Iowans for Health Liberty is a coalition of those who support women's rights to choose the best care for them. It is a political organization founded by physicians in the women’s reproductive healthcare field and supported by Mary Riche, a former president of Planned Parenthood of Iowa.
Our Monday Zoom guests will be Dr. Emily Boevers, who practices in Waverly, and Francesca Turner, an Obstetrics specialist who serves patients at Broadlawns in Des Moines.
Why is this issue, not only a right but can mean life or death for you or someone you know and love?
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Richard Gilbert, aka Julie Gammack’s husband, was moved by Larry Stone’s column to share his own blizzard story (or that of former Governor Bob Ray).
Sh*t Richard Says
… The governor makes a snowstorm commute.
If you haven’t already, you will enjoy Larry Stone’s column recalling big snowstorms that hit Iowa within (mostly) his memory. My memory, too.
Talking about the spring blizzard of January 4, 1971. Governor Ray, my boss at the time, prided himself on not letting little obstacles like ice and snow drifts keep him from showing up at the office. After all, he needed to set an example for the thousands of other state employees.
As a commuter in those times, a ride from 2900 Grand Avenue to the state capitol wasn’t complicated, especially when you had an Iowa State trooper as your driver and you were riding in a four-door Lincoln town car. Somehow, in the snowstorm, the trooper made it to the Capitol.
Getting back to the mansion turned out to be another story.
By closing time, as the storm raged on, it was a given that we had a transportation problem on our hands.
Being commander in chief was handy as getting the governor home became the afternoon task. As former aide Bill Jackson recalls, the Iowa National Guard response to the afternoon commute was a “half-track.” Think truck on a Caterpillar chassis.
It worked. Governor Ray got home relatively hassle-free even though the streets were still clogged with massive drifts. A tank-like vehicle easily handled the big drifts.
A couple of days later, Jackson got a call at the office. The caller was referred by the National Guard to complain.
‘What is the process to file a claim with the state?” The caller said.
“What’s your complaint, sir?” Jackson asked.
“My car is flattened. Somebody thought we were a snowdrift, and the somebody was a National Guard tank.”
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
I am a proud founding member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. We now have 45 professional writers linking readers to commentary, original reporting, and news of interest to Iowans. Please consider picking five of our members and supporting them by becoming a paid subscriber. This effort is not supported by advertising but solely by readers.
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Ray Young Bear: From Red Earth Drive, Meskwaki Settlement
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Dartanyan Brown, My Integrated Life, Des Moines
Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Jane Burns: The Crossover, Des Moines
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, Roundup
Steph Copley: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines
Rob Gray: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Los Angeles and Iowa
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia
Dana James: Black Iowa News, Iowa
Chris Jones, Chris’s Substack, Des Moines
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Letters from Iowans, Iowa
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa
Alison McGaughey, The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities
Kurt Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Vicki Minor, Relatively Minor, Winterset
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Kali White VanBaale, 988: Mental Healthcare in Iowa, Bondurant
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
Want to do the Write Thing?
Do you know about the Okoboji Writers’ and (and songwriters’) Retreat to be held on Lake Okoboji September 22-25? Check it out! All skill levels welcome:
Here is the list of speakers and workshops: https://okobojiwritersretreat.com/all-speakers/. COME!