Caucus for the Climate!

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Dear Friends,

On Saturday, for what it’s worth, I’ll announce my presidential candidate endorsement. Hey, I’ve got a better batting average than The Des Moines Register! But first . . .

SIXTEEN HUNDRED! That’s the number of credentialed media outlets converging on Iowa this week!(Who knows how many non-credentialed types are here or on their way.) The media love a good horse race, and the close competition in both the Democratic and Republican campaigns makes being in Iowa this week like reporting on the Kentucky Derby and Breeders Cup without ever having to move your camera crew.

Yup. February 1st is a big day. Not just for Iowa. For our country. For our Planet. I hope every Iowan participates in this important piece of local and world history.

And because of the urgency of fighting climate change and stopping oil pipelines, I hope you’ll give the national and international media something to talk about by attending the Climate Emergency Caucus on January 29th.

I know I ask much from my friends, co-workers and all who share a vision for a more just and livable future. But I always demand as much or more from myself.

Organizing the Climate Emergency Caucus has been an enormous undertaking. My coworker, Shari, and I are burning the candle at both ends to pull it together. It would be a great honor to us – and a significant moment for efforts to advance climate action – if you’ll join us on Friday, January 29th, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Des Moines Public Schools Central Campus Auditorium, 1800 Grand Ave, Des Moines.

If you use Facebook, please register your attendance on the Climate Emergency Caucus Facebook Event Page. And please share that page with your friends, family and neighbors.

On the 29th, we’ll hear from Ezra Silk and Margaret Klein Salamon with The Climate Mobilization. We’ll also hear from Jane Kleeb, whose instrumental role in stopping the Keystone Pipeline led Rolling Stone to dub her “Keystone Killer.” We’ll entertain statements from presidential candidates on climate and pipelines. We’ll discuss resolutions you can bring to your caucus. And the main event: We’ll break into preference groups to determine which candidate(s) we feel can best lead America forward to fight climate change.

So, one more time: PLEASE COME! This is little Iowa’s chance to launch a shot-heard-round-the-world moment on the very survival of humanity.

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On today’s Fallon Forum, Jeffrey Weiss joins us for an analysis of what the presidential candidates are saying on foreign policy. Has rhetoric from some Republican candidates essentially bound them to commit war crimes, if elected? And on the Democratic side, beyond what she says on the campaign trail, what does Hillary Clinton’s track record as a US Senator and US Secretary of State suggest about her approach to foreign policy, should she be elected President?

We also talk with Mark Weisbrot, author of Failed: What the “Experts” Got Wrong about the Global Economy, which deals with the European struggle against austerity, failings of the International Monetary Fund, and the dangers of the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership.

Listen to the Fallon Forum live Mondays, 11:00-12:00 noon CST on La Reina KDLF 1260 AM (Des Moines) and online. Call (515) 528-8122 to add your voice to the conversation. The program re-broadcasts Wednesday on KHOI 89.1 FM (Ames) at 4:00 p.m. and Monday at 6:00 a.m. on WHIV 102.3 FM (New Orleans). Check-out podcasts from this week’s Fallon Forum here.

Thanks! – Ed Fallon

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A shout-out and gracious “THANK YOU!” to the local businesses and non-profits helping to make the Climate Emergency Caucus possible: