Essential Estrogen

A reader passed along the following Pittsburgh obituary with a note: "Sounds like you would have loved Alice."

It's quite shocking how well our readers already know us! Nonetheless, it is so true. We would have adored Alice and forced her to go on long shopping trips and use her noisy laugh in mom and pop diners... during lunchtime rush.

While we'd like to send our best wishes to Alice's family, we're fairly sure they don't need them. After all, they had a lifetime with Alice and we know they come from good stock.

Rest in peace, Alice. Next time we go out, we're buying a round of whiskey sours in your honor.

Alice M. Jessell

Alice Jessell, 88, of Swissvale, died peacefully on April 23, 2007, at West Penn Hospital surrounded by her children.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate her long and happy life this Saturday (April 29) at 2 p.m. at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Wilkinsburg and at a reception to follow at her home. In lieu of flowers, please overtip a waitress. Or donations may be made to Hosanna House in Wilkinsburg www.hosannahouse.org or mailed directly to Hosanna House, 807 Wallace Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15221.

Alice was raised in Wilkinsburg, the fifth of seven children of James R. and Mary Snyder. She attended elementary school at St. James Catholic School and graduated from Wilkinsburg High School in 1936, despite a legendary contentious relationship with Sister Mary Koska.

She may have been the most competitive and outgoing of the Snyder seven. She usually won the games of hopscotch on the sidewalk or jacks at the top of the porch steps. She lined up the Snyders before the radio so Arthur Murray could teach then to dance, and was invariably the first to master the steps. She introduced Eugene, a cocker spaniel, into the household.

In the 1940s, when the men were off to war, she and her sister, Harriet, ran Snyder's Beauty Shop at the corner of Franklin and Ardmore in Wilkinsburg. Harriet or Hat, at 90, is still going strong, living in Edgewood and looking forward to the next sale at Macy's and lunch at the Tick Tock Room.

Alice owned a convertible and a two-piece bathing suit--Wilkinsburg's first, she claimed. They accompanied her on a road trip to Florida in 1942. Alice took details of that adventure with her to the grave.

In 1948, she settled down, marrying Harry A. Jessell of Swissvale, whom she admired for his dancing and his determination to use the GI Bill to get a college education. They built a home on Cascade Road in Forest Hills and raised a family of six. In 1962, for the sake of Harry's career, they moved to Silver Spring, Md., but, upon Harry's retirement in 1980, they returned to Pittsburgh, to Regent Square, to be near family and old friends. Harry died in 1986 at 66.

Alice's great avocation was bridge. She organized bridge clubs wherever she lived and was able to play well up until her final days. Her children remember that things were always quieter around the house when Harry and Alice had not been bridge partners the night before.

She also loved dogs, whiskey sours, chocolate, Nelson Eddy, and cigarettes. She often said she was "cursed to be a life-long liberal", by which she meant she would tolerate no prejudice or discrimination. Many felt her sting after using a racial or religious epithet in her presence. She wrote passionate letters to the editors of several newspapers, which she later collected and published as "The Magic of the Pen".

For a self-described liberal, she was not much of a feminist, however. She felt women should stay at home to raise their children as she had done. In her mind, "having it all" wasn't possible.

Alice had ready advice for what life brings, including boredom ("Pull down your pants and slide on the ice"), happiness ("You only have problems when you stop to think about them"), compassion ("Always root for the underdog"), and her own impending death ("Sing no sad songs for me").

Alice is survived by all six children: Jane Jessell, of Swissvale; Mark Jessell (Shari) of Charlotte, NC; Harry Jessell (Rosemary) of Chatham, NJ; Hugh Jessell (Margie) of Columbia, MD; Susan Jessell of Edgewood and Tim Jessell (Leslie) of Bethesda, MD. And 17 grandchildren: Zachary, Matthew, Anne, Douglas, Robert, Daniel, Lauren, Mary, Harry, Thomas, Bridget, Sarah, Katherine, Timothy, Eric, Pamela and Adam.

We adore you.

And now, so do we.

It seems an almost classic case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Yesterday Rep. Dawn Pettengill jumped directly from the Iowa Democratic Party to the Iowa Republican Party. She cited a desire to represent her district and be more independent.

