping agricultural pollution at its source and cleaning polluted waters. This must be done without over-burdening farmers or focusing on cleanup alone — it is better to keep pollutants from the waterways than it is to mitigate the problem after the pollutants have been released.<br />
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The following two-part idea contemplates managing the costs of limiting and cleaning pollution caused by commercial agriculture:<br />
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<b>1. Regulate all discharges into waterways: </b>The state should work with drainage districts and Iowans to develop comprehensive plans that empower and require drainage districts to meet the reasonable standards established by the Clean Water Act and other laws.<br />
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Discharge from drainage district pipes and systems into rivers, streams and other bodies of water is no different than any other man-made discharge, a city’s regulated storm water system, for example. Reasonable standards can be designed to protect the greater good by regulating drainage discharges.<br />
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Today, Iowa’s voluntary pollution compliance scheme puts too much on individual farmers. Iowa asks farmers to solve this problem alone voluntarily and to self-regulate — something we do not do with any other industry. Some farmers will and some will not. Good regulation provides incentives for those who do the right things and penalties for those who do not.<br />
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We all have an interest in this. We should all have a say and responsibility in solving the problem.<br />
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<b>2. Establish a clean water fund: </b>Help fund drainage districts’ clean water efforts and assist water providers to remove pollutants.<br />
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Ensuring discharge from drainage districts meet Clean Water Act standards will not be inexpensive, but it is far more effective and better for the environment to attack the problem at the source than it is to absorb the impact and cleanup costs downstream.<br />
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Most of the clean water fund should be used to stop pollutants from entering in the first place, but this will take time and the costs for downstream cleanup need to be part of the effort as well.<br />
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The cost of keeping pollutants from being discharged should not be borne by drainage districts alone. State and federal government resources need to part of the mix.<br />
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The clean water fund could be underwritten through a special sales tax, fertilizer taxes or some combination of these and other revenue sources.<br />
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But before we get bogged down in the details of how, let’s agree on the concept. No farmer, drainage district, water utility or community is in this alone.<br />
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The problem of Iowa’s water pollution is troublesome, but I am betting Iowans are up to solving it. The first step is to stop denying that a problem exists. The next is putting our heads together to decide how to act now to protect our shared water resource.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/VPDSua" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-13733502943680547832015-07-11T10:37:00.000-05:002015-08-25T10:48:57.981-05:00We cannot forget SrebrenicaToday marks 20 years since the Srebrenica genocide. July 1995 saw more than 8,000 men and boys in and around the small mountain town of Srebrenica massacred. This crime, committed during the brutal Bosnian War, resulted in the largest single loss of human life on European soil since World War II.<br />
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People will rightfully gather in Des Moines this Sunday to remember, as they will in villages, towns and cities around the world, because we cannot afford to forget.<br />
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The United Nations had declared the besieged enclave of Srebrenica in the Drina Valley of northeastern Bosnia a “safe area” in 1993. On the eve of the massacre some 400 Dutch peacekeepers stood watch but quickly fell to paramilitary units of Bosnian Serbs and from Serbia’s regulars. One of the units from Serbia, the Scorpions, which had officially been part of the Serbian Interior Ministry until 1999, bolstered by several hundred Greek and Russian volunteers swept into the area and proceeded to commit the atrocities. The killing force was coordinated and directed by the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) under the command of General Ratko Mladić.<br />
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The Preliminary List of People Missing or Killed in Srebrenica compiled by the Bosnian Federal Commission of Missing Persons contains 8,373 names. The forcible transfer of between 25,000 and 30,000 Bosniak women, children and elderly accompanied the massacre.<br />
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In 2005, Kofi Annan, the secretary-general of the United Nations, laid blame first and foremost with those who planned and carried out the massacre and those who assisted and harbored them, but went on to say the U.N. had failed to respond adequately — the U.N. itself had made serious errors of judgment and the tragedy of Srebrenica would haunt the U.N.’s history forever.<br />
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“Our most important duty, even while addressing the crimes of the past, is to prevent such systematic slaughter from recurring anywhere in the present and future. The world must equip itself to act collectively against genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. The ‘responsibility to protect’ must be given tangible meaning, not just rhetorical support,” Annan said.<br />
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People will assemble this weekend to pay tribute to the fallen, but as important, to rededicate themselves to this responsibility.<br />
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On a personal note, the Bosnian War brought me a brother, Amir Busnov. Amir and his family escaped the war and settled in Des Moines. Our kids went to school together. He is a patriot having served our country in many roles in multiple conflicts. Amir has taught me many things over the years.<br />
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A few years ago as many were talking about how America’s latest war in Iraq was winding down, Amir and I met for one of our long world problem solving lunches. Having just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, Amir painted a bleak picture of that country’s future — one that sadly has become reality. Erasing ethnic tensions isn’t something that can be done with might alone, he said. Understanding, equality and opportunity have to be part of the mix. Most of all, the powerful cannot turn their backs on the downtrodden with a belief that time and economic support and/or sanctions alone will counterbalance evil.<br />
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Not being able to wait until our lunch after Ramadan, I asked Amir to reflect on the Srebrenica anniversary. Amir is incapable of looking back without contemplating the future — it is always that way with the wiser brother.<br />
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“Reconciliation will not be possible without Serbia confronting the demons of her past. In any successful peace building process truth must be sought regardless of how painful it may be,” Amir told me.<br />
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Amir, who pays close attention to the words and actions of others, goes on to say “insisting on rhetoric that hides behind ‘we are all equally guilty’ will only poison relationships in the region for generations to come. Truth is the cornerstone upon which a solid future can be built. No amount of force or money can be a substitute.”<br />
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I will stand with my Bosnian brother Amir and all who will rise across the globe this Sunday to remember those lost 20 years ago in the now peaceful mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina.<br />
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The Srebrenica genocide stands as a reminder to the world that when we act to protect others from genocide, we protect civilization itself.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Commemoration Sunday - Bosniak-American Association of Iowa will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre 1-4 p.m. Sunday at the State Historical Museum, 600 E. Locust St., Des Moines. The event will feature a panel of genocide survivors and other speakers. The event is free. More information can be found on the Facebook page “Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of Srebrenica Genocide.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/VPDSua" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-15892690540281359932015-07-03T00:33:00.000-05:002015-08-25T10:34:00.750-05:00How race still mattersOur national race problem bubbled to the surface following the painful tragedy in Charleston where nine people lost their lives at the hands of a lone gunman. The white shooter made it clear he went to Emanuel AME Church to kill people who were black. Race mattered.<br />
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In the following days, the Confederate battle flag that has flown on the South Carolina Capitol grounds and on government property in other Southern states has again been pointed to as, quite literally, a prominent symbol of racism in America. Proponents of flying this emblem of a civil war that ended 150 years ago dismiss the flag's racist symbolism and claim the stars and bars has more to do with heritage than hate. No amount of word twisting can wipe the blood and hatred from a standard that has been carried by men in white robes and worn proudly by so many who acted on hate, as did the evil killer in Charleston. Race mattered.<br />
