Category Archives: General

Everyone’s Best Friend – Jim Malloy

June 3rd is a significant date in my life. My parents, Francis Martin Ryan and Rhea Madonna Fritz were married in Breda, Iowa, on this date in 1941. Twelve years later on the same date, my brother Kevin (“Cub”) was … Continue reading

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The fine art of negotiating

The recent negotiations between the White House and Republicans in the House brought back some fond memories. During the 1980s, I participated in several union negotiations. Most of the corporate negotiators were mid to upper management employees. However, when negotiating … Continue reading

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Draft Day 1970, Part II

Continued from Draft Day 1970, Part I On May 4, 1970, just four days after my decision to decline enlistment into the Navy, I walked downtown to get the mail for my mom. I was about halfway home when I … Continue reading

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Draft Day 1970

Part I Throughout the history of the United States, there has been a military draft. Conscription, as it’s called, was used first in the Revolutionary War. However, it was the states that drafted able-bodied men in the militia, since the … Continue reading

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Fool me once

As a lobbyist, having lunch with a legislator is a great opportunity to discuss the issues that matter most to you, and if it’s just the two of you, the legislator’s ear is all yours. And if the legislator is … Continue reading

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Those dog-gone blues

A good friend of mine, and also a homegrown native of Vail, Iowa, Tom Hawley, was the publisher/editor of The Record-Herald and Indianola Tribune when I lived in Martensdale with my sixteen-year-old daughter in 1994. Tom approached me to contribute … Continue reading

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