As Pettengill herself noted in a Des Moines Register article a month ago, "I don't fit in either place, really." At that time she indicated if she switched it would probably be to independent. If her voting record in the state legislature is any indication, she's wrong about not fitting with the Democratic Party. Her record shows her squarely in the middle on many key issues as outlined in the party's platform (and in direct opposition of many on the other side of the aisle).

In looking at Pettengill’s 2006 voting record on issues key to labor, she scores high. Seventy-five percent of the time she and the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO took the same position. (Voting record comparison at end of post)

There were 49 Democratic members of the Iowa House of Representatives during the 81st General Assembly. Rep. Ray Zirkelbach was excused for active military duty which left 48 on the Democratic side of the aisle.

If the 48 representatives were lined up, those with the highest percentage of votes aligning with labor to the lowest, Pettengill would be tied for number 19. Fourteen other members of the Democratic caucus had lower percentages than Pettengill. In contrast, four Republicans tied for their caucus's highest percentage of labor agreement with 25 percent.

Likewise, when looking at GLBT issues this session, Pettengill received a grade of B (Pro-Gay). She voted with this constituency on three out of five issues.

Again, in contrast, 33 members (72 percent) of the Republican Caucus received an F- as their grade.

Pettengill voted with the Iowa ACLU 50 percent of the time this session while the best a member of the Republican Caucus could muster was 30 percent. The votes were on such issues as the separation of church and state; employee rights; voting rights; and due process.

The Association of Business and Industry shows during this session Pettengill only agreed with business interests 25 percent of the time. Eleven other Democratic representatives scored higher than she did. The lowest any Republican scored was 83 percent.

If we backtrack to the previous session, she scores a bit better with 33 percent. Still 24 other Democratic representatives scored that or better. The lowest score grabbed by a member of the GOP? Sixty-six percent.

During the 81st General Assembly, Pettengill sponsored 66 pieces of legislation. They ranged from mandated coverage for mental health conditions to increasing the state minimum wage to restriction of the viewing and sale of sexual devices.

Her 44 pieces of sponsored legislation in the 82nd have included a minimum wage hike and Sudan divestment.

In addition, her web site lists several items she dubs "accomplishments." In addition to her appointment to the Elder Affairs Commission in 2005, she lists being named as "2006 Legislator of the Year" by the Heritage Agency on Aging and her 2006 endorsements from AFSCME, AFL/CIO, ISEA, Hawkeye Labor Foundation, Iowa Farm Bureau, Agribusiness Association and Iowa PACE. We could locate no members of the GOP Caucus who touted endorsements from these major labor organizations.

It is unclear if Pettengill's switch indicates these votes, or a portion of these votes, are out of sync with the wishes of her constituents back home. It is also unclear at this time how the Republican Caucus, which has not had a member of the same ilk as Pettengill, is going to react to her more liberal leanings. Attempts were made to reach Pettengill for comment on these discrepancies without success.

