They're Mushrooms

 THEY'RE MUSHROOMS

On a drive-about that included Altoona, Bondurant, and Ankeny I saw dozens if not a hundred new,  massive structures, empty - - waiting for stuff to arrive by trucks to then leave again by trucks, possibly to another of the massive buildings a few miles away.  It is like a form of fungal reproduction.

Now I know that mushrooms reproduce through spores that apparently are airborne as the mushroom breaks the service of the ground, but there must be some sort of pollination going on here that I am not aware of.  I can think of nothing more analogous to these giant structures than huge, cavernous fungi.  They seem to pop up overnight.  And then there is stuff moving from one part of the building to another, from one building to another, having at one time moved from the point of manufacture and will end finally at the place where it will be consumed.

We now call this process the supply chain.  This is a new term that  entered our vocabulary when we experienced deprivation with COVID.  Suddenly, there were items not found.  This was viewed with horror.  For instance, toilet paper became a very valuable item.  The stores couldn't keep what little they had in stock for the pursuit of toilet paper by the public was ravenous.  What would we do without toilet paper?

Of the 350,000,000 people that live in this county, if the "supply chain" suddenly disappeared, 349,000,000 would have no food.  That is a thought that should get one's attention.  The fact that someone is gay or transgender or some other variety of human, would seem to be irrelevant.  No one would have anything to eat.  I suppose that is when the guns come out.  Of course, if everyone has a gun, that's when the real shooting begins.

If you and your children are starving, you do what you have to do to eat.  Simple really.  I often wonder about the things that we complain about, or argue about, or get upset with.  So our legislature doesn't like that our teachers actually acknowledge there are gay and transgender people in their schools.  The horror!  Is this what they are elected to think about?  What possible benefit does it do to anyone to pick on people other than to show you are a bully.

Unfortunately, it would appear that our legislators and our governor are bullies.  They showed it during the protest of Black Lives Matter, they are showing it in their actions against teachers and librarians, they are preparing laws to enact that are nothing but  to bully people they don't like for whatever reason they don't like them. 

We have a government of bullies, smug ones, believing that that is why they were elected - - to bully people.  I can only hope that the people who voted for them are not themselves bullies.  I find most people, when approached, are friendly and not bullies, and in fact, don't much care for one person bullying another. But they have elected a legislature full of bullies.  Seems incongruous.  I wish it weren't so.  Maybe you could suggest to your legislator that he or she begin thinking about the things that matter - - not who can go to which bathroom.

If you wonder how I made the transition from cavernous warehouses to bullies so quickly; it's called a mind that wanders uncontrollably.

Richard E H Phelps

Mingo

Hair Concerns

 HAIR CONCERNS

When traveling one should explore as much as possible, right?  Why else travel but to see and experience things one cannot see or do at home?  My visit to Central Market in Austin, Texas is illustrative.  In the aisle, of what I will call, personal products was an assortment of hair products, specifically shampoo.

To be clear, I'm not receiving any remuneration for writing about this particular product, presenting its remarkable features to a public that may be unaware of its existence.  The product is John Masters shampoo, conditioner, and hair spray sitting prominently on the shelf at eye level, leading me to believe that Central Market probably gets a kickback on sales, but not the point.

I counted four different shampoos with John Masters' logo:  1. a Volumizing Shampoo with Rosemary & Peppermint; 2. a Daily Nourishing Shampoo with Lavender & Rosemary; 3 a Scalp Stimulating Shampoo with Spearmint & Meadowsweet; 4. a Scalp Conditioning Shampoo with Zinc & Sage.  Also available  were a John Masters' Hair Spray with Acaciagum & Aloés, USDA organic, and a Daily Nourishing Conditioner with Citris & Neroli.  Upon reviewing this selection (of just one company's products), I could only ask myself - - What has happened to us?  But then I recanted.  I, among my contemporaries, are ultimate consumers - - this is what we do - - consume.  One needs to be able to discuss intelligently the pros and cons of lavender and rosemary vs spearmint and meadowsweet.

