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Formal Ethics Complaint Against Senator Bartz Filed Today
Apr 23, 2009 Posted by Lynn Fallon Login and commentToday, Ed and Lynn Fallon plan to deliver to Secretary of the Senate Mike Marshall at 11:15 this morning their formal ethics complaint against Senator Merlin Bartz for encouraging county recorders to break the law by refusing to grant marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
On a Senate Republican website, Senator Bartz posts a link to a petition that appeals to county recorders to “refuse to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples on April 27th, 2009, and every day after, until such conflict between the Supreme Court’s opinion and the law is addressed by a VOTE OF THE PEOPLE OF IOWA.” Senator Bartz has also spoken publicly in support of county recorders taking this action.
In their ethic complaint, Ed and Lynn assert, “Senator Bartz’s actions appear to violate Article III, Section 32 of the State of Iowa Constitution and Chapter 63.10 of the Code of Iowa, which states that duly elected officials solemnly swear to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Iowa.”
The complaint further states: “We have not been able to ascertain whether taxpayers money was used in the development and maintenance of the website that Senator Bartz uses to promote the petition (see http://www.iowasenaterepublicans.org/Bartz/Bartz.htm), but if that is the case, then it would appear to be a misuse of taxpayer money by an elected official to promote breaking the law. We call attention to the fact that the website in question also lists Republican Caucus Staff members, who are entirely funded at taxpayer expense.”
“I want to be clear that there is nothing personal behind this complaint,” said Ed Fallon. “When we served together in the Legislature, I worked with Senator Bartz on several issues. I find him to be very intelligent and a man of integrity. This complaint is in no way intended to cast dispersions on his character, or to imply that he is unethical, merely that in this instance, his actions constitute a breach of the ethical standards established by state government.”
Since last fall, Ed and Lynn have worked in coalition with a broad range of Iowa and national groups to secure and protect the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry in Iowa. Ed first got involved in this issue in 1996, when he led the charge against the anti-marriage law that eventually passed in 1998 and that the Iowa Supreme Court recently found to be unconstitutional.
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Clarence Page to Speak in Des Moines
Apr 13, 2009 Posted by Lynn Fallon Login and commentClarence Page To Speak About His Support For Same Sex Marriage Iowa Historical Building • June 11 • 7:00 p.m Clarence Page, the 1989 Pulitzer Prize winner for Commentary, has been a columnist and a member of the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board since July 1984. His column is syndicated nationally by Tribune Media Services in close to 200 papers. He has been based in Washington, D.C. since May 1991. Page is also a regular contributor of essays to “The News Hour With Jim Lehrer” and “News and Notes with Ed Gordon” on National Public Radio. He has hosted documentaries on the Public Broadcasting System and served as a regular panelist on national programs including ABC’s This Week and BET’s weekly “Lead Story” news panel program. Page was a reporter and assistant city editor for the Chicago Tribune from 1969 to 1980. He joined WBBM-TV in August 1980 as Director of the Community Affairs Department and worked as a reporter and planning editor at the station from August 1982 to July ...continue reading -
Time for a New Groundhog
Feb 13, 2009 Posted by Ed Fallon Login and commentNormal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} I heard a cardinal sing on February 1, heralding the first sign of spring in our neighborhood. Five days later, daffodils pushed through the thawing soil about a mile from our home. The Des Moines River has been ice-free for a week, and the ice on the Raccoon River is on the verge of breaking. On February 2, Punxsutawney Phil announced (through interpreters, of course) that America should expect six more weeks of ...continue reading -
Bicycle Legislation to Support
Jan 27, 2009 Posted by Lynn Fallon Login and commentI received the following note from Mark Wyatt on Facebook: Senate File 34 has specific, positive code changes for bicyclists. Please take a look at http://coolice.legis.state .ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.as p?Category=billinfo&Servic e=Billbook&ga=83&hbill=SF3 4 A companion will soon be filed in the house. After you take a look, visit http://www.legis.state.ia. us/FindLeg/ and contact your legislators in the Iowa House and Iowa Senate and ask them to support the bill. I looked at the bill and it addresses a lot of safety concerns for bicyclists and motorists. If you want to break through all the "code language" and get to the heart of the matter, go to the end of the bill and read the explanation. It gives you most of what you need. When you do write to your Senator, remember that they get a lot of mail, so it's best to keep it short and sweet. Thanks! Lynn ...continue reading -