Pettengill Votes vs Labor Initiatives 2006

• HF 2045 (Social Security/Pension Tax Cut) – would have eliminated state tax on social security and pension income and exempted incomes under $48,000 per year for persons over age 65 from income tax.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 81 to 18 in favor of the bill. It later died in Senate Committee
• SF 2408 (Senior Tax Cut) – phased out state tax on social security over eight years and eliminated income tax for seniors over age 65 who made less than $24,000 (singles) or $32,000 (other), cut state revenues by $120 million when fully implemented.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 89 to 6, passing the bill
• SF 2409 (Tax Credit for Tuition Donations) – allowed a tax credit for donations to mostly private school tuition organizations to fund scholarships or vouchers.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 75 to 19, passing the bill
• Amendment H 8128 to HF 2459 (Minimum Wage) – Would have increased Iowa’s minimum wage by $1 per hour to $6.15.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was in favor
    • House vote was 55 to 43 in favor of the bill. It later died in the House due to a procedural ruling
• HF 2770 (Wage Thresholds) – Would have lowered Values Fund wage thresholds in rural counties by allowing new hire wages to be the determining factor in calculating wage requirements
  • Pettengill voted no
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 54 to 43 in favor of the bill. It later died in Senate committee.
• Amendment H 8649 to HF 2459 (Funding for Workforce Centers) – Provided $4 million in additional funding to keep rural workforce centers open.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was in favor
    • House vote was 48 to 46, passing the bill
• HF 2597 (Voter ID) – Would have required all voters to show a photo identification before casting a ballot, and required a photocopy of identification when casting an absentee ballot.
  • Pettengill voted no
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 51 to 48 in favor of the bill. It later died in the Senate
• Amendment H 8347A to HF 2597 (Electronic Voting Machines) – Would have required electronic voting machines to produce voter verified paper trails.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was in favor
    • House vote was 48 to 51, killing the amendment
• HF 2648 (Drug Testing) – Would have allowed employers to treat an inconclusive test as though it was a positive test.
  • Pettengill voted no
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 58 to 41 in favor of the bill. It later died in Senate Committee
• Amendment H 8535 to HF 2790 (Health Insurance Pooling) – Would have allowed certain business associations to pick those with lower risk, disrupting the small group insurance market and making health insurance even more costly for non-member small business.
  • Pettengill voted no
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 44 to 55 and the measure failed
• Amendment H 8655 to SF 2410 (Whistleblower Protection) – Would have prohibited retaliation against state workers for disclosing information regarding violation of professional standards or unsafe practices
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was in favor
    • House vote was 42 to 49, killing the amendment
• HF 729 (IPERS) – Increased IPERS contribution rates for both employers and employees at the same 60/40 ratio.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was in favor
    • House vote was 97 to 0, passing the measure

Yesterday we posted details of Sen. Joe Biden's visit to Cedar Rapids this weekend. Unfortunately, the event plans are changing and have not been finalized.

As soon as it is all ironed out... although we really did think it was ironed out... we'll post the updated details. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Iowa Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D-Ames) has earned a legislative leadership award, presented by the Iowa Citizen Action Network.

The award praises Wessel-Kroeschell's advocacy for social, economic and environmental justice. In particular the group, which has long-fought for same day voter registration (PDF file), praises the lawmaker for her efforts on the bill.

ICAN claims to be Iowa's largest grassroots consumer and environmental watchdog organization. It boasts more than 13,000 members across the state. In addition, the group serves as an alliance of community, religious, labor, senior, farm, environmental and civil rights organizations - all working to the benefit of progressive causes.

Wessel-Kroeschell is serving her second term in the Iowa House. During this past session, she served as Vice Chair of the State Government Committee and Vice-Chair of the Justice System Appropriations Subcommittee. In addition she was a part of the Environmental Protection, Human Resources and Judiciary standing committees.

She guided the Civil Rights Bill through debate and didn't flinch when asked what the bill was and did. "Iowans have a right to their personal beliefs. Iowans also have a right to housing, a job based on their abilities and education free of discrimination," she told Radio Iowa.

Ever do anything you regretted in Linn County, Iowa? If so, the past may have just come back to haunt you.

Tuesday morning the Linn County Sheriff's Office and Gazette Communications watched a collaborative project come to fruition. Over 2,000 arrest warrants - the oldest dating back to 1965 - have been massaged into a database, searchable via the internet.

"We had so many outstanding warrants," Sheriff Don Zeller explained, "that they filled two large filing cabinets. Our office attempted to serve these warrants, but addresses were bad. We followed up on leads, but have reached dead ends."

Under Iowa law, an arrest warrant is confidential until it is served. The only exception to that rule is when a law enforcement officer, county attorney office official, magistrate or other official court employee releases the information. Even then, the official must act within the realm of her public role. These rules allowed law enforcement to work cases without fear of alerting suspects.

Zeller says there was a great deal of discussion before the data was released. "I personally spoke with the County Attorney and others on the subject of public record and confidentiality," he said. "It was the consensus that this was an appropriate interpretation of the law."

Ben Stone, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, agrees with the Sheriff, but remains cautious.

"If you have an arrest warrant out on you, that's something law enforcement can release as public record," he said. "The concern is the potential for harassment and the potential for vigilantism. Accuracy is also very important and the public needs to be assured that steps have been taken to ensure the information is accurate."

