Eyes Wide Open

American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) brought their display of boots, one pair for each National Guard member who has died in the Iraq war, to Cedar Rapids for Freedom Fest, adding a somber note to festivities entirely fitting with the theme. It was touching to meet people who had lost family members, who searched among the nearly 400 pairs of boots for the ones tagged with their loved ones.

I have met people formerly with the Iowa National Guard who quit because of the Iraq war. This is distressing, since we depend on the Guard in times of emergencies. They fill sandbags during floods, they ward off looters, they bring in trucks full of drinking water.

In the announcement of my candidacy, I stated, "Using the National Guard in a war of aggression is an abuse of their purpose and the honorable commitment that the Guard members make to our state. I propose that as a state we create a new organization, tentatively called "Iowa Emergency Response Guard", and transition the Iowa National Guard to this "well regulated militia" as defined in the Bill of Rights, to meet the needs that the Iowa National Guard has so capably filled, but beyond the reach of federal authorities who clearly have abused their authority."

Barth Campaign Announces Selection of Running Mate

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Barth Campaign Announces Selection of Running Mate Iowa Green Party http://greens.org/iowa/ Thursday, June 22, 2006 Contacts: Co-chair Wendy Barth (peacenik@usa.net) 319-363-5345 Co-chair Daryl Northrop (dnorthrop@polkcogreens.org) Campaign Manager: Joe Aulwes (aulwes@gmail.com) 515-554-2015 *Barth Campaign Announces Selection of Running Mate* Wendy Barth, Green Party candidate for governor, announced today that she has chosen Richard L. Johnson of Burlington as her running mate for the November election. Richard, a former Republican, is currently the media coordinator for the Iowa Green Party and co-chair of the Greater Iowa Chapter of the IAGP. He also serves as a member and former co-chair of the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), and was co-founder of the Southeast Iowa Chapter of PFLAG. A native of west-central Illinois, Richard has lived in Burlington for over twenty years and has been active in local politics since the late 1980s. He is employed as technology coordinator for Louisa-Muscatine Community Schools in Letts, IA. In accepting his party's selection, Richard shared his hopes for the upcoming campaign season. "I look forward to bringing my experience in both the private and public sector to this campaign. I hope to help Wendy raise issues regarding the future of education in our state as well as the threats posed by the growing corporate control of our economy. Iowans deserve better from our government, and I believe that this campaign can provide voters with a clear choice between government of and by the people offered by the Greens, and government of and by corporations offered by the Republicans and Democrats." Wendy Barth welcomed the addition of Johnson to the campaign ticket. "I am very pleased that Richard has agreed to join with me in offering Iowans a clear alternative to the corporate parties. Richard has strong leadership skills and an understanding of the issues that will resonate with voters across the state. Iowans are passionate about education, and Richard's experience with educators can provide great insights as to how to keep our schools the best. Campaign volunteers have been petitioning to gain access to the November ballot, and will continue their efforts in the coming weeks. The campaign plans on attending a number of local events to help inform Iowans of the choice the Green Party offers them when they go to the polls this fall. "It's time to restore government to the control of the electorate," Barth said, "and to begin repairing the damage the two corporate parties have done to our economy, our environment, and to the citizens of Iowa." MORE INFORMATION Iowa Green Party P. O. Box 2448 Iowa City, Iowa 52244 319-337-7341 iowa@greens.org Wendy Barth for Governor P.O. Box 1234 Iowa City, IA 52244-1234 Joe Aulwes, Campaign Manager 515-554-2015 aulwes@gmail.com www.votewendy.org search:

___ Disclaimer: State, local, and candidate press releases made available here represent the opinions of the original source only. Opinions expressed by a state party or candidate do not necessarily represent the views of the Green Party of the United States. State party contact information, when provided with candidate releases, does not imply state party endorsement of the opinions expressed nor of the candidate (prior to gaining formal nomination by the party). ___ Office: PO Box 57065 Washington, D.C. 20037 Email: office@gp.org 202-319-7191 or toll-free (US): 866-41GREEN

Dysert - CAFO Candidates Forum

A candidate's forum was held on June 20th, 2006 at 7PM in the Dysert CommunityBuilding. Attending were candidates and current members of the Tama County Board of Supervisors, candidates and representatives from Tama county to the Iowa statehouse, candidates for the Secretary of Agriculture, and me, Wendy Barth, the Green Party candidate for governor.

