Vice President Dick Cheney made his second public appearance in Iowa in the last two days in morning event in Des Moines today. The Vice President spoke for about half an hour to several hundred invited guests at what was billed a town hall meeting. He touched on many of the common themes of the campaign — the economy, the war and terror and the record of the democrat challenger John Kerry before taking questions from the audience. The final comment of the event drew the most attention. It was from Ann Hunter, of Des Moines who said her 19-year-old son is leaving today for deployment in Iraq and told the Vice President “Thank You” for what the President and Cheney are doing for the troops. Hunter also said she “prays to God” that they’ll both be reelected for the sake of the troops. After the event, Hunter said she’s a republican who volunteered at the recent Republican National Convention, and said she had to come and say thanks to Cheney. She says she feels so strongly about the administration and their support for the troops that she felt she had to come and say thanks. Hunter’s son, Marine Lance Corporal Andrew Sprague, leaves today for Iraq. Hunter says it’s not easy seeing her son go into harm’s way. She says it is hard and tough and she’s “shed a lot of tears in the last 24 hours” and says she’ll probably continue shedding tears. She says her son chose to do this and feels it is the right thing and she feels it’s the right thing, and says “We can’t pull out of there now.” Hunter was asked why she thinks the U.S. entered the war. She says we went to war in Iraq to “Liberate those people from that tyrant”, referring to Saddam Hussein. She says her only disappointment is that the Iraqi people don’t appreciate it a little more. Hunter’s son is a graduate of Des Moines Roosevelt High School. Another comment Cheney took from the audience dealt with taxes. The unidentified man from Altoona says he went to work and got his first paycheck and the government took out about one fifth of the paycheck for taxes. He asked Cheney what he could do to change that. Cheney laughed and asked him how he’d like to be secretary of the Treasury. Cheney told said most Americans don’t mind paying taxes if they think the money is well spent and the taxes aren’t excessive. He said the man he should make his feelings know by voting. He says the thing is to support the kind of sound, sane policy and philosophy of public officials that agree with his view. Cheney says he believes George Bush is the man to do that. Cheney also said decisions are being made that will set the rules for how we deal with terrorism. He says it’s absolutely essential that we make the right choice eight weeks from today because, “If we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that um, that we’ll get hit again. That we’ll be hit, uh, in a way that’ll be uh devastating from the standpoint of the United States, and then we’ll fall back into the pre-9-11 mindset if you will, that in fact these terrorist attacks are uh, just criminal acts and that we’re not really at war. I think that would be a terrible mistake for us.” Cheney’s counterpart John Edwards was campaigning in Ohio today and responded to Cheney’s remarks. Edwards said, “Dick Cheney’s scare tactics crossed the line today, showing once again that they will do anything and say anything to save their jobs. Protecting America from vicious terrorists is not a Democratic or Republican issue, it’s an American issue and Dick Cheney and George Bush should know that. Edwards said, “John Kerry and I will keep America safe and we will not divide the American people to do it.”
State quarter sets being sold at the Statehouse
Hawkers of a special State Quarter set are capitalizing on the extra foot traffic today at the statehouse. Ryan Dirks, an intern in the Governor’s office, set up shop in the statehouse cafeteria, selling a commemorative pair of Iowa Quarters. Dirks says about five-thousand Iowa quarter sets were sold last Friday when the state quarter was launched. They have about 10-thousand left to sell, and Dirks says “we’re trying to get rid of ‘em.” Each quarter set comes in a plastic case with a certificate of authenticity. It costs five dollars, and the proceeds will be used for the upkeep of the Governor’s mansion. Dirks has shelled out money for a few of his own. Dirks bought a couple for his grandparents and one set for himself. Dirks says he helped assembled the sets, and he thought he’d like to have at least one to keep. Business has been brisk today. By midday, Dirks had sold nine cases, with 36 sets in each case. One state legislator in town for the special session bought 50 sets, and plans to hand them out to folks he meets on a trip to China.
Council Bluffs looks at pit bull ordinance
A western Iowa city council takes another look at its dog ordinance this month. Since the beginning of the year, at least 19 people have been attacked by pit bull terriers, the most recent late last month when a dog that put its owner in the hospital was shot when it went after police responding to the attack. Assistant Council Bluffs City Attorney Don Bauermeister says the animal left the yard and posed a danger to others. In addition to the attack on its owner, once the animal took off he says they had to consider an animal, bloodied from its attack, running at large at night — the only thing worse would have been if it was in daytime when kids were walking to school. There’s a move to get all pit bull terriers licensed in Council Bluffs but the city attorney says it hasn’t been effective. The city clerk’s office and animal-shelter tell him only about 160 pit bulls are licensed right now in the city but they think that’s only a minority of all the dogs of that kind, and he adds the most recent attack was by an unlicensed pit bull. A new city ordinance making all owners license their dogs was narrowly defeated on its first try, but Bauermeister says a councilman who missed that meeting will attend the next one and has said he’ll vote for the strict rules. No new pit bulls will be allowed in the city under the strict ordinance being proposed. You’ll have to show the city you have a “secured enclosure” more than just a fenced yard to keep them in, the animals must wear a muzzle when in public and be on a leash less than four feet long, and you can’t own one unless you’re over 18 years old. Any pit bull living in the city must be spayed or neutered, covered by the owner’s liability insurance, and have an identity microchip implanted…all things they’ve found other cities doing, in researching places that do regulate pit bulls. Bauermeister says city officials have done a lot of research into how they can regulate dangerous animals, and how other communities have done it. Bauermeister says “active resistance” is probably an understatement, as people have opposed an ordinance that would regulate one specific breed of dog. Still, the number of attacks by that breed is clearly a high one, and he says many people think the strict ordinance will pass next time around, and are rushing to license pit bulls so they can keep them.