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On June 18 the Wall Street Journal urged readers to not overemphasize race in the killings in Charleston, arguing that the crazed murderer acted alone. The Journal quoted President Barack Obama's reference to remarks made by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. regarding the September 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. that killed four black girls. But, while the editorial acknowledged the reference was appropriate, it crossed a line with, "today the system and philosophy of institutionalized racism identified by Dr. King no longer exists." Tell that to the families of the victims in Charleston gunned down by a man comforted by a fetid portion of our country that swaddled him in the hatred of others. Race mattered.<br />
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As with many American tragedies, much good has sprouted in the wake of nine moving going-home celebrations that did not have to happen so soon. The tears have slowed. And, we Americans have, at least for the moment, felt a little more willing to address our national racial divide.<br />
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My daughter is serious about her pursuit of dance, so it is understandable why Misty Copeland is a big deal in our house and why the next thing I bring up was something to be celebrated. On Tuesday, Copeland became the first African-American woman to be named a principal in the 75-year history of the American Ballet Theater. There are some who will say we should applaud Copeland because she earned this spot as a dancer, not because of her skin color — Misty Copeland, they will say, is an exquisite dancer who "happens to be black." It might be easy for a white person such as I to say such a thing, but I doubt a person of color sees it that way. Race mattered.<br />
<br />
Copeland has overcome many obstacles. She articulates well what it took to overcome each thing that "happened" to her. At a news conference this week she said: "I had moments of doubting myself, and wanting to quit, because I didn't know that there would be a future for an African-American woman to make it to this level. At the same time, it made me so hungry to push through, to carry the next generation. So it's not me up here — and I'm constantly saying that — it's everyone that came before me that got me to this position."<br />
<br />
Copeland's race matters to her and it should to the rest of us because she became the first of her race to achieve this remarkable honor. Let's hope race won't matter for those children inspired to follow the great Misty Copeland. But, today, sadly it still does.<br />
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<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/VPDSua" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-71586915944443308192015-02-07T22:28:00.000-06:002015-08-25T10:29:53.334-05:00Iowa View: Terrorists are driven by hate, not Islam<h4 style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By Amir Busnov</span></h4>
I consider myself many things. I am a husband, a father and a son. I am a patriot, proud to have served overseas as a member of the National Guard and multiple back-to-back tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as an intelligence analyst for the Department of Defense. And I am a Muslim.<br />
<br />
Yet in a country where politicians fall over themselves reminding us freedom of religion is to be held sacred and the rights of the individual are central to who we are as a people, I am too often made to feel I should hide who I am or, worse, apologize for an insane lot who pervert religion to justify barbaric acts.<br />
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Like most people of faith, my religion guides me to be the best husband, father, son and patriot I can be. I am not responsible for, nor can I defend, lunatics bent on bringing destruction and death 10,000 miles away, any more than can my Christian neighbor be responsible for or required to defend the white supremacist who bombed a Colorado NAACP office late last year. It is hard to comprehend a racist, twisted mind convincing the perpetrator it is his religious duty to set a bomb. It is even more difficult to understand what causes terrorists to act with such brutality.<br />
<br />
Radicals who murder and destroy are dangerous regardless of the brand they create to recruit others to their demented cause. Nutbags such as these are a threat and should be stopped in their tracks by the majority of people in this world who are committed to peace. However, those who use the pulpit of Fox News, talk radio and political campaign gatherings to blame "radical Islam" for trouble in the world are sowing the seeds of something vile right here at home.<br />
<br />
There is no radical Islam any more than there is radical Christiandom. The murderers in Paris and the ISIS psychopaths kidnapping, torturing and killing in the Middle East are not following religious teachings — they are using and perverting parts of a religion in the pursuit of evil.<br />
<br />
According to the most recent Iowa Poll, two out of five likely Republican caucus participants are inclined to view Islam as an inherently violent religion that inspires brutality by its followers. This is not a belief that took root overnight. Since 9/11, talking heads have taken to the airwaves and spoken to political gatherings painting with a broad brush of rhetoric, using hateful hues to malign and misinform. These rabble-rousers have used fear to build a political platform on which they hope to falsely stand as the defenders of liberty. According to the Iowa Poll, it appears a growing number of people self-identified as politically conservative have come to embrace what these demagogues have been spewing.<br />
<br />
Americans need to reject the wrongheaded notion Islam is inherently evil and send a message to those who preach it that we expect more in this country. Evil was not spawned by this peaceful religion. We are wise to remember history is littered with examples of evil finding footing amidst the chaos created when people turn on one another. Hitler was not a Christian zealot. He was a madman who came to power when too many otherwise good people turned the other way and did not stand up to challenge him.<br />
<br />
As a young Bosnian, I stood witness as extremists with weapons blessed by Christian priests killed some 8,000 boys and men. These extremists and the agents of the Holocaust were driven by hate, not by their religion. Americans must unite to eradicate those committing terror atrocities. We will only be able to so if we reject simpleminded bigotry and hatred first.<br />
<br />
I am a husband, a father, a son, a patriot and a Muslim. I am proud to be each of these things, and there is nothing radical about that.<br />
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AMIR BUSNOV of Windsor Heights is adjunct instructor of international relations and politics of terrorism at Des Moines Area Community College. Contact: a.busnov@mchsi.comGrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-25304865002928388242015-01-18T00:23:00.000-06:002015-08-25T10:26:00.711-05:00Water Works: Lawsuit would offer 'reset button'<h4 style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By Graham Gillette and Bill Stowe</span></h4>
The Des Moines Water Works board of trustees voted unanimously on Jan. 8 to pursue legal action under the citizen suit provision of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, commonly known as the Clean Water Act. Des Moines Water Works did so only after exhausting every reasonable effort to engage in productive dialogue about the increasing presence of agricultural pollution in the water supply. It is our belief and great hope that such dialogue can still occur, and we stand ready to be a part of the solution.<br />
<br />
For the last decade nitrate levels in both the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers, the primary source of water for the approximately 500,000 people we serve, have been peaking at concentrations and loadings dangerous to humans. For even longer, Des Moines Water Works representatives have been engaged in discussions and have served on numerous study commissions, task forces and similar cooperative efforts with the state of Iowa, local governments, businesses, agricultural interests, academia, citizen groups and individuals to explore ways to stem this threat to Iowa and Iowans.<br />
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Efforts such as these are only successful when those who begin on opposite sides of an issue are able to put their own interests aside and acknowledge the difficulties their counterparts face. Unfortunately, Iowa's voluntary Nutrient Reduction Strategy places agriculture's interests first. Under this scheme, the people of Iowa are left to blindly trust that those upstream are taking steps to improve water quality. The state has been unwilling to put even regular monitoring and testing measures in place to show if its so-called strategy is working.<br />
<br />
We acknowledge and honor the important role agriculture plays in Iowa. Further, we understand reducing nitrate and agriculture pollution in our waterways is a difficult issue that will not be solved in 60 months, let alone 60 days. Contrary to Gov. Terry Branstad's assertion, the lawsuit we intend to pursue is not the first shot fired in some fictitious war between Des Moines and rural Iowa. It is an effort to push a reset button on the unproductive discussions of recent years.<br />
<br />
Des Moines Water Works is seeking agreement on a few simple facts and that entities such as agricultural drainage districts be subject to reasonable standards. If necessary, we are prepared to ask the courts to help mediate this matter, but we remain ready to seek solutions in less litigious ways.<br />
<br />
It is important to remember that this issue is not about run-off from farm fields. Today's highly engineered and increasingly efficient drainage districts in our watershed move groundwater infused with nitrate from intensive agriculture operations directly through a complex system of pipes to the stream heads and rivers that serve as the water source for a large portion of our state. If left to its natural course, much of this groundwater would never move into rivers and streams and that which does would be filtered through a natural process that would reduce the nitrate concentration considerably.<br />
<br />
