Dear Friends,

Please stop-in today for my Send-Off Celebration at Raccoon River Brew Pub from 1:00-5:00. At 2:30 I’ll explain why I’m walking the pipeline route, and Robert Knuth and Sarah Spain will perform a Native American blessing ceremony for the land. They’ll use sage, sweet grass and cedar (in photo, with stole) that Robert gave me during last year’s Great March for Climate Action, gifts that were used during the March and that I have held onto for occasions such as this. Continue Reading →

Dear Friends,

One week from today, I set-out on a 400-mile walk along the proposed path of the Bakken Oil Pipeline – perhaps walking across fields and streams, but more often traversing road and bridges. Continue Reading →

Dear Friends,

Before I tell you why Joe Biden should run for President, here’s an event all pipeline fighters need to know about: The Midwest Tar Sands/Bakken Petroleum Summit. With pipelines threatening to sprout-up like weeds, Midwest organizers are Continue Reading →

Dear Friends,

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has joined the board of Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), the company that wants to slice an oil pipeline through the heart of Iowa. One school of thought is that, since presidential wannabees usually divest themselves of the trappings of controversial affiliations rather than acquire them, Perry is not going to run for president. Another school of thought (mine) says that most politicians are so beholden to corporate donors that they’re willing to tick-off a chunk of voters rather than offend the monied teats upon which they suckle. Continue Reading →

Dear Friends,

Before I tell you about last week’s meetings with White House officials and Iowa’s congressional delegation, I’ve gotta remind you about next Saturday’s “Democracy for the Common Good” event. The sub-text is, “A Call to Action.” It’s in Des Moines at First United Methodist Church, 1001 Pleasant from 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. John Nichols (Washington Correspondent with “The Nation”) will be there among a host of thoughtful, provocative thinkers and doers. The focus is on how private corporations are influencing public policy and what people can do about it. My kind of event. Continue Reading →