"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34

 

 

The free world is quickly becoming a faded memory.

 

Once civilized liberal values of free and open discourse have been replaced with censorship and totalitarian conformity.

 

Scientist after scientist, doctor after doctor, anyone brave enough to voice their own opinion, has been slandered and silenced.

 

Drs. Martin Kulldorff and Jay Battacharya write:

 

One Of The Lockdowns’ Greatest Casualties Could Be Science

"Politicians, journalists, and scientists have transferred the disease burden onto the working class. They’ve also dangerously undermined scientific inquiry.

 

"The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns have not only been devastating for society, they have had a chilling effect on the scientific community. For science to thrive, opposing ideas must be openly and vigorously discussed, supported, or countered based on scientific merit.

 

"Instead, some politicians, journalists, and (alas) scientists have engaged in vicious slander of dissident scientists, spreading damaging conspiracy theories, even with open calls for censorship in place of debate. In many cases, eminent scientific voices have been effectively silenced, often with gutter tactics. People who oppose lockdowns have been accused of having blood on their hands, their university positions threatened, with many of our colleagues choosing to stay quiet rather than face the mob."

 

Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, went a step further, and asked the social media censors on Twitter to provide the scientific rationale for labeling his speech as 'misleading'

 

 

Of course no one took the offer to discuss the relevant science with Dr. Kulldorff.

 

Simply put, because there isn't any science.

 

Let's be perfectly honest...

 

Our so-called health experts are making things up. Fueled only by the unfounded hysteria and fear they feed the public.... they may as well be called modern day Pharisees. 

 

Every policy is controversial because of either too little supporting data, or the existing data contradicts.

 

Effects on the mental, emotional, financial, or physical health of people were never even considered when enacting COVID lockdowns....

 

The potential long-term effects of COVID vaccination, the largest mass vaccination deployment in human history, and a totally brand new technological platform of hacking the human physiology, is "virtually unknown."

 

But that doesn't stop the modern day Pharisees from declaring everyone must receive the experimental jab.

 

and that freedom must be denied to anyone expressing hesitancy...

 

It's with a heavy heart I've been hearing the cries from Israel, which is leading the world in enforcing mandatory vaccination in order to participate in society.

 

 

I'm thankful to all the brave voices who are speaking up for their bodily autonomy and human sovereignty.

 

Especially thankful for the voices still alive today, who lived through the lessons of history and provide a clear warning:

 

 

Holocaust survivor Vera Sharav is unequivocal:

 

"debate is forbidden (...) the virus is being exploited to maintain a state of fear (...) people are being conditioned to passively submit to government dictates."

 

You can watch her recent testimony to the German Coronavirus Inquiry Committee here:

 

 

The holocaust references, while very grim and undeniably dark, are sadly appropriate.

 

The first tenet of the Nuremberg Code explicitly states a human being's voluntary consent to a medical procedure is "absolutely essential".

 

We've already seen Joe Biden resort to dehumanizing rhetoric, accusing anyone who steps out of line of "neanderthal (less than human) thinking."

 

In the coming months, we will see society divided into the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, with privileges and rights being denied to the latter.

 

 

Never in history have the censors been the 'good guys'

 

The fanaticism that's gripped so many, resembles a religious cult more than anything related to science.

 

Blind faith in health measures is essentially dogma, while any data set demonstrating the ineffectiveness of mandatory masks, lockdowns, or the new gene therapy "vaccines" is viciously attacked as heresy.

 

Anyone who dares question the self-appointed priest class [Pharisees] of corporate pharmaceuticals or their health bureaucrat lackeys, is immediately subject to inquisition.

 

Debate and discussion is strictly forbidden. Entertaining a discussion would imply there is another view that is worthy of consideration.

 

The existence of alternative views is a threat to the cult, so they must be proactively erased.

 

That's what happened last week in Fairfield when a video of the Fairfield city council was erased from YouTube.

 

A handful of citizens discussed the necessity of masks while exercising, a topic which even the CDC guidance is evolving, and conflicts with the WHO guidance.

 

Apparently YouTube, which has not publicly posted any their censorship guidelines, determined the discussion was a threat to the public health.

 

Didn't matter that health agencies themselves offer conflicting guidance, or even that those voicing the concern were largely over 65 years of age, the same demographic these draconian censorship tactics are meant to protect.

 

Take notice: your right to express your opinion is dangerous to your health.

 

Thankfully, censorship is a tool of the weak, and reveals how powerful our voices truly are.

 

Because if our voices weren't powerful, if our voices weren't a threat to the cult, there would be no need to censor.

 

Never in history have the censors been the 'good guys'

 

Part of me wants to apologize for writing this newsletter. I admit it is very difficult to articulate these thoughts, and the last thing I want to do is contribute to fear.

 

But these are important perspectives and voices that must be heard.