First reaction may not be best for marriage
Iowans who are planning to tie the knot will want to make sure there’s more behind the relationship than just that initial attraction. Marriage counselor John Manz says “If your doctor said, you know, sure we can do this procedure, but you only have a 46-percent chance of success in the next two years, you’d want to think twice and say how necessary is it.” Manz says the divorce rate is high partly because many people get swept away in the romance, without building a solid foundation. “If you were to do an exit interview at the courthouse, stand outside with the people getting divorced they’re probably not go to say ‘the sex was awful, I hated the vacations and the kids drove me crazy.’ They’re probably going to say things like ‘I couldn’t stand her personality or he never talked to me or nothing ever got resolved.’” Manz suggests engaged couples take time to do a premarital assessment or workshop before heading to the altar. Manz says unrealistic images of romance are fed to kids at a young age, adding, “Walt Disney has made multiple billions on telling the story on falling in love and tells it up to the wedding day and doesn’t ever tell you what happened the day after.” Manz says the sparks eventually die down. “The chemical attraction will last, but only for a while. It sooner or later fades and it fades for everyone.” That’s why Manz says perfect marriages aren’t made in heaven, but require a lot of work, like many things in life that are valuable.
Iowa big favorite heading into meeting with ISU
If the oddsmakers are correct Saturday’s 52nd meeting between Iowa and Iowa State will be a yawner. The 13th ranked Hawkeyes are favored by nearly four touchdowns but coach Kirk Ferentz can’t figure out why, as he says he doesn’t even know if they can score 25. Ferentz says the oddsmakers obviously aren’t going to practice.Ferentz says this is not just another non-conference game. He says if you’ve even been in the state for a week you realize that it’s a big game. He says this is more unique than some other games because you have two separate conferences involved as well as the state. After a solid first half quarterback Drew Tate missed the second half of the Hawks 39-7 win over Kent State due to dehydration. Ferentz says they have taken precautions to make sure it does not happen again. He says he hopes they’re through it, and he says it was probably a lot more for Tate than just the heat. He says Tate expended a lot of energy getting to the game and if was his first game. Cyclone coach Dan McCarney says his team is such a big underdog in part because of last year. He says Iowa had a tremendous season and his team stunk. He says they’ve been able to win before when his team was a big underdog and they’re going to try and do it again this week.Bret Meyer started Saturday’s 23-0 win over UNI at quarterback and Austin Flynn also played. McCarney says both will see action on Saturday as he trusts both of them, likes them and respects them. McCarney says there’s no controversy in the program, and he says they both will play this week. McCarney says the Iowa-Iowa State game is a showcase for college football in the state. He says everyone ought to be proud of the football in the state, as he says all the programs are good. The Cyclones will try to find a way to score against a tough Iowa defense and the Cyclone defense will need to keep them in the game. Junior defensive lineman Nick Leaders says they have to play as a team and play great football to win. He says they have to shore up the mistakes they made and work hard against a great football team. Leaders says posting a shutout in the season opener was a great first step as he says you never know how good you are before the first game. He says there are signs that they can be a really good team.
Some Cyclones and Hawkeyes know each other well
The Iowa-Iowa State matchup has special meaning for the Iowa natives on both rosters who may competed with or against several players on both teams. That is the case for Iowa State safety Nic Moser who is familiar with several Hawkeyes. He says he played against Ben Cronin, a guard from Ames, and other players he played against in high school. Moser is playing safety after moving from linebacker. He says it’s been a smooth transition. He says the run keys are similar to linebacker, and it helps out with his speed to be farther off the ball and able to react. The Cyclones are a near four touchdown underdog but Moser says they don’t mind that role, as he says they like being in the underdog role. He says when you compare the seasons of the two teams last year, the Cyclones should go in as the underdog.Moser says the newcomers have mixed in well with the experienced players and they haven’t mixed a beat. He says many of the newcomers made key plays in the game Saturday.
ATV and pick-up collide; 21-year-old dies
Labor day ended in tragedy for a family in central Iowa’s Jasper County. A man was killed in a crash involving an all-terrain vehicle and a pickup truck just northwest of Baxter last night . Officials say the driver of a pickup was westbound on a gravel road shortly before 8 o’clock when the truck ran over the ATV. The driver of the ATV became trapped underneath the truck. He died on the scene. No names have been released. No charges have been filed. Authorities now identify the victim as 21-year-old Troy Brawner of Marshalltown. The man driving the truck is identified as 47-year-old Steven Shipton of Collins. Shipton was not reportedly hurt. Deputies say the A-T-V was on the -wrong- side of the road when it was hit by the pickup.