Unfortunately, I often feel I am lacking in the ability to be a modern American in this regard.  But travel, as is clear from my experience in the Central Market, is helpful.  I am certainly open to being informed - - why travel in the first place if not open to new things and experiences.  For me, Central Market was a new thing; and indeed, not only did they have shampoo but fresh octupi.  The Market was indeed a new experience and one I shall not forget for some time.  Not quite as spectacular as the Grand Canyon, but for us ultimate consumers, quite an adventure.  

I will have to admit, I purchased neither octupi nor shampoo.  The Walgreen's shampoo I normally purchase without essence of plants seem to work ok and it would be a considerable time without food before I could bring myself to eat octopus; both prejudices, I assume, resulting from the fact that living in rural Iowa, having been born in rural Iowa, and practicing law in rural Iowa where octupi are rarely seen and John Masters' hair products are not available, my sudden exposure to this massive and diverse quantity of purchasable products was difficult for me to comprehend and mentally digest - - being a rather rural person.  

Once again, the power of travel.  And even if I am still unsure about the relative benefits of rosemary and peppermint vs zinc and sage, I now know there are some and further investigation is necessary for me to continue to be a proper, modern-day, American consumer.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

I'm Grieving

 I'M GRIEVING

Representative Dunwell is grieving; and rightly so.  Consequently, Senate File 496, the recently enacted legislation requiring the banning of books in Iowa's public schools, was necessary.  The authority for this act, according to Representative Dunwell, is a short speech given by John Fletcher Moulton, Lord Moulton, a Cambridge mathematician and subsequently a London barrister.  The reference made to Lord Moulton was a short speech given at the Authors Club in London published as "Law and Manners" in 1924.

Accordingly, SF 496 addresses the vast area between the domain of "The Law" and the domain of "Free Choice".  Lord Moulton divided human behavior into three categories: (1) Those prescribed or prohibited "The Law", (2) Those allowed as "Free Choice", and (3) that huge area in between.  Lord Moulton called this  third area "Manners"; Representative Dunwell apparently calls it "Sin" which needs to be moved into category (1) "The Law".  The subject matter of Senate File 496 accordingly takes certain things out of the category of "In Between" and moves them to category 1: "The Law".  The area of "Free Choice" was apparently not considered, but that vast area in between "Law" and "Free Choice" now needs to be reviewed.  Hence, our legislature has moved the teaching of certain materials that currently (according to them) land in between the "The Law" and "Free Choice" into the land of "The Law".  I realize this is all somewhat confusing, but don't blame me.

Apparently, Lord Moulton thought that the manners of the public needed some correction and he thought possibly some Biblical references might do the trick.  As we can all see, it didn't.  Now Representative Dunwell has somehow come across this short speech of Lord Moulton now entitled "Obedience to the Unenforceable".  If one Googles it, it comes up numerous times and apparently is often quoted by current divines and others.  This appears to be the authority for SF 496.

I do find it interesting that Lord Moulton had a correspondence with Charles Darwin - - obviously the two were acquainted.  Lord Moulton didn't think much of Herbert Spenser's adoption of Mr. Darwin's biological theories to human society, such as the concept of "natural selection".  But it would seem that Lord Moulton actually accepted Darwin's work as an advancement in human knowledge. Oh woe is me to think that Representative Dunwell is referencing a man who considered Darwin's work as valid.  I think we need to rethink this entirely.  Lord Dunwell needs to retreat and reconsider his sources.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Oh No!

 OH NO!

The Minnesota House just passed the bill legalizing marajuana.  Their senate will soon follow.  Iowa will then be surrounded on three sides with the horrific spector of legal marijuana coming into the State from three sides.  What will we do?  

The answer of our law enforcement personnel is very simple - - put more people in jail, give more people criminal records, collect more garbage in the middle of the night, obtain search warrants so that you house can be flooded with strangers with guns pointed at you for having some marijuana residue somewhere on the premises.  It's all very entertaining - - for some.

