With the twin threats of climate change and nuclear war posing an unparalleled threat to life on Earth, I profess to having minimal interest in continued discussions about COVID-19. That said, I was fascinated to hear Dr. Charles Goldman’s take on the “lab-leak theory” of the virus’ origin. I hope you’ll check out our discussion, starting at the 38:46-minute mark. Continue Reading →
Meanwhile back on Earth, life goes on for those of us working to clean up the mess created by crony capitalism (to borrow a phrase from Mitt Romney) and rampant industrialization. One important thing you can do to make a difference is talk with your local elected officials about the climate emergency.
While it’s never a bad time to talk with politicians, you’re most likely to have their full attention leading up to an election. Continue Reading →
Dear Friends, Check out this week’s PODCAST. We discuss drought, wildfires, the G7 summit, our “way of life,” how systemic racism became “divisive,” and planning now for a fall garden. But Continue Reading →
Dear Friends, Check out this week’s PODCAST. We discuss ranked choice voting, Maureen McCue’s new book (Birds in the Morning, Frogs at Night), Bison Bridge, Line 3, and high food prices. Continue Reading →
“Rather than acknowledge the seriousness of our situation, we instead continue to participate in the fantasy of net zero. What will we do when reality bites? What will we say to our friends and loved ones about our failure to speak out now?
“The time has come to voice our fears and be honest with wider society. Current net zero policies will not keep warming to within 1.5°C because they were never intended to. They were and still are driven by a need to protect business as usual, not the climate. If we want to keep people safe then large and sustained cuts to carbon emissions need to happen now. That is the very simple acid test that must be applied to all climate policies. The time for wishful thinking is over.” Continue Reading →
It’s encouraging that so many key Republicans have spoken out strongly against this sham. Yet, here’s the problem, and why this is not petty or small-scale theft: If other states controlled by Republican legislators pick up on the idea, as seems entirely possible, this insanity could snowball to the point of truly threatening a key pillar of American democracy.
And if Trump’s minions succeed in stealing the public’s confidence in our electoral system, there’s not much left to democracy. See the disenfranchised people of Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea for details. Continue Reading →
Seriously, it’s just shy of amazing that we’ve aired this program continuously for twelve years. The Fallon Forum began on one Iowa radio station and now airs on stations in Iowa, Missouri, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Idaho. We’re also a podcast, of course, because everyone and their crazy uncle’s got a podcast these days, right?
What’s so amazing about the Forum? If you’ve dared to listen to a talk show on any large commercial station you’ve noticed that close to 100% of the conversation is way far right. Progressive voices are almost nonexistent. Continue Reading →
Many people claim that the Palestinian/Israeli conflict is complicated. I don’t buy that. It boils down to the blatant denial of human rights to the Palestinian people. If the US would stop funding the Israeli war machine and join other nations in denouncing Israel’s injustices toward Palestinians, I believe we would have peace in relatively short order.
To those detractors who claim the Arab world wants to drive Israel into the sea, that sounds much like the false argument some people used years ago to defend a divided Ireland. “Home rule is Rome rule,” they said, stoking fears that an independent and united Ireland would be governed by the Pope.
Similarly, Israel needs to be one country where Jews, Muslims, Christians, and others not only respect but learn to appreciate each other’s differences. Just as Ireland is not officially a Catholic country, although 75% of the population is Catholic, Israel shouldn’t declare Judaism its official religion either. Continue Reading →
Sometimes you get to see the big picture by studying little things. Not that the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is small potatoes, but Biden clearly, repeatedly, and emphatically stated his opposition to DAPL during the campaign in 2019.
Yet Biden refuses to stop the proposed expansion of DAPL. Work on DAPL’s pumping station near Cambridge, Iowa, is happening NOW. Once that work is finished, DAPL can double the flow of oil — doubling the damage to our climate and increasing the risk to our land and water.
So, yeah, I’m nervous — and skeptical, because if President Biden was telling the truth in 2019, he should have stepped in by now to stop this expansion. It can still be stopped, but time is running out, and Biden shows no sign of weighing in. Continue Reading →
I have a confession to make: I ate the Iowa State Fair Butter Cow. Then a second butter cow came along, and Kathy ate that one. Ok, I’m being a little silly. While neither Kathy nor I would ever devour or desecrate our State Fair’s most iconic feature, we calculate that, during our combined 122 years on this fine planet, we’ve each consumed the equivalent of a butter cow. That’s 600 pounds of butter. Each. Continue Reading →