Dear Friends, LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM (and click here to share my blog) (01:44) An interview with Marianne Williamson (26:22) A new call to abolish nuclear weapons, with Kathleen McQuillen Continue Reading →
This week — our Memorial Day edition — we discuss Steve’s soon-to-be-released book, One More War to Fight: Union Veterans’ Battle for Equality through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the Lost Cause.
In an era where misinformation and outright lies too often pass as facts, Steve’s book “looks at the contentious post-Civil War era from the perspective of that special breed, Union soldiers, who lived by the bayonet and survived to carry on the fight for equality in the decades to come.”
Edna Greene Medford (professor of History Emerita at Howard University) writes, “Goldman offers a compelling argument in this comprehensively researched volume that addresses ways in which certain groups of northern white Union veterans supported a ‘just’ Reconstruction that aimed to protect and extend the rights of African Americans. Of particular interest is Goldman’s discussion of the role of the members of the Veterans Reserve Corps (wounded warriors), whose political activism, especially in veterans’ organizations; Freedmen’s Bureau work; and opposition to Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction plans, countered the prevailing prejudices and racism of post-Civil War America. This is a study that will enlighten both the serious student of history as well as the general reader.” Continue Reading →
Unbeknownst to anyone I know, the US Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday night burned driftwood at Saylorville Lake, just north of Des Moines. The smoke was so thick it infiltrated my dreams. Presumably, it also infiltrated the lungs of Des Moinesians with medical conditions, placing them at risk.
I’ve never seen Des Moines’ AQI hit anywhere near 200, let alone exceed it. Officials categorize 200+ as “very unhealthy” and issue an alert that reads, “The risk of health effects is increased for everyone (emphasis mine).” (Check out the graph.)
For the past week, smoke from fires in western Canada have eroded air quality across the upper Midwest. But it’s likely that something else triggered Wednesday’s alert. While the case isn’t closed, the best conclusion is that the spike was caused by the Corps’ burn piles coupled with an unusual hot-cold air inversion that kept the smoke in the Des Moines River valley. Continue Reading →
Democrats should be in panic mode about Biden’s poll numbers. The way things are going, Joe Biden is going to lose to Donald Trump in November, 2024. You probably don’t want to hear that, and I hate to say it, but I believe it’s true and a reality that needs to be confronted.
A May 7 Washington Post-ABC News poll confirms my fear. That poll found that 44% said they’d either definitely or probably vote for Trump in 2024, while 38% picked Biden. The poll also had DeSantis beating Biden, 48-41%.
Democrats ignore these numbers at their peril. But wait, it gets worse. A question on page 18 of a February, 2023, Harris Poll reads: “Is Joe Biden mentally fit to serve as President of the United States or do you have doubts about his fitness for office?”
A whopping 57% of respondents had doubts about Biden’s mental fitness, and 63% said he’s too old to be president. Sure, the same questions could be — and should be — asked about Donald Trump. Regardless, the reality is voters have reservations about Biden’s mental well being, and those reservations aren’t going away. Continue Reading →
Gun violence in the U.S. has gotten so bad it’s hard to keep up with all the senseless killings. Already this year, we’ve had over 200 mass shootings (defined as more than four people injured or killed). Some say the answer is gun control. Others insist we need better mental health services.
My contention? We need both, and so much more. A 2022 report on mass shootings by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is a helpful guidepost. It analyzes 53 years of gun violence, from 1966 through 2019.
Quoting the report: “In public discourse, mass shootings are often blamed on mental illness. But the research indicates the role of mental illness in mass shootings is complicated, not clear-cut. … [P]sychosis play[ed] a minor role in nearly one-third of the cases, but a primary role 10% of the time.”
So, to those who are against gun control and instead try to blame gun violence strictly on mental health problems — nope, you’re wrong.
The report also points out that most individuals who engaged in mass shootings used handguns (77.2%). Twenty-five percent used assault rifles.
Think about that. If you want more gun control and your focus is banning assault weapons, you’re missing the biggest part of the problem. Don’t get me wrong. I support an assault weapons ban, or at minimum, much tighter restrictions. But as indicated in the NIJ report, simply banning assault weapons won’t substantially reduce the number of mass shooting victims. Continue Reading →
Food. Water. Air. Without them, we’re dead in about three weeks, three days, and three minutes, respectively. This week’s program features a lot of food talk, with criticism of both state (Iowa) and local (Des Moines) government.