It was just a coincidence that the table closest to the stage had 4 chairs, I took the third, and all the other candidates arranged themselves at the tables further from the stage, leaving seats open at the governor's table for Chet Culver, Jim Nussle, and Christy Welty

The topic was CAFOs - Confined Animal FeedingOperations.

The crowd was sharply divided between people who are trying to make money and people who find their quality of life threatened. The hog farmers all solemnly pledged that they were being good neighbors, that it was only a few bad apples who were causing the problems. Yet when I suggested that we go after the bad apples with stricter penalties for pollution, they all blanched. When I said,"I just heard you all say that you all are being good neighbors, so you have nothing to fear." somehow that was not reassuring to them. Curious.

Many people thanked me for bringing up the "super-germ" issue - apparently these hog farmers had not considered how consistent use of antibiotics could become and indeed is becoming a problem.

Iowa Green Party Announces Wendy Barth as Candidate for Governor

Local News

Iowa Green Party Announces Wendy Barth as Candidate for Governor Iowa Green Party http://greens.org/iowa/ June 12, 2006 Released Friday, June 9, 2006 Contacts: Co-chair Wendy Barth (peacenik@usa.net) 319-363-5345 Co-chair Daryl Northrup (dnorthrop@PolkCoGreens.org) Media Coordinator: Richard Johnson (seiowagreen@grimsson.info) 319-601-1364 The Iowa Green Party announces the selection of Wendy Barth of Cedar Rapids as the party's candidate for governor. Wendy is co-chair of the state Party and serves as president of Women for Peace Iowa. In setting forth her goals for her campaign the candidate identified three areas of focus. Peace "The governor is supposed to have control over the Iowa National Guard, but the President has usurped that authority. Using the National Guard in a war of aggression is an abuse of their purpose and the honorable commitment that the Guard members make to our state. I propose that as a state we create a new organization, tentatively called "Iowa Emergency Response Guard", and transition the Iowa National Guard to this "well regulated militia" as defined in the Bill of Rights, to meet the needs that the Iowa National Guard has so capably filled, but beyond the reach of federal authorities who clearly have abused their authority." Agriculture and Sustainable Economics "Overproduction of corn threatens both Iowa farmers and their customers. There has been a glut of corn on the market for a many years, resulting in the cost of production being consistently higher than the market price. Subsidies allow us to dump this corn on the Mexican market. Mexican farmers, unable to compete, are forced into poverty. It's time to re-examine our farm subsidy programs. In addition, corn is energy-intensive and involves yearly tilling, which contributes to erosion. This is squandering our precious topsoil. As governor Ms. Barth would promote development of alternative crops by our state's farmers. There are so many good reasons to look for other crops to grow on this, the best topsoil in the world. Why shouldn't we compete with produce imported from other areas, such as asparagus from Peru and rhubarb from Washington? "Washington continues in a prolonged tax-cutting mood, and sooner or later corn subsidies will fall victim to the tax-cutter's axe. Iowa needs to be proactive in finding other crops and competing in these markets." Energy "Switchgrass is a prairie grass that thrives in Iowa. It can be fermented to create ethanol, with a larger yield per acre (over 1000 gallons) than corn. Since it is perennial and requires no annual cultivation, erosion is no longer a problem and fewer chemicals are needed. Switchgrass is one way we can seriously compete in the fuel market, as Brazil has demonstrated." If the low turnout in Tuesday's primary is any indication, Iowans want a real choice when it comes to their state leaders. Wendy Barth offers that choice, and we feel Iowans will respond to her message. MORE INFORMATION Iowa Green Party P. O. Box 2448 Iowa City, Iowa 52244 319-337-7341 iowa@greens.org search:

___ Disclaimer: State, local, and candidate press releases made available here represent the opinions of the original source only. Opinions expressed by a state party or candidate do not necessarily represent the views of the Green Party of the United States. State party contact information, when provided with candidate releases, does not imply state party endorsement of the opinions expressed nor of the candidate (prior to gaining formal nomination by the party). ___ Office: PO Box 57065 Washington, D.C. 20037 Email: office@gp.org 202-319-7191 or toll-free (US): 866-41GREEN