Our Iowa News Digest
Recent items of interest in
our perhaps peculiar view
TOP REPUBLICAN COMES TO TOWN
May 21, 2009, Jefferson -- Matt Strawn, the new state chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, says that despite lopsided GOP losses across Iowa and the nation in the last election cycle, the state party is sitting in a pretty good position.
Strawn 35, is a partner in the Iowa Barnstormers, the Arena Football League team in Des Moines that plays high-scoring, bombs-away offense.
That may give you some insight about what he means when he says what the Republican Party needs to do now in Iowa and elsewhere. ''We are going on offense,'' Strawn told more than 100 Greene County Republicans who gathered in Jefferson for a fundraiser on May 14.
''We have solutions that are consistent with our principles that will win elections,'' Strawn continued. ''We just have to do a better job of communicating them to the public.''
Matt Strawn, new state chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, when he spoke to Greene County Republicans in Jefferson on May 14.
Strawn said the re-tooled GOP in 2009 and 2010 is ''the party of hope, growth and opportunity. We're the party of family, freedom and free enterprise.''
In contrast, he said, President Barack Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress have given us ''nationalization of major industries'' and head-spinning debt.
Meanwhile, in Iowa, he said that Governor Chet Culver and the Democrat-controlled legislature have given us ''the largest government budget in state history,'' and an additional $830 million bonding program.
Strawn said that when the Iowa Supreme Court recently ruled that Iowa's previous ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, ''I defy you to find anyone who, within a few seconds after that decision, didn't have an opinion on it. You either thought it was the greatest thing ever or a total abomination. But there was one person -- our governor -- who didn't know where he stood. He issued a two-sentence statement say he needed to think about it.''
Strawn said that was another example of how ''Iowa has serious problems now but we don't have serious leadership. You ask people in Cedar Rapids how they feel our governor is doing.'' There has been intense criticism of Culver there for the state's slow response on flood relief after the disasters of last summer and fall.
''The governor's poll numbers are the lowest they've ever been,'' Strawn said, ''and it's out job now to take advantage of this situation.''
He said candidate recruitment is going very well, and that there is a new solidarity between the state GOP's leaders and the top-elected Republicans in the state. He said at GOP headquarters in Des Moines, the party is rapidly expanding its use of all the latest communications technologies.
He said some argue that Republicans can't win statewide elections now, because Democrats have more than a 100,000 more registered members than the GOP does.
''Actually, those voter registration numbers aren't as much of a concern as you might think,'' Strawn said. ''Both Terry Branstad and Tom Vilsack were elected governor when their parties were behind in voter registration. It's really more about who can persuade the no-party voters. Right now, the governor's numbers show he has approval of only 37 percent of the no-party voters. That gives us more opportunity.''
GOP chairman Strawn visiting with others in the crowd after he spoke to party members in Jefferson. More than 100 people attended for the evening fundraiser.
Strawn is a fifth-generation Iowan who grew up on a family farm near Van Horne in east central Iowa. He graduated from Benton Community High School, where he was an outstanding track athlete, and the University of Iowa. ''After a four-year sentence, or stay, in Iowa City, I still came out with my conservative values and beliefs intact,'' he said with a smile.
He spent 10 years in Washington, D.C., first serving as a press secretary to then-Congressman Saxby Chambliss, a Republican from Georgia, and then at age 30 he was named chief of staff for new Congressman Mike Rogers, a Repubican from Michigan. He also went to law school while working in Congress and graduated No. 1 in his class at the Catholic University of America School of Law.
The Greene County GOP's public event was held in the basement of the Abundant Life Ministries church, where the congregation is strongly pro-life and against same-sex marriage. Strawn indicated that as the Republican Party rebuilds on the state and national levels, he expects the party's position on those key so-called ''social'' issues will remain strong, while at the same time the party tries to build a strong base with its positions on economic and governing issues.
The same night Strawn spoke here, the Gallup Poll reported that for the first time it all the years it has been reporting Americans' opinions on the abortion issue, a majority now identify themselves as ''pro-life.'' Their polling number was 51 percent.
In the interests of full disclosure here, your correspondent on this story introduced Strawn at the Greene County event. -- CHOROLL ON, YOU STEADY BEASTS!
