SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 3, 2022
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/9/22
In this edition:
*Abortion Vote in Kansas
*Bohannan for Congress!
*Reynolds Breaking the Law
*RIP Lynn Crow
*Did You Know?
*Abortion Vote in Kansas
The first post-Roe referendum on abortion rights was held on Tuesday the 2nd in Kansas. The vote was on a Constitutional Amendment to ban abortion. Turnout was huge, the biggest since the first Obama run in ’08, and the pro-choice side won convincingly, with 59% of the vote.
I did some searching, and Kansas ranks 15th both in terms of percentage of Republican voters and percentage of citizens who consider themselves a conservative. In other words, there are 35 states more liberal than Kansas. It is not as conservative as most of the states of the former Confederacy, but more conservative than other midwestern states.
If a statewide question on abortion cuts 60% for pro-choice in Kansas, the vast majority of the rest of America is going to be solidly pro-choice. Democrats must recognize this and embrace it!
*Bohannan for Congress!
It seems as though here in Iowa, certain Democratic candidates have captured the attention of the public to a greater degree than others. Obviously, you are all free to support whomever you wish. But please allow me to make a case for Christina Bohannan for Congress!
If you are giving money ANYWHERE, Bohannan should be at the top of your list! If you are volunteering ANYWHERE, Bohannan should be at the top of your list! I feel this race is being overlooked by some of the people of Johnson County, and that would be a HUGE mistake!
The following ran in Salvos just a few weeks ago. It still stands.
I just wanted to take a moment to share my admiration for 1st District Congressional Candidate Christina Bohannan.
When I met Christina, it was immediately evident that she was friendly, warm, and unbelievably intelligent. Those qualities alone can serve a person quite well in elective office. But Christina has gone on to impress me in many additional ways.
Christina is an incredibly hard worker. She doggedly researches topics, she talks to everyone who might be affected, and she is willing to work across the aisle. I am aware of one situation where Republicans in the House were ready to ram home legislation, and Democrats felt helpless. But Christina intervened, and almost singlehandedly made the bill less bad. I am really impressed by her work in the Iowa Legislature!
Christina puts that same hard work into constituent services. I know many people who have been pleased by her follow through. Unfortunately, many of us do not expect a lot from our elected officials. Christina has proven otherwise. If she says she is going to do something, it gets done, it gets done quickly, and it gets done well.
Finally, and I cannot emphasize this enough – Christina really cares. She truly wants to improve the lives of Iowans. She did not have it easy growing up. Christina lived in a trailer, and her dad worked construction until emphysema (and a lack of good health insurance) made work impossible. Christina has never forgotten these roots. All of her votes have those who are less powerful in mind.
I am going to be enthusiastically campaigning for Christina Bohannan this election season. I am proud to knock doors on her behalf! I hope you will join me!
*Reynolds Breaking the Law
Just a reminder – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds continues to break the law with impunity, every single day. What laws? Laws regarding public information. Laws regarding appointments to various Boards and Commissions. Laws regarding how certain funds can be spent. The list goes on and on.
Why does she do it? Because outside of Todd Dorman and Laura Belin, the people of Iowa continue to let her get away with it. It is shameful. We should be calling this out, and calling on it to end. Let’s file some lawsuits. Yes, she has a stacked Iowa Supreme Court that cares neither about Iowa’s laws nor Iowa’s people. But we can at least make some noise. We must.
*RIP Lynn Crow
Lynn Crow of Iowa City passed away on July 31, 2022. He is survived by his wife Ruth, to whom he was married an incredible 71 years; a son, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and three grandchildren. Lynn was a chiropractor who worked out of his home office. We were neighbors on East Court Street – I lived there just short of 22 years, while he lived there for 60.
Lynn liked to hunt and fish, liked to watch Hawkeye sports, and took great care of his property. He was a very faithful member of the Church of the Nazarene, volunteering in almost every capacity.
Lynn and I had an interesting run as neighbors. Lynn was a very capable do-it-yourself type, and he often expressed disappointment in my lack of skills. He would loan me tools, but I had better return them immediately, and in better shape than I got them! Lynn was thoroughly disgusted by city government, while I found them friendly and helpful. Lynn raked every leaf within a few hours of it hitting the ground. I raked once each year – just before the final leaf pick up. The Crows’ house was always quiet, whereas ours was full of crying kids, yelling arguments, and loud music.
Perhaps most interesting is the fact that Lynn Crow was a hard-core Republican. We managed to get along, and even found some areas of agreement. We both opposed the Iraq War. (He told me, “They said I’d be out of Korea in 2 months, and the US would be out in a year. Neither was true, and it’s been 70 years!”) We both hated the impact of money in politics. We both agreed that Veterans deserve better care. We both felt health insurance companies needed to be more accountable. We both expressed our dismay with the increasing lack of civility in the world. I am probably forgetting a few.
But there were many, many other areas where we disagreed. We never fought, per se, but we had some conversations that simply ended because one or both of us was too frustrated. It got harder as we went on… I think Lynn got a bit more conservative as he aged. Perhaps he thinks I changed, too.
I will never forget the day after the 2020 Presidential Election. Lynn and I were both in our yards, taking down our competing signs. Lynn came over with tears in his eyes, and said, “This is just terrible. And it is not going to be terrible for me, because I’m an old man. But it’s going to be terrible for your granddaughter.” He was so visibly shaken. I really didn’t know how to respond. I just said, “Well, Lynn, I guess we’re going to have to agree to disagree.”
It is still interesting to me. I simply cannot understand how he could possibly believe that a second Trump Presidency would have somehow been better for my granddaughter. I mean, she is African American, a female, and her Mom doesn’t earn a lot of money. She attended daycare, will attend public school, she uses healthcare… and that doesn’t even touch upon all of Trump’s corruption and lies. Plus the new Vice President now looked like her! I could not possibly see a way in which a second Trump-Pence Administration would benefit her. Not one. So what did Lynn see? I never did find out.
Despite these differences, Lynn Crow was always kind to me and my family. He acted like a grandfather to my kids. I can honestly say Lynn was a friend. I can honestly say I loved him. I told him so when I hugged him goodbye.
Is there some bigger message I can take away from this? I don’t know. I really don’t. I certainly never wished Lynn harm. I wanted him to “see the light” according to my beliefs. I’m sure he wanted the same for me. I am going to try to search for some meaning here; I’ll let you know if I figure something out.
Bottom line, a good man is gone. RIP, Lynn Crow!
*DID YOU KNOW? U.S. Census figures show that fewer than 5 percent of marriages endure 50 years, and no statistics exist for marriages that make it to 70, because the incidence is SO rare!
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.
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 rodsullivan29@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 9:36 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home