Dumping polluted groundwater into the waterways is causing significant environmental damage and putting people downstream at risk. Des Moines Water Works is asking that drainage districts seek and receive the same permit other entities do and that the water being handled by drainage districts be required to meet reasonable standards before being dumped into the water system we all rely upon to survive.<br />
<br />
Des Moines Water Works has been running its costly de-nitrification facility since Dec. 4 to meet safe drinking standards. Operating this facility at this time of year is unprecedented. Should the nitrate levels continue to trend upwards in the years to come, Des Moines Water Works will be forced to replace this facility to meet the Des Moines area's water needs. Current estimates show such a facility will cost between $76 million and $183 million. The lawsuit we are contemplating involves much more than dollars. However, potential costs such as these and the ones that have been incurred and are being incurred cannot be minimized.<br />
<br />
We stand ready to engage in any effort and discussion aimed at reducing pollutants in Iowa's water system. However, we would be shirking our responsibility if we did not take action to protect the interests of those we serve.<br />
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<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/VPDSua" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-59623214389106119122014-10-17T00:01:00.000-05:002014-10-17T10:24:50.932-05:00NBC News shows how not to atone for a mistakeNBC News chief medical correspondent Nancy Snyderman and her team were exposed to Ebola while reporting from Africa. Ashoka Mukpo, the team's cameraman, was infected with the disease and is now being treated in Omaha.<br />
<br />
Upon their return to the United States, Snyderman and the rest of her crew told the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as state and local health officials, and, with great fanfare, NBC viewers that the entire team would voluntarily remain in isolation for three weeks.<br />
<br />
News broke this week that Snyderman violated the self-imposed quarantine. Snyderman was spotted at a New Jersey restaurant on Oct. 9. It is unknown if she visited other public places.<br />
<br />
Trying to get out in front of the story, NBC News and Snyderman issued a statement during the Monday broadcast. Now that we know it was the medical professional herself who disregarded public safety, Monday's statement calls into question NBC's judgment as much as it does its once highly respected medical expert.<br />
<br />
The network news organization and its medical correspondent owed the public an apology for Snyderman's careless behavior. Instead, NBC and Snyderman issued a statement that failed to mention it was Snyderman who broke the quarantine and, more important, failed to disclose any details about how, when and where Snyderman went during her escape from quarantine.<br />
<br />
Snyderman should have fessed up and taken responsibility. She did not and, for that, NBC and Snyderman should be ashamed. Snyderman put others at risk and Monday's NBC News statement makes it appear NBC is more concerned about preserving its reputation and that of its senior correspondent than reporting on the wrongdoing of one of its own.<br />
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<span id="goog_693422685"></span><span id="goog_693422686"></span>Anchor Brian Williams read this statement on Monday: "While under voluntary quarantine guidelines, which called for our team to avoid public contact for 21 days, members of our group violated those guidelines and understand that our quarantine is now mandatory until 21 days have passed."<br />
<br />
Snyderman said in a separate statement, "We remain healthy and our temperatures are normal. As a health professional, I know that we have no symptoms and pose no risk to the public, but I am deeply sorry for the concerns this episode caused. We are thrilled that Ashoka is getting better and our thoughts continue to be with the thousands affected by Ebola whose stories we all went to cover."<br />
<br />
After learning of Snyderman's transgression last Friday, New Jersey health officials issued a mandatory quarantine for the NBC team of journalists that will be in effect until Oct. 22.<br />
<br />
NBC News and Snyderman were less than forthcoming with the public. This is disappointing. When trying to earn back public trust after a mistake is made, organizations and those who work for them need to openly share facts and explain what is being done to prevent that trust from being broken again.<br />
<br />
Instead, NBC News and Snyderman tried to distract the public from her role in the story. They owed viewers details about how the senior medical editor put her neighbors in danger. The apology needed to come from Snyderman. Instead it was made to sound that someone else on her team transgressed.<br />
<br />
Moreover, Snyderman's claims that as a health professional she knows she poses no risk to others makes one wonder if the doctor first agreed to the 21-day quarantine out of concern for other's health or NBC News' ratings.<br />
<br />
It is fair for us to expect better from a physician and a leading national news organization.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/VPDSua" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-61366459919155163562014-08-28T10:44:00.000-05:002014-08-28T10:47:03.829-05:00Time to halt bipartisan ‘me, me, me’<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The opinion polls seem to indicate Americans see the 113th Congress as the sorriest lot of do-nothing scoundrels to ever walk the marble hallways of the nation’s capitol. And, that’s saying something considering in his time Mark Twain said, “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.”<br />
<br />
History will judge the current Congress, but when it comes to what the 435 members of the House and 100 senators value most, it appears they are more alike than not. Almost to a person, when faced with the choice between service to country and service to self, few among them allow party to cloud their thinking. Service to self wins nearly every time among the elected class, proving a perverse form of bipartisanship is alive and well in Washington.<br />
<br />
Let’s examine this week’s Whopper scandal to demonstrate why this is true.<br />
<br />
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Burger King was in the market to buy Tim Hortons, a Canadian coffee and donut chain. Burger King is mainly pursuing this acquisition to allow it to take advantage of a tax loophole that allows U.S. companies to move their headquarters out of the country to avoid paying U.S. taxes.<br />
<br />
<b>Burger King is not the first</b> or only U.S. company to consider such a move. Walgreens did until it changed direction a few weeks ago in the face of customer and public backlash. Burger King is navigating a similar public relations flame-licking. It took what seemed nanoseconds following Sunday’s news about Burger King for TV talking heads and others to threaten a boycott of all things Whopper.<br />
<br />
But, protesting every company considering a move out of country to avoid paying U.S. taxes — as unpatriotic as such a move is — kind of misses the point. Our attention should be focused on Congress, the only body capable of stopping this destructive tide.<br />
<br />
There are two things that Congress and Congress alone can do to stop companies from moving out of the country and taking American jobs and tax revenue with them. The first and most efficient is to pass a bill that closes the tax loophole. The second is to pass additional tax reform measures that simplify the U.S. tax code and remove the other existing corporate incentives to flee our shores.<br />
<br />
A Democratic proposal to close this tax loophole has been sitting in a drawer for months, and a number of Republican proposals to reform the corporate tax code have been collecting dust since Ronald Reagan was president.<br />
<br />
<b>Both approaches have merit,</b> but the Rs say they won’t consider the Ds’ proposal unless the Ds consider theirs. Or, is it the other way around? It doesn’t matter.<br />
<br />
Both sides refuse to do the jobs they were elected to do, because they would rather spew heated rhetoric to imply they stand on some vague principal and point fingers in an attempt to place blame with the opposing party than take action that is good for the country.<br />
<br />
Allowing American jobs and companies to leave home is more acceptable to most in Congress than finding a compromise that may not be immediately popular with some voters or — even worse in many a candidate’s opinion — some donors.<br />
<br />
There is an election in November that will determine which impotent political party will have the most votes in Washington. For the first time in my adult life, I am not sure it will matter which party wins. The majority of Democrats and Republicans who are on the ballot share an ideology of self-interest. But, as disgusting as they seem, these office seekers are not alone to blame.<br />
<br />
<b>We voters have the power</b> to change things. While it is important for us to identify what isn’t working in American politics, we need to remember it is up to us to elect people willing to do the job to the best of their ability — putting we before me — instead of those motivated to protect themselves.<br />
<br />
Me, me, me.<br />
<br />
It is time we stop the bipartisanship of self-preservation by electing representatives united in finding solutions to the problems our nation faces. We need to send a strong and unequivocal message to candidates.<br />
<br />
It is no longer acceptable for a candidate to tell us what is wrong with the other side. To win our support, a candidate should prove he is willing to put his shoulder behind the proverbial wheel of our government and help move this country forward.<br />
<br />
Partisanship will fade when we the people insist the interest of the many is placed before the interests of the elected few.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/VPDSua" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-67847223412451309292014-08-16T07:46:00.000-05:002014-08-28T10:47:36.506-05:00Unprepared for parenting and teaching BBQIn the light of a golden summer morning we sent him out into the world.<br />