 

Freedom won is a treasure to forever cherish.

 

Freedom lost is rarely returned.

 

There will be no easy solutions or answers to these challenges. 

 

Spiritual battles require spiritual solutions.

 

Have faith and cultivate joy. If you want to save the world, start by loving your family.

 

Let us allow the cause of human freedom to unite us.

 

May we place our faith in the promise of the Resurrection.

 

At Your Service & Easter Blessings,

 

Jeff

 

 

Presenting HF 799 / SF 541, a bill for 'smart contracts' and defining 'distributed ledger technology', March 28th, 2021

 

 

Easter Brunch

Phoenix Rising Hall - 207 W. Burlington Ave

Sunday, April 4th

12:00 - 2:00pm

 

 

Your support is crucial to voicing freedom -- please consider your most generous donation to ensure we are heard all across Iowa. www.peaceloveiowa.com/donate

 

Statehouse News:

 

Assistance for Renters and Homeowners Available

 

Iowa COVID-19 impacted renters and homeowners are now able to apply for assistance with rent and mortgage payments through two assistance programs. 

 

The Iowa Rent and Utility Assistance Program will provide eligible COVID-19 impacted renters with rent and/or utility assistance for a total of up to 12 months. General eligibility requirements require that applicants: 

• Be current renters earning no more than 80% of their county’s area median income
• One or more individuals in the household must have either qualified for unemployment benefits or have experienced a documented financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability which may include a past due utility or rent notice or eviction notice. 

 

The Iowa Homeowner Eviction Prevention Program reopened applications this week to provide eligible COVID-19 impacted homeowners at imminent risk of eviction with mortgage assistance for up to four months, with a maximum assistance per household of $3,600. The short-term program will be available until funds are exhausted or a new federal program is launched. Program funding is provided through federal CARES Act funds. Program eligibility details are available under Assistance for Homeowners at IowaHousingRecovery.com 

 

Charter Schools in Iowa…What Are They?

 

Last week, House Republicans passed HF 813, which created a new pathway for Charter Schools to be approved in the State of Iowa. Democrats tried nearly everything to halt the progress on this bill and paint it out to be something it is not. By the time the bill reached the House floor for debate, 32 amendment had been filed – 26 of them by Democrats. The amendments were designed to weaken or derail the bill to the point it would lose support.  The amount of misinformation put forth by minority Democrats was plentiful so it is necessary to set the record straight.  

First, Iowa already has charter schools. This is not a new concept. However, there are currently only two operating charter schools. Charters can only be established if the school district’s school board approves of a charter school coming into their district. Charter schools are competition for public schools and therefore there is very little, if any, incentive for school boards to approve of a public charter school.  With some public school boards reluctant to go back to 100% in-person school despite outcry from parents and students, a new option was needed.  HF 813 gives parents and students a new pathway for choice in education.

  

House Republicans are not creating private charter schools in this legislation. These are all public charter schools. The very first line of the bill states “Charter schools shall be a part of the state’s program of public education.” That is an extremely unambiguous statement.  Next it discusses the pathways. The first way is a school board may create a founding group to apply to the state board of education for approval, the second is a founding group applies directly to the state board of education. Democrats took issue with a founding group being able to apply directly to the state board. They painted a picture of a charter school being like the Wild West with no oversight is completely false. The process to apply is rigorous in and of itself, not to mention the oversight upon being established. In the application a potential charter school must state 28 things, some of which are the location (which doesn’t have to be within one school district), grades served, background information on members of the founding group and governing board, evidence of need and community support, description of academic programs, plan for using assessments, plans for identifying and serving students with disabilities, students who are limited English proficient, students who are academically failing or below grade level, and gifted students, plans for providing transportation services, food service, and other services.  

 

After the application process goes through, a charter school must meet all applicable federal, state, and local health and safety requirements and laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, ancestry, or disability; operate as a nonsectarian, nonreligious school, be tuition free, subject to comply with civil and human rights, provide special education services, be subject to the same financial audits as a school district, comply with educational standards unless specifically waived, and comply with days and hours requirements unless specifically waived. The governing board’s meetings must be open to the public and subject to open meetings laws, teachers must be licensed, there cannot be discrimination in admission policies, must accept any eligible student who submits a timely application unless it exceeds capacity and the lottery system kicks in, the majority of the governing board must be from the geographic area the school serves and the other members have to be residents of Iowa, as well as the school’s annual budget must be posted on the school’s website. A normal person would conclude that list comprises a fair amount of oversight for taxpayer dollars and for parents and students interested in attending.  Which is all entirely appropriate because these charter schools remain part of the public school system using public dollars.

