Dear Friends,
(01:50) Famine as a weapon of war: Gaza and 1800s Ireland, with Kathleen McQuillen;
(28:30) The political fallout of Summit’s CO2 pipeline permit;
(41:10) Kathy and Ed discuss public money for religious schools;
(54:20) July garden Q & A.
First, breaking news, as reported in the New York Times: “President Joe Biden told one of his closest allies that he might not be able to recover from his subpar debate performance.” For my perspective, see:
Why the Right hopes Biden does well in the debate
Fellow Irish-American and peace activist, Kathleen McQuillen (photo), joins me in the studio this week to discuss the disturbing similarities between the British Empire’s mass starvation of the Irish in the mid-1800s and Israel forcing Gaza’s Palestinians into starvation. That conversation starts at 1:50.
My wife, Kathy, and I discuss the fallout from diverting tax dollars to private schools at 41:10. And for our weekly Farm and Food segment, Kathy and I answer some of the common questions we’re hearing from gardeners as we roll into the hottest weeks of the year.
During the second segment of the program (at 28:30), 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. Here’s one example: a column from March 3, 2022: If Iowa Democrats lose in November, blame this.
After last week’s IUB ruling, I thought maybe, just maybe, leading Iowa Democrats would speak out against the ruling. But I couldn’t find a single statement from any key elected official.
The prominently featured news story was the political pushback against the IUB’s decision by 30 Republican lawmakers who signed a statement condemning the ruling. One of the signers, Rep. Charley Thomson (R-Charles City), said, “Today is a dark day for anyone who owns property in Iowa. Indeed, it’s a dark day for our constitution and potentially for the Iowa way of life.”
It’s good that a handful of elected Republicans are speaking out. But the political culprits behind Summit’s pipeline are also Republicans. The Iowa Senate refused to take up legislation, even after the House passed it overwhelmingly. Former Governor Branstad is on Summit’s payroll as its Senior Policy Advisor. Summit itself is owned by Bruce Rastetter, a major Republican donor and influential king-maker.
The head culprit, of course, is Governor Reynolds, who hand-picked the three members of the IUB to make sure Summit’s pipeline permit would be approved. But unless Iowa Democrats grow a backbone and morph into champions of protecting land, water, and property rights from corporate giants, the issue is unlikely to affect Reynolds’ reelection bid in 2026.
Thanks for reading, listening, and doing your part for a better world.
Ed Fallon
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Ed Fallon