Scott County Iowa Board of Supervisors Committee of the Whole Meeting Nov 21.2023

For 30 years, the Reader has memorialized in print and online how nearly all local, state, and national legislators, staff within executive agencies, and jurists, regardless of political party, have epically failed in representing the electorates' interests and Constitutionally protected inalienable rights they swore to uphold as mandated by their oath of office.

River Cities Reader January 2023 Ed Newman Cartoon Jan 6 Republic Democracy Police State.png

This week is the second anniversary of the January 6, 2021. For nearly 1,000 American citizens are being harassed, arrested, and prosecuted (many of whom have not had their due process or day in court) for alleged crimes committed while exercising their First Amendment-protected rights to peacefully assemble, free speech, and petition for redress of grievances, there are no resolutions, no closure, and mostly no justice.

No Election is Perfectly Safe and Secure

I recently read a thoroughly enjoyable piece by Mike Caulfield at Hapgood.US on the first use of “conspiracy theory” that he discovered in a letter from the English press, published in the New York Times on January 4, 1863. In a nutshell, the letter was a critical commentary on American intrigue relative to English aristocracy interests, and expressing disdain for America as a formidable foe, therefore anxious to see our ruin. This predates all other claims of the first use of “conspiracy theory,” and as Caulfield points out, “You’ll note too something that is almost too delicious: the first use of conspiracy theory is about a conspiracy said to involve the press.”

Beware: Progressive Candidates Don't Use a “P” Behind Their Names

Prior to this upcoming midterm election, and every election after, it is imperative for each of us, as voters with our respective political ideologies, to confirm that the candidates we intend to vote for actually support the same things we do.

Scholars describe progressive societies as being akin to beehives.

What if both establishment Democrats and Republicans adhere to Progressivism, an ideology measures of magnitude different than liberalism or conservatism, while only fabricating a liberal or conservative identity just to win elections? It adds up. Progressivism advocates first and foremost that everything is political. All social and economic problems, no matter the size or scope, are best solved via government-driven political solutions. 

Progressivism concerns itself with groups and their highest functions. Progressives consider human beings to be group components, resources for groups' highest functioning.  Components of groups are tightly controlled and expendable as necessary. This is in direct opposition to the core individualism driving both classic liberalism and conservatism.  Therefore, it only follows that liberal and conservative individualism is an existential threat to Progressivism and must be eradicated.

Political Oath of Office Taker Cartoon Oct 2022 Cover Illustration by Ed Newmann & Monica Kendall

The 2022 midterm election will see voters pass the baton to candidates who will serve during a highly charged political environment as the 2024 general election approaches. Most candidates talk mostly about themselves, with an almost comical disregard for the subject matter they should be focused on to secure votes – the voters and our needs and expectations of them to represent us and not their own interests. With the Midterm General Election 2022 Questionnaire found below, we continue our longstanding practice of contacting political office candidates with what we hope are relevant and meaningful questions.

Reader 30th Anniversary Edition Cover Concept  Sketch Courtesy,  Ed Newmann

Publisher Note: The River Cities' Reader has emailed the publicly available emails for all party's candidates in the certain selected Iowa General Election 2022 races, a candidate questionnaire with four topics and eight questions.  That communication is published in part below, along with the complete questionnaire.  The Reader will publish all responses in the printed October edition out on the streets October 6, 2022. All the printed responses will also be published online shortly thereafter. 

Reader 30th Anniversary Edition Cover Concept  Sketch Courtesy,  Ed Newmann

Publisher Note: The River Cities' Reader has emailed the publicly available emails for all party's candidates in the certain selected Iowa General Election 2022 races, a candidate questionnaire with four topics and eight questions.  That communication is published in part below, along with the complete questionnaire. 

The Reader will publish all responses in the printed October edition out on the streets October 6, 2022. All the printed responses will also be published online shortly thereafter. 

Rock Island County Illinois Map

When I reached out for advice from longtime Illinois political pundit and reporter Rich Miller, he posted my e-mail to his well-traveled blog CapitolFax.com with the title “A little help?” I had asked Rich if he had any ideas, comments, or specific questions he thought we should include in an Illinois state senate and house candidate questionnaire. Within hours, there were dozens of questions from various perspectives posted. All of them are published below and the original blog post is found at CapitolFax.com/2022/05/17/a-little-help-3/.

Rock Island County Sheriff Emblem Badge

The River Cities' Reader asked ccandidates for Rock Island County Sheriff 14 questions covering four topics and invited them to add an additional comment on any topic(s) of their choice. We greatly appreciate each candidate's participation. One of these three candidates will be the Rock Island County Sheriff for the next four years. Here's your chance to learn how each views the office and their role, should they prevail.

Pages