 

As for additional oversight, the state board is responsible for collecting and reporting data from all assessments, each school is evaluated and graded by the department, the state board monitors the performance and compliance of each charter school which can include inquiries and investigations, the state board may take corrective actions or impose sanctions if there are deficiencies, and the state board issues a school performance report annually. On top of that, a charter school contract may be revoked at any time. If a contract does get revoked, the charter school must have plans in place to provide for the transition of students, and how the assets will be prioritized to cover varying costs and debts. And, beyond this, the charter school must prepare and file an annual report with the department of education and the state board, in turn, must file an annual report with the general assembly. House Democrats claiming there is no oversight is just completely false and misleading. 

 

More importantly than oversight or standards, is what is best for the students. Charter schools are another option for families and students to be able to learn in the way that is best suited for them. Parents have made it clear to House Republicans that more parental choice in education is more important now than ever.  Students, not systems, should be the funding priority for the Legislature.  

(Info from becketlaw.org and the Catholic News Agency)

 

(Contact; Kristin Rozeboom, 1-3015)

 

 

State Legislatures Across the Nation Move to Control How Federal COVID Relief Dollars are Spent

 

A year after state legislative sessions were upended, a sense of normalcy is starting to return to capitals across the nation:  Legislatures are once again fighting governors over who controls a state’s purse strings.

 

Party allegiance is no barrier to the resumption of the age-old constitutional battle between the executive and legislative branches.  Congressional adoption of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan has deposited ridiculous amounts of money in state treasuries.  Unlike last year, when legislatures were sidelined by governors in the distribution of the CARES Act, a number of states are now engaged in debate over how the new batch of funds are to be used.  The conflict opened up in the Democrat-controlled New Mexico Senate, where its budget committee has already passed legislation laying out how $1 billion of the state’s share will be used.  New Mexico’s Democrat governor has been non-committal as to whether she will share the decision-making.

 

In Kentucky, the Republican-controlled legislature has over-ridden Democrat governor Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill asserting legislative authority over the funds.  In Connecticut, the Democrat-controlled legislature has unanimously approved a bill requiring Democrat governor Ned Lamont to get their approval for the spending of the new federal funds.  Lamont has yet to state how he will act on the bill.

 

And in West Virginia, the Republican-controlled legislature passed similar legislation.  Republican Governor Jim Justice has yet to decide whether he will sign or veto the bill.  In Wisconsin, the hot war between Democrat Governor Tony Evers and the Republican-led legislature continued this week when Evers vetoed a bill asserting legislative supremacy when it comes to spending. 

 

It appears these fights are just the beginning of struggles across the country over who will control the new wave of federal funds. 

 

Agriculture

 

House Approves Beginning Farmer Ag-Asset Transfer Tax Credit Updates

 

On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, the Iowa House passed House File 694 by a near unanimous 94-aye to 1-nay vote.  HF 694 has a Senate companion bill (Senate File 360) which is currently in Senate Ways & Means Committee and HF 694 has been referred to Senate ways & Means Committee for its consideration.    The legislation adjusts the Beginning Farmer Ag Asset Transfer Tac credit program.  This bill comes from the Governor’s office and makes several changes to the states Beginning Farmer Tax Credit program that was reauthorized and changed in the 2019 session (House File 768).  The notable and significant changes to this program proposed by HF 694 are as follows—

• It increases the number of times an agreement to transfer agricultural assets can be renewed from once to unspecified; and increases the cumulative lengths of renewed agreements from no more than 10-years to no more than 15-years.
• It removes the current restriction on the number of years an eligible taxpayer can participate in the program which is 10-years and removes the existing restriction that each annual tax  certificate be restricted to one agreement.  This would allow a taxpayer to receive tax credit certificate for up to 15-years and with multiple agreements with different parties.
• It removes the annual $50,000 cumulative cap of tax credit payment any one participating eligible taxpayer can receive and instead limits any one agreement to not to exceed $50,000 in any year.
• It removes language that appeared to require as part of an ag asset transfer agreement that the lease of agricultural land be included and replaces it with language that an ‘agricultural Improvement’ means any--…if located on any size parcel of agricultural land.’

 

A fiscal note for this bill was issued on Monday, February 15, 2021 and it estimated that the cost to the general fund of this legislation is ~$700,000 in FY 2023 and grows to $1.8-million ($8.4 to $9-million) in FY 2028 and ensuing years.  However, the fiscal note recognizes that even this anticipated increase is still less that the amount claimed ($9-2-million in calendar year 2017 and significantly below the cap of $12-million.

 

House Passes Local Produce Program/Fund

 

On Monday, March 29, 2021, the Iowa House approved Senate File 578 by a unanimous 94-aye vote.  Senate File 578 contains a number of Code clean-up changes that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) is requesting and recommending including the creation of a ‘Local Farm Produce Program’ and ‘Local Farm Produce fund’.  Senate File 578 as passed by the House incorporates ideas from both chambers’ companion bills (House File 827 and Senate File 578 as passed by the Senate) into the version that passed the House.  The bill now is back in the Senate for its consideration.