On the other hand, it is a clear sign that our law enforcement people don't have enough to do.  Like writing a traffic ticket where someone didn't come to a complete stop on a deserted street in the middle of the night with not a moving car in sight.  These actions by our law enforcement can only be the product to two things:  boredom or meanness or maybe both.

The notion that our local police are here to serve and protect is a difficult proposition to accept some days.  They give no sign of serving or protecting when they go busting into someone's house looking for a bag of weed or give someone a traffic ticket for no purpose whatsoever other than to give themselves something to do.

And although law enforcement gives a great deal of effort to convincing the public that they are there to protect them and to serve them, it is clear that they are not there for either of these two purposes.  They are there to enforce the laws of the State of Iowa regardless of what they may be or who it will affect.  Don't care.  Not their concern.  I will say they are normally polite when they do it; which is for the simple reason that there are less complaints if you are needlessly giving people a problem while smiling.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Don't Let Them Vote

 DON’T LET THEM VOTE

If we haven’t had enough to deal with, like homosexuals, now we have to deal with people that claim they are “transgender”.  You know - - enough already!  Not only should we have a national religion, we should have a national sexuality and that should be straight, heterosexual sex:  you know, like between a man and a woman.

It’s not only the right thing to do, but it’s Biblical and if it’s Biblical, then it’s got to be the right thing.  If someone is going to hell for sinning, there really is no reason to let them vote - - somebody like them might actually get elected like that guy from Indiana who is now Secretary of Transportation.  Can you believe it, Biden put a gay guy in charge of our highways.  How bad is that?

We need to have our sexual identity on our driver’s license:  if straight an S, if gay a G, if transgender a T, and if you don’t have any sexual identity at all, you really do need to start over - - no voting for you!  So let’s give this the thought it deserves shall we.  The only way we are going to keep gays and transgenderites out of public office is to make sure they can’t vote.  And there is nothing anti-American about this.

We have been discriminating against people ever since we have been a country and before and, I for one, see no reason to stop now.  When we first started only white males that owned property could vote, and I know our women folk won’t think much of this, but black men were allowed to vote before them, and not without good reasons either.  Our wives thought they should actually have a say in how things were run.  Not a good idea at all.  Things were just fine the way they were.  After all, doesn’t the Bible say to keep you women folk silent in the congregation.  And if it’s in the Bible, that’s the way it should be.

Now I know the Democrats will not support this nor anyone who claims to be a liberal - - a bunch of pansies is what they are!.  This is another reason to vote Republican - - they are a lot more likely to agree and do something about this situation than those bunch of pinkos who think everyone ought to be equal.  They don’t even believe in capitalism.  So, show you are a real American and contact your local candidates; it all starts at the local level; and with enough grassroots support, I think our State legislature would be receptive given the chance.

Richard E H Phelps

Mingo

Batman

 BATMAN

Batman and Robin living in Mingo; who would have thought!  The Batmobile is well serviced and ready to go at all times.  Batmobile is capitalized purposefully - - there is only one and it is special and deserves capitalization.

Few knew that the famous duo had made their home in Mingo, but it's true. After their recent nuptials, they thought Mingo would be a good place to set up shop.  No kidding!   I was as surprised as you when I found out that the crime fighting duo were actually denizens of Jasper County.  As many have done before, they decided to reside and have their bat cave just inside the county line to save on property taxes even though they spend much of their time in Des Moines fighting crime and rounding up ne-er-do-wells.

This doesn't mean they don't do good deeds in Jasper County, because they do; usually in the middle of the night though.  Being active at night when most of the crime occurs is good policy:  they don't get in the way of daily commerce and are able to maintain a low profile both.  A win-win for all.  

Now, I've never heard mention that our local sheriff and the famous duo ever act in concert, but I would be willing to bet they do and have for some time.  It's not something the Sheriff wants to broadcast.  First, no one would believe him; and second, they would think he would be ingesting cannabis products.  Neither view would do him much credit with the general public who generally still believe that mental disturbances and marijuana products derive from dark places inhabited by ghouls and goblins.

