Author Archives: Marty Ryan

Missing In Action

Upon being drafted by the U.S. Army in 1970, I figured that after two years, if was still alive, I would be discharged from military service and be done with the government’s intrusion into my life. But no, I hadn’t … Continue reading

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Legislative Liver

I spent ten years as a sausage maker at Farmland Foods in Denison, Iowa. I spent twenty-seven years as a lobbyist at the Iowa Capitol. “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made,” quipped Otto … Continue reading

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Death Penalty Bill Moving in Iowa

Update on Senate File 14  A subcommittee meeting on Iowa Senate File 14 will be held this week on Wednesday, February 15, at 1:00 pm in Room 315 of the Iowa Capitol. Senate File 14, if enacted the bill would … Continue reading

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A Brief Tale

Have you ever gone skinny dipping? If you were a boy living in Vail, Iowa, during the 1950s and 1960s there was just about no way to avoid the practice of diving into a farm pond sans clothing or swim … Continue reading

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Chicago – The Sequel

My first time in Chicago was chronicled in a previous blog, Look Before You Leap. I’ve been to Chicago, and the metropolitan area several times since. And who hasn’t had a frustrating trip through O’Hare Airport at least once in … Continue reading

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Look Before You Leap

I was told often that I wasn’t college material. That’s probably because I didn’t apply myself during my four years of high school. I had a friend, Jim, who died of leukemia within two years of graduating, who would do … Continue reading

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