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.
Three years ago Ben Hayden of Coralville participated in the initial siege of Fallujah, Iraq, with his Marine unit — the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. This week Hayden returns to Fallujah as a civilian, representing the organization Vets for Freedom, for which he serves as the Iowa Captain.
VFF recently launched a campaign, “Four Months, For Victory,†to educate the American public about why achieving success in Iraq and Afghanistan is imperative. VFF feels that some politicians and members of the media have failed to assess the situation in Iraq objectively, neglecting to report on the successes the military has achieved, especially in the last year.
Hayden will join seven other veterans who will be returning to the respective Iraqi cities where they previously patrolled as active members of their military units. He will share his real-time updates on the VFF blog and will report his on-the-ground assessment back to VFF, which in turn will review the findings as a means of presenting its case to the public and elected officials responsible for shaping policy.
“The great danger is that policy becomes divorced from events on the ground,†VFF Chairman Pete Hegseth said in a statement. “The only responsible course is to ensure that decisions on troop levels and other matters reflect the demands of the battlefield. To reduce forces ignorant of, or despite, the consequences would be to risk disaster.â€
According to a VFF press release:
The analysis of the group will focus on determining the depth and durability of recent gains, the troop levels required to achieve stability, the potential consequences of a rapid American withdrawal, the proper “conditions-based†metrics needed to measure the right balance of U.S. and Iraqi forces, the status of displaced people seeking to return to their homes, and the prospects for the return of al Qaeda to Iraq, among other issues.
“Senator Obama has stated his intention to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq on a fixed timetable and without almost any consideration for facts on the ground and events in the region,†Hegseth said “A policy of effectively unconditional withdrawal from Iraq raises troubling questions. Through this on-the-ground assessment, members of VFF are committed to providing fact-based analysis of critical policy decisions.â€
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter