Blog Archives - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Gender Equity Forum Education Action Group Meeting - PACG Event

8/28/2022

Gender Equity Forum Education Action Group Meeting
Saturday, September 10th at 1:00 pm

Coffee Hound
3451 Devils Glen RD
Bettendorf, 52722 (map)

Gender Equity Forum

After our first two meetings, the Gender Equity Forum has decided that there are so many issues to work on we can work more effectively divided into action groups. Each group will have a different facilitator. These groups and leaders are also listed on our website page.

     Legislative Action Group - Marie Gleason
   - This group will advocate with state and federal legislators and candidates and will
  communicate voting details to the community.
Services Action Group - Carolyn Martin
- This group will work on improving access to reproductive health care services in our area.
   Education Action Group - Renee Eickman
   - This group will organize events (including protests) to educate the community on gender
   equity issues.
  Organizing Action Group - Alta Price
- This group will coordinate meetings and communications for the forum.

Our Education Action Group will hold its first meeting at Coffee Hound in Bettendorf on Saturday, September 10th at 1:00 pm. Please join us to help us organize upcoming events and actions. We welcome your suggestions!

Renee Eickman

September Green Drinks - Conservation at Niabi Zoo

8/27/2022

September Green Drinks - Conservation at Niabi Zoo
Tuesday, September 6th at 5:00 pm via Zoom

Environmental Forum

Joel Vanderbush, Curator of Conservation and Education, Niabi Zoo, will discuss how the conservation of species and habitats steers decision-making at Niabi Zoo regarding:

New exhibits - White Rhinos, African Painted Dogs, Prairie Dogs
Field projects - whale sharks in Mexico, freshwater fish and the Tuco tuco mole rat in Paraguay, African Painted Dogs in Zimbabwe, Snow Leopards in East Asia
Conservation breeding efforts - Amur leopards, Fennec foxes, red wolves

RSVP at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGpqTIsH9fD6ssFCjEteY09ZHZ41w6m

A recording of the event will be sent to all registrants afterwards.

Susan Leuthauser

Link between rates of enslavement and gun ownership - No Hate In Our States

8/23/2022

Historical rates of enslavement predict modern rates of American gun ownership

No Hate In Our States

Photo credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The above headline is from United Kingdom based Phys.org, an online source of science, research and technology news.

A recently-published article on research done at the University of Wisconsin-Madison states that: The higher percentage of enslaved people that a U.S. county counted among its residents in 1860, the more guns its residents have in the present, according to a new analysis by researchers exploring why Americans' feelings about guns differ so much from people around the globe.

More than 45% of the world's civilian-owned firearms are in the United States, where just 5 percent of the world's people live. This disparity may have something to do with the way the majority of American gun owners view gun ownership.

"Gun culture is one case where American Exceptionalism really is true," says Nick Buttrick, a University of Wisconsin–Madison professor of psychology. "We are really radically different even from countries like Canada or Australia, places that have similar cultural roots."

Pew Research Center surveys show two-thirds of Americans who own guns say it's a way to keep themselves safe, while in other countries, people are more likely believe the presence of a gun adds risk and danger to their lives, considering, for example, the far higher rates of homicide and suicide in households with guns. Gun culture scholars have also explored the role of race in American gun attitudes for some time, Buttrick says, and the two may be linked.

Read more about this fascinating research here.

PACG Webmaster

Proposed Iowa gun amendment - Action Alert

8/23/2022

Learn about Iowa's proposed reckless gun amendment - Action Alert
Tuesday, September 13th at 7:00 pm

Ridgecrest Village
4130 Northwest Blvd
Davenport, IA (map)

AAUW IA Davenport-Bettendorf

On September 13th, the American Association of University Women - Iowa (AAUW-Iowa) will present a program on the Reckless Gun Amendment at 7:00 pm in the Koning Chapel at Ridgecrest Village, 4130 Northwest Blvd, Davenport. This program is open to the public. We urge you to attend to learn more about this proposed amendment.

The Proposed Iowa Constitutional Amendment language is as follows: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.

