SharonClark
SharonClark's JournalJohnson County (Iowa City) researching possible renaming
The US vice-president, Richard M Johnson, Johnson County is named for was dispicable, even by the standards of the day. The county is looking into renaming itself after a different "Johnson" and one excellent suggestion is Lulu Merle Johnson.
https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2020/07/08/iowa-johnson-county-namesake-black-lives-matter-richard-mentor-lulu-merle/5397701002/
https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2020/07/10/lulu-merle-johnson-would-be-a-fitting-namesake-for-johnson-county/
Gun manufacturer Brownells One Of Top PPP Loan Recipients In Iowa
from Iowa Starting Line, Posted 7/7/2020
"Brownells, the Grinnell-based international gun manufacturer and firearm supplier, was one of Iowa’s leading recipients of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program.
Data released Monday by the federal agency shows that Brownells was one of 50 Iowa businesses and nonprofit groups, mostly comprised of hospitals, manufacturing or agricultural corporations, to receive a loan in the range of $5 to $10 million — the highest amount distributed in the state. The major supplier of firearm accessories declined to answer how many jobs the loan helped them retain while most of the other Iowa top loan recipients saved an average of 288 employees.
The recent release of the SBA loan numbers has been subject to controversy as a number of President Donald Trump’s donors, businesses owned by members of Congress and large Wall Street-backed supply chains were notable grantees of the $660 billion small-business relief program. The PPP’s intent was to offer forgivable loans to smaller businesses in order that they stay afloat and maintain employees during the U.S. economic slowdown due to the pandemic.
According to Federal Election Commission filings, Frank Brownell, Co-Chairman of the Board, donated around $5,687 to Trump and his campaign. Brownells CEO Pete Brownell, a onetime president of the National Rifle Association, often contributes to Joni Ernst and Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ congressional funds, the National Shooting Sports foundation PAC and the Republican Party of Iowa.
In March, several Iowa gun stores said they were having difficulty meeting an increased demand for ammo. Nationally, firearms sales hit record levels in recent months. Brownells said they saw an uptick in purchases from across the country as people stocked up to “protect themselves” from potential paranoia and unrest during the pandemic.
Ryan Repp, Brownells’ director of communications told the Des Moines Register that California, Texas and New York are the top states for ammo sales on the company’s website. “We buy ammo no differently than the average consumer would buy toilet paper,” he said
In total, 58,463 Iowa companies and nonprofit groups were granted PPP loans, 52,527 of which received the lowest level loan of under $150,000. 5,936 loans were granted to at $150,000 and up."
https://iowastartingline.com/2020/07/07/brownells-one-of-top-ppp-loan-recipients-in-iowa/
Outsmarting the repugs with absentee ballot requests
"Polk County plans to send voters absentee ballot request forms" - Des Moines Register 7/7/2020
"Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald said his office will send every registered voter an absentee ballot request form before Election Day as a safety precaution against the potential spread of coronavirus.
. . .
In 2018, Polk County sent 86,105 ballots to voters, and 78,068 were returned, according to data from the Iowa Secretary of State. In 2016, the county sent 96,388 absentee ballots to voters, with 88,114 returned. Those numbers may not reflect voters whose ballots were received by the Auditor's Office after Election Day, or voters who opted to vote in-person.
The decision to mail absentee ballot request forms in the state's largest county comes after the secretary of state's office mailed similar forms to every registered Iowa voter before the June 2 primary. That election saw record turnout and more than 411,000 people voted absentee, up from 38,000 in the 2016 primary election.
But Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law forbidding a secretary of state from doing similar mass mailings in the future without the permission of a legislative panel. Secretary of State Paul Pate has not yet made that request for the November election."
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/2020/07/07/polk-county-send-registered-voters-absentee-ballot-request-forms/5384729002/
Polk County Dems weekly email...VOTE BY MAIL
"The sun is rising and it is very much a new day in Polk County. After four long, strange years, Iowa voters can now request their 2020 ballots to finally get rid of Donald Trump.
Today, we’ve launched www.votepolk.com to let folks know the voting process has started.
Today, there is at least one yard sign in every one of Polk County’s 177 precincts.
