The American Corn Growers Association who, by their own admission "is America’s leading progressive commodity association, representing the interests of corn producers in 35 states" is having their 22nd annual meeting in Coralville and has invited Jim Hightower to deliever the keynote speech. The Blog for Iowa had this first, so a tip of a ten gallon Resitol hat to them for that.
Other than being a certified Texas treasure, Jim Hightower can deliver the progressive and populist goods when he is carrying on about the things that excite him. If you have $125 to pony up, you can have breakfast with him and the ACGA, but if not, you can attend their conference for $30 bucks ($20, if you are a certifiable student) and learn a ton about El Maiz Grande.
According to the ACGA press release, Jim Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks. As keynote speaker at the ACGA 22nd Annual Convention, on January 16, 2009, Hightower will bring a hard-hitting populist viewpoint that rarely gets into the mass media. In all of his work he keeps his ever-ready Texas humor up front, practicing the credo of an old Yugoslavian proverb: "You can fight the gods and still have fun."
I haven't read his newest book (with Susan DeMarco) "Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow”--but from his columns and earlier books, I'll bet it will be great. I notice there is even a chapter on "clean elections"--so it's on my reading list.
One of my favorite Hightowerisms: "The only difference between a pigeon and the American farmer today is that a pigeon can still make a deposit on a John Deere. "
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