This reckless gun amendment will be on the ballot on November 8, 2022. (Read an article from the Gazette about the bill.) This article from Ballotpedia explains the history of t he Iowa Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment (2022), details the supporters and opposition, and explains how it got on our ballet for November.

This amendment is not the Second Amendment. Most states have gun rights language in their state constitutions that mirrors the US Constitution's Second Amendment. The proposed Iowa amendment goes beyond the Second Amendment. It puts the right to possess and carry a gun without any infringement above the right to public safety for our communities and children. The Reckless Gun Amendment could lead to the invalidation of any reasonable gun safety measure that keeps Iowans safe.

Rosanne Krubsack

Proposed Pipeline informational meeting - Action Alert

8/21/2022

Proposed Wolf Carbon Solutions Pipeline Informational Meeting - Action Alert
Wednesday, August 31st at 12:00 noon

River Center
Adler Theater
136 E 3rd Street, Davenport (map)

Environmental Forum

From the Iowa Utilities Board: The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) today issued an order approving the dates, times and locations for six public informational meetings requested by Wolf Carbon Solutions US, LLC (Wolf), which includes a virtual meeting option. The meetings are to discuss Wolf’s proposal to build and operate a carbon capture pipeline system that will transport liquefied carbon dioxide from local facilities in eastern Iowa to an underground storage facility in Illinois.

Read this link for more information, including other meeting locations (including a virtual one on September 19th), pertinent documents regarding the pipeline.

We also have a detailed PACG blog post regarding Carbon Capture and Storage that gives more details.

Susan Leuthauser

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Don't Be Railroaded - Action Alert

8/21/2022

Don’t Be Railroaded! - Update
What does the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads mean to the Quad Cities?

PACG Environmental Forum

FACTS:

Up to 22 trains, with an average length of 8,000 ft (about a mile-and-a half), will be traveling through the QC daily. A previous 10-minute wait at a crossing can easily become a 40-minute wait.
These trains will transport tank cars from Canada to Mexico. Each car will carry 30,000 gallons of flammable crude oil.
Trains runs throughout the day. Estimates are an increase of a minimum of over 2 hours of train traffic a day.

IMPACT OF THE INCREASED TRAIN TRAFFIC:

The risk of accidents and derailment will increase accordingly. There have been several accidents and derailments of Canadian Pacific trains since 2019.
Due to the longer trains, emergency vehicles might not be able to reach residents and businesses impacted by the location of the tracks.
Noise pollution, vibration, traffic, and the increase in air pollution can all impact property values and the economic development of the river front.

TAKE ACTION:

Sign a petition to STOP THE TRAIN. Go to: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-train-560c2c4a-b6ab-4425-a3e4-e3055a8e6c34
Attend the Surface Transportation Board public meeting on September 13th from 6-8 pm at the River Center, 136 E 3rd St, Davenport.
Attend one of the online meetings or submit written comments online. Go to https://www.cp-kcsmergereis.com/involvement.htm for details.
You can also send your comments to Mr. Martin Oberman, Chairman, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423.

September 3, 2022:
A coalition of environmentalists have been working on the issue of more trains going through the QCA due to this merger. A number of us, including Shirley Johnson, Glenda Guster, PJ Slobojan, and myself were at a recent meeting at the Freight House in Davenport. We filmed this long train passing us.

Watch the resulting one-minute video and think about the risks, and increased traffic and noise from having three times as many trains going through our area. This video is also posted on the PACG Environmental Forum Facebook page.

Stop the Train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2QCTOoyZyE

And then sign the Stop the Train petition here.

Susan Leuthauser

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August Environmental Celebration - National Honeybee Day

8/21/2022

August 2022 Environmental Celebration
National Honey Bee Day – August 20th

Protect Honeybees by Planting a Pollinator Garden

Lush, green, weedless lawns are beautiful and desirable, but they are nutritional deserts. Early in the spring, when the world comes alive again, bees and other pollinators emerge when very few other flowers have bloomed; dandelion nectar becomes an important source of nutrients for them.
By necessity, pollinator gardens must change as the season does. It is a privilege to be able to be in tune with the subtleties of different blooming times and their connection with migrating birds and insects. As the saying goes, “When the goldenrod blooms, it is time for monarchs to start their long migration south.”