Today, there are 19 digital billboards all across the county.
Today, an aggressive social media campaign started across all our platforms.
And there are 119 days until the November election..."
The yard signs are printed on corrugated plastic for reuse and say:
READY TO
VOTE BY MAIL?
VotePolk.Com
D Polk County Democrats
I'm so proud of our county Dems, we'll defeat Joni Ernst and help save the nation.
They like being called rebel rather than confederate.
For one thing, it’s short so they can spell it.
Brexit Leader Allowed To Attend Trump Rally With A 'National Interest' Travel Ban Waiver
Nigel Farage and other VIPs were flown to and from Tulsa in jets chartered by the Trump campaign for a rally that wound up drawing less than 6,200 people.
WASHINGTON ― Donald Trump’s presidential reelection campaign chartered jets to fly in VIPs to attend his much-hyped but ultimately flopped Oklahoma rally on Saturday, including his pro-Brexit ally Nigel Farage, who was given a “national interest” waiver to enter the country despite the coronavirus travel ban.
Farage, who recently lost his radio show in Britain after comparing Black Lives Matter protesters to the Taliban, was flown from Palm Beach, Florida, to Tulsa for the evening rally, and then to New York City, according to an informal Trump adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“This was supposed to be a festival to celebrate Trump and Trumpism, and it laid an egg,” the adviser said, adding that more than 100 high-profile guests had been flown in and put up in hotels on the campaign’s dime. . . .
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-farage-private-jets_n_5ef12513c5b6b30610066938
Wyckoff fires employee who attempted to drive truck through protesters at Hy-Vee
by Sarah Kay LeBlanc, Des Moines Register
An employee at Wyckoff Comfort has been fired after a video on Twitter showed him attempting to drive a truck through protesters at the Hy-Vee on S.E. 14th Street Saturday. . . .
"His actions over the weekend were unacceptable and do not represent the values Wyckoff has built our business on," the company said in a statement on Twitter. "Wyckoff disapproves of his behavior and in no way condones his actions."
The company said in the statement that it "will do our best to educate our employees to make sure something like this doesn't happen again." . . .
Wyckoff, a 70 year old company, responded quickly to their employee's action. You can comment or Like them here: https://www.facebook.com/wyckoffcomfort/
The Pinal County Sheriff's office has a facebook page and is taking comments
Lunatic Mark Lamb, who couldn't meet trump because he tested positive for COVID-19, is whining. You can comment here: https://www.facebook.com/PinalCountySO/
Can the "religious left" save abortion rights from Republican hypocrisy?
by Paul Rosenberg on Salon
Donald Trump's upside-down Bible photo-op at St. John's Church has led to unprecedented blowback from retired military generals, culminating in a mea culpa from Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the religious pushback was similarly sharp, starting with the Rev. Gini Gerbasi, an Episcopal priest who was among those "literally DRIVEN OFF of the St. John's, Lafayette Square patio with tear gas and concussion grenades," as she described on Facebook — an extraordinary use of state power to crush religious liberty. A bevy of leaders from the Episcopal Church spoke out forcefully, soon joined by Catholics, Lutherans and others, including some evangelicals.
. . .
As noted in a forthcoming report from Political Research Associates, support for legal abortion is at a 25-year high
At the same time, the main voting bloc opposed to legal abortion — white evangelical Protestants — is shrinking as a share of the population, even as it holds steady as a share of the electorate
. . .
white evangelicals share of the national vote - 26%
white evangelical share of the US population - 15%
...
https://www.salon.com/2020/06/18/can-the-religious-left-save-abortion-rights-from-republican-hypocrisy/
Interesting (as in frightening) article about Kayleigh McEnany's religious crusade
Kayleigh McEnany, Mike Pence, and the narcissistic apocalypse of the new evangelicals
Kayleigh McEnany's obsession with Christian martyrdom heralds a shift in the White House's locus of religious death
by Roger Sollenberger on Salon
https://www.salon.com/2020/06/16/kayleigh-mcenany-mike-pence-and-the-narcissistic-apocalypse-of-the-new-evangelicals/
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