Dear Friends,
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL PROGRAM
(0:00) Goal of public execution is to normalize violence – LISTEN
(06:20) Justice for election worker, Joey Norris – LISTEN
(13:10) “Lock Her Up” is back — LISTEN
(17:25) Arizona campaign finance transparency law — LISTEN
(0:00) California braces for major climate impacts — LISTEN
(5:45) CO2 pipeline update — LISTEN
(0:00) US could end war in Yemen tomorrow – LISTEN
(8:20) Reflection on the Irish “Potato” Famine (then more on Yemen) — LISTEN
(15:30) India’s second independence struggle — LISTEN
(17:10) Israeli violence against journalists — LISTEN
(19:10) With diesel deal, Trump again helps Putin, snubs Ukraine — LISTEN
(0:00) Weird weather compromises our potato harvest – LISTEN
I have strong feelings about the death penalty. It’s always appalled me that a government which claims to be compassionate and rational can justify a practice that is neither.
As a state lawmaker in 1995, and again in 1997, I helped lead successful efforts to stop Governor Branstad from reinstating the death penalty. My contributions included speaking on the floor of the House, staging a week-long fast, and participating in rallies and vigils.
Here’s a photo from one of those vigils, published in The Des Moines Register.
I’m accompanying Candy Boucher as she sings “Amazing Grace.”
Candy and I look like manikins — Candy because she’s a very expressive singer, me because it was ten degrees and my fingers could barely move.
Last week, as Pete Hegseth announced his intention to live-stream a public execution, I thought about our successful campaigns to stop the death penalty in Iowa.
Just as in 1995 and 1997, when our anti-death-penalty coalition found unexpected allies among conservative Republican legislators, Americans opposed to capital punishment again found an unexpected ally.
President Donald Trump. It doesn’t happen often, but Trump’s decision to cancel the live-stream execution of Nidal Malik Hasan was welcomed, and surprising. The President’s reasoning was that “many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die.”
Fair enough. For Trump, his good and well meaning people are most certainly Republicans, including JD Vance, Thom Tillis, and Mike Johnson, who all spoke out against Hasan’s televised execution.
As I discuss on this week’s program, normalizing public execution would put us in the same camp as Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and North Korea. Great company, hey?
Only one country on that list is a US ally: Saudi Arabia. This Islamic monarchy of unelected men will lop off your head with a sword before a live audience in “Chop-Chop Square” for “crimes” such as adultery, homosexuality, witchcraft, renouncing Islam, non-lethal drug offenses, and even participating in anti-government protests.
How big an ally is Saudi Arabia? When it comes to weaponry, they’re America’s number one client — doing their part to enrich Lockheed, Northrup, and Boeing. Last month, the Trump administration approved $24.3 billion in arms sales to the Saudis, largely in response to recent military actions by the Houthis.
(For a more accurate assessment of the Houthis than you’ll ever find in the mainstream media, check out this article in FAIR – Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting.)
So when you read the US mainstream media accounts of the “Iran-backed Houthis,” remember the “US-backed Saudis.” Remember our role in a war that has killed upwards of 233,000, displaced more than 5 million, and seen 85,000 children die of starvation.
To be clear, I’m not condoning the Houthis. They’ve committed their share of atrocities. But if the goals of US foreign policy were peace and stability — instead of arming one side while earning billions for the war-monger industry — we’d instead use our political and economic prowess to push for a lasting diplomatic solution.
One that insisted on democratic elections.
One that demanded equality for women and minority groups.
One that established freedom of speech as a basic right.
One that did away with the death penalty.
Again, kudos to Trump for putting the kibosh on Pete Hegseth’s planned pubic execution. Better still would be for the US to join the 145 nations that have abolished the death penalty.
Even as advocates for peace and nonviolence claim a small victory this month, the Trump administration continues to increase and normalize political violence. The upcoming election may prove to be a bellwether for just how much violence — both latent and manifest — the Trump administration is able to get away with.
As scholar Ruth Ben-Ghiat wrote, live-streaming an execution is “an attempt to normalize extreme violence, ritualize violence, militarize the country, and make violence entertaining so that when they ask you to commit violence in their name, you will be ready.”
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. And if you’re a central Iowa resident, remember to support the local businesses and nonprofits that help underwrite this platform.
Ed Fallon
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