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

Educationally Speaking

 EDUCATIONALLY SPEAKING

Educationally speaking, few care.  Public and private education, meaning K-12, is not to educate, but to train.  Are you, as a graduate, prepared to enter the modern workplace; do you have computer skills, can you code, well if you must, there are universities for business, engineering, computerization, medicine, law, accounting.  But once again, for purposes of usefulness, for joining the modern economy, earning a living, buying a big house and expensive car - - things that matter.

There are some that don't care.  They are either not capable or really don't care.  Let's talk about those that really don't care.  The uncaring, as I will call them, aren't particularly interested in a big house and expensive car.  Certainly they are nice to have and being offered one, would not reject the offer.  However, normally speaking, the issue is what you have to do to get these things.  

As it is becoming understood by those who give it some thought, we achieve our economic status through forcing ourselves to achieve.  We are not forced to do so by anything other than ourselves.  This is how you gain status in our world, by achieving, by working, by being employed, by making money, by buying things, by presenting oneself as a success.

Let us just say, you know, for the fun of it, that a person wants to go to college to major in English, or history, or art, or music - - what then?  What good are you, what will you do with those kinds of degrees?  They are not worth much and you will be poor.  Nobody wants an English major or a history major, or even a sociology or anthropology major.  You can't earn a decent living with that type of learning.

What we need are people with business degrees, MBAs at a minimum.  They know what they are doing.  Corporate America is where it's at.  Lets not forget.  Marketing, now that is a degree that is worth something.  You can make a lot of money with a marketing degree.  How to sell stuff to people who don't need what they buy, but will buy it anyway because you, as a marketing major, have figured out how to sell stuff that is not needed to people who simply don't have what you are selling.  This is, actually, what our economy and hence our world is about - - continually buying stuff that you have been coaxed to want but don't need.

Have you ever thought why a person will spend a million dollars on a house when one for one hundred thousand will meet every need?  Marketing - - that's where it's at. Why buy a $100,000 house when you can buy a $1,000,000 house?  Nobody pays the slightest attention to a $100,000 house, and for good reason - - it's crappy, probably doesn't even have a yard.  So let's get with it - - work and earn, work and earn.

Richard E H Phelps II
Mingo

It's a "Values" Year

 IT'S A "VALUES" YEAR

The anticipation is great that this year in the Iowa legislature it will be a "values" year - - "Iowa values".  I remember that our local representative earlier in the year was promoting "Iowa values" and I am quite sure knowing the ways of our political parties here in Iowa that this was not something that representative Dunwell came up with on his own.  Hence, I am anticipating that there will be a strong effort in the next legislative session to not only encourage "Iowa values", but to legislate some. 

I have previously recommended the Capital City Dispatch to readers.  It is an online publication, and free, that reports on the doings of our local state government.  Recently they had a piece on the refusal of our state administration to commit $3,000,000 to match a federal commitment of $30,000,000 from the Administration of Children and Families as a Preschool Development Grant.  Therefore, Iowa will not be receiving this $30,000,000.  I only mention this item for the reason that this failure must be  an example of "Iowa values".  "Values" over dollars is a sign of moral strength as far as I am concerned.

In addition, there are rumblings that our legislature is still not satisfied that our state school system is ensuring that our teachers and librarians  are teaching the correct values.  This seems to be important to our legislators.  I think Mr. Dunwell would concur.  When we talk about Iowa values, Mr. Dunwell has professed expertise.  Of course, the "values" effort will include abortion.  Abortions are not representative of "Iowa values" according to our Iowa legislature and additional efforts will surely be made to further address this aspect of "Iowa values".

I remember when it was "family values" that was the concern.  But, frankly, I never was quite certain what "family values" were.  That uncertainty has carried over to "Iowa values" - - I'm not quite sure what they are.  First of all, it would seem to me that one has to define "values":  it's always in the plural by the way.  There is never talk about "a value".  We don't say we are in favor of "Iowa value" - - that wouldn't make any sense now would it.

What I'm looking for is a list of "Iowa values" so that I will know what they are.  I really do feel left out of this whole conversation about "Iowa values" without knowing what they include.  I need a list!  So if someone could provide one to me, I would appreciate it very much.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Here Comes Fido

 HERE COMES FIDO

I've come to the conclusion that our law enforcement agencies should expand their collection of specialized mutts.  They have an important function in our modern world, they being the mutts.  Dog lovers of all kinds should be particularly pleased with the notion. One can catch the national dog show on PBS occasionally and I have never seen a category for police dogs.  This is an outrage.  Someone needs to contact the American Kennel Club (AKC) about this.

