Here’s the lead-up to the story in a nutshell.

• Chicago banks made loans to owners of apartments buildings
• owners rented the apartments
• the renters did not get behind on payments
• but the owners did get behind
• banks foreclosed (and maybe they weren’t interested in following the letter of the law but)
• the banks ordered the sheriff to evict the renters

And what I saw on the news at noon was an angry young man saying,

” I will no longer be party to something that is so unjust.”

Who was the angry young man? It was the Sheriff. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart found his ethics in conflict with the law. And he has ordered his deputies to stop evicting the tenants. The AP reported the story earlier today. Check the details; the details are ugly as in go to work in the morning, come home to what’s left of your belongings on the curb. The Illinois Mortgage Bankers Association was not pleased with the Sheriff. In a twit, they announced they just wouldn’t give loans in Cook County. You can read about this in the Chicago Tribune. It’s breaking news in Chicago. Will there be copycats? Could it happen in Des Moines?

You are going to have to judge this one for yourself. Was the Sheriff right? If you think there is an easy answer, guess again. It is a wonderful conflict of law, ethics, and morality. Take your stand. There is no in between.

photo by flickr by DrCee

• The World Food Festival runs from Friday October 10 - Sunday October 12 in the East Village in Des Moines. The Cultural Cafes feature a wonderful variety of foods: American (including BBQ and Louisiana Creole), Bosnian, Ecuadorian, Ethiopian, Filipino, Greek, Indian, Laotian, Mexican, Salvadorian, Thai, Venezuelan, and Vietnamese. You will also be entertained. Better not miss it. This list is just scratching the surface of the U.S. Cellular World Food Festival.

• Don’t lose sight of the fact that the Food Festival (history) is held in conjunction with the World Food Prize headquartered in Des Moines and founded by Nobel laureate and Cresco Iowa native, Dr. Norman Borlaug. The winners of the 2008 World Prize are Bob Dole and George McGovern. Read up on why Dole and McGovern were chosen. They will hold a free public forum on Wednesday October 15 at 6:30 pm in the Iowa State Historical Museum.

• Food is also on the mind of those who will be part of the Des Moines Hunger Hike. Widely supported by local religious groups the annual event (since 1969) will be held on Sunday, October 12 beginning at 1:30 pm on the West steps of the Iowa State Capitol. The Des Moines Hunger Hike supports a variety of nonprofit agencies who provide free food to the hungry in the US and the rest of the world.

• Angel Food Ministries (one of the helping hands around Des Moines) is still going strong. Angel Food Ministries is a Georgia based food ministry dedicated to relief of hunger throughout the United States. The local group works from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and is available to everyone, not just those in need. They provide excellent food at low cost. Check the menu for this month. Order by mail or in person by Monday October 13 for delivery on Saturday October 25. I live in the neighborhood and I can tell you that they do a land-office business.

photo by flickr by bill.streeter, khalampre, and spacing magazine

• Edmund Burke, 18th century statesman and conservative political theorist
• Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.

• Sarah Palin, Republican Vice-Presidential candidate at the Biden-Palin debate
• Say it ain’t so, Joe, there you go again, pointing backwards again.

• Satchel Paige one of the greatest pitchers of all time
• Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.

1. Satchel Paige offers great advice for Sarah Palin.
2. Edmund Burke offers great advice for you and me.
3. Sarah Palin is hoping we don’t know the Burke quote.

Before you vote, think about these two questions.

1. Which parts of recent history would you like to repeat?
2. Why does Sarah Palin not want you to look back? Is recent history gaining on her and John McCain?

photo by flickr by earthpro, discoverblackheritage, BBrhuft, and stephen_bolen

• His statement, “I’m John McCain, and I approve this message” has become a euphemism for distortion and a focus for comedy.
• Not too long ago McCain thought that his “little white lie” to David Letterman about rushing back to Washington was somehow not significant or would never be exposed. Guess again. It was exposed quickly. Watch and listen to Keith Olbermann.
• Now we learn that McCain’s campaign will turn completely negative in a desperate attempt at election. If my TV had a stomach, it would need an airsick bag.
• I am not alone in having lost the respect I once had for John McCain. Arianna Huffington calls McCain’s fall Shakespearean.

