Dear Friends,

I haven’t had a lot of walking companions on this March. That’s ok, but I do really enjoy the company when it happens. Today, Al Goldberg and his cuter-than-cute chihuahua, Cesar, join me for a stretch.

I ask Al why he drove all the way from Des Moines to rural Adair County to march with me. He says he feels what I’m doing is important, and he wanted to share a small slice of the March with me.

“I don’t like what’s going on in America right now,” he says. “The Supreme Court granting Trump immunity. Trump blowing up boats off the coast of Venezuela. Trump trying to control the press. It’s not one thing. It’s a lot, and it seems like there’s no bottom.”

I ask Al if he sees a light at the end of the tunnel. “I think so,” he replies. “The Republicans are going to have to step up to the plate and make a move. Maybe these demonstrations and the upcoming municipal election will have an impact — although it’s scary that a lot of county auditors are Trump supporters. He tried to steal an election once before. What’s to stop him from trying again?”

This evening, I stay in Greenfield with long-time friend Jay Howe. Jay organizes a gathering at the Hotel Greenfield — a beautiful old building on the town square that local residents worked hard to restore. Eight of us share pizza, drinks, and conversation.

There’s a guy sitting off by himself. After a bit, I wander over and ask him where he’s from. His name’s Jim Thacker, and he’s traveled to Greenfield from Missouri for work. He was a sniper in the US Army, and I’m interested to know how he feels about Trump sending the military into US cities.

Jim doesn’t like it, and says, “You do swear an oath to defend the country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. But I would hesitate calling American citizens domestic enemies. So I’m not a big fan of it.”

Jim adds, “I feel like Trump is trying to surround himself with people who are like-minded and agree with anything he says, including going against the Constitution. The United States is a broken country, and it’s been that way for a long time.”

“How do we get out of the mess we’re in?,” I ask. “We start by honoring the Constitution,” says Jim.

Honoring the Constitution. Yes, that’d be an excellent starting point. If only all our elected officials would agree.

Listen to my conversation with Jim at the 23:00 mark of this segment of this week’s Fallon Forum.

— Ed Fallon