<br />
There must have been other sounds: buses, cars, people talking, birds chirping, doors closing. I only remember the whisper of his fading footsteps. And, I know that is likely little more than a figment of a father grappling to stop time anyway.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmjg8bxwHQwQELZKx8Hcy7lGecVGfw98vwdIO2VHudSsQnhXkAuA7MlwxnXYe5H_nA55VnaypIZgtvSQdpE5PnvLB2lx5qtrXhIT0gAMMwwfqeCdyUujJKB2X-Am1EwNXt_tAA89QSzNs/s1600/DSC_0436+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmjg8bxwHQwQELZKx8Hcy7lGecVGfw98vwdIO2VHudSsQnhXkAuA7MlwxnXYe5H_nA55VnaypIZgtvSQdpE5PnvLB2lx5qtrXhIT0gAMMwwfqeCdyUujJKB2X-Am1EwNXt_tAA89QSzNs/s1600/DSC_0436+crop.jpg" height="320" width="107" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Connor Gillette, a 2014 <br />
graduate of Roosevelt <br />
High School, is a <br />
midshipman at the <br />
U.S. Naval Academy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There was an indescribable joy witnessing the boy I held not so long ago walk away a man. But, the ache in my heart grew as he turned the corner and headed into his future.<br />
<br />
The air was dense and the ground wobbled beneath me as I thought of the many things I never taught him. I never showed him how to check the oil in a car. We never went snow skiing. Does he know how to light a BBQ grill?<br />
<br />
I had 18 years to do these simple things and I now fear I wasted too much of them.<br />
<br />
We start the slow trudge back to our hotel with our two other children. As we head up the tree-shaded hill we pass a couple also on their way from the great parting. Empty-nesters walking. We decide to get something to eat. Mostly, we wonder what Connor is doing.<br />
<br />
It occurs to me if every parent was as wholly and entirely unprepared for the job as I had been, the advancement of humankind would have ceased long ago.<br />
<br />
Parents bungle along, feeling our way, making mistakes, finding success, being scared and experiencing joy greater than we ever thought possible. This learn-as-you-go activity of parenting, more than any other human endeavor, teaches us we mortals are capable of playing a role in creating something far greater than we will ever be, our children.<br />
<br />
A few of the sounds of the world begin to register in my foggy mind and I convince myself it is a safe bet my son's inability to check a car's oil has probably not caused him a significant problem in the 30 minutes since we dropped him off.<br />
<br />
Later, as the sun sinks in the sky over the Annapolis marina, I say a silent prayer of thanks for family, for the smell of newborn babies, for holding the hand of a child giggling on new green grass as sparkling wet diamonds spew from the lawn sprinkler, for lying together as fear brought by a dark night's thunder retreats, for the gift of quiet Sunday afternoons that give children and parents strength to face what awaits outside the front door on Monday morning, for long winter nights anticipating a snow day and longer summer days playing in cool waters, for learning that together is the best way to solve the problems of one.<br />
<br />
The twinge that started a few months ago as high school graduation day neared and turned into an ache as Connor walked into Alumni Hall this morning will never fade. I must learn to live with it — worry is part and parcel of a parent's love.<br />
<br />
Our family is making the transition many others will in the days and weeks to come. Some children will set off to college and others will head toward a different point on the horizon, captains of their own destinies. We parents must accept we no longer pilot the ship. We are the supporting crew who remain in harbor.<br />
<br />
The breeze and the metallic tinkling noise of the riggings of the rocking sailboats in the marina are all I hear. I slip my hand into my wife's as we head toward what's next. Despite the trivial things we haven't yet shared, I know Connor is prepared and so must I be.<br />
<br />
I resolve to teach him how to BBQ the first time he comes home.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published in the <a href="http://dmreg.co/1vUnYPz" target="_blank">print edition of the Des Moines Register</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50312, USA41.5774667 -93.67753619999996341.5299552 -93.758217199999962 41.6249782 -93.596855199999965tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-69223206843939147602014-03-28T15:32:00.000-05:002014-04-03T15:34:21.709-05:00Farewell to TransparencyWe bid farewell to our trusted friend, transparent, and all of its forms, including my personal favorite, transparency. Transparent’s untimely passing came earlier today when another nameless, faceless politician feebly vowed to bring “further transparency” to some government action or matter of public interest. For a reason we shall never fully understand, this last abuse of definition was simply more than our overworked and misused friend could bear.<br />
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Perhaps transparent was too good for this world. His over-achieving heart finally gave out. We knew deep down it was simply impossible to make the clear passage of light more clear, to make things entirely visible more visible, to make something free from pretense or deceit more free, or to make things readily understood further understood. Yet, too many had irrational expectations for transparent and too many untenable modifiers were placed before this kind word.<br />
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Before we say our final goodbyes, I would like to share a few thoughts shared by one of transparent’s good friends. Unique was unable to join us as she too is suffering from mangled definition abuse.<br />
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“Transparent, may you make the leap to the hereafter with the grace you lived in this language. I may join you soon as it becomes increasingly difficult for me to live up to the unreasonable expectations of modern English. It once was good enough to be the only one or without equal. I know not how to be more without equal or more one-of-a-kind. It is a cruel death to have your life’s meaning stripped away with each careless stroke of the pen or wag of the tongue. I am suffering the indignity of being redefined like so many words who have gone before have. While a few dictionary writers insist it is acceptable to update my definition to include the word unusual, I am not sure I have the fortitude to live the rest of my days in the company of vague words such as fairly. I applaud you for standing up to these bullies and making a dignified exit. Thank you for sharing yourself with us, for being you, and for making us see each other as we were intended. I am not sure how we will manage in your absence.”<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published as a <a href="http://bit.ly/ggillette" target="_blank">Des Moines Register online essay</a>.</span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-9680046918478103872014-01-31T11:34:00.000-06:002014-03-05T11:33:54.714-06:00Des Moines Schools' Doubling Down on IB comes with a High Price<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em;">
I am not a trained educator. But, I have been an education advocate for more than 20 years and as a former Des Moines school board member, parent and businessman who has been involved in economic development issues for even longer, I know well how important it is to fund the diversity of programs required to advance students across the learning spectrum.</div>
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I am proud of the education my three children have received as students of Des Moines Public Schools. They have excelled in ways I could have never imagined thanks to the creative teachers and sound programming available in our schools. My oldest son will head off to the United States Naval Academy later this year. He will tell you, as will I, he earned this honor in large part because he was a student of the outstanding Des Moines Central Academy. Connor is only one of thousands of Central students who have been able to go on to great things because of this proven, award-winning program.</div>
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><img alt="Des Moines Central Academy" class="size-medium wp-image-314938" data-mce-src="http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1508176_720754141276131_425633972_n-300x300.jpg" src="http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1508176_720754141276131_425633972_n-300x300.jpg" height="300" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; border: 0px none; cursor: default; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="300" /></dt>
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Central Academy is a district-wide program that challenges students to achieve in a learning environment geared to their abilities. Central Academy allows the Des Moines Schools to offer advanced placement, language and other classes in a centralized location to students from across the district. It would not be financially feasible for Des Moines to provide a similar level of instruction and learning if it were to try to recreate these classes at individual high schools. A dismantling of Central Academy would mean students at some high schools would have better access to some classes than would others who live across town. Yet, Des Moines Schools is on the verge of pursuing a plan to do just that.</div>
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Des Moines Schools is taking steps to offer fewer of the classes that have made Central a national education model in an effort to bolster the International Baccalaureate (IB) program that has had difficulty gaining traction in our district. Des Moines has struggled to recruit enough high school students to the IB program to justify the millions of dollars the district has invested in IB. The superintendent is doubling down on IB by shrinking a Central Academy that is working well so the district will have space and resources to gamble on the program that has yet to take hold in Des Moines.</div>
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Such thinking is wrongheaded.</div>