Robin is concerned, though,  about this letter to the editor; especially about the part about their marriage.  He was very concerned that it would cause unnecessary grief in their crime fighting efforts since the general consensus is that gay people are effeminate and certainly would not make good crime fighters and would cause the criminal class to take them on when confronted.  But I'll tell you true, don't mess with Robin or Batman; it will be a short session and you will want to have your insurance paid up.

And don't come looking for them; they are not interested in gawkers and don't give autographs - - they are crime fighters and sleeping when not fighting crime.  And you will not get a ride in the Batmobile - - not happening.  So, even though you now know they are here and protecting you while you sleep, put it out of your mind.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

You're Being Negative

 YOU'RE BEING NEGATIVE

Has anyone ever said to you, "You're just being negative!"?  You should be really pleased if so.  It signifies that you actually have given something some thought.  Usually, much to the surprise of the person who has called you "negative".  I can't think of anything I'd rather be called than "negative".  

Being negative indicates that you, the person being called negative, thinks that the other person, the person calling you negative, is either being stupid or acting in a stupid manner - - which are really the same thing, one simply being more pronounced than the other.  Being negative is simply a polite way of saying to the other person "That is really stupid".  You're simply being polite and you shouldn't be criticized for that, now should you?

So let's give those being negative a break for a change.  They are simply being polite when someone does or says something stupid.  The problem usually is the person from whom the statement issues does not recognize the fact that the "negative person" is simply trying to be polite - - more evidence of little understanding.  No thought processes are recognizable.  The first effort  to be made by the person saying stupid things or acting in a stupid manner should be to make an effort to understand their own stupidity.  At times stupidity is a learned trait and can be corrected - - not often, but sometimes.

The person calling you negative is really in a confessional mode.  They are confessing they are stupid or are acting in a stupid manner.  And as a matter of kindness, you may not want to bring it to their attention other than by simply being negative.  Calling someone stupid is not necessary, when simply disagreeing is enough.  The conversation could devolve into name calling by one person saying the other is stupid and the other person saying the other is being negative and so forth and so on.  

One could easily, in a discussion of negativity, go way beyond the spatial limitations of a short article such as this.  It really could lead to a whole series of thought processes with no clear end in sight  - - possibly book length.  I'm sure that others in the history of printing have commented on negativity.  Maybe Kant or Hegel for instance, but I can't say since I've read neither.  Let's just say that being negative is really not a negative quality, but in fact a positive quality that should be recognized more generally.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Its Really Hot

 

IT'S REALLY HOT

One has to view the current news with amusement. It's necessary.  On the 6th of July, the Des Moines Register, along with a slough of other news outlets, talked about our Governor calling for a special session of the legislature to pass abortion restrictions and then in the same paper, covered the fact that we just experienced the hottest two days on earth in history and possibly for the last 125,000 years.  Now that's quite a record and one that I'm paying attention to.  

Once again our governing officials address issues of no consequence.  This is how you govern in Iowa, by not governing.  We do not want to admit that there might be trouble on the horizon - - that is discomfiting and probably not vote getting since the electorate has no more concern with the future than our governor.  And it is not God's will that will create havoc, it is human stupidity; unless of course, human stupidity is God's will, and then we are cooked regardless.  The idea that we can only act individually and not collectively and that whatever happens is inevitable is the mind-set of our governor and elected representatives - - they are helpless.  

We have seen enough from the past several legislative sessions that our state government has no clue.  They do not understand that the world has passed them by and enacting  stupid laws will not change that fact.  They need to go the way of the dinosaurs - - disappear.  If one will actually take the time to look around and notice what is happening, one will quickly come to the discovery, and I use the word discovery purposefully, that we as a people, as a society, as a conglomeration of individuals, are also clueless.  Bob Dylan said it in the sixties, and it is more true today than then, "the times they are a changin'".  

We, and I mean us,  have come to the conclusion that we, as individuals, can do nothing about climate change, or injustice, or societal stupidity; and therefore no one does anything (except possibly make it worse).  We in Iowa are leading the nation in our inability to look around us and see what is actually happening on the planet.  I took a look again the other night at William Anders' earth photo from the moon (google it).  Folks, we live on a ball in the middle of nothing; we are all in this together whether we are American or Aztec.  It's time we began acting like it.  It's not time to be patriotic, it's time to be planetary.