According to information on the site, inactive warrants will be purged from the database weekly and the new arrest warrants added every three months. Warrants appearing in the database are at least 30 days old. Warrants on the site, according to Zeller, represent the vast majority of arrest warrants in Linn County.

In addition, users are specifically asked (in text under the database search form) not to confront people they believe to be in the database. Instead, users are asked to contact the Sherriff's Office by either phone or an email address listed on the page.

Stone said he hoped this initiative would lead to further discussion and debate. "It's important to look not only at the short term, but also at the long term to determine if the system is causing more good than harm."

When asked to evaluate the first two days of the venture, Zeller stated the response had been "tremendous."

"A number of users are checking on people they are dating, engaged to or people they employ," he said, noting that on an average day the Gazette would receive 18,000 hits. At 10 p.m. on the first day of this launch, the site had jumped to over 106,000 hits, according to Zeller.

On that first day, he added, two individuals called and wanted to turn themselves in after finding their names on the list. Both the email and phone had been used by other various tipsters yesterday and today.

At this time only the warrants from Linn County are available on line, but that could soon change.

"We've found such great success with this - and I can't emphasize that enough - we've had nothing but good comments about it," Zeller said. "It's my understanding that Johnson County, Iowa City and Coralville have also been approached and are considering use of the same system."

Former Sen. John Edwards wants your dollars and your voice.

Edwards sent out an email to supporters today asking them to raise $100,000 in 24 hours. The money will be used to air an "emergency television ad" his staff created in the aftermath of Pres. George W. Bush's veto.

The Edwards Campaign wants to send a message to Congress not to "cave in to Bush and extend the war" and to "send back [to Bush] a binding plan to end it." The ad has been designed so supporters can add themselves. Interested supporters need to record a video of themselves saying "We the people." This will be used, according to the email, to enhance the overall message of the ad: "We the people" are asking Congress to stand up to Bush.

From the email:

Is it normal for a presidential campaign to drop everything and focus on pushing Congress to end a war? Maybe not.

Is it normal for you to contribute money online towards running emergency ads in Washington, D.C.? Maybe not.

But we don't have time for normal. We've got a few days—maybe less—to do absolutely everything we can to ensure this Congress responds to Bush's veto by sending another binding plan to end the war.

This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. I need you to pitch in $5, $50, $500 or whatever you can manage to rush this ad on the D.C. airwaves in the next 24 hours.

Nearly half of the sixteen young adults named by the Romney for President campaign as leaders of a grassroots campaigns on Iowa's college campuses are female.

The announcement is the first since March when the formation of the the first chapter of "Iowa Students for Romney" was announced at the University of Northern Iowa. It also comes nearly six weeks after the formation and announcement of the "New Hampshire Students for Romney."

"The hard work of these college and university students will play a pivotal role in the success of our grassroots organization," Gentry Collins, Iowa Romney for President Campaign Manager, stated in email.

Those serving as chairs include:

