Story 1: Statewide Disaster Fund Established
A special fund has been set up to collect contributions to help Iowans affected by the recent floods and tornadoes. According to their website, "The 2008 Iowa Disaster Fund has been created to receive contributions from individuals, businesses, and organizations to benefit people who have experienced significant hardship as a result of the storms and flooding of 2008. The fund is being launched with nearly $3 million in contributions from individuals and businesses. It is housed in the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation but will provide statewide assistance through grants to local organizations in the communities impacted by the natural disasters such as community foundations, American Red Cross, United Way and the Salvation Army."
For those wishing to help, contributions may be made on-line at http://www.desmoinesfoundation.org/page10002683.cfm. If paying by check, make it payable to "2008 Iowa Disaster Fund" and send to:
For those wishing to help, contributions may be made on-line at http://www.desmoinesfoundation.org/page10002683.cfm. If paying by check, make it payable to "2008 Iowa Disaster Fund" and send to:
2008 Iowa Disaster Fund
PO Box 310239
Des Moines, IA 50331-0239
Story 2: Kristallnacht Arrives For Iowa Smokers
Today is the day that Iowa Health Nazis have arbitrary decreed to put their public smoking ban into force. No longer will Iowans be able to smoke in "public" places (and of course they include privately-owned property in their expansive definition of "public"). The ban does NOT affect smokers who choose to light up while hemorrhaging their rent money into the government's coffers via Iowa casinos, however. Even Nazis need dough!
I think smoking is stupid, because it kills you. Therefore, I don't smoke. So the new ban won't affect me, except for the fact that I will now be breathing in more cigarette smoke. Where I work, me and my non-smoking friends always spend our breaks sitting outside in a nice area with a picnic tables and a babbling, spring-fed brook nearby. Today the entire area was crawling with smokers trying to maintain the legal 15-foot distance (or whatever) from the doorway, and us non-smokers were sucking in enough second-hand smoke to lift a blimp. Thanks Health Nazis!
2 comments:
Again, I must object to the Nazi analogy. Were the smokers beaten up, was their property destroyed, and their place of worship (well, by this I mean the cigarette rack at 7-11) desecrated? If not, Kristallnacht is an overblown analogy. I'm thinking 1984 and Big Brother might be slightly better, although I have not figured out a perfect nanny state analogy. It does remind me a little of the Communists enforcing exercise hour at the factory, while meanwhile everyone is smoking, inhaling polluted air, drinking, and not wearing seat belts.
Overblown analogy! Moi? Are you seriously suggesting that I maliciously attach simplistic labels to anyone who happens to disagree with me, Tyrant?
Just kidding. I think I'll stick with the Health Nazi name though. "Health Commie" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Everyone knows what a Nazi is and knows they're the bad guys. Health Commie might sound like a compliment to the little college punks prancing about in their Che Guevara tee-shirts.
Also, my apologies that the spacing sometimes sucks in these posts. It's a SNAFU with the blog provider. I try to correct it, but to no avail.
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