Author Archives: Ed Fallon

An Iowa Democrat worth listening to

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It’s no secret that I think the Iowa Democratic Party is an unmitigated disaster. That’s not a hard argument to make, given the scarcity of Democrats holding elected office at the Statehouse — super-minorities in both chambers and only one statewide elected official. When it comes to the US Congress, Iowa Democrats have exactly zero elected officials representing our state.

Iowa used to have a strong Democratic Party. And don’t get me wrong: Iowa needs a strong Democratic Party.

That can happen again if people start listening to this guy: State Rep. Josh Turek. Continue Reading →

Anticipatory DISobedience

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We’re hearing a lot about “anticipatory obedience.” Terrified of what President Trump might do, some media, universities, corporations, and even individuals are choosing to censure themselves. One of the earliest examples happened last fall, when the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times (both owned by billionaires) chose NOT to endorse a candidate for President.

Historian Timothy Snyder has been warning people and institutions against caving in to authoritarian power in advance. Snyder was quoted in The Guardian, saying, “the major lesson of the Nazi takeover, and what was supposed to be one of the major lessons of the twentieth century: don’t hand over the power you have before you have to. Don’t protect yourself too early.”
Continue Reading →

Trump the Imperialist?

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Love him or hate him, most Americans probably agree that Donald Trump is an authoritarian. But is he “Hitler”? My guest today, Jeffrey Weiss, doesn’t think so.

On this week’s program, Jeffrey and I discuss Trump’s threats to buy (or forcibly take) Greenland, reclaim the Panama Canal, and somehow convince Canada to become ‘Merica’s 51st state. (Sorry Puerto Rico, get back in line.) That leads us to the “Hitler” question.

Before I share some of that discussion with you, I have to throw in a bit of humor. Yeah, there’s nothing funny about the risks of fascism, but for some of us, humor is a tool that helps manage life’s most disturbing challenges.

Humor in the face of tyranny was certainly on display on January 19, 1940. After Hitler laid claim to Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, The Three Stooges produced a short parody, You Nazty Spy. Lead stooge, Moe Howard (in photo), made an impressive Hitler, even speaking Yiddish. Continue Reading →

How some animals are adapting to climate change

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With so many reasons to feel despondent about the state of the world, I was greatly encouraged last week by this article in The Guardian: Shrinking trees and tuskless elephants: the strange ways species are adapting to humans.

I had no idea that so many species are evolving — and evolving quickly! — in response to humanity’s massive footprint. Fox squirrels, for example, have done particularly well in our Des Moines neighborhood of Sherman Hill. On our block, they now own most of the houses, while the rich, loose soil of Birds & Bees Urban Farm is their preferred pantry for nut storage.

To be clear, we have to stop messing up the planet. Plants and animals evolving is not the long-term solution. The sixth major extinction continues, alas. But the adaptations presented in The Guardian story are intriguing, encouraging, and worth noting. Charles and I talk about some of them during the first segment of this week’s program, as a lead-in to our discussion about viruses and whether bird flu might jump to humans. Continue Reading →

What’s causing Iowa’s high cancer rates?

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State Rep. Austin Baeth (D-Des Moines) is an internal medicine physician. He’s helping lead the charge at the Statehouse to address Iowa’s disturbing cancer numbers. Across the state, Iowa continues to see an increase in cancer, especially breast cancer, even as other states are seeing declining rates.

Smoking is part of the problem, along with obesity, binge drinking, and radon. There’s also concern that modern agricultural practices, including the use of chemicals like atrazine and glyphosate, contribute to Iowa’s disturbing numbers.

One of the initiatives Baeth plans to push this year with like-minded Republican colleagues is a detailed study of what’s behind this increase. That in itself would be a significant accomplishment. But it’s just a start.