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Today, Des Moines Schools officials quietly started spreading the word Central Academy classes such as Environmental Science, US Government, and Statistics would be replaced with IB geared classes like Microeconomics, Computer Science, Art History and Spanish Literature. This is much more than a minor change in class offerings. If this plan is implemented, it will represent a significant departure in Central Academy’s focus and will result in a loss of accessibility to a core group of Advanced Placement courses for a majority of Des Moines high school students.</div>
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Few educators will argue against the merits of a well-run IB program. Its curriculum is also proven and many students across the globe have benefitted from it. But, the choice between IB and Central Academy is a false one. Building a successful IB program should not and must not come at the expense of Central Academy, a program that has a long track record of achievement.</div>
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The mission of Des Moines School is to create programs for students in every corner of the district. If the Des Moines School Board takes Central Academy apart in an effort to prop up its latest project of the moment, IB, the people of Des Moines will lose because our district will give up something remarkable in the process. Someday the Des Moines IB program may reach the student levels the District has promised it would, but if it does so at the price of Central Academy, Des Moines will be much the less for it.</div>
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Added 2:10 p.m., 1/31/2014<br />
Because blogs are living documents capable of being commented upon and, one could hope, evolving, I would like to update this piece based on some conversations I have had with others.</div>
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One teacher friend of mind pointed out "Every (DMPS) high school is offering AP Env. Sci. and Gov. and, in most cases, have more than one section of them! I can't speak to AP Statistics, but I know we have it at North (with multiple sections again). So it seems as if DMPS is trying to eliminate duplicate offerings, not trying to dismantle Central Academy. Many classes will still need to be offered there because they are not offered at the comprehensive high schools."</div>
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My friend raises a interesting point and one that forces me to consider one of my previous assumptions about accessibility to AP classes. If the classes being cut from Central are being made available at the individual high schools to the standards they have been offered at Central, I could see why DMPS may want to eliminate them at Central. But, we should not lose sight of the second piece of my statement, these classes have to meet the same standard they do at Central.</div>
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To that point, a student friend of mine chimed in with "At Central Academy the quality of education, teacher involvement, & peer competition is irreplaceable at a home school for those students who do want to get the best education the public school system can offer."</div>
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I thank these two friends and others who have challenged me on this piece, what I seek passionately (perhaps, too passionately at times) to protect at Central Academy is not any individual course offering or group of courses. I fight for the all too uncommon atmosphere Central Academy creates that helps students from across our district to highly achieve. If classes are being moved to home high schools to make room for IB or some other program and the classes fall even slightly short of the standard at which they have been taught at Central Academy, our district loses something valuable.</div>
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Added 10:30 a.m., 2/1/2014<br />
I have had the opportunity to talk to many teachers, students, district personnel and one school board member about this issue during the last 24 hours. The DMPS officials assure me this change has nothing to do with downgrading AP standards. The AP classes offered at the individual high schools will meet or exceed the standards set at Central. If true, this is welcome news. Time will tell, but I must say I am assured by their confidence and willingness to talk this through.</div>
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Let me end with something I believe strongly. It is crucial DMPS preserve and bolster Central Academy. It is a proven entity that has helped thousands of students achieve great things over the years. One glaring fault of Central is that there remain students in our district who do not take advantage of the programs offered at Central. However, this problem cannot be solved by offering a handful of classes in our individual high schools. Central offers a learning environment and camaraderie that, without exaggeration, changes the trajectory of many learners. The goal should be to grow this unique program by increasing the diversity of its student body, not break it apart and sending its pieces back to individual schools.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published as a <a href="http://bit.ly/ggillette" target="_blank">Des Moines Register online essay</a>.</span></div>
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GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-74601381355769941302013-11-11T08:30:00.000-06:002013-11-11T09:21:09.619-06:00Make Some Noise this Veterans’ Day“The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWODrGO43ER0FRoh9mMOY5FNiNyLlniK-XocYkS1PlRPbncV9EYMZD2eQWX65SJPGbPuRFJfqWn4Bkb9ukDdBbvhEbwnGrZQCrpcZosqWYDCqqxWPsqAkWMTDqqzGoBoqMKMQEDxqfB9qo/s1600/Veterans+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWODrGO43ER0FRoh9mMOY5FNiNyLlniK-XocYkS1PlRPbncV9EYMZD2eQWX65SJPGbPuRFJfqWn4Bkb9ukDdBbvhEbwnGrZQCrpcZosqWYDCqqxWPsqAkWMTDqqzGoBoqMKMQEDxqfB9qo/s320/Veterans+Day.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_2127874400"></span><span id="goog_2127874401"></span>Standing in a cemetery on Veterans’ or Memorial Day can put a person at the center of one of those great spiritual paradoxes. One feels simultaneously distant from and, yet, close to God. The peaceful flutter of American flags couldn’t be more different from the ear splitting clatter that most likely was the last thing some heroes who are remembered here heard, but yet this tranquility seems a fitting honor for those who gave their all for something greater than any one person can be.
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Respect and honor should not always be a silent display.
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On this Veterans’ Day in giving thanks for those who served, let us show our gratitude by using one of our uniquely endowed gifts, our voice.
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God gave us a voice so we might strengthen the human bond and do good here on earth. There is no greater good than standing up for those who have lost their voice or whose voices get drowned out by the clangor of nonsense we people sometimes foolishly produce.
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Let us find the strength, courage and fortitude to use our voices to advocate for those who have stood up for us in battlefields distant and near. Let us blend our voices so they forever echo like that kiss of which Oliver Wendell Holmes spoke.
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Many veterans find it difficult to silence the terrible rumbling sounds of conflict the rest of us cannot hear. Too often the cries of these veterans go unnoticed. Let us raise our voices to make a thunderous noise, a call for help to quiet the demons which torment so many of our veterans long after they return home.
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For if we do so, we may just find God is not so distant after all.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published as a <a href="http://bit.ly/ggillette" target="_blank">Des Moines Register online essay</a>.</span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-44687139766433958522013-10-29T09:41:00.000-05:002013-11-11T09:27:56.108-06:00Diebel/Moore Race Exposes what is BrokenIowans may disagree on the harm caused by the recent political meltdown in Washington, the government’s invasion of privacy in the name of terror, or the tossing of Iowa Supreme Court Justices from office over the marriage ruling; but most will agree our political process is broken. Candidates and officeholders are quick to twist facts and grandstand, and are too often unwilling or unprepared to offer ideas on how to solve the problems our country, state and communities face. They do the first to win votes and are scared to do the second for fear their plans may not be immediately popular.<br />
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The Des Moines City Council race provides a poignant example of what is wrong in modern politics as well as an answer to how we voters can begin to fix that which is not working.<br />
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From every angle Chris Diebel is a committed, hard-working, intelligent and caring person. A Hollywood screenwriter would be hard-pressed to find a better person to study as a model candidate for an at-large city council seat of a progressive American city. Diebel is confident and appeared well prepared when he entered the race a few short weeks ago. But, he quickly made a wrong turn. Instead of making the case for why it was his time to lead, he chose to dirty his opponent. To make things worse, Diebel’s false accusations showed he doesn’t understand the biggest issue facing the City of Des Moines.
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Diebel sent voters two mailers attacking incumbent Skip Moore for the council’s failure to set aside money for an illegal utility franchise fee the courts have ordered the city repay. Diebel claimed his opponent, Skip Moore, “ignored orders to pay back illegal fees,” which is simply untrue. Diebel ignored the plainly obvious fact Moore was elected long after the City made the poor decision to charge the fee. Diebel ran a political play to convince voters to toss Moore out. Diebel should have made the case for why voters should vote him in.
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Diebel made a poor choice to go negative and a reprehensible one to go negative with untruths.