Check This Out
Jan 20, 2009 Posted by Lynn Fallon Login and commentAlthough I don't like to clutter my email inbox with junk mail, I really enjoy getting the daily tip from Ideal Bite. The topics aren't always of interest to me, and if not, I don't spend a lot of time reading them. But often, there's great information and resources throughout the note. Check it out! Lynn ...continue reading -
End of an Error
Jan 20, 2009 Posted by Ed Fallon Login and commentThis is a monumental day in our nation’s history, marking the end of an error and the beginning of an era. I have great hope that future generations will say that today was the day America began to get itself back on track. I’d love to believe that we’ve done our part, that we can let Obama take it from here. I’d love to go back to being a full-time farmer and musician. But the “change we believe in” won’t happen unless we all continue to commit our lives to service, to the extent that each of us is able. So, today, in celebration of President Obama’s inauguration, I recommit my life to full-time public service. I have no idea where that path will lead, but I’m excited about the road ahead. Ed ...continue reading -
McCarthy and VOICE, by Ed Fallon
Jan 19, 2009 Posted by Ed Fallon Login and commentIn his opposition to campaign finance reform, Iowa House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Democrat, has attracted a questionable ally in Sean Parnell, president of the Center for Competitive Politics. Recently, Parnell praised McCarthy for calling Voter-Owned Iowa Clean Elections (VOICE) “flat-out bad.” Prior to joining the Center, Parnell was vice president for external affairs at The Heartland Institute. Heartland’s priorities include opposition to lots of key Democratic priorities, including public schools, Medicaid, Medicare and any governmental action to address climate change – which a Heartland publication calls “the global warming scam.” Oh, and Parnell has Iowa connections. He was on the payroll for Republican Greg Ganske’s successful campaign to unseat Democrat Neal Smith, and later worked for Ganske in his campaign against Democrat Tom Harkin. I know plenty of moderate Republicans and independents who support VOICE. The Iowa Democratic Party is ...continue reading -
Making the World Safe for Chickens, by Ed Fallon
Jan 19, 2009 Posted by Ed Fallon Login and comment“Sustainability is a big part of our work. Iowa – and America – needs to become more locally self-reliant when it comes to food and energy production. “Yesterday, Lynn and I took a small step in that direction, cleaning an abandoned chicken coop, making it safe and welcoming for a small flock of laying hens. Not all Iowa cities allow hens, though the objections rarely make much sense. In Des Moines, you can own a limited number of chickens, providing certain standards are met. Once you’ve got the coop set-up, hens require less maintenance than most pets. And a hen in the prime of life can lay five or six eggs a week. “Of course, you don’t have to raise your own hens to get eggs raised sustainably. A growing number of Iowa farmers sell free-range eggs in grocery stores, at farmers markets and directly to customers. Such eggs are often more expensive than eggs raised in industrial buildings, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t say they taste better!” ...continue reading -
Welcome to the New Site! by Lynn Fallon
Jan 14, 2009 Posted by Ed Fallon Login and commentSince it's the new year, we decided it was time to re-launch our new website! We hope you find it to be a good resource for information. If you have suggestions, especially if you know of other local businesses we can add to our "Shop Locally" section, please write to us at imforiowa@gmail.com. Ed and I each hope to make blogposts at least 2-3 times each week, so check back often. Lynn -
Chopin, Politics and Local Food
Jan 10, 2009 Posted by Ed Fallon Login and commentFriday, January 23, 2009 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Our Home 752 16th St. Des Moines, IA Ed will give a 30-minute piano concert. Then Lynn and Ed will discuss their work with An Independence Movement for Iowa (I'M for Iowa). They will serve a sampling of appetizers of Iowa-grown nibbles and bubbles, and will ask you to consider helping and supporting them in their work (minimum suggested donation - $10). The event is in our home, so space is limited. We're accepting RSVPs from the first 30 guests.