At one point near the end of the first Presidential debate while a dignified Barack Obama tried vainly to make a statement, John McCain repeatedly interrupted his attempts by speaking, pausing, starting again, pausing - effectively stifling Barack Obama’s attempt to speak. It must have been a pretty important comment or McCain would not have suspended civility to prevent Obama from being heard. Was that rudeness or was it the inability to engage in dialogue? Imagine your President meeting with advisers during a crisis. At such a time not everyone will agree. Would you want a President who cannot engage views other than his own? Would you want a President who would try to intimidate those with conflicting views? Would you want the most powerful person on the planet to start interrupting and speaking over anyone who would offer another point of view?

I have more respect for Barack Obama who has the ability to look someone in the eye, hear what is being said, engage the thought without violence, and to respond appropriately.

photo by flickr by Chesi - Fotos CC

• approachable
• direct
• friendly and
• guileless (free of deceit).

We say what’s on our minds even though sometimes even a Senator can get into a little trouble for it. But few in Iowa seem to object to straight talk.

Knowing that Iowans will share their views, I sometimes strike up a conversation just to find out what people are thinking. That is especially fun at the Iowa State Fair because you meet such genuine people.

Here is the story. The name of the political party, the gender of the person, and the political term have been changed to protect the innocent, but that doesn’t matter because the point of this story is about the use of language and not about political viewpoint.

I was standing at the Democratic Party booth in the Varied Industries Building. A man beside me and close to my age was also visiting the Democrats. We agreed that we liked Senator Harkin, that he was a fine representative of the state. I added that I also liked Senator Grassley. “Oh, no,” he said, frowning, “he’s too conservative.” I asked, “What does that mean? What is a conservative?” He didn’t seem to find an answer to that so I continued, “Are there particular issues where you find him to be too conservative?” Well, he couldn’t think of one so I said, “Well, that’s OK. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.” (But I had been curious how a typical Iowan thought about the term conservative. Well, I’d better admit the truth. It was a woman by the Republican booth who liked Grassley but not Harkin and who had difficulty with the term liberal, but that part doesn’t matter.)

What do I think the lesson is? For a sizable number of people, the mind will snap shut upon hearing certain words that may in fact have nothing to do with political reality, and especially the terms liberal and conservative. When the voter’s mind closes, politicians are off the hook. They don’t have to formulate a position that would ever solve anything. When the mind closes upon hearing one word, the media are off the hook too. They don’t have to string together the words that would accurately reflect the story they are reporting. We lose.

Think about it the next time you hear or read either of the terms liberal or conservative. Was the term used so that the speaker or writer no longer had responsibility to be intelligent? to be accurate? to be truthful? Was it used to hide their true position or because they had no position? Was the term used because someone didn’t know how to write clearly or to speak intelligently?

Two words do not define the political landscape. They never have; they never will.

Don’t let ‘em fool ya, even if they’re pretty, talk folksy, and wink.

photo by flickr by banderson

The Home Depot has established a national recycling program for compact fluorescent bulbs, cell phones, and old batteries. I checked it out this afternoon at The Home Depot at 3700 University in West Des Moines, and they make it easy. Just inside the main entrance they keep a cardboard box at the return desk. Place the worn out bulbs in the box, and you’re on your way. The alternative is to drive out to the Metro Waste Authority Regional Collection Center; it’s near Bondurant. See my earlier post. It’s very likely that you will find The Home Depot stores a lot closer to home. They are located all over the Metro. You’ll find some of the the local Home Depots at

• 2335 SE Deleware in Ankeny
• 4900 SE 14th Street in Des Moines
• 5222 NW 62nd in Johnston
• 10850 Plum Drive in Urbandale
• 3700 University Avenue in West Des Moines

The reason that the bulbs should be recycled is that compact fluorescent bulbs sometimes called CFLs contain a small amount of mercury (4 to 5 mg). It would take about 1000 CFLs for enough mercury to weigh as much as a nickel. While that is not a lot of mercury, mercury is toxic and capable of significant environmental harm. As a nation we have been pretty successful in having the money saving, energy efficient CFLs widely used but less successful in recycling them.

