Ed’s still on the air and still doing great radio.  We apologize that we are a little behind this week here at BFIA and didn’t get the Fallon Forum weekly broadcast schedule up as we normally do each and every Monday.  

Dear Friends,

In sending out this weekly missive, I rarely ask for a favor, do I? No, I don’t. So when I do – like now – you should take it seriously, right? With that in mind, I have two small favors to ask:

(1) Tune-in to at least one broadcast this week, live from 12:00-1:00, Monday-Friday. While there are many advantages to broadcasting with the People’s Internet vs The Very Big Radio Corporation’s FM station, the drawback is we need to build an audience from scratch. Last week went incredibly well, with lots of favorable comments and plenty of phone calls from listeners. Help me keep that momentum going.   Click here to listen

I cannot stress how important it is to build local, democratic alternatives to corporate media.

(2) Call-in to the show at least once this week. It’s pretty harmless. Me and my guests are mostly warm and fuzzy, like Teddy Bears, or Easter Bunnies . . . but not warm and fuzzy like the stuff you find in a petri dish. And with an Internet broadcast, you can say just about any hair-brained thing you want (I speak from experience) and the FCC won’t cut your tongue out, or apprehend you and strip search you. The number is 244-0077, or toll-free (855) 244-0077.

Monday, Charles Goldman and I discuss Stand Your Ground laws, the Trayvon Martin incident, and what’s happening with gun laws at the State Capitol. We might also discuss how much we’re looking forward to being strip-searched next time (1) Charles forgets to pay a parking ticket because he’s preoccupied with removing a cancerous mass from your liver, or (2) Ed refuses on principle to pay a speeding ticket incurred while biking through Windsor Heights.

Tuesday, restauranteur and all-around great guy Robert Sanda joins me to discuss various angles on the corporate media, chain bookstores, and crazy things that happen to restaurant owners when Big Government over reaches its bounds. Most of you know Robert as the dude who cooks-up some mighty fine dishes at Tally’s Restaurant Bar and Catering, but he’s got a whole ‘nuther realm of experience, too.

Also, Tuesday, it’s time for this week’s . . . Pink Slime Update!

Wednesday, Iowa’s Head Bee Guy, Andy Joseph, joins us to discuss two recent studies linking common pesticides with the decline of bees. Bees are way more important than most people think. Trust me, when we run out of fruit and vegetables because there’s no creature left to facilitate pollination, you’ll say, “Ed, we’re sorry, we should have listened to you on the bee thing.”

Also, Wednesday, Mike Smith joins us to talk about whether or not taxpayers should pick up the tab for a private lake redevelopment. Mike’s the treasurer of Iowa Rivers Revival, worked with the Iowa attorney general’s office and was chair of the legal committee of Governor Culver’s Lake Delhi task force in 2010.

Thursday, it’s a high energy conversation: (1) Why is the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant still shut-down after being taken off-line over a year ago?, (2) Why do some Republicans, including Mitt Romney, hate the GM Volt, a car that gets 61 miles to the gallon and was named the European car of the year?, and (3) Is wind energy as environmentally friendly as proponents claim? We look at some of the arguments on the other side. (Hey, I promised to be fair and balanced, yes?)

Friday, Steve Cowan, producer of “Priceless” (check out the trailer), a documentary discussing big money in politics, joins us to talk about his film, which is presently airing on Iowa Public Television. Check out the trailer. It’s pretty compelling stuff, with Congressfolk speaking more candidly than they probably meant to, and three Iowa farmers offering their perspective, too.

This week’s Fallon Forum Freebie is an air-conditioning check with Leonard Tinker Heating and Cooling. I want to thank our local business partners and especially the Iowa Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility for their support.

So, join the conversation online from 12:00 noon-1:00 pm, Monday-Friday. You can hear the show live on my website. I would love to have a veritable truckload of listeners call-in to join the conversation at 244-0077. And of course, there will be podcasts if you miss a show.

Thanks! — Ed