Nobody Understands Iowa Except Iowans

It often times pains me to watch television when Iowa is the focal point of the news. Once again the stereotypes of a farm state are being reinforced with the upcoming caucus lollapalooza.

My hometown of Boone made the Fox News report this morning. Carl Cameron did a report in front of a dilapidated building that looked like it was constructed about the time Jesse James was robbing banks in Missouri. The one story building had a hand painted one shingle sign reading, 'Kings Christian Book Store'. I haven't been back to my stomping grounds in six months and was surprised to learn of this place of Higher education. Might be it was a photo shop?

There was a stop in Des Moines by Ted Cruz today in Des Moines. His faithful showed up to root him on as Mr. Cruz stood, smiling and waving, in his wool plaid shirt. "Well shucks, Ma, he sure looks good in them thar duds", I can hear the elite say. I would imagine some farmers wear plaid shirts. "Earth to the universe, citizens of Des Moines, one of the most affluent cities in the country, wear suits and ties. Women have high heels on their feet and fashionable dresses adorning their bodies".

I defy anyone to tell me, when there is a story regarding Iowa from the mainstream news to any sporting event involving universities in our state, when a camera doesn't show a field of corn at least once during a telecast. It hasn't happened since Roswell Garst was escorting Nikita Khrushchev through his Central Iowa cornfields in the 1950's and that was in the infancy of TV.

I actually know native Iowans, me included, who have never stepped foot on a cow pie or been in a corn bin. We have never stepped foot on farm land. There are thousands of us out there. I cannot remember one single farmer I knew from high school. "Oh wait, my one time high school girlfriend, Dianne Tingwald, was a farm girl but I don't think she knew how to drive a tractor so that doesn't count in my book". And I sort of lied about not being on a farm before. When we were dating I drove up her dad's lane to pick her up for a date but that's about it.

I used to be so dumb about farmers and farming I thought they had to bail corn instead of hay.
I thought farmers ploughed their fields with steam rollers to make mashed potatoes(That was bad but I had to get it out of my system).

The point of the story is my guys, Iowans, are not hicks. We are good, intelligent people with a lot to offer the clueless on the East and West Coasts if only they would watch and listen.

I-O-W-A equals Intelligence-Out-Wandering-Around