Cooper, May 20, 2009 -- We jumped in our 2002 Chrysler Sebring earlier this week and headed into our county seat town of Jefferson on an errand. Whatho! Just as we pulled out on Iowa Highway 4, the odometer on the car turned over 200,000 miles!
There was a time when we never drove cars past 50,000 miles before we traded. But when we moved out of the Des Moines area and began doing more of our driving on highways instead of city streets, it seems to have extended the life of our cars. When we lived in Storm Lake and were active in a lot of state government, politics and the State Historical Society in Des Moines, I once figured that I had averaged 40 trips to Des Moines per year for five consecutive years. Imagine that -- 200 round-trips, Storm Lake-Des Moines, in five years!
We've also been steady in having our service work done by the same mechanics. For several years, that was at the dealership in Perry, and the last couple of years it has been in Jefferson at McAtee Tire Service.
And the only wreck I recall the Chrysler having is when I backed it into the flagpole that formerly stood outside the Cooper Community Building, thus the wrinkles on the car's left rear end.
The 200,000 miles is far and away the most miles I've ever put on one car. So, in observance of that record, I noted it in a Faceback entry. And I added that I was catching up to my friend Herman Richter, who always has astounding mileage totals on the cars he drives around the Iowa Great Lakes.
Alas, newspaperman Peter Wagner of Sibley and the lakes, responded, ''You can't catch up with Herman until you hold two-thirds of the car together with a half-dozen rolls of duct tape. Give it another 300,000.''
Another newsman Mark Hamilton, of Iowa Falls and Ames, reported, ''Hell, even I am at 260,000.'' Des Moines Register sportswriter John Naughton checked in, ''I think you should get a free oil change from a dealer. My Buick is up to 226,000, but I rarely take it on out-of-state trips any more. You might pass up my tally.'' Ronn King, an old friend and former radio man in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said my news was reassuring ''since I have a 2001 Sebring with 89,500 miles. Hopefully it will make half as good as yours, and then some.''
And then there was this report from Des Moines political activist Ed Fallon: ''Ours turns over 200,000 this week, too. I wonder if I'm getting close to that on my 1985 Schwinn Varsity?''
Oldies but goodies. (I am referring to our vehicles.) -- CHO
LET'S HEAR IT FOR RHUBARB!
Cooper, May 19, 2009 -- Carla Offenburger says there is rhubarb growing in the intended places on our farm, but that it just keeps popping up several other places around the gardens, too -- even in places where she's tried hard to kill it.
I was thinking about that the other day when I practically had the shivers over how good a plate of her fresh rhubarb crisp was. She'd made it with some cherries mixed in with the rhubarb. We've already had one rhubarb pie, with more to come.
Yes, it's the time of year when we should all appreciate rhubarb for the miracle plant that it is. Actually, it seems almost a weed, one that pops back up year after year after year. You can bake it into pies, cobblers, muffins and more. It may be the most versatile plant in the garden, and best of all, it costs almost nothing.
No wonder Garrison sings of its healing powers. Here he is in the song he has made famous on his ''A Prairie Home Companion'' show on public radio:
''...it's at times like that, you want Beebopareebop Rhubarb Pie. Yes, nothing gets the taste of humiliation out of your mouth like Beebopareebop Rhubarb Pie.
''Just one little thing can revive a guy,
And that is home-made rhubarb pie.
Serve it up, nice and hot.
Maybe things aren't as bad as you thought.
CHORUS:
Mama's little baby loves rhubarb, rhubarb,
Beebopareebop Rhubarb Pie.
Mama's little baby loves rhubarb, rhubarb,
Beebopareebop Rhubarb Pie.'' -- CHO
A FAMILY'S DOZEN BAPTISMS
Thurman, May 17, 2009 -- A United Methodist pastor we know, Rev. Jaye Johnson, was chitchatting on his Facebook page on the Internet about a week ago that he had a big Sunday morning coming up on May 17.
Johnson serves churches in the southwest Iowa towns of Sidney, Riverton and Thurman. He noted that in the small church in Thurman, pop. 225, he would be baptizing 12 people in four generations of the same family -- all at once!
Johnson said that normal attendance at the church on a Sunday morning is 30 or fewer. He speculated that there had not been a dozen total people baptized in the church in the past 50 years.
Then here came Marilyn Chambers, the city clerk in the community, along with 11 of her children, grandchildren and great children to be baptized at the same service!