And, it is not a matter of making sure a woman has no right to control her own body, women never have - - we've made sure of that; it is what is not addressed that will kill us all on this very blue, watery, isolated planet in the middle of nothing - - we are alive in an infinite space isolated from everything else and there are actions that we can take as humans that will benefit us and our descendants and possibly make continued life on this planet possible for them.  Just a thought mind you.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Superman

 SUPERMAN

Numerous discussions have been held, by me and others, about the lack of purpose in superman.  Clark Kent wasn't exactly setting the house on fire with his American job.  If I remember correctly he had only one adventure a week which is pretty sad for the "man of steel" who was indestructible and could see through solid objects.  I never once saw him use his ability to see through solid objects to get a good look at Lois Lane.  As far as I'm concerned that is strike number one.

And what about all this massive amount of crime going on everywhere?  He really was pretty choosy in what he got involved in.  He could have gone just about anywhere anytime to roust criminals and save people; but you didn't see a lot of that - - only the places where they happened to have a camera to capture his heroics.  What good is a superman if he's off duty most of the time?

What is the most disappointing is, he didn't take over the world.  Why not do it if you can?  Seems reasonable to me.  And since his morals were impeccable - - ethically pure - - he surely would have made a really good supreme commander of the planet.  Who would there be to say otherwise?  Nobody.  There's not enough krypton on the planet to keep him under control.  

There are questions to be asked however.  Since he would be supreme commander of the planet, what religion is he?  That would be the first question.  I personally would vote for a Doaist.  Of all the major religions, Doaists seem to be able to mind their own business better than others.  Hindus, Muslims, and Christians can get really nasty when someone differs with them and we do want to avoid strife and bloodshed as much as  possible.

A second question to ask is what political persuasion is he.  I think we can go from fascist to anarchist with conservative and liberal and progressive thrown into the middle.  Since a person's views on such things as capitalism, socialism, social democracy, and  other varieties of political persuasion can determine behavior and social contact, it would be good to know Superman's views on such things before he takes over the planet.

Although, in the long run, it doesn't matter what religion or political persuasion he has, if he wants to take over the planet, he will and there is nothing we can do as humans to stop him - - just hope for the best, just like we do now.  It would seem to me it would be better to have someone in charge rather than no one as the case is today.  That way we can go about our business without worrying who our enemies are and why.  And also just like now, our politicians are declaring China our enemy, and at the same time that's where we get everything we buy from Walmart.  How can they be an enemy when they help make our cell phones?  Doesn't make sense to me.  Superman could simply say, get over it already, I'm in charge of China too so don't worry.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Self Audit

 SELF-AUDIT

Our illustrious senator, Joni Ernst, has once again publicly announced her complete ignorance of almost everything.  Now she is proclaiming that people working for the Internal Revenue Service don't pay  taxes.  The first issue one must raise when confronted with such statements is, are they fact or fiction.  One shouldn't, you would think, believe a United States senator would just make things up.  A U. S. senator can probably be described as one of the more powerful people on the planet and because of this, should act in a manner that is thoughtful and responsible - - not just say things for a reaction from people who don't know anything, meaning, most of us.

And I say that she has once again publicly announced her complete ignorance  for the fact that she can not possibly  know who paid taxes and who didn't or who paid more and who paid less.  Not possible.  These records are not available to even senators; especially not individual senators who simply want to score points with their voters.  This is  especially true since the IRS hasn't been properly funded in years and  probably doesn't know who has paid and who hasn't in any event.  When you say something, as a U. S. senator, it is expected that what has been said has some meaning - - some significance.  

Her announcement that Internal Revenue Employees don't pay taxes is absurd and clearly so.  It is said without any basis and reflects the ability to say anything that comes into her head that would likely have a reception in the people who may have or will in the future vote for her.  If an announcement such as this, would have been said by your ignorant neighbor, it wouldn't even have registered as noise; but coming from a U. S. senator you have to pay some attention to it.  