Re: the latter … Kathy and I have spoken glowingly of the Des Moines City Council after council members unanimously embraced our proposal to establish a Food Security Task Force in 2020. The impetus behind the task force was to better prepare our community for the inevitable food shortages that will result from a wide range of climate impacts.
The task force was intended to be ongoing, tackling one aspect of food security during each six-month iteration. The initial phase focused on individuals growing food in their own spaces. It wrapped up in August, 2021, resulting in the creation of the FEED DSM website and a handful of code change recommendations.
Nearly two years later, the task force sits idle and the recommendations collect dust. City officials claim to understand the urgency of climate change and the inevitability of widespread food insecurity, yet the lack of action suggests otherwise. Continue Reading →
I’m a big believer in reaching across the political divide. My first guest this week, Katie O’Harra, seems to fit that bill.
Katie is a recently retired attorney for pipeline companies. You will, no doubt, be surprised to learn she doesn’t sport satanic horns and spew fire (see photo for confirmation). In fact, Katie and I agree on a wide range of concerns unrelated to pipelines.
Not surprisingly, we disagree on the use of eminent domain. Katie defends eminent domain as “a balancing of private rights and the public need,” though she agrees that “the net benefit goes to the producers who are selling and the consumers who are buying — and the people in the middle, not so much.”
And while Katie and I agree that climate change is an urgent matter, we disagree about the speed with which the problem can/must be addressed. Katie says that the company she worked for most recently “sees the writing on the wall and knows that pipelines aren’t the wave of the future.” She explains that the industry understands it has to eventually move beyond fossil fuels. Good, but I’m not convinced the industry (or its supporters within the political class) are willing to evolve at the speed science indicates is necessary. Continue Reading →
Fenway Park is the famed home of the Boston Red Sox. One of only nine MLB parks not named after a corporation, Fenway is also the only park named after a natural area, referencing a nearby “fen,” or marsh. How cool is that?
Like most major league sports fans, Fenway patrons love over-priced junk food. Recently, Fenway’s concession vendor, True Made Foods, revamped the park’s ketchup with a sugar-free alternative. Abe Kamarck, the company’s CEO, describes conventional ketchup as “red sugar,” and figured out how to make a decent product sweetened with carrots and squash.
Well, calling it a “decent product” is, apparently, a matter of opinion. A whole lot of Fenway fans beg to differ. Continue Reading →
I learned a new verb last week: “fallon.” Apparently, to fallon something means you’re the only “no” vote on legislation. I learned this when I ran into a woman who, introducing herself as a multi-client lobbyist, informed me I had “falloned” her bill years ago. (Yes, lobbyists — the true apex of political power — rightfully claim that legislation is “theirs.”) The bill in question dealt with large-scale chicken confinements. I have no recollection of why I voted “no,” but like most of my solitary “no” votes, I had good reason.
Rep. Chuck Isenhart and I discuss the lack of climate action at the Iowa Statehouse, which we agree is unconscionable. We also discuss legislation relevant to CO2 pipelines, which we disagree on (Chuck was one of 11 Democrats to vote against a bill to restrict the use of eminent domain). We also discuss the relevance, or lack thereof, of the Democratic Party in Iowa. I’m pretty sure we don’t agree on that either. But, agree or disagree, I respect lawmakers like Chuck who aren’t afraid to come on my program.
Continue Reading →
Like Trump’s followers who compare him to Jesus, Mark and I couldn’t help but notice the irony of Trump being arrested during Holy Week.
Yes, as offensive as it is, the frequency of Trump-Jesus references is astounding. There’s this tweet by attorney Joseph McBride: “President Trump will be arrested during Lent—a time of suffering and purification for the followers of Jesus Christ. As Christ was crucified, and then rose again on the 3rd day, so too will Trump.”
My view on Trump? He’s an unstable, power-hungry narcissist with an unprecedented disdain for civility and honesty. Do I agree he should be prosecuted for his crimes? Absolutely.
Yet legal action against Trump may have unfortunate consequences. Last year, I stated that bringing Trump to trial would help solidify his support among Republican primary voters. That’s happening, and the way things are going, Trump is almost certain to win the nomination.
That makes Democratic strategists giddy. They think another Trump-Biden showdown assures Biden of a second term. Yet that analysis is deeply flawed.
Continue Reading →