• Donald Bladt (Cornell College, Chair): Bladt grew up on a firm outside of Shelby. He is a sophomore chemistry major, a member of the football team and a member of the Health Professions Society.
• Tristan Cook (Cornell College, Co-Chair) Cook is a senior from Madison, WI. He is a double major in history and psychology with a minor in American politics. Prior to his involvement with "Students for Romney," he worked on Congressman Jim Leach's re-election campaign in 2006.
• Phil Jeneary (Central College) Jeneary is a senior at Central College majoring in political science, and is from Le Mars. He has interned with Sen. Chuck Grassley in Washington, D.C., and has previously campaigned for Pres. George W. Bush, Grassley, Rep. Steve King and gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle.
• Ashton Schmidt (Drake University) Schmidt is a sophomore at Drake University majoring in marketing and minoring in theatre. She is a graduate of Denison High School. Schmidt is currently the publicity chair for the Drake Chapter of College Republicans.
• Luke Martz (Iowa State University) Martz is from Muscatine. He is 20 years old and studying political science. He is an active member of the College Republicans and the Solar Car Team. He is also an FAA certified pilot.
• Geoff Gustitus (Loras College) Gustitus is a junior at Loras College majoring in political science and Business. He is the chapter chair of the Loras College Republicans as well as the Dubuque Regional Coordinator for the Iowa Federation of College Republicans.
• Colton Long (Luther College) Long is a sophomore majoring in both political science and communications. Colton has been involved in Iowa politics since he was a young child, and is a strong supporter of personal responsibility, fiscal conservatism, and national security at home and abroad.
• Casandra Young (Morningside College, Chair) Young is a native of San Luis Obispo, CA and is a political science and mass communication major at Morningside College. Young was recently elected president of the Morningside College Republicans for the 2007-08 year. She has participated in volunteer work with the King for Congress Campaign, Nussle for Governor and President Bush's visit in Le Mars in 2006.
• Kathryn Kotlik (Morningside College, Co-Chair) Kotlik is a native of Bellevue, NE and a junior political science and Spanish major. Kotlik was elected as the Vice President of the Morningside College Republicans for the 2007-2008 year. Kotlik worked on the King for Congress and Nussle for Governor campaigns this past year.
• Amanda Allen (Northwestern College) Allen is a junior majoring in political science, with a French minor. Originally from Lebanon, OR, Allen became active with the College Republicans and volunteered for Bush's reelection campaign in 2004. During her time at Northwestern, she has also been active in Sioux County Republican politics, as well as campaigning for King and Nussle in 2006.
• Matt O'Brien (University of Dubuque) O'Brien was born and raised in Dubuque. He is currently a sophomore, majoring in environmental science. O'Brien plans to go to graduate school for soil science.
• Ben Johnson (University of Iowa) Johnson started three Young Republicans clubs in his and surrounding high schools. He is the past-chairman of the Kirkwood College Republicans and the current chairman of the statewide Iowa Federation of College Republicans. Johnson has worked for Grassley, Leach and Mayor Paul Pate.
• Carrie Janura (University of Iowa) Carrie is a sophomore from Geneva, IL, majoring in business and pursuing a minor in law. Janura also volunteers with the Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City.
• Melissa Mozingo (University of Northern Iowa) Mozingo is a junior, majoring in international marketing. She is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA). Mozingo has been active in politics since high school.
• Janna Carson (William Penn University) Carson is a freshman involved in the following campus programs: women's soccer, student ambassador, resident assistant, William Penn University College Republican-Public Relations Director, and is the 2007-2008 Student Government Public Relations Director.
• Michael Bahr (Ellsworth Community College) Bahr was born in Iowa Falls and is a 2005 graduate of Iowa Falls-Alden High School. He is currently a sophomore majoring in political science. Bahr ran for City Council at age 18 and lost to the incumbent by nine votes. Bahr is currently a 2007 City Council candidate.

A press release went out yesterday from the Iowa Department of Public Health "celebrating" May as "Asthma Awareness Month."

I commend both Gov. Chet Culver and Lt. Gov. Patty Judge for their interest in this chronic disease and their quest to educate the Iowa public about it. While reading the press release, however, I noticed something odd. Viruses, often a trigger for asthma in both children and adults, was not on the list.

The first time my daughter had an attack, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. She had a bit of a runny nose the night before, but I didn't think much of it. The next morning, she began to cough a little and was obviously not feeling up to par. After a few sips of juice, she stretched out on the couch and fell asleep again. I woke her up an hour or so later because she had developed a fever and I wanted to give her some medicine for it.

Within a half an hour, she was having a very difficult time breathing. I called our pediatrician and headed to her office. The drive is maybe 20 minutes in heavy traffic, but it felt like a five hours. My sweet baby sounded like Darth Vader after running the Boston Marathon (or at least how I imagine he'd sound). I could see the skin being pulled in around certain parts of her neck when she would try to breathe. There were large dark spots under her eyes and her complextion was thin and pale.

As I carried her into the doctor's office, the nurse picked up the phone and called an ambulance. My daughter's lips and fingertips had a light blue look to them.

To my credit, I do very well under pressure -- especially when I think my children need me. I'm solid and tough for as long as I'm the one in charge during a crisis. Once I'm relieved of duty, however, I crumble like a day-old donut.

