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Heritage pushes to class Trans as terrorists - No Hate In Our States

9/30/2025

Heritage Foundation Uses Bogus Stat to Push a Trans Terrorism Classification

by Dell Cameron and Andrew Couts

Heritage Foundation Uses Bogus Stat to Push a Trans Terrorism Classification

By inflating numbers and narrowing definitions, Heritage promotes a false link between transgender identity and violence in its push for the FBI to create a new terrorism category.

Kat Fitzgerald (she/her)

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PACG Wins ICAN Award in 2007

9/25/2025

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PACG History - ICAN Award in 2007

Left to right: Karen Metcalf, Caryn Unsicker, Beth Wehrman. Glenda (Pettigrew) Guster, James Lee, Caroline Vernon, Elesha Gayman

At their Annual Delegate Assembly and Leadership Conference on April 21, 2007, Iowa Citizen Action Network (ICAN) honored the Quad Cities citizen group Progressive Action for the Common Good as this year's recipient of the Grassroots Leadership Award.

ICAN is Iowa's largest grass roots consumer and environmental watchdog organization, with more than 13,000 individual members across the state. Each year ICAN honors one organization in the state that their Board and staff see as "doing exemplary work, and embodying the spirit of true grassroots activism."

US Senator Barack Obama, who began his career as a community organizer in Chicago, was the keynote speaker at this event. James Lee of Davenport, PACG’s Executive Director, received the award on behalf of PACG. According to PACG President Cathy Bolkcom, “It is very gratifying to have all of our hard work and the activities of our many leaders and volunteers recognized. Our top goal is to activate citizens to make our communities a better place to live for all”.

The inscription on the award reads:
In recognition of Outstanding Efforts to Win Concrete Improvements in People's Lives, Make people Aware of Their Own Power, and Alter the Relations of Power in Iowa.

Phyllip Cryan, Program Director of Iowa Citizen Action Networks stated, "In making this determination, we specifically seek to honor a group in Iowa whose accomplishments and political strength are out-sized in comparison to their budget – a group that is doing extraordinary work as true "Davids" facing off with the Goliaths we all have to confront; a group without a large paid staff, infrastructure, glossy materials, etc. Our Board unanimously (and very enthusiastically) selected PACG as the organization most deserving of the Grassroots Leadership Award this year."

Progressive Action for the Common Good was organized in early 2005 and has been successful in activating hundreds of citizens for peace, social justice, health care for all and a variety of other issues. Their website is at www.qcprogressiveaction.org.

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LGBTQ Students Speak Out

9/24/2025

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5 LGBTQ UVU Students Speak Out After Charlie Kirk's Murder

No Hate in Our States

From Uncloseted Media

5 LGBTQ UVU Students Speak Out After Charlie Kirk's Murder
“I am extremely disappointed with how the media has been approaching this.”

Kat Fitzgerald (she/her)

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QC Electric Vehicle Rally September 24, 2025 After Action Report

9/22/2025

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QC Electric Vehicle Rally - After Action Report

Freight House Farmers Market
Davenport, IA

Environmental Forum

The PACG Environmental Forum hosted the QC Electric Vehicle (EV) Rally at the Farmers Market on Sunday, September 14, 2025. This event was part of the nationwide National Drive Electric Month celebration. Four electric vehicle (EV) dealers and some EV owners were on site to answer questions from visitors and network with each other. One of the EV owners came from Macomb, IL to join our event. The participants made new friends and enjoyed sharing their experiences with each other.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

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PACG Book Club - "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", October 2025

9/21/2025

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Monday, October 20th at 5:15 pm

Edwards Congregational UCC
3420 Jersey Ridge Rd
Davenport, IA (map)

PACG Book Club

In October we will read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This is historical fiction about the occupation of the island of Guernsey by the Germans in World War 2. Not only a New York Times bestseller when it was first published, it is now a film you can stream online.

Contact me for the Zoom link if you want to come that way.

Alta Price (she/her)

Read more about the book at Goodreads:

"#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE ON NETFLIX - A remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name."

"I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers. January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she's never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb..."

"As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all."

"Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society's members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever."

"Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways."

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Take Action for Clean Water - Action Alert

9/17/2025

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Take Action for Clean Water

Environmental Forum

Last November, USEPA added 7 segments of Iowa rivers to the impaired river list due to high nitrate levels. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) pushed back on the decision. The EPA rescinded their November decision. Coincidentally, IDNR is having their triennial virtual public hearings on water quality standards on September 18 at 9:30 am and September 23 at 2:30 pm. Here's our opportunity to express our opinion on this issue.

