Dear Friends,

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM, OR BELOW FOR INDIVIDUAL SEGMENTS:

(03:06) Bombing Iran was unconstitutional, with Jeffrey Weiss – LISTEN
(24:08) “Losing our lives for a bag of flour” in Gaza – LISTEN
(49:22) Trump’s racism on full display during Juneteenth – LISTEN
(54:58) USDA revises poultry labels, with Kathy Byrnes – LISTEN

First off, regarding the title of this message, I don’t see the world in terms of enemies and allies. Thus the quotation marks. Sure, there are hard-core evil-doers who pock-mark the annuls of history with their wickedry. Adolf Hitler. Vlad the Impaler. Oliver Cromwell. The Zodiac Killer. Jack the Ripper. That’s the tip of the ne’er-do-well iceberg, the sordid sliver of humanoids the world would have been better without.

Screen shot from “Crossing the Divide”

But of the estimated 117 billion people that have, at some point, called Earth home, most have been decent, reasonable, and good. Granted, that’s an opinion, not a fact. But it’s an opinion I’ll back-up with 67 years of personal experience. 

[Take 15 minutes to watch “Crossing the Divide” and you’ll understand why I believe this. In the words of Ralph King, the documentary’s producer: “Disrespect is poisoning American society, jeopardizing informed debate and destabilizing democracy. This is a story about how two groups on either side of the political divide get caught up in a firestorm of disrespect, sparked by a Confederate flag and an attack video funded by a pipeline company. Then, almost miraculously, they find common ground. Their unlikely alliance shows how hard it is to change entrenched beliefs yet how important it is to try.”]

This week was, for me, a reminder that there aren’t too many people in today’s world who I’m willing to tag as “the enemy.” (I do put Donald Trump in that category, with apologies to my friends who voted for him. If history proves me wrong, I’ll apologize.)

I use the term “enemy” lightly because, as this week demonstrated, politics does indeed make strange bedfellows. Here are some of the Republican voices I’m finding common ground with this week, in response to President Trump’s decision to bomb Iran and the threat of nuclear war:

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: “Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war.“

I don’t know about “the verge of greatness” part, but I agree with Greene that the last thing we need is another foreign war.

TULSI GABBARD: “Political elites and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers. … We must reject this path to nuclear war and work toward a world where no one has to live in fear of nuclear holocaust.“

That’s an excerpt from a video Gabbard published after a recent visit to Hiroshima, Japan. Every word of the it is consistent with the message of the peace groups I worked with in the 1980s and 1990s.

TUCKER CARLSON. A June 19 story in The Independent discusses Carlson’s spat with Senator Ted Cruz. “Carlson appeared to be doing the job of dismantling the case for war far better than most Democrats or liberal commentators,” wrote The Independent. 

RAND PAUL: “We must not forget Congress holds the war-power. If we don’t our nation drifts further from both liberty and peace.”

There have been strong voices calling for peace on the Democratic side as well, of course. And then there’s one of the Democratic Party’s leading warmongers, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: “I’m urging [Senate Majority] Leader [John] Thune to put [a War Powers Resolution] on the Senate floor immediately. I am voting for it and implore all Senators on both sides of the aisle to vote for it.“

[ASIDE TO NY VOTERS: Thanks for retiring Andrew Cuomo and sending a powerful message to the Democratic elite. Can you now also please retire Schumer?]

To be clear, I usually disagree with what Greene, Gabbard, Carlson, and Paul say. But it’s important not to write someone off because of perceived or real differences, or because of other statements they’ve made. If you find common ground with someone you normally disagree with, grab it. Be grateful for it. Build on it. 

That’s something I learned during my fourteen years as a minority party member in the Iowa House. I’ll give you three examples:

SKATEBOARD PARKS. Rep. Dan Boddicker and I were poles apart on most human-service issues. But he agreed with my proposal to facilitate the construction of skateboard parks, and helped shepherd it through the House. The bill, SF 2277, passed the Senate and was signed by Governor Branstad, despite opposition from the powerful Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers.

ABORTION. In 1998, I authored House Resolution 104 with five Republicans and two Democrats to establish a special advisory committee “to develop recommendations to reduce the frequency of abortions and unplanned pregnancies.” Solid recommendations came out of that committee, and it’s unfortunate that neither party’s leadership felt inclined to take action on them. 

URBAN SPRAWL AND FARMLAND PROTECTION. With bipartisan support, I introduced HCR 21 “establishing a special commission to study and make recommendations concerning urban planning, growth management of cities, and protection of farmland.” Some of the recommendations found their way into future legislation, including “smart growth principles” that were incorporated into the Vision Iowa Program.

So what’s my ask this week? If someone you normally disagree with says or does something you agree with, go the extra mile to thank them. Can’t hurt. Might help. And underneath whatever labels, affiliations, and worldviews we wrap ourselves in, most of us really, truly want the same basic things.

Ok, not Vlad the Impaler. Or those other guys. They have hearts of stone. Their blood flows the color of coal ash. History has not treated them kindly. Nor should it. 

Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action.

Ed Fallon

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