Take Action Steps:

Don’t mow early in the spring - the bees need your dandelions.
Plant native plants that are not genetically modified or treated with pesticides. Shop at local nurseries that know their plant suppliers.
Plant flowers that bloom at different times during the growing season.
DO NOT use any herbicides or pesticides; even the smallest exposure will kill bees and butterflies.
Create pollinator-friendly areas in your yard. Plant milkweed.

Tribal Rights and SCOTUS - No Hate In Our States

8/19/2022

Historic Case for Tribal Rights at the Supreme Court

No Hate In Our States

Credit: AP Photo/Morgan Lee

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) – a law that aims to protect Native children from forced removal from their families, tribes, and culture – is currently under attack and at risk of being struck down by the Supreme Court in Brackeen v. Haaland.

This case is one of the largest threats to Native children, families, and tribes before the Supreme Court in our lifetimes – and that's why today the ACLU and a 12-strong collective of our affiliates from across the country have filed an amicus brief today urging SCOTUS to uphold ICWA.

The Justices will hear oral arguments in this case in November, and tribal nations will be leading the fight to uphold the constitutionality of ICWA at that time.

Until then, we encourage you to do all you can to get informed about this monumental case and the fight for Indigenous rights. You can begin by digging into our latest piece today – which gives you a rundown both on the details of Brackeen v. Haaland, and the heinous history of forced separation and assimilation of Native children in this country that surrounds it.

Since European settlers arrived on the shores of what is now known as the United States, federal and state governments – intent on seizing Native lands – have sought to undermine and threaten the existence of tribes by severing Native children from their families, tribes, and culture.

Up until Congress passed ICWA in 1978, public and private agencies were removing 25-35% of Native American/Alaska Native children from their homes. And 85% of those children were placed in non-Native households, where Native children had little access to their culture, language, or tradition.

If SCOTUS rules against this essential law, it could put a centuries-long legal precedent upholding tribal sovereignty – including tribes' right and ability to preserve their unique cultural identities, raise their own children, and govern themselves – in jeopardy.

That's why we all must pay serious attention to this case and make sure the Court knows we, the people, are in support of ICWA. So please dive into this case today and be ready for more on our nationwide fight for Indigenous rights and all civil liberties up ahead.

Thank you for staying informed,

Theodora Simon (Navajo)
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Indigenous Justice Advocate, ACLU of NorCal

P.S. Brackeen v. Haaland could have devastating consequences for Native children and families. That's why the ACLU and its affiliates are so united in the work to file today: Along with the ACLU – the ACLU of NorCal, Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Washington – are all a part of this amicus brief.

PACG Webmaster

Decision delayed on Iowa's top caucus spot - Of Interest to PACG Forum Members

8/16/2022

Decision delayed on Iowa's top caucus spot

Civil Rights Forum and The Real MainStream

Iowa will have to wait until after the mid-term elections to learn whether it will keep its spot as the first political caucus of the presidential season, reports the Nebraska Examiner. Iowa is vying to keep its early spot along with New Hampshire, and challengers Nevada, Maryland and South Carolina. Critics say Iowa should not hold such an influential spot because it lacks diversity (emphasis added).

Read more in the link above.

The Real MainStream is the only blatantly LGBTQ-affirming, intersectional, progressive publication serving Illinois and Iowa. Subscribe to the Real Mainstream here.

PACG Webmaster

"Fight Injustice in Iowa" campaign goes live in August

8/14/2022

"Fight Injustice in Iowa" - OHF QCA billboard campaign goes live in August

One Human Family QCA

Our “Fight Injustice in Iowa” billboard campaign will soon be in place!

Here are the locations and dates of posting for our billboards:

2814 State Street, Bettendorf (map) – August 15
400 West 2nd Street, Davenport (map) – August 15
53rd Street east of Brady, Davenport (map) -September 12
621 East Kimberly, Davenport (map) – September 19

We do not as of now know which signs will be up at which locations. But as of tomorrow, you can start checking them!

Rabbi Henry Jay Karp
One Human Family QCA