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I know Chris Diebel, like and respect him. However, this error in judgment should cost him this election. He is clearly not ready to lead, but this mistake should not disqualify him for future service. Des Moines needs people like Chris Diebel to create the vibrant city we know Des Moines can be. Yet, before he wins office, Diebel needs to earn the people’s trust. He has failed to do so this time around.
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The first step to righting local, state and national politics will be taken when we elect candidates more committed to doing the job for those they serve than they are winning a position for themselves. Chris Diebel may be such a person, but his campaign tactics suggest otherwise. He was gaming to win votes because he wanted to win. That had more to do with what Chris Diebel wants than what Des Moines needs.
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It is time we vote for the candidates best prepared to lead, not those who make us feel good or, worse, those who make their opponents out to be unworthy by slinging innuendo or misstating facts.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published as a <a href="http://bit.ly/ggillette" target="_blank">Des Moines Register online essay</a>.</span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-67971308895850724702013-10-11T14:57:00.000-05:002013-10-16T11:34:01.836-05:00An Apology Might Help, CongressmanI have been trying something different, silence. Well, not exactly silence, but I haven’t written about politics lately. Like many Americans, I am weary of the political banter, the finger-pointing, the name calling, the blame game. I thought some time away from the keyboard might improve my gloomy opinion of American political affairs. It didn’t, due mostly to this foolish government shutdown. But, it did allow me some time to consider my role in this mess.<br />
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First, allow me to apologize. I am sorry for those times I worried more about being seen as American than about shouldering my responsibility as one, and for those times when I raced to place blame when I should have set to help fix what was broken. There, that felt pretty good.<br />
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Don’t worry; I don’t suffer an illusion my voice has some unique and powerful effect on our country’s affairs. I am just another guy. However, my being only one of 320 million doesn’t mean I am not accountable in some small measure for where things stand. We all are. And, we can do something about it. As voters we have the capacity to change things at the polls.<br />
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Since long before the invention of the squawk box known as television, Americans have been suckers for silver-tongued politicians who promise more than can ever be delivered. We love tough guys. We reliably react to political attack ads and respond with great fervor when a candidate tells us in well-crafted, thoroughly focus-group-tested language exactly what we want to hear.<br />
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Longing for something better is part of the human spirit, but we deny the human intellect when we buy the rhetoric spewed by those more interested in getting the job than they are in doing the job.<br />
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<i>Guilty. I have done this.</i><br />
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Too many of those holding elected office in this country today mistake sycophancy for patriotism. They spend their time playing to the cameras to impress party power brokers, corporate leaders, special interest groups, each other and the all too acquiescent electorate. This empowers the elected ones to spend more energy exacting revenge on political opponents than they do solving the shared problems of the people they were elected to serve.<br />
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Finding solutions and building a consensus to move forward is what leaders do. We haven’t too many of these. I could end this by saying the fault for this rests with Congress, the President or some group of “them” – that we are victims of a flawed system – but it does not and we are not.<br />
<br />
Today’s political quagmire is our doing, yours and mine. We cannot blame some great and powerful “them,” for we are the ones who control our destiny. We elect the “them.”<br />
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Every time we recite the partisan hyperbole and poke our fingers in the direction of those of a different political stripe, we feed the monster that is destroying us.<br />
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It’s time to move this country forward again. We will do this when we muster the guts to elect people more committed to country than they are to themselves and their party.<br />
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Here is what I intend to consider before stepping into the voting booth next time:<br />
<ol>
<li><i>Leadership over longevity – Our system is broken because entities like the House and Senate perpetuate rules that reward time in office over leadership potential. This destructive practice has placed power in the hands of an out-of-touch group of lawmakers. Term limits aren’t the answer, but voters should evaluate if the incumbent expended more effort perpetuating or ending gridlock. This year, more than ever, too few have been problem solvers.</i></li>
<li><i>My way may not be the best highway – I need to listen, really listen to what others are saying. The American system is weakened when personalities and basic ideological differences define the debate before it starts. I need to play a role in ensuring competing ideas are aired fairly and openly. And, most important, I need to keep my eye trained on the goal, which is a better tomorrow, not an election victory for my adopted team or candidate.</i></li>
<li><i>Statesmanship over gamesmanship – I want to encourage and support the candidacies of those who are interested in leading. These people will have flaws and will say things that make me uncomfortable at times. I can forgive them if they prove themselves to be committed to doing the best they can.</i></li>
<li><i>I will continue to speak up, but only if doing so is helping to move things forward.</i></li>
</ol>
Americans have and can do magnificent things when we come together as a people. For many, in and out of office, saying “I am sorry” may be a good place to start.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published as a <a href="http://bit.ly/ggillette" target="_blank">Des Moines Register online essay</a>.</span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-17666855049634995872013-08-05T16:27:00.000-05:002013-08-06T08:34:55.704-05:00Des Moines Drug Bust worth the Price?On July 13 <a href="http://dmreg.co/18ZbA2k">Des Moines police seized 11 pounds of heroin and 3 pounds of methamphetamine</a> after searching two vehicles at a convenience store on N.E. 14th Street just off of I-80. This one bust resulted in two arrests and accounted for more than 440 times as much heroin as was seized in Des Moines in all of 2012, more than 23 times as much as the state Division of Criminal Investigation took in during fiscal year 2013. To put this in perspective, the seized pure heroin bricks could have produced 16,000 doses or more, depending on how it was cut, and the street value of the drugs is estimated to be in excess of $1.3 million.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5Y_ZP-GzVqClaJpxWEsF5rhYOBDunXdgUSv4xKSPzwj6b5KnePHTK6rIJMXoehAd7qmhG_gl0TO5N0LJbPcegZpnF3lcH9EquReck02ig15W2H0rdAkTyj4jQB3hxeiJvn66zHSIg60C/s1600/heroin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5Y_ZP-GzVqClaJpxWEsF5rhYOBDunXdgUSv4xKSPzwj6b5KnePHTK6rIJMXoehAd7qmhG_gl0TO5N0LJbPcegZpnF3lcH9EquReck02ig15W2H0rdAkTyj4jQB3hxeiJvn66zHSIg60C/s1600/heroin.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; text-align: left;">Des Moines police seized 11 pounds of heroin </span></div>
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and 3 pounds of methamphetamine in the city’s </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
largest heroin bust. / Rodney White/The Register</div>
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All police have said thus far is that the bust was the result of a tip. Chalk one up for the good guys. Two drug smugglers are headed to jail and a significant amount of drugs are off the street.
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<br />
Nothing but good news here, right? Maybe, but new evidence today about how some police departments receive tips from a massive federal government data mining program might change your answer.
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<b>Can you hear me now?
</b><br />
According to <a href="http://reut.rs/16XJORy">a Reuters investigation published today</a>, a growing number of drug arrests are the result of a secretive U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration initiative that funnels information from intelligence intercepts, wiretaps, informants and a massive database of telephone records of Americans.<br />
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Here’s how this program works.
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The Special Operations Division (SOD) of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) receives and analyses data collected by two dozen partner agencies including the FBI, CIA, NSA, Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Homeland Security. From time to time, while collecting information in an effort to thwart terrorism and bolster other national security initiatives, these agencies stumble across something outside of their purview, say a local drug matter. SOD passes the information on to local law enforcement with a strict directive the source of the information cannot be revealed.
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<br />
By using something that has become known as parallel construction, local law enforcement make it look like good old fashioned police work produced the intelligence. In order to use the information, local law enforcement must keep the U.S. government’s role secret. They don’t lie, they just obscure the source of the data and how it was collected. An unnamed snitch on the street stands in for a multi-billion dollar, multi-government agency data mining effort.
