Tag Archives: Charles Goldman

Eminent domain bills on the move at the Iowa Statehouse

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If you live in Iowa, please contact your state rep and senator immediately regarding eminent domain legislation.

Several bills are on the move at the Statehouse, and now is a critical time to contact lawmakers.

Yesterday morning, I reached out to four Republicans and four Democrats about the issue, including the House and Senate minority leaders. I immediately heard back from three of the four Republicans, but not a single Democrat. (UPDATE: Two Democrats, Rep. Austin Baeth and Sen. Janet Peterson, have since responded.)

Yesterday, one Republican lawmaker shared this with me: “Today, for the third week in a row, we had dozens of landowners at the Capitol seeking legislative relief and protection. SF 101 has received registered support from the Iowa State Association of Counties and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. SF 104 addresses the 90% threshold and is supported by the Iowa Farm Bureau. House companion bills are being drafted, and there’s an even stronger 90% threshold bill in the works in the House that might stand a decent chance of movement.” Continue Reading →

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 →

The Great “Are We Doomed?” Debate

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If I'm ever bothered that my opinions on climate change might offend people, I simply reflect on Guy McPherson's life. He's the renowned prophet-of-doom that many climate activists and scientists love to hate. This week, Guy joins Charles and me to discuss whether humanity is indeed plummeting toward extinction, or merely in for a very bad ride.

Guy: "I have complete confidence that there won't be a human being on the planet in 2030."

Me: "Despite the gravity of our climate dilemma, I have hope." Continue Reading →

House Dems retract call for diplomacy in Ukraine

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On another light note, five of us witched the heck out of Sherman Hill’s seasonable bash, Halloween on the Hill, this week. If you’re a Des Moiniac and there’s any room in your schedule for fun, be sure to add this October 31 event to your calendar next year.

On to serious stuff, specifically the letter sent to President Biden by thirty House Democrats calling for diplomacy in Ukraine.

The letter was really quite moderate, yet its the authors retracted it almost immediately. I strongly disagree with that decision. Charles, on the other hand, thinks it was the right call. What ensues us is a spirited debate that Charles loses (in my opinion). Give it a listen starting at the four-minute mark and let me know what you think. If a majority of you agree with Charles, I’ll buy him lunch.

For me, what Ryan Grim wrote in The Intercept sums it up: “That the letter was met with fierce opposition is a measure of the space available for debate among congressional Democrats when it comes to support for the war and how it might be stopped before it turns nuclear: roughly zero.”
Continue Reading →

Charles: Why I’m a vegan. Ed: Why I’m not.

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Are you tired of being hit up for money by politicians? Me too. Sure, a handful of candidates are worth supporting. But 3 or 4 times a week? That’s beyond asking for support. That’s groveling.

Once a year, you’ll get an appeal from me asking you to donate to the Fallon Forum. Our team works hard to analyze and expose important stories the Mainstream Media miss, and we hold politicians across the spectrum accountable.

So, I hope you’ll take a couple minutes to donate $25, $50, $100, or more if possible, either online or by check. We can’t do this without you and our small business and non-profit sponsors. Continue Reading →

Carbon offsets: Greenwashing on steroids

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I’ll cut to the chase: Carbon offsets are a scam and the glowing language in corporate ads is mostly bunk. Comedian and news commentator John Oliver does a bang-up job analyzing and eviscerating offsets. It’s worth watching all 23 minutes of Oliver’s program (language alert to those sensitive to such things … sorry, Mom).

If you want a shorter but less colorful dig into carbon offsets, that’s the first topic Charles and I tackle on this week’s program.

I know, the idea sounds glorious. A corporation negates its carbon-spewing ways by planting trees or putting up windmills. Yet as Oliver points out, “study after study has indicated that most offsets on the market don’t reliably reduce emissions.”

It’s not just corporations engaged in this brand of greenwashing. Individuals can also assuage their climate guilt. Some airlines let you offset 1,000 miles of travel for a mere $2. You can also offset the carbon footprint of your pet: 50 cents per hamster, $6 per cat, and $10 per pet pig. If you think it’s getting kind of silly, then we agree. Continue Reading →

Renewable energy’s rare earth mineral challenge

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Charles Goldman co-hosts this week. Later in the program, we discuss the crazy exodus of teachers from K-12 public schools. We also talk about Sen. Joe Manchin’s political death-bed conversion on climate, sort of.

But first, we kick it off with Rob Hach, CEO of Trusted Energy. Rob’s company is launching a huge solar project at Grinnell College, in Iowa, and we get an update on that. Then we discuss renewable energy’s vulnerable underbelly: rare earth minerals. Continue Reading →

The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon

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Bill and I discuss his new book, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon. It’s an intriguing title, and the book’s sub-title is perhaps even more intriguing:

“A graying American looks back at his suburban boyhood and wonders what the hell happened.”

We’re in a world of hurt, and Bill’s take on “what the hell happened” is thoughtful, provocative, and hopefully inspiring.

Recently, Bill launched a new initiative focused on mobilizing older Americans to work for change. It’s called Third Act. I love the introductory video. Check it out and let me know what you think. Continue Reading →

“Dear President Biden”

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For me, the film brings back so many memories of Bold Iowa’s 2019/2020 “Climate Bird Dog” effort leading up to the Iowa Caucuses. Dang, we did  good work! Over 200 activists statewide, hammering home the urgency of the climate crisis day after day to candidates in every nook and cranny of the state.

How did the President respond to Bold’s bird dogs? CLICK HERE TO VIEW THOSE INTERACTIONS. What do you think? Is Mr. Biden following through on his commitment to treat climate like a crisis? Continue Reading →