SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
July 14, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 7/17/12 In this edition: *Drought! *Operation Fast and Furious *Solon Beef Days *Johnson County Fair *Good Bye CJ and Jae Jae! *Did You Know? *Drought! The drought continues to get worse and worse in Johnson County; a burn ban just went into effect, and it appears that a disaster declaration is imminent. It has been several years since we have seen a drought of this extent, though the lack of precipitation really began late last summer and ran throughout our mild winter. I recall a bad drought in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s; this is certainly the worst since then! While those of us in the cities carp about our dormant lawns, it is serious business in the agricultural sector. The lack of rain can cost the Iowa economy literally billions of dollars! So – keep doing what you have been doing – pray for rain! *Operation Fast and Furious Perhaps you have been following the news of the Justice Department scandal regarding a program known as “Operation Fast and Furious”. I find plenty upon which to comment here. First, I believe the government needs to dramatically curtail all covert operations. If the people cannot know what is going on, the government does not need to be doing it. Covert operations fly in the face of a representative democratic government. This is not unique to the Obama Administration; it needs to change, period. Even if you assume that covert operations are OK, this plan was pretty stupid on its face. (Recent reports are demonstrating that perhaps the program is not as bad as it first sounded.) But the CIA under George W. Bush ran an identical program. We can do better by Mexico, and we can do better as Americans. I will note here that I am no fan of Attorney General Eric Holder. I feel that he should lose his job, but not for this. He should lose his job because people are held in secret locations, held without charge, held without counsel, subject to illegal rendition, etc. This is America. Those things are not supposed to occur, yet they are ubiquitous. The Constitution is not being followed. (Before my Republican friends get too excited, this was even worse under Bush.) In addition, the Attorney General’s Office under Holder has ignored the Voting Rights Act violations that are happening in pretty much every GOP-controlled state. They continue a deadly and costly war on drugs. They have been iron-fisted with undocumented immigrants simply looking for a better life. Should Eric Holder lose his job? Yes. He should probably go to jail. (As should Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and other war criminals.) Holder should go to jail - but not for the reasons Darrell Issa and the GOP House put forth. Now let’s pick on the Republicans awhile. Let me get this straight – you are upset because an American gun was used to kill a Border Patrol Agent? I thought the GOP was against EVERY restriction on guns! If you really believe every human being is entitled by God to an assault rifle, then complaints about trafficking in guns are red herrings. The gun didn’t kill the agent; people killed the agent. How could he have been killed, anyway? Shouldn’t his own gun have served as a deterrent? Why isn’t Mexico the safest place on Earth with all these guns in private hands? Plus, the GOP is the party of free trade, right? So why can’t American “job creators” sell guns in Mexico? Isn’t that the free market at work? Every side of this issue is fraught with hypocrisy. The actions that the Republicans in the House of Representatives have taken against Attorney General Holder are a total sham. Let’s put a stop to all this foolishness from our federal government! The American people deserve to know what is done in their name! *Solon Beef Days The 41st annual Solon Beef Days runs this Friday and Saturday in Solon. Steaks, rides, entertainment, a parade, and the now-legendary hay bale toss are just a few of the items on tap. I say this every year, and it is because it comes from a place of pride: I can honestly say that I have been to roughly 38 of the 41 Beef Days. I wear it like a badge of honor! This is the year to start your own streak! For all the details, including a full schedule of events, see: http://beefdays.com/ *Johnson County Fair The Johnson County Fair begins on Monday, July 23 and runs that whole week. If you have never been – go. This really truly is a bit of Americana. I love the fair! And I’m not alone – over 70,000 people visited last year! The fair has free admission and free parking, so the price is right! There are lots of cool things go on at the fair! I sincerely urge everyone to come out and take a look at the many things being offered. Two interesting tidbits – we decided to move our regular Thursday Board meeting to the fairgrounds stage last year. It went so well that we are back again on Thursday, July 26 at 9am. Also, elected officials are just a few of the folks you can shoot for at the newly added dunk tank! All proceeds go toward the operation of our great FREE fair! For more information, including a full schedule of events, see: http://www.johnsoncofair.com/ *Good Bye CJ and Jae Jae! Johnson County lost a great couple recently with the departure of CJ Voci and Jae Jae Spoon. CJ and Jae Jae were involved in many community events and causes, and really epitomize the kind of people that make Johnson County special. Good luck to CJ & Jae Jae as they settle into their new home of Denton, Texas. They will be missed! *DID YOU KNOW? Solon is named for the classical Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and lyric poet Solon. Ironically, the local high school's mascot is the Spartans; Sparta was famously an enemy of Solon's home, Athens. Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website- www.johnson-county.com. "Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents. These messages come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned. If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line. If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you! ---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 10:12 AM
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