Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Two of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, John Edwards and Sen. Hillary Clinton, descended upon Iowa over Memorial Day weekend, crossing the state and pitching their support for veterans. Although Sen. Joe Biden’s presence registered on Iowa’s political radar, in lieu of addressing veterans’ issues, he spent most of his time on the stump defending his support of the Iraq War supplemental funding bill. On the Republican side, there were no sightings of presidential hopefuls stumping for veterans in Iowa.
John Edwards’ campaign has become ubiquitous in Iowa and this weekend was no exception. Edwards unveiled his “Sacred Contract with Our Military and Veterans Community” and made this the focal point of his most recent Iowa tour:
“I believe in a sacred contract between our country and America’s veterans and military families. We must stand by those who stand by us. When our servicemen and women sacrifice so much to defend our freedom and secure peace around the world, we have a moral obligation to take care of them and their families.”
In a press release, Edwards provided an overview of the three cornerstones of his end of the contract, focusing on guaranteeing quality health care for veterans, supporting military families and providing education and economic opportunities for civilian life. While stumping for veterans in Oelwien, Edwards told a crowd at the Dancing Lion, “We have a sacred responsibility to the men and women in Iraq. Every troop should be evaluated when they return to see what they want to do and make sure they can do it.”One thing missing from Edwards’ stump speeches in Iowa, at least explicitly, was his “Support the Troops./Stop the War” campaign, which was scheduled to officially launch Memorial Day Weekend. The campaign’s intent was to reclaim patriotism by making the distinction between supporting the troops, while simultaneously criticizing the Iraq War and calling for its end as an act of patriotism. A large part of the reason Edwards may have stepped back from his call for Americans to “get vocal” and “get active” in opposing the Iraq War on Memorial Day is the criticism targeted at his campaign on behalf of veterans groups:
Paul Morin, national commander of the American Legion, posted an open letter of the group’s website blasting Edwards for what Morin says is an inappropriate political calculation that “blatantly violated the sanctity of this most special day
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