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CEDAR RAPIDS - These quotes are from some people who watched from a distance as Republican presidential nominee John McCain toured flood-damaged parts of Cedar Rapids. "My impression is that a lot of times, people think a disaster occurs and within a short time, it's all fixed, but it's not a quick fix." said Marian Hyde of Marshalltown, who is part of a First Baptist Church group working on a house in the Time Check neighborhood at 1407 Ellis Blvd. "The thing is that there's so many disasters, with the hurricanes, that this is old news, but it didn't go...

Here is my after action photo 'blog' of the Palin-McCain rally that went down this morning in Cedar Rapids Iowa. Enjoy! (If you get bored of the pictures the hippy zot is toward the end) So we got there just before 8. It was a beatiful day here in Iowa. They directed us to park in this huge field and had a line of busses waiting for us. The Busses hauled us around to the other side of the airport to a hanger near the FedEx facility. There we got to wait in another line: Waiting to go through security...

After Action Report

Joe Biden recently opened his mouth, showed us those pearly whites, and said the following, apparently with a straight face. Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said Thursday that paying more in taxes is the patriotic thing to do for wealthier Americans. . . . Noting that wealthier Americans would indeed pay more, Biden said: "It's time to be patriotic ... time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut." Real patriotic, that. Wasting no time, the hockey mom, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, skated over center ice, and drove...

Join Senator John McCain & Governor Sarah Palin for a Victory Rally in Cedar Rapids, IA September 18th, 2008 Doors open 8:00 am. PS Air Hangar The Eastern Iowa Airport 3411 Wright Brothers Blvd W Cedar Rapids, Iowa Live feed begins at 11:00AM CENTRAL TIME http://www.johnmccain.com/mccaintv/live.htm

What: September 18th Cedar Rapids, IA Rally When: September 18, 2008 8:00AM Where: Eastern Iowa International Airport 3411 Wright Brothers Blvd W Cedar Rapids, IA Join Senator John McCain & Governor Sarah Palin for a Victory Rally in Cedar Rapids, IA September 18th, 2008 Doors open 8:00 am. PS Air Hangar Eastern Iowa International Airport 3411 Wright Brothers Blvd W Cedar Rapids, Iowa

What: September 18th Cedar Rapids, IA Rally When: September 18, 2008 8:00AM Where: Eastern Iowa International Airport 3411 Wright Brothers Blvd W Cedar Rapids, IA Join Senator John McCain & Governor Sarah Palin for a Victory Rally in Cedar Rapids, IA September 18th, 2008 Doors open 8:00 am. PS Air Hangar Eastern Iowa International Airport 3411 Wright Brothers Blvd W Cedar Rapids, Iowa

McCain-Palin to make first Iowa appearanceAssociated Press - September 13, 2008 1:54 PM ET CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - The Republican presidential ticket will make its first joint appearance in Iowa when Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin arrive in Cedar Rapids on Thursday morning. **SNIP** McCain-Palin campaign spokeswoman Wendy Riemann said the two will hold a rally at 10 a.m. on Thursday at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids. **SNIP** The McCain-Palin campaign plans to establish a Web site on Saturday with additional ticket distribution sites. Distribution of the tickets will begin at noon on Monday. Doors...

Is it really true that the people of Iowa and Wisconsin are morally superior to the residents of New Orleans? That certainly seems to be the attitude of some Wisconsin State Journal readers who send me e-mails on a daily basis crowing about how victims of the floods of Cedar Rapids aren't whining or asking for hand-outs, unlike the victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The messages take the same perspective: When floodwaters drowned downtown Cedar Rapids, people got to work filling sandbags and helping one another. When the residents of New Orleans were drowned in the floodwaters unleashed...

As Senator Barack Obama courted voters in Iowa last December, Representative Keith Ellison, the country’s first Muslim congressman, stepped forward eagerly to help. Mr. Ellison ...volunteered to speak on Mr. Obama’s behalf at a mosque in Cedar Rapids, one of the nation’s oldest Muslim enclaves. But before the rally could take place, aides to Mr. Obama asked Mr. Ellison to cancel the trip because it might stir controversy. Another aide appeared at Mr. Ellison’s Washington office to explain. “I will never forget the quote,” Mr. Ellison said, leaning forward in his chair as he recalled the aide’s words. “He said,...

During the week after Father’s Day, I received a number of interesting emails from readers asking me to write about the dearth of looting after the recent floods in Iowa. Specifically, they wanted me to write about the reason there was so much more looting in New Orleans after Katrina hit the “Chocolate City” in 2005. Of course, the problem involves so much more than race – a factor most people are thinking about, even if they won’t admit it...

A young man got caught in the river's rage while trying to recover more of his folks belongings. He died in those merciless waters. At the rate the river was moving, it boggles the mind that his body could be recovered. Yet instead of being swept away, he was found relatively close by. God was hanging onto him for his family's sake. Perfect strangers were driving up to people's houses and would just start loading belongings. No questions asked, just pitching in. Getting people and parts of their life to safety. God was the matchmaker, giving people that could help...

CEDAR RAPIDS - In preparation for the immense recovery and rebuilding efforts our community will face, The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation today opened the Flood 2008 Fund for flood relief and recovery donation. This fund will support nonprofit organizations in Linn County who are providing first-response efforts and ongoing recovery and rebuilding throughout Linn County. The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation encourages donors to support first-responders like the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the United Way of East Central Iowa. The Flood 2008 Fund will support these organizations immediately as well as funding recovery and rebuilding efforts...

The streets in Cedar Rapids, Iowa - all 400 blocks of them - were filled with floodwaters and other strange sights: floating Dumpsters and utility poles and sandbags piled in vain. The cresting Cedar River wreaked widespread havoc Friday on Iowa's second-largest city, forcing the evacuation of 3,000 homes and a downtown hospital while collapsing a railroad bridge.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - At least 13 people were injured during a "Music as a Weapon" concert Thursday night, according to officials at two Cedar Rapids hospitals. The concert drew a crowd of 7,186 people, almost maxing out the U.S. Cellular Center, which can fit up to 7,500 people. Of the 10 people who were treated at St. Luke's Hospital for injuries suffered at the concert, one was taken into surgery, said Laura Rainey, director of marketing communications at St. Luke's. That patient was among two people who were admitted to the hospital. The others were treated and released. Rainey...

A conservative newspaper in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has dropped Ann Coulter's column becoming the first paper to take that action since controversy began swirling around the author of the runaway best seller "Godless, the Church of Liberalism." Neither recent, now-disproved charges of plagiarism nor her controversial book played any part in the paper's decision, the paper's editorial page editor told NewsMax.com. .... According to the July 12 edition of Editor & Publisher (E&P), The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, where her column has appeared for about 14 months, has replaced Coulter with NewsMax.com columnist David Limbaugh, a close friend of Coulter's.

Per Fox News, body found in Johnson County, Iowa has now been identified as Jetseta Marie Gage. Cause of death is asphyxiation.

Just attended the Kerry rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa proudly wearing my "Dubya 2004" button. Kerry was to appear with John Bon Jovi. I only went because it is about 2 blocks from my home. This was said to be Kerry's "final" campaign speech.....Observations below...