Dear Friends,

I first met Nancy Suby-Bohn in 1992 as a candidate for the state legislature. Though a registered Republican, Nancy voted for me because, as she said, I took the time to listen.

Nancy Suby-Bohn and her husband, Mike Bohn.

Listening. I can’t overstate its importance as we work to find common ground in this hyper-partisan climate. I hope you’ll listen to my conversation with Nancy. HERE’S THE PODCAST.

Sure, beyond our presidential candidate preference, Nancy and I don’t see eye-to-eye on a bunch of things, especially climate change. But when I ask if she agrees or disagrees with 11 of my priorities, we’re on the same page with 10 of them!

Says Nancy to Ed, “You sound like a Republican!”

Says Ed to Nancy, “You sound like a Democrat!”

If nothing else, that brief exchange underscores the urgency of dialogue, of finding common ground, of embracing solutions palatable across the political spectrum. We must not let the corporate and partisan defenders of the status quo divide and conquer us. When they win, the rest of us lose.

Also on this week’s program, I talk with Janet Clark, author of Blind Faith. Her novel is a powerful, fictitious account of a Catholic priest who sexually abused young boys. As with many American males (and some females, too) raised Catholic, the story hits home for me. The town I grew up in, Saugus, Massachusetts, had two Catholic churches. One was pastored by the infamous Fr. John Geoghan, who molested 150 children over the course of 30 years. I attended Saugus’ other Catholic church, the one without a predatory priest. Some of the kids I grew up with weren’t so fortunate.

Also on this week’s program, David Osterberg joins me to debunk the myth that wind turbines caused Texas’ power grid to collapse. Mark Clipsham argues that excessive light pollution isn’t about safety, but about utility company profits. In our local foods segment, as we enter the tail end of a challenging winter, Kathy Byrnes asks the question, “How’s your larder looking?”

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PODCAST FOR MARCH 1, 2021 FALLON FORUM:

(01:52) Nancy Suby-Bohn: Des Moines resident, Trump voter;
(18:13) When Catholic priests abuse children, with Janet Clark, author Blind Faith;
(30:37) Wind turbines cause cancer, tank energy grids, and other fossil-fuel-generated myths, with David Osterberg, senior researcher at Common Good Iowa;
(43:32) Light pollution is less about safety and more about utility company profits, with Mark Clipsham, Architecture by Synthesis;
(56:13) How’s your larder looking?, with Kathy Byrnes, Birds & Bees Urban Farm.

Watch our conversation with Kathy Byrnes on The Fallon Forum Youtube Page.

Please support the local businesses and non-profits who make this program possible. Click on their logos elsewhere and visit Story County Veterinary Clinic, Bold Iowa, and Birds & Bees Urban Farm.

Subscribe to the Fallon Forum on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts. Check out our website and Facebook Page, and listen to the program on these and other local affiliates:

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– KPIP-LP, 94.7 FM (Fayette, Missouri)
– KCEI 90.1 FM (Taos, New Mexico)
– KRFP 90.3 FM (Moscow, Idaho)

Thanks for supporting the progressive alternative to the right-wing shock jocks!

Ed Fallon