That's exactly what happened in the ambulance on the way to the emergency room... once my daughter passed out and the paramedics began working on her, my composure was shot.

It was late the next day before I began to relax again because it took that long to see improvement. Little by little, she began to breathe easier and her color returned. (It was days later before the dark circles disappeared.)

That was the first time she had an asthma attack, although no one was willing to actually call it that. The entire event took less than 16 hours. The obvious downhill failing of her breathing happened in under three hours. Still, it was considered like a fluke and we went back to life as usual. I don't remember how long it was until the next virus came along and the next asthma attack followed.

Soon we became the proud owners of a nebulizer and carried it everywhere. She had a standing prescription for oral steroids at the pharmacy.I began to learn how to recognize and run first defense against the attacks. Although that winter, she was admitted to the hospital six times. (At one point that winter I had one child in a half-body cast, another in the pediatrics unit and the third being prepped for out-patient surgery.)

Today -- and I write that literally meaning "these past 24 hours" -- we seem to have the asthma under control. Twice during the winter she developed a cold and was able to fight it and the asthma off without using oral steriods (although the nebulizer is still her friend). She is getting to the age when we'll soon know if this is something which will improve as she grows.

Just because Iowa staff in Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign is celebrating the opening of six new offices this weekend, doesn't mean they want to talk about it.

"Of course we are getting keys and leases in other locations," said Iowa Deputy Communications Director Stephanie Bjornsen when asked how many offices the campaign planned to open in Iowa. "We will be doing office openings as the campaign expands. Since that is a part of our campaign strategy, however, plans could change."

Bjornsen did say that the campaign hopes to have some type of influence and/or presence in all 99 counties.

Five out of the six office openings this weekend will be attended by a guest dignitary and we're happy to say that two of the guest dignitaries are strong women. Look for Christie Vilsack in Dubuque; Andy McGuire in Davenport and Iowa City; and former Gov. Tom Vilsack in Ames and Mason City.

• Ames – Saturday, May 5, 9:30 a.m. – 215 Stanton Dr., Suite 1 – RSVP by phoning (515) 268-3176
• Davenport – Saturday, May 5, 11 a.m. – 1416 W. 16th St. – RSVP by phoning (563) 322-8715
• Dubuque – Saturday, May 5, noon – 2255 JFK Rd. – RSVP by phoning (563) 556-1063
• Mason City – Saturday, May 5, noon – 636 S. Monroe St. – RSVP by phoning (319) 610-0880
• Iowa City – Saturday, May 5, 2 p.m. – 353 College St. – RSVP by phoning (319) 213-7422
• Waterloo – Sunday, May 6, 1 p.m. – 10 W. Fourth St., Suite 162 – RSVP by phoning (319) 232-1380

In an email to supporters Joe Trippi, writing on behalf of the Edwards for President campaign, said the goal of $100,000 in 24 hours had been met. The money will be used to put an ad on the air in Washington, D.C., urging Congress to stand up to Pres. George W. Bush and end the Iraq War.

With the immediate goal of the beltway markets met, the campaign is turning its eyes toward Iowa. The campaign is requesting supporters "continue the fight" by both adding their voices to the video on YouTube and donating money so the ad can be placed on the Iowa airwaves.

Because it's the type of ovary-related thing we do here, I hurried over to Rachel Sklar's post at Arianna's place with every intent to grab the list of Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people and let our readers know the ratio of females to males.

Now some may consider multiculturalism the most wonderful thing ever. For the most part, I'm on that diverse bandwagon. Others take exception to foreign languages, thick accents or unusual foods. My pet peeve? Sexless names.

I ran into my pet peeve while looking down the list. It's fairly easy for me to sort the Davids, Peters, Johns, Tinas and Elizabeths. I begin a third pile when I venture across the Thierys, Yossous, Hus and Zengs. I finally decide it just isn't worth it while looking over the Youks, Svantes, T.C.s and Tzipis.

Does the fact that I'd like to know a person's gender just by looking at a name make me a bad person? Does the fact that I'm not personally multicultural enough or world-traveled enough to know if a "Tzipi" is traditionally a man or a woman make me look bad? In some circles, I imagine it will.