Follow this link for more background information on this issue.

Click here for details of the hearing and Zoom link.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

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Comment on repeal of Roadless Rule

9/17/2025

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A Vision for the Planet

Environmental Forum

The Roadless Rule

Are you aware that the current administration is attempting to revoke the Roadless Rule? This law was established in 2001 during the Bush administration by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect National Forest System lands. (It has an interesting and political history that is explained here.) It bans road construction and timber harvesting in roadless areas to preserve them from development.

Per Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE):
Rescinding the Roadless Rule would not only increase road construction, but would also support clear-cutting old-growth forests and increase pollution from mineral extraction. According to the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, national forests and other public lands provide the foundation for a $1.2 trillion per year industry that would be harmed by the these industrial activities.

There is currently a period of public comment. Go to Regulations.gov and enter FS-2025-0001 (or click here) and voice your opinion.

This comment period closes on 9/19 but there will be another opportunity in March, assuming this draft passes. You can describe how these roadless areas have benefited you in terms of recreation and hunting, how they reduce the potential for wildfires and help keep our water clean, and how they provide a contiguous area for animal habitat.

Lori McCollum

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PACG History - Social Justice Movie Nights

9/15/2025

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PACG Social Justice Movie Nights 2005 to 2012

Caroline Vernon offered PACG's Social Justice Movie Night for seven years. Dave and Carol Brown offered their own equipment and technical expertise.

These showings happened the third Friday of the month and included lemonade and popcorn! Sometimes a specific issue forums hosted one of these events. Caroline would send an email with a flyer to our community email list. Here's an example of one of those emails: Good Grew Tired of Us.

The movies are listed here:

Collapse 03/16/2012
Independent American reporter Michael Ruppert is the subject of this documentary, which looks at how the ex-police officer managed to predict the massive Wall Street crash of 2008 years before it happened.

Koch Brothers Exposed 04/21/2012
A hard-hitting investigation of Charles and David Koch, two of the world's richest and most powerful men, and how their billions and influence have changed the landscape of America.

Truck Farm (Local Foods Forum) 7/15/11
Truck Farm tells the story of a new generation of quirky urban farmers. Using green roof technology and heirloom seeds, filmmaker Ian Cheney

What's the Matter with Kansas? 4/15/11
Shows how Kansas transformed from an outpost of radicalism to a bastion of
conservatism. Unforgettable characters and their stories shed new light on our nation's
political divide.

Gasland (Environmental Forum) 04/17/11
Exposing the risks of fracking -- the controversial drilling technique also known as hydraulic fracturing.

Countdown to Zero 7/21/11
In recognition of the passing of the Start Treaty, this compelling documentary is timely.
The START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) refers to a series of agreements between the United States and the Soviet Union, and later Russia, to reduce the number of strategic nuclear weapons. The original START I treaty was signed in 1991 and led to significant dismantling of strategic nuclear weapons. The most recent of these treaties is the New START Treaty, signed in 2010.

A Sea Change 09/17/11
Sea Change follows the journey of retired history teacher Sven Huseby on his quest to
discover what is happening to the world’s oceans. After reading Elizabeth Kolbert’s “The
Darkening Sea,” Sven becomes obsessed with the rising acidity of the oceans and what this “sea change” bodes for humankind.

Capitalism: A Love Affair 07/16/10
Michael Moore examines the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans. But this time the culprit is much bigger than General Motors, and the crime scene is far wider than Flint, Michigan.

Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin 06/18/10
"The unknown hero of the civil rights movement" Bayard Rustin was an American political activist and prominent leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. Rustin was the principal organizer of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.

Seneca Falls (QC NOW/Women’s Issues Forum) 03/19/2010
a life-changing journey with nine high school girls and a lone 10-year old boy bound for the birthplace of women’s rights in America. Part teenage road trip, part shocking history lesson, the film is, above all, an awakening of young hearts and minds.

Food, Inc (Local Foods Initiative) 02/19/2010
Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA.

Battle in Seattle 11/20/09
The historic 1999 Seattle protest victory of people power over corporate rule, QCFL and
PACG is joining house parties across the country the week of November 15th. Battle in
Seattle starring Charlize Theron, Andre 3000, Woody Harrelson and more.

Fresh the Movie (Local Foods Initiative) 09/18/2009
Fresh celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-
inventing our food system.

The Future of Food (Local Foods Initiative) 05/22/2009
An in-depth look at the controversy over genetically modified food.