''We truly are blessed by the way the spirit of God is moving in this church,'' Johnson said, ''and I am personally excited to have the honor of celebrating this day with the family.''
He said he ''cannot help but think of Acts 16: 'Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.' ''
Nicest news story we've seen or heard in months! -- CHO
''OFFICIAL CAR'' OF HIS WEBSITE
Cooper, April 30, 2009 -- My biggest laugh of the week may have come from an item I read online the other day.
Ron Maly, retired Des Moines Register sportswriter, stays active doing a mostly-sports blog, doing Twitter updates and more. Maly, who lives in West Des Moines, recently announced there is now an ''official car of Ron Maly's Website.''
The car, which he has pictured with his blog, is his ''1989 Toyota Camry with 103,527 miles''!
You can go to Maly's blog by clicking here. -- CHO
THE CHORUS OF THE CRITTERS
Cooper, April 28, 2009 -- We're used to stepping outside our farmhouse and hearing pheasants squawk, or one of neighbor Jim Giese's cattle bawling.
But after approximately 4.5 inches of rain around here on Sunday, April 25, we went out Monday morning and heard what must be thousands of frogs singing ''Brrreeeep! Brrreeeep!''
We only know the approximate amount of rain we received, because we discovered that our farm dog Sally ate the rain gauge last week. -- CHO
A ''MAXIM'' NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN
Cooper, April 22, 2009 -- We are thinking this morning about our ol' Des Moines friend Max Rauer, play-by-play broadcaster, adman, emcee extraordinaire. His funeral is today.
Once when we were near tears with laughter over some story or incident, Rauer sighed, shook his head and said with a big grin, ''Ah, yes! Who has more fun than people?''
I've loved that line ever since. It's a Maxim we'll never forget. -- CHO
A RECORD THAT'S STOOD 50 YEARS?
Jefferson, April 21, 2009 -- We were recently reading microfilm copies of the Jefferson Bee & Herald newspapers, doing a little digging on school consolidations in our Greene County during the 1958-'59 school year.
But another short, page 1 story in the Jefferson Herald on April 16, 1959, is what amazed us most.
The story reported that a new Walt Disney movie ''The Shaggy Dog'' had just finished a four-day run at the old Iowa Theater in Jefferson. And it had set an attendance record at the theater that is shocking today.
Theater manager J. Louis ''Doc'' Smith reported that in its four days here, the movie drew 4,226 persons!
The largest attendance day was a Sunday, Smith said, when 2,193 came through the turnstiles.
He noted that the new attendance record for a single film was about 75 more than another Disney movie, ''Old Yeller,'' had drawn in March of 1958.
We can't imagine that there's been any other movie over the years that has drawn more people here than ''The Shaggy Dog'' did. If you know differently, tell us! -- CHO
ROBBERY AT WELLS FARGO ARENA!
Des Moines, March 10, 2009 -- We still can't get over it. We attended the Iowa girls' high school state championship basketball games that were played last Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Between games, we decided it was time for popcorn and pop. Two small bags of popcorn and two medium-sized Cokes were $13! Someone should be embarrassed. -- CHO
AMAZING BROADCASTING FEAT
Des Moines, March 10, 2009 -- In order to fully follow the action at the Iowa girls' high school state basketball tournament last week, and the boys' state tournament this week, we have purchased the full ''tournament pass'' package on the online Iowa High School Sports Network. That gives us full video and audio coverage of all the games for $9.95 per tournament. It works amazingly well.
It also lets us listen to the broadcasts of one of our favorite sportscasters, Lee Hughes, now the voice of the IHSSN and for more than 20 years earlier, the sports director of radio station KMA in Shenandoah.
Hughes is calling all the games. He did all 28 girls' games last week. He intends to do all 32 boys' games this week. That's 60 games in two weeks! Is that some kind of broadcasting record?
''A record?'' Hughes said, repeating our question. ''Nope. I did them all last year for the network, too -- 60 games in two weeks. It's fun. Hell, it has to be or I wouldn't be doing it!
''Steve Allspach from the Sioux City Journal asked me how many state tournament games I've broadcast over the 25-plus years I've been doing them,'' Hughes continued. ''I had to really think about that one, and do some averaging from what at times seems like failing recollection. I came up with a figure of between 700 to 800 games at state! God help me, I do love high school sports!'' -- CHO
Send your comments to carla@Offenburger.com or chuck@Offenburger.com