And when you do pay attention to it - - it should deserve some attention - -  you quickly realize that it is just made up with no significance whatsoever.  It's nonsense.  My real concern here is how do we elect people like Joni Ernst to represent us in the Congress of the United States.  Charles Grassley is bad enough, but Ernst?  One can only assume that to most Americans it simply doesn't matter.  We must think that the United States Congress can pass all the laws it wants, but nothing affects us out here in middle America with our AR-15s and Second Amendment right to bear arms.  It's simply irrelevant.

I say this for the simple reason that Senator Ernst continues to make such announcements, seemingly at random, without the least acknowledgement that they make no sense now nor ever have.  One can only surmise from this what her opinion of the electorate is.  And if she is correct in that assessment, there is no help for us.  

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Go Van Meter!

 GO VAN METER!

It's good that the Des Moines Register is keeping us up-to-date on what's happening around Iowa.  The article in the Sunday paper about the parents in Van Meter complaining about their public school is right on.  The complaining parents have it correct - - our K-12 education system here in Iowa is not for the purpose of educating children.  And those who think otherwise need to understand that.

The parents of Van Meter certainly understand that.  They are of the view, widely held and historically correct, that our K-12 schools are for the purpose of providing fodder for business (ready for employment).  We need workers.  Nobody has enough workers and without workers profits are limited.  Sure, we also need a few people like doctors, dentists, lawyers, investment advisers, real estate agents, and such,  but you don't need to know anything about critical race theory for these professions.

It is helpful in modern life to be able to read and write.  The problem is that once a kid learns to read and write, he or she needs to be limited in what one reads and writes.  It doesn't help anybody if some kid reads the book "Melissa" or knows where Ukraine is located.  The most any kid needs to know is how to read an instruction manual and count to a 100 - - maybe a little multiplication and division.  Kids are malleable as we know; they can be trained to run a machine or heat up a burger at McDonalds or mix a coffee concoction at Starbucks.  And you don't need to know about transgender people in order to fix stuff; you know like a furnace or an air conditioner.  Other people can show you how to do that.

Now the teachers who are the subject of these complaints have somehow come to the conclusion that the children they are trying to teach will, when adults, leave Van Meter and go to a city; a city somewhere - - maybe Iowa but more likely somewhere else in the country.  In that city they may actually run across people of a different color, different sexual orientation, different political views, and whatnot.  You can't blame these parents in the fear that this will be the result of an education; the less their kids know the less likely they will leave rural Iowa and venture into the world where things are different.  We don't want that.

So once again kudos to the parents of Van Meter and let's hope other parents around Iowa come to the fore and emulate them.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Whole Foods

 Whole Foods

On a little shopping expedition in Des Moines I wandered into Whole Foods at the behest of my shopping partner.  When shopping for items to consume (one cannot call shopping at Whole Foods grocery shopping) I like to hit all the aisles to see what’s new and interesting.   Man, what a place! The first thing that caught my eye was the shelf of organic, non-gmo, gluten free items - - quite a selection I might add, but I was uncertain as to whether the items were really edible.  As I continued my perusal there were signs for paleo friendly items and keto friendly items,  Unfortunately I didn’t have a dictionary with me, so I was unable to translate the two terms and have refused to do so since.  I profess ignorance.

Low sodium and low fat items stood out prominently on a vast number of shelves. and of course, one doesn’t want too much salt and fat in one’s diet.  One seriously irksome label however, one which has annoyed me since it surfaced is “sea salt”.  Everything, and I mean everything, now has a label saying Sea Salt.  All salt is sea salt.  Where do you think salt comes from?  It is from salt water evaporating.  This doesn’t take an advanced degree to understand.  And to top it off, most of the salt they sell  as sea salt doesn’t contain iodine.  The reason we all don’t have iodine deficiencies is because Morton puts iodine in its salt.  This is a good thing. And you know, Morton’s salt is sea salt just like Pink Himalayan salt only it's not pink and it has iodine and wasn't obtained from the top of a mountain which doesn't make it any more or less salty.  A second serious bit of marketing is meat from an Angus cow - - purportedly.  Whenever confronted with this pronouncement, I ask the waitperson or the person behind the meat counter if perchance they may have available Herford or Charolais.  The response is always the same; they have no idea what I'm talking about and look at me either quizzically or angrily.   But back to my shopping experience..