I refuse to type out all the details here, so you'll need to click over to Bachelor Guy for the full story. Let's just say that you only need to bring yourself and you can leave more than your heart in San Francisco.

Although I watched the GOP debates tonight, there was only one moment on which I care to comment: Did Sen. John McCain really hesitate when asked if he believed in evolution? And, after the slight waffling, did he then interrupt the conversation to "qualify" his answer?

Bah. That just makes my head hurt.

So, in lieu of hearing from me on this event, I'm putting together some links which readers might find interesting:

• Anti-War Blog live-blogged the proceedings
• Goofyblog dubs it a Republican smooch fest
• Confederate Yankee covers it all in 10 words
• Alphecca thought it was all about Chris Matthews
• New Pairodimes also gets a bit stuck on Chris Matthews (strange because I've never found him to be much to write home about)
• Point Five Blog pretty much sums up some of my feelings... but I'd take it one step further: "When the dead guy is all you got, you roll out the coffin."
• Axis of Right has a thoughtful write up

I need to go have a look at the Iowa blogs. I'll hopefully come up with some more links to post soon.

Iowa Blogs

• Bleeding Heartland has an open thread
• Likewise at Krusty Konservative
• Iowa Independent's T.M.Lindsey is searching for the real conservative
• Shoulda guessed that Gordon at Iowa True Blue would have some thoughts
• Here's a shocker... the folks at Iowans for Romney think Mitt won
• Just saw an update from Century of the Common Iowan about Tommy Thompson's debate comments

Numerous news sources are reporting the loss of Iowa's third female soldier in the Iraq War.

According to reports, 19-year-old U.S. Army Pfc. Katie Soenksen graduated only two years ago from Davenport North High School. Press announcements are being made by her father, Ronald Soenksen, who says Army officials delivered news to him yesterday.

She was part of the 410 Military Police based in Fort Hood, Texas and, according to her father, died while conducting a security mission in Baghdad when her convey was attacked.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Soenksen's death follows that of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaime Jaenke on June 5, 2006 and Sergeant Major Marilyn Gabbard on Jan. 20.

As always, our deepest condolences and heartfelt thanks to the family.

Weeks ago when I heard someone say it, a shiver ran up my spine. The phrases were so close to what I remember hearing while lying on the floor of my bedroom and listening to my sisters -- except my sisters spoke in the past tense.

"You have to go see him!"
"Did you see the crowds at his announcement?"
"I've never felt so inspired as I did after hearing him speak."

Hotline On Call posted early Secret Service protection has been extended to Sen. Barack Obama.

The former first lady, Sen. Hillary Clinton, is also a protectee. When Sen. Joseph Lieberman was on the campaign trail in '04, he was guarded by several U.S. Capitol Police officers. John Kerry and John Edwards both received details after Iowa.

After Iowa -- yes, that means that Obama's protective cocoon is being spun early -- perhaps the earliest the government has decided to start protecting a candidate.

I've little doubt my more conservative counterparts will be seeing dollar signs. Me? Historical video clips play in my mind.

The Book Depository... "I have been to the mountain top" ... "I dream of things that never were and say, 'Why not?'"

It often seems that the very best in our society -- the ones who bring out and inspire our young people; the ones who seem to understand and communicate beyond their present lifetime -- are the ones who are the most at risk. To me, it appears that some of us cannot stomach the beauty of intelligence and must crush it be fore it impedes on our own inner beliefs of what is and should be.

Of course there are many theories out there on why arguably the best and most inspiring people within our own society are killed. Some believe it is because they threatened religion. Others say its because the words (or perhaps more aptly, the actions resulting from their words) threatened corporations. Still others will tell you it is because these people threatened the powerful political process which actually runs everything. The common thread throughout them is is that these individuals with their lofty ideals about peace, race, freedom, compassion and life threaten they way things are.

I think some will write today that the threats against Obama are because of his race. If there are direct threats against him (as there must be for the Secret Service protection to have already begun) it would be a mistake, I think, for them to be placed on solely the color of his skin. It would be the equivalent of saying Martin Luther King Jr. was shot down because he was black.