The World According to Monsanto 03/20/2009
As the world leader in genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and one of the most
controversial corporations in industrial history, this empire has created some of the most toxic products ever sold, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the herbicide Agent Orange. Based on a painstaking investigation into the company's history.

Flow 01/16/2009
Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis.

Obsession (Reclaiming Moral Values Forum) 11/18/2008
This film grossly misrepresents Islam and Muslims in America. In response, this free
community event will intersperse clips from the video "Obsession" with discussion about peaceful and factual responses to bigotry and stereotyping about Muslims and others.

Iron Jawed Angels (QC-NOW/Women’s Issues Forum) 10/17/2008
2nd showing – Back by popular demand
The struggle of suffragists who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment. The film
shows how activists broke from the mainstream women's-rights movement and created a more radical wing, daring to push the boundaries of political protest to secure women's voting rights in 1920.

Life and Death 09/19/2008
takes a hard look at how globalization, deregulation, and World Bank Loans, despite
promises of economic development, are actually crippling developing nations,
saddling them with enormous debt.
The Business of Being Born 08/15/2008 Women’s Issues Forum
Director Abby Epstein's controversial documentary takes a hard look at America's
maternity care system, juxtaposing hospital deliveries against the growing popularity of at-home, natural births.

The Business of Being Born 8/15/2008
A documentary that explores the childbirth experience in the US, including the dysfunctions of the healthcare system that relies heavily on medications and medical interventions, as opposed to the view that it is a natural process.

God Grew Tired of Us 07/18/2008
After raising themselves in the desert along with thousands of other parentless "lost boys," Sudanese refugees John, Daniel and Panther have found their way to America, where they experience electricity, running water and supermarkets for the first time.

For the Bible Tells Me So (Reclaiming Moral Values Forum) 06/20/2008
Through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families we
discover how insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard's Peter Gomes, OrthodoxRabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech, offering healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity.

No End in Sight: The Occupation of Iraq (Peace and Justice Forum) 03/21/2008
A critical analysis of the United States' occupation of Iraq following the 2003 invasion. The film argues that the disastrous handling of the occupation was a result of incompetence and a series of grave policy mistakes made by the Bush administration.

The Narrow Path (Reclaiming Moral Values Forum) 11/16/2007
Following in the footsteps of the great apostles of nonviolence - Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton and Oscar Romero - John Dear, SJ presents in The Narrow Path the challenging message of Jesus in a fresh way, speaking with new force and vision of God's plea for peace.

Shocking and Awful: A grassroots response to War and Occupation 08/17/07
Shocking and awful is the way many people view the current situation in Iraq and the
United States. The war takes its toll on Iraqi civilians, international aid workers, journalists and US troops.

War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death
07/20/2007
War Made Easy reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of
government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war
after another from Vietnam to Iraq.

Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers 10/19/2006
Private contractors making millions as a result of Pentagon contracts to perform
interrogations. Many soldiers are featured speaking out about the effect that these private mercenaries are having on their jobs and morale. Mercernaries are also featured speaking to the lack of security provided by the private companies that hire them.

Why We Fight 05/18/2007
The film describes the rise and maintenance of the United States military-industrial
complex while concentrating on wars led by the United States over the last fifty years
particularly on the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.

When I Came Home 03/16/07
A film about homeless veterans in America: from those who served in Vietnam to those
returning from the current war in Iraq.

The War Tapes - footage filmed by actual soldiers in Iraq February 2007
Filmmaker Deborah Scranton provides three U.S. soldiers with cameras so they can
document their experiences during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Power of Forgiveness (Reclaiming Moral Values / QCUU) 03/24/2007
Researchers examining the psychological and physical effects of forgiveness on individuals and within relationships under a wide variety of conditions, ranging from petty insults to sexual assault. Clinicians have developed interventions that guide people through a process that allows them to forgive transgressions and get on with their lives.

The Road to Guantanamo 01/19/2007
The film tells the story of Ruhal Ahmed, Asif Iqbal and Shafiq Rasul (the 'Tipton Three');
three young British men from Tipton in the West Midlands who were captured by the
Northern Alliance in Afghanistan in 2001 and detained as "enemy combatants" at
Guantánamo Bay, without charge or legal representation, for nearly three years.

The Ground Truth - The Human Cost of War 11/17/2006
Our soldiers' perspective of the Iraq War, and how they are being treated upon returning home. It goes beyond the war stories to look underneath our American tradition of going to war and then abandoning the warrior.

