SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 25, 2019
Sullivan’s Salvos 4/30/19
In this edition:
*Farmer’s Markets
*Thank You Throg!
*Cops in Schools
*Juneteenth Contest
*Branstad = Profile in Courage?
*The Candidates – Corey Booker
*Did You Know?
*Farmer’s Markets
It is almost May, and that means it is time for our local Farmer’s Markets! Pork from Lois Pavelka, apple cider doughnuts, Marv Hotz’ sweet corn, the Miller’s beets… my mouth is watering!
People who know me know that I am a farmer’s market fanatic. I can be found at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market pretty much every Wednesday and Saturday. I love the food, I love the farmers, I love the customers … I love everything about it! See you at the market!
*Thank You Throg!
Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton announced that he will not be seeking reelection in the fall. I will write more about this as Jim’s time in office comes to a close, but for now – Congratulations, Jim! You are a wonderful man, a great Mayor, and a good friend!
*Cops in Schools
The ICCSD has recently been discussing the idea of putting School Resource Officers (SROs) in our secondary schools. I am opposed to this idea.
I think SROs and people who want SROs are well-intentioned, but statistics show that kids with disabilities and kids of color get worse outcomes in terms of criminal records, discipline, and much more. The studies are legitimate, peer reviewed work. We live in a community full of scientists; perhaps some can weigh in as to the validity of the data. But I am persuaded by what I have seen.
I respect the work that SROs do. I am certain it is well-intentioned, and I am sure a lot of it helps. I know people mean well, but I think we'd do better with social workers instead.
It pisses me off to even feel the need to say this, but I am certainly not anti-cop. I am a part of a team at Johnson County that includes a large Sheriff's Office, dispatchers, and other public safety folks. I value them all very much. I just sometimes have to literally say that I love the work our Sheriff's Office does, because unfortunately, we are living in this "all or nothing" world. If you want good things for black kids, you must be anti-cop. If you respect and honor cops, you must not care about black kids. It is maddening!
Meanwhile, because of Republicans in the Iowa Legislature, the ICCSD has to make cuts as it is. Adding SROs makes no sense period, but especially in this financial environment.
*Juneteenth Contest
Johnson County and the City of Iowa City, along with community partners, are hosting the 9th annual Juneteenth Commemoration from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 22 at Mercer Park in Iowa City.
Juneteenth is a historical event that commemorates June 19, 1865—the date in history when, 2 ½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers sailed into Galveston, Texas, and read aloud the order freeing the quarter of a million slaves residing in the state.
This year’s Juneteenth theme is Still We Rise, reflecting on the incredible gains that have been accomplished, but also recognizing that there is still a lot of work to do.
The Juneteenth Planning Committee is sponsoring an art contest to find a logo for this year’s Commemoration. The design will be used on promotional materials, including posters and news releases, and may be used on T-shirts that will be distributed at the event.
Individuals are encouraged to submit an original piece of 2D art for inclusion on promotional materials. All entries must be submitted by Wednesday May 15, 2019 to lnash@co.johnson.ia.us or 855 S. Dubuque Street, Suite 202B, Iowa City. Designs produced digitally will be far easier to reproduce. The winner will receive a $100 gift card.
Additional information about Juneteenth can be found at www.juneteenth.com. For more information and specific contest rules, visit the Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/icajuneteenth or contact Laurie Nash at lnash@co.johnson.ia.us or 319-356-6090.
*Branstad = Profile in Courage?
I just saw that former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad donated $1000 to Randy Feenstra, who is running in a Republican primary attempting to defeat racist Congressman Steve King.
Wow. What a profile in courage! Where was this in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018?
*The Candidates – Corey Booker
Cory Booker is a US Senator from New Jersey. A former Mayor of Newark, Booker played football at Stanford, where he earned BA and Master’s Degrees. From there, he studied at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, and attended Yale Law School. If this sounds too good to be true, just wait! He even once ran into a burning building to save a woman!
I have met Cory Booker, and heard him speak on a couple of occasions. He is a fine speaker with a generally liberal voting record. I do have some serious concerns with Booker’s record; specifically his steadfast support of charter schools, big pharma, and Wall Street.
In my mind, the biggest issue is pretty simple: there are better candidates – including several women. You will notice that the first 4 candidates I featured were all male. There is a reason for that. So long as these qualified women remain in the race, I see no reason to spend a lot of time on Senator Booker, or the other male candidates I have featured to date. It really is time to break the glass ceiling!
Would Corey Booker be a better President than the current occupant of the White House? There is no doubt. And if he wins the nomination, I will work my tail off for him. I just think America has better choices right now.
I will be writing about more candidates in the very near future! Stay tuned!
*DID YOU KNOW? The current crop of declared Presidential candidates is the largest in US history, surpassing the previous record set in 2016.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
"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.
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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 @ 4:04 PM
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