“We need folks from across Iowa, we need a grassroots movement to get legislation across the finish line. It’s still in its infancy, trying to get this grassroots network going,” said Baeth on my program. If you want to help build that network, contact Rep. Baeth at austin.baeth@legis.iowa.gov. Continue Reading →

A tied election where both candidates won

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Here’s a feel-good story from a mostly feel-bad election. In Galt, California, Matthew Pratton and Bonnie Rodriguez each got 3,882 votes for one seat on the city council. After jokesters (including Pratton) suggested the election be decided by a milking contest, a chicken chase, or wrestling in Jell-O, the parties settled on drawing straws.

Pratton won the draw. But here’s what I love, love, love about this story. Another member of the council, Rich Lozano, had to resign because he was elected to a different office. So Pratton and the other council members appointed Rodriguez to fill the vacant seat.

Aw. So much winning! For real. Continue Reading →

Merry Christmas

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Here’s a 1:34 piano rendition of my favorite Christmas song, O Holy Night. Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone. Click on the image to listen:

Charles Goldman and I have some good conversations on this week’s program, and Kathy takes a quick trip around the world to see what others favor for Christmas and holiday meals. If you listen, I’ve got five questions for you:

1.  Will Pete Hegseth be confirmed as Secretary of Defense, notwithstanding his unabashed Christian nationalism?

2. Should psilocybin be legalized?

3. If Chinese company ByteDance refuses to sell TikTok, should TikTok be banned?

4. If confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, will RFK, Jr be able to take a bite out of the ultra-processed foods industry?

5. Have you ever eaten a goose for Christmas?

Continue Reading →

Sorry about those drones. Our bad.

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As I write this column, the mystery of the New Jersey drones remains unsolved. To end the suspense, I’ve decided to come clean. The drones are probes sent out by a mothership sent to bring Charles and me back to our home planet. (See undoctored photo for proof of our true identity. Photo credit, Kathy Byrnes. Not an alien.)

Because Charles and I live in Iowa, a.k.a. fly-over country (definitely the best place to be whether you’re evading aliens, rising seas, wildfires, costly housing, or insufferable coastal elites), our alien-homies never thought to look beyond “greater New York” to track us down. Silly aliens.

So, in the interest of ending this plague of drones ruining Christmas for New Jerseyans, Charles and I are turning ourselves in. Come get us, you bug-eyed bastards.

Charles and l will soon board the mothership for the long flight back to our home planet, where we expect to be tried for defamation for much of what we’ve said on this program over the past 15 years. Hey, it’ll probably turn out better for us than being sued for defamation by Donald Trump. Continue Reading →

Frédéric Chopin plants a garden

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Sporadically over the past few years, I’ve managed to memorize and record all 21 Chopin Nocturnes. Because I can’t help myself, I took some liberty with the recordings, working in improvisations, B-roll, and an occasional song or classical guitar piece.

Serious classical music aficionados might be appalled. I’m ok with that. The recordings aren’t for the concert-hall crowd. They’re for family, friends, and fellow travelers in the struggle for peace, justice, and a sustainable future.

“What do Chopin Nocturnes have to do with peace, justice, and a sustainable future?” you ask.

I’ll let Emma Goldman respond: “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.”

With that in mind, Kathy and I are hosting a series of house parties to raise funds for Birds & Bees Urban Farm and the Fallon Forum. I’ll perform material from my soon-to-be-released “Chopin Plus” album. Kathy and I will talk about our work to (1) relocalize food production, (2) reclaim the public airwaves for civil dialogue, and (3) address the existential crises humanity faces. There’ll be plenty of time for discussion, of course.
Continue Reading →

NATO shares blame for Russia’s war in Ukraine

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I remember November 9, 1989, quite clearly. That was the day crowds of Germans, emboldened by the sweet scent of freedom, began to dismantle the Berlin Wall. It was an exhilarating moment filled with hope and promise. An end to the Cold War and the nuclear arms race seemed within reach.

At that time, I worked as the director of Des Moines Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. I happily considered the possibility of near-term unemployment.

What happened next was tragic. The promise of world peace was squandered, largely through the actions of US leaders, both Democrat and Republican. Since the late-1990s, tensions between Russia and “the West” have worsened. They’ve now come to a head in Ukraine, and the risk of nuclear war has never been greater. Continue Reading →