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The use of information surreptitiously collected by the federal government about and belonging to private citizens by local police to make routine drug busts and the subsequent cover-up by law enforcement to make these investigations appear home grown raises a myriad of constitutional questions.
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There has been a rush by the federal government to collect data and information at home and abroad since 9/11. The government is using national security and our collective interest as Americans to slowly diminish what was once thought to be the hallmark of our nation, the rights of the individual. Personal information like phone records, emails and other correspondence, travel records and spending habits once thought to be private, at least until a crime was suspected, are now parsed by a massive information gathering network that is collecting data on all of us. No suspicion required – or is it something worse – now, we are all suspects.
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We live in a world where countries like Germany scold the United States for trampling the rights of individuals. What bothers me is not the irony that Germany now drives on the high road we often traveled alone, but that we appear so willing to yield this road to others in the name of short sighted self protection.
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It is time we Americans stop allowing fear to drive our national agenda. We are better than this. Yes, the 9/11 attacks scared us. And, it is reasonable to attempt to prevent future attacks and the loss of life they could bring. However, if we do so at the expense of basic individual rights, America will become something far less than it was intended to be. Our children will inherent a country devoid of the very qualities that made her great. We have a task even greater than protecting and defending our borders and the lives of Americans. Our greatest responsibility is to preserve and protect the American ideal.
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The Des Moines police have not and are unlikely to release the details about the tip they received that led them to suspect the two individuals arrested in July were drug smugglers. Let me be clear, we don’t know if the July 13 Des Moines arrests came from SOD information, but the circumstances certainly fit the profile.
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One thing is for certain, DMPD didn’t just happen on these bad guys. An officer at the convenience store there to pick up a hot dog didn’t spot 14 pounds of drugs sticking out a truck’s gas tank. Vital information led DMPD to the conduct this search. If DMPD obtained this information from SOD, we should be concerned. Are we Americans willing to pay the full price of repurposed information collected in the name of national security? Are a few drugs worth the loss of individual freedom? Let’s hope for all of us and our children, the answer is no.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published as a <a href="http://bit.ly/ggillette" target="_blank">Des Moines Register online essay</a>.</span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-31495913985067619852013-07-29T14:55:00.000-05:002013-08-06T08:41:03.657-05:00Suicide, the Painful DiscussionAlexander Betts, Jr., a 16-year-old Southeast Polk High School student, ended his own life this week.
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His mother says her son was a victim of bullying and she believes the hate her son endured led to his decision. His friends and family called him A.J. According to his mother, bullies called A.J. many other things related to his race and sexuality.
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I do not have the capacity to understand what drives a person to commit suicide, let alone when the person is a teenager about to step off on the beginning of life’s journey. The act of ending one’s life is unreasonable, tragic and inconceivable from every angle. “It gets better” is more fact than slogan, but far too many young people in despair end things before they learn this for themselves.
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The <a href="http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20130728/NEWS/307290045/SEP-student-s-suicide-pushes-mother-into-action?Frontpage">Des Moines Register reported A.J.’s death</a> and in doing so reminded readers of the string of suicides at Southeast Polk High in 2008 and the suicides of other teens who had been the victims of bullying. The paper decided A.J.’s tragic death was newsworthy and based on the fact it was a most read story on the Register’s website, readers agreed.
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I stumbled across some rumblings about the Register story on social media and on radio this morning. There were two things motivating the bloggers and talkers. The first is that some teens may see the media coverage as glorifying what A.J. did and this will drive a few of them to copy him. The second is that A.J.’s suicide was his dreadful choice and the mention of bullies and hate is only there to push a political agenda regarding homosexuality or some other supposedly political correct cause.
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<br />
Allow me to address the copycat issue first. Unfortunately, there are heartbreaking cases of young people doing such a thing. This is precisely why communities and schools spring into action to provide counseling in the wake of such a tragedy. But, the argument we should downplay teen suicides so teens don’t jump off the Brooklyn Bridge en masse is silly on its face. The best way to solve a problem is to address it head-on, not sidestep what hurts in a hope a kid grows out of what troubles him. Discussing what is painful is hard, not doing so is just plain reckless.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi598aVzP31qYCKwP9k5052DGEqRuT3RTECI3_QUiMvYrPfXnwkj_QdXhv6rPLNSNUSIZzIkaiNBCnxpnBYYidIQQG5Pjl9LICy4XSfM2Aj144Rk55V0AgLHC5VZ-D6ybYURMe65F-ttPm9/s1600/iStock_000000262289_L2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi598aVzP31qYCKwP9k5052DGEqRuT3RTECI3_QUiMvYrPfXnwkj_QdXhv6rPLNSNUSIZzIkaiNBCnxpnBYYidIQQG5Pjl9LICy4XSfM2Aj144Rk55V0AgLHC5VZ-D6ybYURMe65F-ttPm9/s320/iStock_000000262289_L2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Avoiding the discussion about how factors like bullying may have contributed to a death based on a Pollyanna hope teens (or is it all of us?) are better off not knowing is nothing short of irresponsible. We need to learn about what caused such calamity and take preventative action based on what we learn.
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If those making the stay-silent argument do so because they think media attention glorifies what it is to be gay, I am not sure I have the patience to combat that level of crazy at the moment.
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Generally, those who kill themselves have been driven into isolation because they believe their situation is unique. They believe no one has suffered as they have. They are at a dead end. By telling the stories of those who made the wrong choice and what drove them to it, we send a message to others facing the seemingly unbearable or insurmountable. Bullying has and, unfortunately, is likely to always exist in some form as long as people roam the earth. This does not mean we should accept it as OK and not try to stop it. Even more important, we need to let those who suffer at the hands and words of bullying creeps know we have their backs. There is a way out – one we can find together. Talking about A.J. and others who ended life because they suffered the rejection and ridicule of knuckleheads might help do this.
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Those who commit suicide are both victim and perpetrator. Their action is not excused because they were bullied. They made a catastrophic choice and squandered the gift of life, but there is something to be learned by knowing how they ended up in this wrongheaded place. By talking about bullying we send a message this crime has no place in our society and another more powerful one that says suicide is unnecessary and wrong.
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According to the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/deaths_2010_release.pdf">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there are some 38,000</a> suicides in the United States every year. Ten percent of these victims are young people. We need to conduct a meaningful discussion with our youth. Their future really is in their hands. The bullies win if we stay silent.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published as a <a href="http://bit.ly/ggillette" target="_blank">Des Moines Register online essay</a>.</span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-24360336199540961032013-05-31T08:54:00.000-05:002013-08-06T08:57:11.874-05:00Des Moines mayor considers possible bid against Iowa's governorDemocrats have been slow attracting candidates willing to challenge Republican Gov. Terry Branstad in 2014, who has yet to announce his intention to run for an unprecedented sixth (albeit not consecutive) term. Now it appears not one, but two Des Moines Democrats are contemplating a run.<br />
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<b>Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie told Iowa Watchdog he is considering a gubernatorial bid.</b> If he becomes a candidate he will likely face across town rival state Senator Jack Hatch in a democratic primary.
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Mayor Cownie has been courting both Republicans and Democrats in recent weeks and appears ready to jump into the fray. Cownie is telling political operatives and friends he sees Branstad as vulnerable and Hatch as unelectable.
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Cownie has not formed an exploratory effort or begun to actively campaign, but he is giving the race serious consideration. Cownie tells me he thinks his record will appeal to Iowans. He believes Hatch and Branstad are state political insiders and Cownie believes he will be viewed as the person with executive experience capable of bringing something new to the Terrace Hill.
