Tag Archives: Charles Goldman

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 →

We discuss abortion … and rabbits

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Joining me are Dr. Charles Goldman, attorney Joseph Glazebrook, and professor Carol Spaulding-Kruse. It’s a rock-star line up, and I hope you’ll listen to the program and share your feedback.

There are so many questions surrounding this sea change in a woman’s right to make her own decision when it comes to abortion. What will individual states do? Will anti-choice activists push for even more draconian erosions of personal liberty? Could the US Congress potentially preempt pro-choice states? Is it possible in today’s hyper-charged partisan environment to find common ground on preventing unintended pregnancies?

My guests and I tackle these questions and more. Again, feedback welcome. Continue Reading →

Let’s get real on gun safety

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HERE’S THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM, with a hard, serious focus on gun violence. Joining me are State Rep. Ako Abdul Samad and Dr. Charles Goldman. It’s an enlightened and enlightening conversation, and I’ll simply encourage you to give it a listen and share your feedback.

But before you do: Based on the sad reality that not a single so-called “advanced” country anywhere in the world has a gun-violence problem like the US, I’ll pose one question for you:

How do we improve gun safety and keep the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the hands of the most dangerous people?

Ok, that’s two questions. Feedback, responses, insights welcome. Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action! Continue Reading →

Responding to the repeal of Roe v. Wade

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Sure, there are some monsters out there who have shot and killed doctors, terrorized pregnant women, and burned down medical facilities. Yet from my own work building bridges, most are good people who simply have strong beliefs. In my conversations, I listen, of course, and try to identify common ground. Yet I don’t hesitate to politely challenge “pro-life” voters to consider how a nation committed to personal liberty and religious tolerance can defend denying a woman the right to make this choice.

During 14 years as a state lawmaker, I had a 100% pro-choice voting record. Yet that didn’t stop me from working with “pro-life” Republicans to come up with strategies to reduce the incidence of abortion. That effort culminated in 1998, when five Republicans and two Democrats joined me in sponsoring HR104. That legislation passed without dissent on April 22. It established the Unintended Pregnancy Committee, and provided one of the few occasions when NARAL, Planned Parenthood, Family Policy Center, and Iowa Right to Life Committee sat down at the same table and talked.

While those of us who support a woman’s right to choose must be vocal, engaged, and firm, we must also be civil. Preaching to the choir while we lob derogatory remarks at “the other side” accomplishes nothing.
Continue Reading →

Stopping Putin through climate action

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In a March 7 RNS column, McKibben writes, “If you want to stand with the brave people of Ukraine, you need to find a way to stand against oil and gas.

As I and others have been saying for years, a quick shift from oil and gas to renewables (and most importantly, conservation!) can and must happen quickly. The US response to Hitler proves that, when we want to, we can rapidly and radically shift our economy.

As McKibben points out, “In 1941, in Ypsilanti, the world’s largest industrial plant went up in six month’s time, and soon it was churning out a B-24 bomber every hour. A bomber is a complicated machine with more than a million parts; a wind turbine is, by contrast, relatively simple. … Do we think that it’s beyond us to quickly produce the solar panels and the batteries required to end our dependence on fossil fuel?” Continue Reading →

Dissecting the Rittenhouse verdict

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Perhaps nothing highlights the disfunction in our country more poignantly than the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial.
Charles believes the verdict was the correct decision, and says, “How this case became a question of white supremacy or second amendment rights I’m unclear about. It’s a discussion that should revolve around the danger of this perversion of the notion of self defense.”

Yes, for sure, stand your ground, castle doctrine, and similar laws are part of the problem. But to me, the Rittenhouse case was as much about race as it was about guns. As one of our callers, Jon, points out, “This whole thing happened in the context of racial protests.” Continue Reading →

Ditch Columbus, bring on Cabrini

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Ignoble though he be, Columbus is generally loved by Italian-Americans simply because he’s Italian, even though the establishment of Columbus Day had nothing to do with elevating Italian heritage. When the holiday was first recognized in 1892, President Benjamin Harrison presented it, essentially, as a day to commemorate and further sanitize America’s colonial conquest.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Italian immigrants were maligned and discriminated against as badly as the Irish. Some were killed, most horrifically when 11 Sicilian immigrants were lynched in New Orleans after the city’s police commissioner was murdered and the Italian community blamed — even though the 11 men had been found not guilty before the lynching.

Just as Saint Patrick’s Day gives Irish Americans a focal point to celebrate our heritage (and gives the rest of the country an excuse to get stupid drunk), Columbus Day serves that purpose for Italian Americans.

Columbus Day absolutely needs to go. Still, Italian Americans deserve their day of recognition. Continue Reading →

Congressman claims Jan 6 rioters were “peaceful patriots”

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How is it even possible that a member of Congress could make such a flagrantly false statement, with nothing to back it up, despite so much evidence to the contrary, and have that statement accepted as factual by a solid chunk of the electorate?

There is no simple answer. Without a doubt, the power of talk radio — along with its digital and visual counterparts — is a huge contributor to the persistent dissemination of lies and half-truths. For the life of me, I don’t understand why congressional Democrats don’t prioritize two reforms that would address this problem:

— Restore the Fairness Doctrine (thank President Reagan for eliminating that) to require balance on any station allowed to access the public airwaves.

— Break up media monopolies, which were enabled in part by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (thank President Clinton for signing that into law). Continue Reading →

CO2 pipeline rupture hospitalized 49 people

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Zegart’s article in HuffPost describes how, “two dozen individuals were overcome within a few minutes, collapsing in their homes; at a fishing camp on the nearby Yazoo River; in their vehicles. Cars just shut off, since they need oxygen to burn fuel. Drivers scrambled out of their paralyzed vehicles, but were so disoriented that they just wandered around in the dark.”

Describing one of many rescue efforts, Zegart writes, “Inside the small red Cadillac sedan were three men: DeEmmeris and Andrew Burns, and Victor Lewis. DeEmmeris Burns lay across the backseat in the fetal position. The other two were slumped against the windows, white foam coming out of their noses and mouths, their clothes stained with urine and excrement. The firemen thought they were too late. Continue Reading →