After touring the aisles, perusing the labels and noticing many interesting items, I left the store and sat in the car waiting for my shopping companion.  I didn’t buy anything - - not one item.  I was completely overwhelmed by the selection. I simply couldn't decide what items I wanted to purchase, if any. The atmosphere of the store was very upscale, off-putting actually.    Adding to the connoisseur atmosphere, the employees have inhaled the attitude of superiority knowing that they are catering to the intelligent, the worldly, and cosmopolitan folk (and those of more than modest means) who understand that this is the place to do their shopping and we don’t use the phrase “grocery shopping”.  One does not grocery shop in Whole Foods, one provides for one's  healthy sustenance.  

The people who shop in Whole Foods are healthy:  they spend a great deal of their time being healthy.  They eat healthily, they exercise healthily, and they study up on how to maintain their winsome, healthy personalities.  They spend years of their lives being studiously healthy - - longevity being the goal.  We have really no method to determine if they succeed; but surely they must or the aisles would not have as many patrons as one sees there.  In addition, they have food to eat on the premise - - healthy food.  I would hate to think that in Whole Foods, as in say Hy-Vee, they cook up items that they haven't been able to sell - - a rather disgusting practice I might add - - serving out-of-date food.  So one can only assume that Whole Foods would not do such a thing.  I can only say that one should at least once experience whole foods, to see, if you are not a regular visitor, on how the affluent and knowledgeable dine, sup, and break fast.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Those Darn Drugs

  THOSE DARN DRUGS

Representative Dunwell has enlightened us with reference to the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy or ODCP.  Presumably this is to soften the blow of a renewed war on the citizens of Iowa which is euphemistically termed "The War on Drugs".  The Office of Drug Control Policy has as its defining purpose the arrest and prosecution of all who indulge in substances which our enlightened legislators have decided we can't have, use, deliver, conspire with, or otherwise engage in.

We have been told for years that "drugs" are bad and woe unto those who don't do as they are told - - here in the land of the free. This flows right into an announced freedom - - to have guns ready at hand.  I saw the other day, the remark by a legislator that the legislature will be addressing once again the "freedom" to possess weapons.  Now one can only assume that the rationale for all this is that drugs are bad and guns are good.  

For various reasons, I have some concern with this selective use of the word "freedom".  I for one, would certainly feel safer, and be safer, if I am confronted in front of the courthouse with someone who had a little meth in his pocket as opposed to someone bristling with hardware.  There is little possibility that the person with a little meth in his pocket is going to tackle me, hold me down, pry my mouth open, and stuff in some meth or other illegal substance he or she just happens to have on them as they stroll around town.  On the other hand, I don't need to be tackled to get shot and the person doing the shooting can even be across the street.

The war on drugs has caused immense suffering in this country - - far more suffering than the use of drugs ever has or will.  Prosecuting someone for the use of drugs, which by the way, is a crime that has no victim (to say otherwise is making things up again), disrupts the life of not only the person being arrested, but his or her family, employer, and others who have a personal relationship with the person being arrested.  I am not being harmed, if my neighbor smokes marijuana in his house or snorts a line of coke or meth.  It is none of my business nor should it be the State's.

The cliche that drugs destroy lives is simply nonsense.  Prison destroys lives.  If you want to see someone whose life has been destroyed, hop down to our local prison and take a look around and then tell me that the people inside haven't had their lives destroyed. And while there, take a good look at mom and the kids coming for a visit. There has always been a demand for drugs, there is a demand for drugs today, and there will always be a demand for drugs.  The Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) is not for the purpose of controlling drugs, it is for the purpose of controlling the people of Iowa.  Drugs will be with us as long as there is a demand so how about it, let's just get over it already.  After all, aren't we free?

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo, Iowa