Keystone Killer Keynotes Climate Caucus

Posted on by

Dear Friends,

Jane Kleeb on the cover of July/August 2015 Omaha Magazine

Jane Kleeb on the cover of July/August 2015 Omaha Magazine

* Check out today’s press release – Keystone Fighter to Keynote Climate Emergency Caucus – and share it as far and wide as your cyber-arm can toss. We are very excited to confirm that Jane Kleeb, dubbed by Rolling Stone as the Keystone Killer, will headline the event.

* Let’s take another stab at convincing our lawmakers to enact stronger laws limiting the abuse of eminent domain. Come to the Take Back Iowa Rally and Lobby Day at the State Capitol on Thursday, January 21 from 1:00-4:00.

* Climate scientists are afraid to tell you about the frightening and demonstrable link between accordions, chickens and global warming. My co-worker, Shari Hrdina, and I rose to the challenge to prove this link in a 1:27 video that took us all of 45 minutes to throw together. Take that, scientists!

* On an entirely serious note, EARTH NEEDS YOU AT THE CLIMATE MOBILIZATION’S CLIMATE EMERGENCY CAUCUS on Friday, January 29, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Central Campus in Des Moines. And I’m excited as a snake chasing a three-legged mouse that we’ve confirmed a nationally-known speaker. Register for the event on the Climate Emergency Caucus Facebook page.

* The most recent Democratic debate was a win for . . . Martin O’Malley. Yup. Despite NBC short-changing him on time (Sanders got 28:07, Clinton 27:35 and O’Malley 13:58), O’Malley comported himself with dignity and offered compelling responses. Sure, he will hardly register a blip when Caucus results are reported on February 1st. But O’Malley has positioned himself to be a top-tier candidate for President in 2020 or 2024.

* Speaking of media bias . . . throughout the presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders has received a pittance of coverage compared with the corporate media’s non-stop salivation over the bloviated babble of Donald Trump — by a factor of 23 to 1! Check out John Nichols story in The Nation.

* On M.L. King Day, I learned of the deadly water contamination afflicting residents of Flint, Michigan — 40% of whom live in poverty, 65% of whom are minorities. Economic hard times created a budget crisis for the City, so the State of Michigan took over and required cost-cutting measures, including switching the City’s water source to the Flint River. People, pets and even plants are now sick or dying. There’s more to this story, and as we remember Dr. King and the ongoing struggle for equality and justice, we have to ask ourselves if what happened in Flint would have been allowed to happen in an affluent, white community.

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

Check-out podcasts from this week’s Fallon Forum here. 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).

Thanks! – Ed Fallon