Dear Friends,
On this week’s Fallon Forum, Charles Goldman and Ed Fallon discuss:
(01:35) Inevitably, there will be a one-state solution in Israel-Palestine, with Yaser Abudagga;
(16:21) Trump’s UN speech and autism press conference are an insult to diplomacy and science;
(35:56) Why I’ve stopped calling Trump a fascist;
(53:58) Drake Park Orchard a win for urban ag in Des Moines, with Kathy Byrnes.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM
This morning I set out on the Save America March. I realize it’s a lofty name (and an even loftier goal) for an event involving one guy. I anticipate some (perhaps many) of you will join me for a few miles here and there, or even a day — and when two or more walk together for a cause, you have a march.
Throughout the five-week journey, I’ll be trying my best to use various social media platforms to share the experience with you. Some of that will be experimental, as I’m not an avid social media user. The best places to keep up with me are the Fallon Forum website, Climate March website, and my personal Facebook page.
If you missed my announcement last week, here’s a summary of what I’m doing and why:
The Save America March is a march of around 300 miles initiated by Ed Fallon. It’s about bringing Iowans from all points on the political spectrum together to share conversation, food, and music. It’s as an opportunity to build common ground, which is desperately needed if we are to preserve America’s democracy and prevent the slide into autocracy.
Ed is an advocate for peaceful, nonviolent means. He will walk 10-15 miles a day and carry only the walking stick he received from Trappist monks in 2006, the satchel gifted to him by Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter Sumitra Kulkarni in 1995, and a few personal items. He’ll ask people along the route to put him up in their home each night.
“We’ll never address the existential threats of climate change and nuclear weapons, or any other pressing issue for that matter, without a functional democracy,” says Ed. “Violence isn’t the answer. The approach of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Dorothy Day is what will save us.”
People are invited to march with Ed for a mile or a day. He’ll ask overnight hosts to organize a meeting, a meal, and music, and to include family, friends, and neighbors with differing viewpoints. “It’s a big ask, but n my experience, when people who don’t see eye-to-eye politically get together over conversation, food, and music, they inevitably find common ground,” says Ed.
Ed’s history of marching as a vehicle for social change dates back to 1986, when he organized the Iowa stretch of the coast-to-coast Great Peace March. Since then, Fallon has organized five long marches and walks.
— He founded Great March for Climate Action (now Climate March) and in 2014 joined 50 people to march 3,100 miles from Los Angeles to Washington, DC. His memoir — Marcher, Walker, Pilgrim — chronicles that journey.
— In March-April 2015, Ed completed the Dakota Access Pipeline Walk — a solo hike of 400 miles from southeast Iowa to northwest Iowa along the route of the then-proposed Dakota Access pipeline.
— In November 2015, Ed and friend Steve Martin walked 200 miles from Normandy Beach to Paris, France, in support of the United Nations Climate Summit.
— In April 2017, thirty people participated in the Climate Justice Unity March, walking 85 miles from eastern Iowa to Des Moines to call for climate action, and to highlight the shared concerns of Native and non-Native Iowans.
— In September 2018, thirty participants in the First Nation – Farmer Climate Unity March walked nearly 100 miles from Des Moines to Fort Dodge to oppose expanding the Dakota Access pipeline.
In addition to directing two non-profits — Climate March and Bold Iowa — Ed hosts the Fallon Forum, which has aired continuously for sixteen years. His platform includes a weekly radio show on eight stations in seven states, a podcast, and a blog.
He also manages Birds & Bees Urban Farm with his wife, Kathy Byrnes. The non-profit’s mission is to help people turn their yard into dinner. He’s also an accomplished musician, performing traditional Irish music with the Des Moines Irish Session and having recently recorded the Chopin Nocturnes.
Save America March is sponsored by the Fallon Forum and Climate March. People interested in supporting the March can donate to either organization. People who would like to host Ed or march with him can reach him at (515) 238-6404 or ed@fallonforum.com.
Thank you for reading, listening, and taking action.
Ed Fallon
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