Month: November 2022

COP27: Success, failure, or mixed bag?

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Was COP27 a success, a failure, or a mixed bag? Sad to say, it was mostly a flop.

At the conclusion of COP27, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Our planet is still in the emergency room. We need to drastically reduce emissions now — and this is an issue this COP did not address. The world still needs a giant leap on climate ambition.”

The bottom line is the summit didn’t deliver on what the scientific consensus says is most desperately needed and long overdue: a global commitment to drastically slash greenhouse-gas emissions. Continue Reading →

Grandkids, monarchs, and gratitude

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My guests and I discuss COP27 and foreign policy; Ebenezer Scrooge’s relevance in 2022 America (and Richard Maynard’s final performance in A Christmas Carol; Jean Hackel’s novel, Theresa et al., about a woman prevented from having an abortion; and the sheer unappetizingness of lab-raised meat.

Apologies for running late this week. I blame the turkey. And family. Well, mostly family.

But seriously, Kathy and I are so grateful for our families, friends, and neighbors, and to our fellow travelers on this rocky road to justice. Not a day goes by when we aren’t reminded how important all of you are to us. Toady, we say THANK YOU — in italicized bold caps, to drive the point home.

Regarding family, Kathy and just returned from a lovely visit with my son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids in Florida. I was delighted to see the young’uns growing interest in food, plants, and nature. Continue Reading →

The Great “Are We Doomed?” Debate

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If I'm ever bothered that my opinions on climate change might offend people, I simply reflect on Guy McPherson's life. He's the renowned prophet-of-doom that many climate activists and scientists love to hate. This week, Guy joins Charles and me to discuss whether humanity is indeed plummeting toward extinction, or merely in for a very bad ride.

Guy: "I have complete confidence that there won't be a human being on the planet in 2030."

Me: "Despite the gravity of our climate dilemma, I have hope." Continue Reading →

Rob Sand bucks trend in Iowa election

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Congratulations to Iowa Auditor Rob Sand! After recounts in Warren and Des Moines counties today, Rob was declared the winner. (Congrats also to Rob for bagging a nine-point buck today.)

Rob’s victory is one of the few bright spots for Iowa Democrats this week. Incumbents Cindy Axne, Tom Miller, and Mike Fitzgerald all lost. Challengers to Governor Reynolds and Senator Grassley got their clocks cleaned. Democrats lost seats in both the Iowa House and Senate.

Iowa is now redder than Mississippi and Alabama. In fact, among states with four or more congressional districts, Iowa is tied for first in redness with Utah, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Let that sink in: IOWA IS REDDER THAN ALABAMA! Continue Reading →

House Dems retract call for diplomacy in Ukraine

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On another light note, five of us witched the heck out of Sherman Hill’s seasonable bash, Halloween on the Hill, this week. If you’re a Des Moiniac and there’s any room in your schedule for fun, be sure to add this October 31 event to your calendar next year.

On to serious stuff, specifically the letter sent to President Biden by thirty House Democrats calling for diplomacy in Ukraine.

The letter was really quite moderate, yet its the authors retracted it almost immediately. I strongly disagree with that decision. Charles, on the other hand, thinks it was the right call. What ensues us is a spirited debate that Charles loses (in my opinion). Give it a listen starting at the four-minute mark and let me know what you think. If a majority of you agree with Charles, I’ll buy him lunch.

For me, what Ryan Grim wrote in The Intercept sums it up: “That the letter was met with fierce opposition is a measure of the space available for debate among congressional Democrats when it comes to support for the war and how it might be stopped before it turns nuclear: roughly zero.”
Continue Reading →