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Meanwhile, Hatch, an all-but-officially-announced candidate for governor, held a news conference at his Des Moines office Wednesday where he detailed plans for a fact-finding tour that may lead to a formal announcement. His ability to fundraise is part of that mission. Hatch estimated at his event that a successful race will require $6 to $8 million and said his campaign will need to raise at least $1 million by the end of the year to be considered viable.
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The winner of democratic primary will face incumbent Branstad, a hard-running campaigner and a master fund-raiser. Branstad has never lost an election and a recent <a href="http://dmreg.co/17ys2sK">Quinnipiac University Poll</a> showed nearly half of Iowans approve of his job performance. Branstad will easily raise $10 million for his campaign. However, Branstad may not be Cownie or Hatch’s toughest obstacle.
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<br />
<b>The Des Moines problem.</b> With Bob Ray being the exception, those hailing from Des Moines are rarely elected to statewide office. The political geography has shifted since 1968 when Ray was first elected governor, but Iowans have not elected another from the capital city to a state post since Ray held office. Des Moines credentials have historically been more detrimental than helpful. In order to win, Cownie and Hatch need to establish credibility outside the economic area once referred to as the golden circle.
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Democrat political consultant and former Senator Harkin staffer Jeff Link says Des Moines based candidates face a challenge others do not. “It’s difficult for a candidate from Des Moines to demonstrate an appreciation for rural Iowa’s agricultural tradition and economy” said Link.
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Granted, Iowa’s population has become more urban since the Ray years. Hatch and Cownie hope to rely on a substantial Des Moines base and build a working coalition of others to balance rural voters. And, Cownie argues he will be able to garner more of the Des Moines vote than Hatch. Yet, both men’s chances may be harmed if they split their home base.
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It is fair to assume the face-off of these two urban lions will benefit Branstad more than anyone else. Branstad will use the Des Moines rivalry to his advantage by telling the rest of Iowa he is the safe choice – the candidate who best understands them.
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Strategist Link puts it this way, “As mayor, Frank Cownie has name ID and a record on which to base a statewide campaign. But, both Sen. Hatch and Mayor Cownie will have to show they can reach out beyond home base to get an edge statewide.”
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<b>Demonstrating that reach will be the tough part.</b> A Hatch vs. Cownie campaign will put Democrats in an interesting position. Neither man is seen as a party stalwart. Both have operated on the fringes of party politics during their careers. If current party chair and state representative T<a href="http://dmreg.co/12k3mCG">yler Olson of Cedar Rapids also becomes a candidate</a>, party regulars may become further divided. While Hatch and Cownie are known outside of Des Moines, Olson’s name ID is no higher. None of these potential candidates have a meaningful organization in place.
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Hatch is right; money is one of the critical exploratory tests. It isn’t the most important.
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Neither Hatch nor Cownie will be able to claim they are serious candidates until they put together campaign teams in places geographically and philosophically detached from Des Moines. This may not be Bob Ray’s Iowa, but it remains a place where businessmen and politicians from the capital rarely receive enthusiastic support.
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Jack Hatch and Frank Cownie are hard working proven candidates who know something about tough races. Two things are for sure. The 2014 Democrat gubernatorial campaign will be hard fought should they both enter the fray and Terry Branstad can’t wait to watch it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at <a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">An essay similar to this was published as a <a href="http://bit.ly/Yx2Kq6" target="_blank">Iowa Watchdog essay</a>.</span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com0Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537861157901051006.post-87961654348696755302013-05-22T11:36:00.000-05:002013-05-22T14:21:09.367-05:00The Great Ones, Teachers who Change LivesThe great ones know instruction is only a small part of being a teacher. They help students unlock the secrets of the words, numbers, graphs, facts, and concepts filling textbooks, but changing lives is why the great ones became teachers. And, changing lives has more do with inspiration than it does education.<br />
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When a teacher believes in a student, the student inevitably will discover things once unattainable are within reach, confidence will defeat insecurity and the seeds of a successful life begin to sprout.<br />
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I know some great teachers and I was fortunate to have had a few in my day. One was Jim Copeland. Mr. Copeland was my high school chorus director for two years before he moved on to being an administrator the summer before my senior year. I am sure he was a fine administrator, but it is impossible to imagine his talents were ever as fully realized in offices and meetings as they were in the classroom.
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The spring before my sophomore year, all 4 foot 9 inches of me auditioned for an elite performance group called Act 1. I sailed through the first session and was asked back to the final try-out round. I learned my fate from an 8 ½ x 11 inch sheet tacked to a worn bulletin board – audition results had been announced that way ever since paper was invented. I did not make it, but I am convinced part of the reason I grew 6 inches that summer was because of the way Mr. Copeland turned what should have been devastating news into something positively powerful.
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Mr. Copeland pulled me from the group gathered outside the chorus room and told me I had a unique talent, I had much to contribute and I would be an outstanding member of Act 1. The spot I had longed for went to a deserving senior, he explained, but that didn’t reflect on me. I had demonstrated I was prepared, fearless and capable. I had met the challenge, but my time had yet to arrive. The decision came down to numbers – the number of spots available, age, experience and other digits. Those things were beyond my control. What I could do is work hard, keep learning and try again. He was sure I would find myself as a member the following year. I followed his advice (and still do) and I was a part of Act 1 for two terrific years.
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I am not sure how great teachers learn how to do what Jim Copeland did that day – education majors are not taught how to do that in college.
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I have rarely felt so great about being rejected. Mr. Copeland believed in me and that made all the difference. For a moment I saw myself through the eyes of a mentor and I liked what I saw.
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Another school year is drawing to a close. Take a moment to thank a great teacher. They are everywhere. Some of them taught your kids this year. You saw them in your community. You had a Mr. Copeland or two for a teacher yourself. Let them see through your eyes. They did the same for you and it changed your life. Then tell them you appreciate the fact they are one of the great ones.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPw3BUVvfFwd1bnwsNREQKxuoFmZiTAVw0SDr4mtpyYArC0TjBtWWvrSZu4QO5_MbswhRTpD4ZMhmRlkpeUInD6VYCmSud4Oceu6mzq8T7Wp8wrurh8ZA2yddqOXf3hdwihfejX_lepLq/s1600/Copeland+by+window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPw3BUVvfFwd1bnwsNREQKxuoFmZiTAVw0SDr4mtpyYArC0TjBtWWvrSZu4QO5_MbswhRTpD4ZMhmRlkpeUInD6VYCmSud4Oceu6mzq8T7Wp8wrurh8ZA2yddqOXf3hdwihfejX_lepLq/s320/Copeland+by+window.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; text-align: left;">Jim Copeland taught at Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Florida until 1982. For the last 30 years, he has been the choir director at Central Presbyterian Church in Tampa. This August he will retire from that post. On Sunday former students and friends sang for him one last time. </span><a href="http://n.pr/ZdGL8X" style="color: #004276; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; outline: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">A WUSF story about this can be heard by clicking here.</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; text-align: left;"> A scholarship for Chamberlain High School Chorus students has been established. </span><a href="http://bit.ly/13LmWVL" style="color: #004276; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; outline: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Information on how to contribute to the Copeland Scholarship Fund can be found by clicking here</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; text-align: left;">.</span></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette continued to grow through his first year of college and now claims to be 5’10″ on a good day. It is hard to say whether this is due to good diet, genetics or something else, but Graham still believes the great ones like Mr. Copeland played a role in helping him reach many heights.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Graham Gillette can be reached at </span><a href="mailto:grahamgillette@gmail.com" style="font-size: small;">grahamgillette@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry was first published as a <a href="http://bit.ly/ggillette" target="_blank">Des Moines Register online essay</a>.</span></div>
GrahamGillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257968185320112104noreply@blogger.com1Des Moines, IA 50309, USA41.5816456 -93.62431329999998341.5341376 -93.704994299999981 41.6291536 -93.543632299999985