Obama, despite concerns for a lack of a plan and despite stigma of political inexperience, inspires. He inspires to the extent that people who traditionally have not shown up for political events are now requesting event tickets. He inspires to the extent that previously unregistered voters are asking how they can be involved. In inspires in a way which, I believe, could change the face of politics.

No doubt some are reading this post and writing it off as some sort of endorsement. It isn't. Obama is in my top five, but he isn't my number one... and the list shuffles quite often. I can say with 100 percent truthfulness that if the caucuses were held today, I would not be sitting at Obama's table.

We the people cannot allow those who inspire... indeed, those who incite... to be silenced. While such an ending might fit with the hero described by Joseph Campbell's philosophy on myth, we would be better to keep such individuals around. They lift us up.

Be safe, Sen. Obama.

I completely forgot my promise to post the final details of this weekend's Biden event. Sorry & here's the skinny:

The Linn County Democrats plan to launch a new program series entitled "Conversations With The Candidates" on Sunday evening, May 6. U.S. Senator and Presidential hopeful Joe Biden has agreed to be the group's first guest. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Best Western Longbranch Convention Center on Twixt Town Rd. NE in Cedar Rapids.

Admission is free and hors d'oevres will be served. A cash bar will also be available.

Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid received letters from Pres. George W. Bush stating his intent to veto any legislation produced by Congress designed to protect a woman's right to medical treatment.

The letter comes just days after pro-choice members of the U.S. Congress responded to the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a federal law restricting abortion without an exception to protect a woman's health by reintroducing the Freedom of Choice Act. If passed, the legislation would permanently establish the tenets of Roe v. Wade in federal law.

The passage of this law would effectively prevent any level of government from passing laws that would outlaw abortion before the fetus is viable or if the woman's health or life is endangered. The bill would also help protect women from new restrictions on reproductive rights passed at the state or local level that are likely to result from the Supreme Court's ruling.

Bills have been introduced in both the Senate and the House, with both being referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

This bill was originally written over a decade ago and was most recently introduced into Congress Jan. 22, 2004 when Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) did so in recognition of the 31st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. This reincarnation of the bill was also introduced into Congress by Boxer and Nadler.

According to the Washington Post, House and Senate Republicans have urged the president to warn the majority Democrats not to add abortion amendments to spending bills and other legislation.

"I will veto any legislation that weakens current federal policies and laws on abortion, or that encourages the destruction of human life at any stage," Bush wrote in the letter.

You don't want to miss the interesting post at Century of the Common Iowan about the child custody disputes our soldiers are having to deal with as they serve overseas. It was also picked up by JHoward at Protein Wisdom.

Check out desmoinesdem's viewpoint about moving the Iowa Caucuses on Bleeding Heartland.

The folks at Donkey Rising believe Democrats have a mandate to help the poor.

Woodbury Democrat wants to know: Have we lost the war?

Did you notice Pres. George W. Bush's approval rating hit 28%?

If you haven't learned anything new in the last day, head over to Cathy's blog where you'll get an education on soap.

Lance Lange guest blogged Sen. Chris Dodd at the 21st Century Forum on Iowa True Blue.

Popular Progressive covered the NAMI Walk in Iowa City.

Former Iowan Dorothy laments growing up without diversity in a post over at Blogher. She also offers resources for parents who want to help their children be more comfortable with diversity.

Click over to Durham-In-Wonderland for commentary about the latest in the Duke/Nifong case. He links over to an article about the police chief in Durham which quotes Iowa State psychology professor Gary Wells.

Davenport is seeking a $453,000 refund from traffic camera companies.

Blogger News Network has a quote from Rudy Giuliani while he campaigned in Iowa about how history will view Bush.

Check out the photo memories of Greensburg, Kansas over at The Lope.

There are also lots of aerial photos showing tornado damage at Kansas.com.

And there's a post at Just Bee-Cause about the tornado and area too.

Reuters Blog has a speculative piece on the weather and corn futures.

Looks like Romney is working on the evangelical vote and will be sending a representative into Iowa.

In case you were wondering no tractor parts have been used to make music at the U of I (no matter what you received in email).

There's a very disturbing piece about the Iowa City VA at Alternet (which was originally posted as dKos dairy.