30 Days 09/17/2006
Frank George, who legally immigrated with his family from Cuba to the US when he was 7 years old, has staunch illegal immigration views. He believes the US military should man all borders and is a member of the Minutemen, a volunteer group that patrols the country's borders. For 30 days, Frank lived with a family of mixed status who fled their native Mexico in 1995. He shared a one-bedroom apartment with Rigorberto and Patty Gonzales and their five children. Two of the children were born in the US and are American citizens. Their parents and siblings are illegal immigrants.

The Revolution Will Not be Televised 08/18/2006
Two independent filmmakers were inside the presidential palace on April 11th, 2002, when Chavez was forcibly removed from office by members of the military and the national chamber of commerce. They were also present 48 hours later, when, remarkably, millions of Venezuelans took to the streets, and by teaming up with loyal military officers, returned Chavez to power.

The Big Buy: Tom Delay's Stolen Congress 07/21/2006
The film is a warning about how easy it is for American democracy to be hijacked by a
combination of relentless ambition and corporate millions. It makes the case that DeLay built a "custom-made Congress" that is still providing votes for his agenda.

A Day Without A Mexican 06/16/2006
Beginning in 1994 with California’s Prop 187 the filmmakers intended to give form to a
strong sentiment of discomfort we perceived in the Latino immigrant community but which up to now has had no clear shape, no loud voice. We believe that immigration reform is the civil rights struggle of our time. It is a struggle that affects all of us with its impact on the economic, social and cultural fabric of our society.

Thirst 05/19/2006
This documentary draws attention to the fact that global corporations are rapidly buying up local water supplies - Communities suddenly lose control of their most precious resource. This is a piercing look at the conflict between public stewardship and private profit.

Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices (Corporate Reform Forum) 11/18/2005
The controversial retail giant Walmart faces the scrutiny of filmmaker Robert Greenwald in this documentary showcasing the adverse effects the behemoth inflicts on communities and individuals.

Iron Jawed Angels (Women’s Issues Forum/QC NOW) 08/26/2005
The struggle of suffragists who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment. The film
shows how activists broke from the mainstream women's-rights movement and created a  more radical wing, daring to push the boundaries of political protest to secure women's voting rights in 1920.

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Half of Fortune 500 Companies founded by immigrants

9/12/2025

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Nearly Half of Fortune 500 Companies in 2025 Were Founded by Immigrants or Their Children

American Immigration Council

In the 2025 New American Fortune 500 Companies list, 46.2 percent, or 231 companies, were founded by immigrants or their children—109 by immigrants and 122 by children of immigrants. Additionally, 10 out of 22 companies that were either new to the list or returning after a previous appearance were founded by immigrants or their children. These new American firms make important contributions to both the U.S. and the global economies.

View this report.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

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Register for our 20th Anniversary Gala!

9/3/2025

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Our 20th Anniversary Gala is Sunday!
Sunday, October 19th at 4:00 pm

Holiday Inn - Rock Island
226 17th ST
Rock Island, IL (map)

A Message from the Board

Join PACG as we celebrate our 20th Anniversary on Sunday, October 19th. Social Hour begins at 4:00 pm, with our dinner beginning at 5:00.

This is a black tie and blue jeans event (i.e., dress as you please).

Registration is closed! We are keeping this information here in case you need it before Sunday.

This event showcases some of the highlights of the past 20 years and includes a lot of fun elements. You will have a chance to mingle with progressive-minded folks you may not have seen in years; enjoy some good food; help us recognize people who've been involved with us over the years; play a PACG Trivia game; listen to some powerful speakers; and watch a short PACG film to close out the evening.

Email us at [email protected] with questions.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

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Heritage Foundation Uses Bogus Stat to Push a Trans Terrorism Classification

PACG History - ICAN Award in 2007

5 LGBTQ UVU Students Speak Out After Charlie Kirk's Murder

QC Electric Vehicle Rally - After Action Report

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie BarrowsMonday, October 20th at 5:15 pmEdwards Congregational UCC3420 Jersey Ridge RdDavenport, IA (map)PACG Book Club

Take Action for Clean Water

A Vision for the Planet

PACG Social Justice Movie Nights 2005 to 2012

Nearly Half of Fortune 500 Companies in 2025 Were Founded by Immigrants or Their Children

Our 20th Anniversary Gala is Sunday!Sunday, October 19th at 4:00 pm

Archives

Categories

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Monday, October 20th at 5:15 pm

Edwards Congregational UCC
3420 Jersey Ridge Rd
Davenport, IA (map)

PACG Book Club

Our 20th Anniversary Gala is Sunday!
Sunday, October 19th at 4:00 pm