Tag Archives: Catholic Peace Ministry

Trump says something I agree with

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In an interview on Fox News earlier this week, Trump said the country’s “greatest” threat was nuclear weapons that are “big monsters.” He went on to lament the amount of money the US has spent on its nuclear weapons program.

That’s good, right? But is it just rhetoric, as it was when President Obama flip-flopped on nuclear weapons?

Yes, sorry to have to remind you, but Obama’s record on nuclear weapons was a classic case of political hypocrisy. On April 5, 2009, in Prague he said: “Today, I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.”

Ah, hope and change. Well, that didn’t go so well. As the Federation of Atomic Scientists pointed out, at the end of Obama’s second term, “the Obama administration has reduced the U.S. stockpile less than any other post-Cold War administration.”

I share this historical reflection not to dwell on one of the broken promises of the Obama years but as a sobering reminder that many politicians often say one thing and do another. Who knew.

So, while I love what Trump said this week (and previously) about the nuclear threat, his chaotic foreign policy has several European and Asian countries pondering whether they should acquire their own nuclear weapons.

As Debak Das writes in An Unreliable America Means More Countries Want the Bomb, “While on the surface it might seem as though a warmer relationship between two of the world’s largest nuclear powers could reduce the risk of nuclear war, the opposite is true. We are on the precipice of a global turn toward nuclear instability, in which many countries will be newly incentivized to build their own arsenals, increasing the risk of nuclear use, terrorist subversion, and accidental launch.”

Bottom line, Trump’s rhetoric doesn’t match his actions. But the fact that he’s calling out the nuclear threat is a starting point. Maybe those who have his ear can push him to embrace a foreign policy that moves us toward nuclear disarmament, not deeper into the peril of a globe armed to the teeth with weapons that could end life on Earth.
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The political fallout of Summit’s CO2 pipeline permit

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I discuss the ruling by the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) to approve Summit Carbon Solution’s CO2 pipeline. Many (most?) Iowans are livid at the IUB’s decision to grant a private, for-profit company the authority to condemn private land for a risky, questionable purpose.

But it’s not a done deal. The IUB ruling says Summit can’t begin to tear up Iowa fields and forests until it receives approval in South Dakota and North Dakota. It’s hard to know how those decisions will play out.

In Iowa, the controversy over CO2 pipelines had the potential to shake up the political landscape. But not any more.

Why? Because Democrats blew a golden opportunity to be the defenders of rural families under attack by corporate interests. I’ve written about this frequently in my blog and talk about it often on my radio show and podcast. Continue Reading →

Repealing hard-earned rights: How far will Republicans go?

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It’s heart-wrenching to see the governor and Republican lawmakers target the LGBTQ community with a barrage of hurtful legislative proposals — some blatantly biased, others more subtle. It’s encouraging to see most Democrats, some Republicans, and a lot of rank-and-file Iowans speak out against these proposals.

One such bill just signed by Governor Reynolds is the so-called “Religious Freedom Restoration Act.” Really? Show me where there’s been a loss of religious freedom in America. I’m waiting. Tap, tap, tap.

So, what’s this bill really about?

As Heather Matson (D-Ankeny) points out, the bill “weaponizes religious beliefs to justify discrimination.”

No doubt. My deeper concern is that this bill, and others of its ilk, are part of an effort to establish a theocracy in America. Nothing could be more antithetical to the founding principles of our country than a government of, by, and for “the church” — meaning the narrowest, most biased interpretation of what it means to be Christian.
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Reflections on love and an adventure turned sour

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Of all the forces that drive human activity, love is both the most powerful and least comprehensible. What psychic dysfunction compels the Universe to make a person feel deeply attracted to someone who doesn’t feel the same? It’s as if God finds some sadistic entertainment in setting up both parties for failure — one convulsed in heartache, the other wallowing in guilt.

“Damn you, Universe, or whoever you are,” I say aloud to the insects, frogs and whatever being stirs below in the creek. “You’ve made humanity as dependent upon love as it is upon air, water, and food. Damn you. I’m tired of having my heart broken, tired of breaking someone else’s heart. So there.”

I slip back into silence, content that I’ve bitch-slapped the Universe’s highest existential power, feeling smug that I sent it cowering into some remote hole in a distant galaxy. At least from the perspective of a privileged American, the quest for love is tougher even than the daily quest for food and water. Many times I’ve been tempted to give up, to stop trying, to resign myself to a life without a love-partner.

But just as we persevere in the fight against injustice, we persevere in the search for love. We have no choice. Life without struggle, without love, is the rhythmless dance of the living dead. It is existence without heart, water without movement, night without desert stars or prairie fireflies. So, for the sake of love, for the sake of justice, for the sake of life itself, we keep going, one day at a time, one step at a time, hoping to get it right — if not this time, maybe the next, or the next, or the next. Continue Reading →

Marianne Williamson opposes eminent domain for CO2 pipelines

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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 →

Just give Iowa to China

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(Come meet long-time advocate for the homeless, Carla Dawson, at the annual Bishop Dingman Peace Award, March 4 at 6:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 2926 Beaver Ave in Des Moines.)

The growth-at-all-costs crowd never ceases to astound me. Take Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Durham has proposed HSB 147, a bill that would allow foreign corporations to own up to 1,000 acres of contiguous farmland.

Iowa used to have strong provisions against foreign ownership of farmland. But the proverbial camel’s nose found its way under the tent in 2017, when foreign entities were allowed to purchase up to 320 acres of contiguous farmland for commercial purposes.

As often happens, the camel now wants to shove its entire head under the tent. Given the money and power behind this trend, is there any doubt that corporate interests will try to continue to erode limitations on who controls our farmland? Continue Reading →

The Nuclear Threat

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I really hate talking about this, and I imagine you do, too. But let’s be adults. Humanity has a nuclear weapons problem that could wipe out everything — yes, everything! Americans were more woke (yeah, I said woke) about the nuclear threat back in the 1980s.

Real change was accomplished at that time, including a ban on nuclear testing, in large part because of the huge global, grassroots movement to end the nuclear arms race.

It was fear of nuclear war that compelled me to become politically active in 1984. I was farming my family’s ancestral land in Ireland that year. In between planting potatoes and making hay, I participated in protests organized by Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament against then-president Ronald Reagan’s unsuccessful proposal to station nuclear missiles in Ireland. Continue Reading →

Ukraine

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My guests are Jeffrey Weiss and Kathleen McQuillen — two of the most articulate and well-studied people I know when it comes to war, peace, and US foreign policy. Jeffrey’s a prof at Des Moines Area Community College. Kathleen’s the director of Catholic Peace Ministry. Both have been engaged in peace and justice work since the last millennium.

It’s a good conversation. I hope you’ll listen to the podcast or radio program and share your feedback. Covering several aspects of the war in Ukraine, Jeffrey, Kathleen, and I discuss NATO, the lack of media interest in other conflicts (Yemen, in particular), the risk of the war escalating, and what can and should be done by the US and its allies. Continue Reading →

Climate Crisis Parade challenges mainstream media

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A coalition of 37 organizations just announced a major climate initiative, to be held a couple days prior to the Iowa Caucuses. Scheduled for Saturday, February 1 at 12:00 noon, the Climate Crisis Parade calls out the mainstream media for ignoring the urgency of the climate crisis.

Here are three things you can do:
1. Join the effort on Facebook and share it with others.
2. Sign-up to participate through Eventbrite and we’ll keep you posted with updates.
3. If you’re with a group that would like to join the coalition, email communications@climatemarch.org or call 858-35-MARCH (858-356-2724). Continue Reading →