A chemist or toxicologist might tell you that mercury (whose chemical symbol is Hg) is a neurotoxin and that the damage accumulates. Mercury is a liquid metal. (Yes, it’s the same stuff that many of us played with when we found it as kids, and that turns out to be not such a good idea.) If the CFLs are discarded in the trash, the mercury will accumulate in the landfill with the potential to enter the air, land, the rivers, and the water supply. It is a lot easier and cheaper to recycle the bulbs now than to clean up the mess in the landfill later. Recycle ‘em.

photos by Jim Lindberg

Patt Kneen, Patty Reisz, and Roger Kenkel of Woodbine

Here’s just a few of the activities, starting with a pancake breakfast at 6:30 a.m. in the REC building.

• Classic Car Show
• Quilt Show
• Tractor Show
• Doll Show
• Merry Brook School & Geneological Society Tours
• Depot & Caboose Tours
• Flea Market
• Craft Show
• Archery 3-D & Fun Shoot
• Children’s Activities
• Apple Bake-Off
• Entertainment

If you like to eat, how about apple pie, cider slush, chicken noodle dinner, onion blossoms, grilled ribeye sandwiches, homemade ice cream, and caramel apples? There will be apple vendors there, too. And there’s NO admission fee. (Flier)

Just for fun, here’s an apple picking guide for Woodbine.

Call 712-647-3434 for more information.

Would you like a source of continually updated poll results? Try Real Clear Politics. They will give you the

• latest polls
• poll averages
• electoral college breakdown
• individual states including Iowa
• and more links than you would imagine from single page

I know that if you look once, you will look again.

Real Clear Politics does its best to maintain its independent voice in our often polarized political system. RCP receives high praise from knowledgeable people across the political spectrum. In addition to the polls, you will find a variety of links to the best political writers. If you are looking for a single viewpoint, a quick read, or a 30 second sound bite, RCP is not your site. It is more writing and information than you can read and digest quickly, and it is up to the minute.

photo by flickr by graciepoo

• Ames, Iowa
• Sunday, September 28
• 10 am until 5 pm
• downtown in the Ames Main Street Cultural District
• sponsored by the Octagon Center for the Arts
• and it looks like good weather.

Julie Kelly told me about the show. She crafts stained glass birdfeeders, and she’ll be coming down to Ames from Minnesota to display and sell them. We have one of her feeders in our backyard that we bought at the Des Moines ArtFest Midwest.

It’s always fun to go to Ames. While you’re there you could check out Reiman Gardens (the butterfly wing and gardens). The fall hours for the butterfly wing are 9 am to 4:30 daily through the end of the year, and the grounds are always open.

photo by flickr by lizalou42

 Well, let’s see here. Tonight we were asked to fund another $700 billion dollar bailout. Your share of this latest one comes to $2,333. That’s also your son’s share, and your daughter’s share, and your grandchild’s share - everyone of them. Ante up, and tell those little kids to do the same. Empty their piggy banks if you have to.

Oh, wait a minute! What are we stampeding to buy this time? Bad debt!? What a great idea. This idea has John McCain so confused that he is returning to Washington to help, and no wonder he is confused. He has been a long-time champion of deregulation. Now he has to leap to another horse as his first steed flies off the cliff. John McCain is so anxious to share his plans with America that he wants to cancel the Friday Presidential debate. Let’s find out how McCain and Obama think under stress.

As of today convincing the public, the Congress, and some wise pundits is not progressing well. The political scene looks more like herding cats; the public is not going along quietly. Wise people are looking at the alternatives.

• Jim Jubak suggests that we slow down long enough to avoid a bigger problem, catch the crooks, and keep the same old foxes out of the henhouse.
• Forbes.com suggests there are better ways to spend $700 billion.
• New York Times suggests a more carefully designed plan.

Still having fun? No? Then vote more carefully next time.

photos by flickr by Mark Sardella, stuckincustoms and mag3737