Canceling Gandhi

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This week marks the 75th anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, who in recent years has joined the legions of leaders lesser minds love to cancel. 

Yes, move over George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln. Make room for the Indian who toppled the British Empire. Make sure you ignore the big picture and only focus on what you consider his shortcomings.

To be clear, there are politicians and celebrities who do dumb, hurtful, or even illegal things. They absolutely need to be called-out and held accountable.

But cancelling the dead because they don’t stand up to modern standards? Continue Reading →

One day, a robot will be president

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About this notion that Americans might one day elect a robot as president … When I was a child, grownups would tell us that anyone could become president. I never bought it until 2016, when a narcissistic billionaire named Donald Trump came along and convinced me that all things are possible.

Given the rapid ascendency of Artificial Intelligence (AI), I got to wondering if Americans might one day decide the best “person” to lead the country might be a robot. Seems far-fetched, I know, but with the right robotic candidate, the hashtag “VoteBot2028” could be a winner. 

But seriously, there’s so much we need to learn about the rising phenomenon of AI. The discussion (argument, really) Charles and I have during the first segment of this week’s program won’t be the last time we tackle AI on the Forum. If you’ve got guests or angles (pro or con) to suggest, please send them my way.
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Des Moines: Free-Range Egg Capital of America?

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To be clear, the rules in Des Moines on urban farming are way better than most cities. We are grateful for that leadership. Also, we’re grateful that the Council embraced a proposal Kathy and I made in 2020 to establish the Food Security Task Force. Out of that came a promising set of recommendations on how to move the City forward toward greater food self-reliance.

But the momentum has ground to a halt. Perhaps public concern over the increasing price of eggs will change that.

Much needs to be done — and now! More community gardens. Edible plantings in public spaces. Dedicated land for urban farmers. Incentives for urban agriculturists.

For today, let’s focus on chickens, with a goal of making Des Moines the Free-Range Egg Capital of America. This requires thinking out of the box, so bear with me while I crunch some numbers. Then tell me what you think. Continue Reading →

A Christmas story: Why you should clean up after your dog

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On Christmas Eve Day, Kathy and I took a beautiful woodland walk. Well, beautiful until I stepped in dog crap, partially concealed under some fallen leaves.

Arriving back at our car in a huff, I spent 15 frustrated minutes trying to dig the product out of my shoes, with minimal success. When I got into the car, Kathy cringed at the smell that accompanied me, and we drove off with windows wide open.

To make a long story short (hear the full version at the 2:26-minute mark), a mile down the road, I realized I’d lost my wallet and phone, presumably on the wall where I’d attempted to clean my shoes. Continue Reading →

A global warming win-win-win

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I know some pretty amazing people. Many have been doing cutting edge work all their adult lives. (Sometimes, that work is better described as bleeding edge.) One of them is Nick Johnson. Nick’s a retired law professor. He also served on the Iowa City school board and on the Federal Communications Commission. That’s the short list.

One of the issues Nick’s not afraid to tackle is global population. I’m going to pass the baton and share what Nick wrote earlier this year on the subject. You can hear our conversation about it during the opening segment of this week’s program. Feedback welcome, as always, and I’m happy to pass it along to Nick. Continue Reading →

Kansas pipeline rupture raises concerns about DAPL, CO2 pipelines

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Last week, we witnessed another pipeline rupture. An estimated 770,000 gallons of tar-sands oil spilled out of the Keystone Pipeline into a Kansas creek. [Note: This is a different pipeline than the Keystone XL pipeline that President Biden shut down last year.] It’s the largest rupture in that company’s history, and the largest onshore crude oil pipeline spill since 2013.

The Kansas spill did not go unnoticed by Iowans fighting three CO2 pipelines targeting nearly 2,000 miles (yes, miles!) of Iowa farms, forests, and wetlands. Continue Reading →

Why Biden and the DNC killed the Caucuses

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Democrats across the US are celebrating the demise of the Iowa Caucuses. That’s unfortunate, because the passing of the Iowa Caucuses is a huge loss to democracy. And President Biden and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) are to blame.

Iowa has never gone well for Biden. In 1988, Biden polled poorly even before dropping out after he got caught plagiarizing Neil Kinnock. In 2008, Biden finished fifth in Iowa. In 2020, fourth. Ouch.

It’s no surprise that Biden would love to never have to campaign in Iowa again. He made that clear at a 2019 forum when he said to me and others in attendance, “All you guys in Iowa are pains in the neck, you know that?”

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COP27: Success, failure, or mixed bag?

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Was COP27 a success, a failure, or a mixed bag? Sad to say, it was mostly a flop.

At the conclusion of COP27, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Our planet is still in the emergency room. We need to drastically reduce emissions now — and this is an issue this COP did not address. The world still needs a giant leap on climate ambition.”

The bottom line is the summit didn’t deliver on what the scientific consensus says is most desperately needed and long overdue: a global commitment to drastically slash greenhouse-gas emissions. Continue Reading →

Grandkids, monarchs, and gratitude

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My guests and I discuss COP27 and foreign policy; Ebenezer Scrooge’s relevance in 2022 America (and Richard Maynard’s final performance in A Christmas Carol; Jean Hackel’s novel, Theresa et al., about a woman prevented from having an abortion; and the sheer unappetizingness of lab-raised meat.

Apologies for running late this week. I blame the turkey. And family. Well, mostly family.

But seriously, Kathy and I are so grateful for our families, friends, and neighbors, and to our fellow travelers on this rocky road to justice. Not a day goes by when we aren’t reminded how important all of you are to us. Toady, we say THANK YOU — in italicized bold caps, to drive the point home.

Regarding family, Kathy and just returned from a lovely visit with my son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids in Florida. I was delighted to see the young’uns growing interest in food, plants, and nature. Continue Reading →