Hannah Bacon walks coast-to-coast for climate action

Since the Mojave, Hannah has been blessed with many displays of kindness and hospitality — camping at a retreat center, a Greek Orthodox monastery, an urban farm in Phoenix, and at many private homes. There have been hardships as well, of course. A crippling case of blisters after the first day’s march due to inadequate shoes. Portions of her route blocked by wildfire damage, requiring a thirty-mile reroute. A dog bite that forced Hannah to receive rabies shots — administered on four separate occasions at four separate medical facilities. Continue Reading →

Building bridges in the Heartland

Joshua Barr, Director of the Des Moines Civil & Human Rights Commission, joins us with positive news about Breaking Bread, Building Bridges — an initiative bring people together, one-on-one, to talk through their perceived differences and discover common ground. Pairings include a young man who was very anti-police with a woman police officer. The short video is encouraging and worth watching. Continue Reading →

Year-end review, and our 2021 plans

I reject the rhetoric that most Trump voters are racists, misogynists, and “deplorable” — as Hillary Clinton referred to half of Trump’s supporters in 2016. That’s not helpful.

I know from personal experience that good people, for various reasons, voted for Trump. We need to understand why and work to identify shared challenges. Beyond that, if the Democratic Party has any hope of regaining relevance in rural America, it has to begin with listening, not lecturing. Continue Reading →

Coral Reefs in Deep Trouble

A new report paints a disturbing picture of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The coral’s status has declined from “significant concern” to “critical,” as bleaching continues to kill more and more coral. The report fingers climate change as the primary culprit. It’s not just coral: One-third of all natural World Heritage sites are threatened by climate change. Continue Reading →

Biden must honor his commitment to shut down DAPL

The Obama administration — including then-Vice President Joe Biden and then-Secretary of State John Kerry — sent the message that new oil pipelines are dragging the US and our planet in the wrong direction. The clear, consistent, and scientific next step for President-elect Biden’s administration is to again cancel both pipelines, once and for all. Given Biden’s strong statements in opposition to DAPL while in Iowa in 2019, cancelation of the pipeline is his only consistent choice. Continue Reading →