 

The difference between the two companion bills that were incorporated into the House amendment (S 3107)  were—

(a) HF 827 provisions that a person applying for a Commercial Establishment license must provide government-issued identification and sign the application attesting to that identity subject to  perjury penalties; 

(b) HF 827 language concerning the creations of a Local Farm Produce program and Local Farm Produce Fund that the Senate had eliminated in SF 578 through Senate floor action (S-3088), but which the House added back to the bill through its adopted amendment H 1293; 

(c) provisions that the Senate had added to SF 578 in lieu of Local Farm Produce program/fund struck language that creates a ‘Farm to Table Task Force’ that is established jointly by IDALS and ISU Cooperative Extension, and 

(d) language in the bill added by Senate Floor action to include premise ID program changes for foreign animal disease preparedness by making such premise ID information confidential and not a public record. 

 

Details of the proposed a ‘Local Farm Produce Program’ are that: 

 

1. the provisions provide that a new subchapter to the IDALS Code Chapter that already houses the ‘Farm-to-School program’ is created to assist schools and school districts purchasing fresh farm produce directly from farmers or distributors of fresh farm produce.  
2. IDALS may reimburse a school or school district for expenditures on such products to the extent moneys are available to support the program.  The available moneys would be allocated during the school year on a matching basis, subject to a $1,000 cap and the legislation creates a ‘Local Farm Produce fund’ to support the program that may accept public or private funds, but IDALS is not seeking a state appropriation. 

 

Government Oversight

 

Ames School District Continues to Disprove Own Testimony

 

On March 9 the Government Oversight Committee heard testimony from representatives of the Ames School District in regards to the curriculum, rollout, and transparency about the program “Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.” Many of the concerns brought to the committee by parents, faculty, and Ames residents where largely dismissed and at times laughed at by representatives of the school district. However, statements made by representatives have been proven false, by the Ames School District themselves. 

 

Multiple members of the Oversight Committee questioned the Ames School District about complaints and concerns from parents. Representatives of the district repeatedly dismissed these claims. Ames Superintendent Dr. Risner insisted they knew about 3 parents expressing concern about the BLM Week of Action curriculum because only 3 parents spoke up at the school board hearing.  However, Ames’ own youtube video shows that 9 members of the public spoke in the public meeting expressing their concerns. Why district officials chose to falsify an easily provable fact like the number of parents who expressed negative feedback at a public meeting is unclear.

 

Continuing to flaunt their disregard for honesty and transparency regarding the School Week of Action, the Ames school district published their Spring 2021 issue of Amazing Magazine, Critical Consciousness Implementation – Vol. 14, in which they said one of their first projects implementing critical consciousness in the school district was “a concentrated look at Planning to Change the World, a planning book for social justice educators.” 

Critical Consciousness training is marketed as professional development training.  The truth is it is simply taxpayer paid training to teach public school district employees on how to be woke and implement their newfound wokeness to achieve educational and political change.

 

The Planning to Change the World education weekly planner is a 216-page planner for the school year from the Education for Liberation Network.  The Education for Liberation Network is a national organization of teachers and activists who advocate for ideologies that support the Black Lives Matter agenda.  The introduction to the planner says it is “packed with important social justice birthdays and historical events – especially those that may get left out of mainstream textbooks – as well as lesson plans and teaching resources, words of wisdom from visionary leaders, and more.“  Some of those teaching resources are “The White Supremacy and Me Workbook” – A text and a process for those holding White privilege to examine and dismantle their complicity in White supremacy.  Another resource is “How My Third Graders and I Address Consent” – In the wake of #MeToo and the Kavanaugh hearings a teacher shares her strategies for addressing consent with elementary students. 

 

However, when representatives of the school district repeatedly said they had no knowledge of this planning book when asked by members of the Oversight Committee. The book is a 216-page workbook that has lesson plans spanning a year down to the day. 

 

When the committee asked the school district what materials where used and sourced for their week of action, the officials continued the taking line that the only source material was the “13 guiding principles of Black Lives Matter.” However Amazing Magazine publicly references the Planning to Change the World as a source for implementing their Critical Consciousness Implementation.  It seems entirely contradictory for district officials to claim ignorance regarding the Planning to Change the World planner while also publicly referencing it in the school district’s own magazine.  Again, why officials would choose to convey false information regarding something so easy to prove otherwise is unclear.

 

As the Government Oversight Committee continues to work to keep Ames School District accountable, there are options available for parents in any school district. Parents who are concerned about the age appropriateness of materials being taught and don’t believe their school district is being responsive, have a right to file an ethics complaint with the Board of Educational Examiners at https://boee.iowa.gov/about-us/complaints.     

 

(Contact: Jason Covey 1-3626)

 

Peace & Prosperity Committee
http://www.peaceloveiowa.com/