Winners

Sometimes when the P.C. police are out in force, it's not easy to tell the truth as you see it. That's why you've gotta respect Dr. Nader Ajuluni and the other Des Moines residents who were willing to speak publicly about their recent travel experiences in Lebanon during the Israeli bombing. The American Friends Service Committee hosted a panel Monday entitled "Caught in the Crossfire" at the Friends Meeting House. There are those who insist that if you disagree with Israeli politics, you must be an anti-Semite. This is exactly like the Des Moines School District's argument back in 1999 that if you opposed the 1-cent sales tax for school construction, you must hate children. Since when is World Peace only for certain people? It is never OK to force certain ethnic groups to live without property, running water, or basic human dignity.

It's often the least visible among us who are in the most need of assistance. Grants announced this week will funnel dollars to two distinct populations that often go unnoticed. Iowa Homeless Youth Centers assists homeless kids with everything from homework help to healthcare. As state and federal budget continues to shrink, along with private charitable giving, groups like IHYC struggle to find funding. That's why the just-announced gift of $50,000 from the Peterson Charitable Trust is so important for IHYC. The endowment will allow IHYC to continue its programming, as well as launch new services for kids on the street. In other news, Broadlawns Medical Center was awarded a $10,000 grant that will benefit uninsured pregnant women. Specifically, the money will go toward a fetal heart monitor - a machine that is standard care for insured moms-to-be, but often out of reach for low-income and uninsured women. While $10,000 isn't a ton of dough, it brings us a step closer to bridging the chasm between the rich and poor - and insured and uninsured - in Polk County.

Seventy community activists and concerned citizens showed up in the Capital City last week to voice their concern about Iowa's increasingly polluted waterways, as a result of record numbers of factory farms being erected in the state. When Iowa DNR Director Jeff Vonk suggested last year that the DNR should have greater authority to deny construction permits for particularly nasty factory farms, the Legislature (many members of which are rolling in campaign contributions from Big Beef and Big Pork) freaked and quickly passed a bill barring Vonk's new rules. Gov. Vilsack, however, vetoed the bill. This week, the issue came before a legislative committee, which ruled that the rule will go into effect on Aug. 23. It's a victory for family farmers and environmentalists, but we predict this isn't the last you'll see of this debate.

Losers

Ever wonder why so many of America's Christian conservatives think it's OK to destroy the environment, max out the nation's credit cards and piss off enough countries that we could end up in a nuclear war? Well, we can tell you: They're actually hopeful that Armageddon is nigh, and that their 144,000 born-again souls will ride the Big Escalator to the Sky while the rest of us fry for eternity. So, you say you want evidence of this? Here's some: Last week's Dallas County News carried a column by Pastor Ted Brancheau of Celebration Family Church in Adel, who discussed the turmoil in the Middle East. This Man of God wrote: "This is a tumultuous and exciting time. I am convinced that Jesus is coming soon. Most likely, this conflict in Israel will lead at some point to the destruction of Damascus as found in Isaiah 17:1. (This has never occurred in all history and will most likely be a nuclear explosion.) This could very well bring 'Gog' (Russia) in from the north and we are off to Ezekiel 38 & 39. Look up at that point, friend. We are almost home." CV

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