Dear Friends,
HERE’S THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM. Brace yourself for a string of snippets:
FIRST. Come to our meet-and-greet with Shannon Henson — the woman we hope will be the next state representative from House District 36. It’s this Friday, May 27, from 5:00-6:30 pm at 735 19th Street in Des Moines. Kathy and I will provide beverages and serve hors d’oeuvres featuring produce from Birds & Bees Urban Farm (guaranteed yum!). Most important, you’ll get to talk with a promising candidate for public office. 
Kathy and I support Shannon for a bunch of reasons, including her strong stand on the climate crisis. Shannon says, “Iowa can play a pivotal role in combating climate change. It means continuing to support regenerative agriculture, seeking real solutions to energy sources, and leading the way in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.”
SECOND. I’m sorry to report that legislation to stop big corporations from using eminent domain to build CO2 pipelines failed to pass the Iowa legislature. A Republican state senator assured me they’d try again next year.
We’ll see. Don’t hold your breath (never medically advised). Instead, do this: Grill every lawmaker and legislative candidate on whether they support protecting private property against corporate land grabs. Do it every chance you get. Grill baby grill!
THIRD. Speaking of land grabs, at the 2-minute mark, we focus on the massive expansion proposed by Ames, Iowa. Christine Hausner’s family has lived in the targeted area for five generations. They don’t want it. In fact, to Christine’s knowledge, not a single one of her neighbors wants it.
Urban sprawl isn’t unique to Ames. It’s a problem across the US. There’s a better way for cities to grow. We need to push our elected officials to stop taking people’s land, damaging the environment, and gobbling up farmland.
FOURTH. The “Birds Aren’t Real” campaign isn’t real. Darn. I was hoping all birds truly were government surveillance drones. Kathy and I could have saved money on wild bird feed and tossed our crumbling birdbath. At the 19-minute mark, I tie Birds Aren’t Real to actual conspiracy theories about the current bird flu outbreak. (You saw that linkage coming, right?)
SECOND TO LAST. Sometimes — more and more often, sadly — the climate crisis makes me want to scream. I kinda do that this week at the 34-minute mark. I won’t apologize. Screaming. Crying. Cajoling. It’s all justified given the existential threat to our planet, our home, our very survival.
LAST. On a cheerier note, at the 54-minute mark, Kathy joins me to talk about Victory Gardens and why Memorial Day gives us an opportunity to consider the historic and present urgency of growing our own food.
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action!
Ed
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LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S FALLON FORUM:
(02:00) Urban sprawl kills land and liberty, with Christine Hausner;
(19:00) Cuckoo ideas about bird flu;
(34:00) An unfiltered look at extinction;
(54:00) The new Victory Gardens, with Kathy Byrnes.
– KHOI 89.1 FM (Ames, Iowa)
– KICI.LP 105.3 FM (Iowa City, Iowa)
– WHIV 102.3 FM (New Orleans, Louisiana)
– KPIP-LP, 94.7 FM (Fayette, Missouri)
– KCEI 90.1 FM (Taos, New Mexico)
– KRFP 90.3 FM (Moscow, Idaho)
– WGRN 94.1 FM (Columbus, Ohio)
Please support the local businesses and non-profits who make this program possible. Click on their logos on the Fallon Forum website and in our weekly email, and visit Dr. Drake Family Psychiatry, Story County Veterinary Clinic, Bold Iowa, and Birds & Bees Urban Farm. Thanks for supporting the civil alternative to the shock jocks!
Ed Fallon