The Newton Police Department has what we now call a "canine officer" - - a cop with a dog.  This officer drives around town with his canine and upon request will go to the assistance of another officer who has pulled over a motorist for some traffic violation, remove the canine from the patrol car and prance it around the vehicle which has been stopped for the traffic violation, you know like not having a current registration or going 30 in a 25.

The purpose of this, of course, are "drugs".  We are looking for drugs - - illegal drugs.  Now since we know that about a third of the population uses marijuana and another third use methamphetamine, traffic stops become not just another ticket writing affair, but a whole lot of fun for most of the department that happens to be on duty at that given time.

Our Supreme Court, following most other courts, has declared that a "dog sniff" is not a search so you don't have to have any specific reason to call the dog guy to have a "dog sniff".  All very handy.  So even though the dog is in fact searching for a smell of illicit drugs, it is not a search.  Interesting isn't it.  A search is not a search because the court says it's not a search.  

So simply for the edification of the public, which is becoming more and more necessary it seems, if you get stopped by law enforcement you are subject to a "dog sniff".  The problem is, we don't have as many dogs as we need.  Every traffic stop should include a "dog sniff".  And if fido should sniff something illegal (rental cars are a good bet), out you come while the police rummage through your vehicle; they might even decide to handcuff you while the search is happening.  If  fido "hits" on your car, it's now officially a legal reason for a search - - a real search where complete strangers are rummaging around inside your car looking for something to allow them to take you to jail and impound your vehicle.  It's fun for everybody.

And so in conclusion, I vote for more drug dogs for the City of Newton.  Any concerned citizen with his or her animus against everything illegal should contact their city representative for increasing the budget for "canine units".  Every time we see an officer pulling over a vehicle for some traffic violation, we should see fido prancing around,  sniffing out illegal drugs.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Modern Ed

 MODERN ED

I think a conversation of modern ed would be appropriate as the second semester begins for all our little darlings. Having a child recently graduated from our local educational system and being reasonably well informed, it seems I have the opportunity to engage in that conversation.

First, we need to continue the efforts to criminalize our teachers and librarians in our public schools.  We don't want them inculcating notions in our children's minds not consistent with the antiquated idea that the world is the same as it was 50 years ago and the same prejudices and discriminatory practices prevalent in our schools 50 years ago shouldn't be the same now. 

Second, there is a movement spreading anew throughout the country that parents be able to decide their children should not be immunized against childhood diseases.  Such diseases include measles, chicken pox, polio, small pox, diphtheria, tetanus, etc.  If your kid gets one of these diseases, so be it - - he or she will survive and be better for it.  And if the other kids in the school get one of these diseases because your kid gave it to them, too bad - tough luck.  Parental freedom should prevail; the parents should decide whether their children are protected from disease.

Third, the continued belief that the earth is ten thousand years old should be maintained with the current biblical exegesis.  I understand this causes some trepidation with our local biology staff, but once again they will have to man up and give their students the alternate explanation of why they are on the planet and in a public school in Iowa.  Just because our DNA can be traced back to show that somehow, somewhere, humans and neanderthals decided to share their genes can just be ignored.  Our children don't need to know they may have some neanderthal DNA; it could cause a depressive episode.

Four, to be more specific as to One, we need to continue to ignore that there are some people, which includes children, who do not so much enjoy the people of the opposite sex, as those of their own sex, or somehow both sexes, or  somehow do not identify as sexual beings.  These things are not necessary to know or to understand and therefore should not be the subject of discussion in our schools.  If your child is one of these "special" circumstances; well, I just don't know what to tell you.  Maybe some therapy would help.

Five, the mantra that winning is everything, to quote Vince Lombardi, should be maintained in all sporting activities whether football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, track, wrestling, bowling, trap shooting, badminton, cross country, golf, tennis, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, diving, weightlifting, water polo, gymnastics, field hockey, dance team, cheerleading, and the myriad activities developed for P. E.  Maybe they will bring in cornhole and pickleball with once again "winning" the sole criteria of success.  As you know, school sports develop character and teamwork. For many, sports in high school are the apex of one's life achievements and I certainly think this should not be taken away from them.  They will always remember with pride the last second basket that won the game of the season or bowling that strike in the last frame.  They won't have read a book since commencement, but basking in the adulation received from their high school athletic prowess will remain with them to the grave.

So, let's get with it folks.  Get involved.  Be heard.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo