#1067 – Dick Bernard: French-Canadian Special Event on Genealogy, Minneapolis-St. Paul area, Oct 2, 2015

Friday evening, October 2, the French-American Heritage Foundation (FAHF) hosts a special event focusing on genealogy in Maple Grove MN. All details are here. Time is short, so check this now, if interested*.
The event venue is in the heart of what used to be one of the French-Canadian rural settlement centers in what is now the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Note photo below (which is also in pdf form, here: Dayton MN 1873001)
(click to enlarge photo)

The French-Canadian presence in Dayton MN 1873

The French-Canadian presence in Dayton MN 1873


This map, though unpolished, gives an interesting look at a “nest” of L’Heritage Tranquille, the French-Canadian presence in a single township in the Twin Cities area. Otsego, to the immediate west (between Rogers and Elk River), also had significant French-Canadian presence; as did Osseo to the east, and Corcoran township to the south, and many other places (Little Canada, Centerville & Hugo, pre-Minneapolis St. Anthony et al).
(On the map, Simon and Adelaide Blondeau are my great-grandparents, who came to Dayton from Canada in the early 1850s.)
A mysterious and intriguing presence, by virtue of ownership of a piece of land just west of present day Dehn’s, is Thomas L. Grace, who happens to have been the second Bishop of what is now the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis. (Scroll down to the para beginnng “After the death of Bishop Cretin…”) The story of that piece of land is one yet to be told….)
As late as the 1980 census – the last to ask the question – nearly 8% of Minnesotans recognized their French ancestry. Fr-Can in U.S. 1980001 Of course, this ancestry carries on, though the French surnames are less often recognizable as identifying people of French ancestry, masquerading their heritage (two French words, by the way) behind surnames of other ethnic groups, or, common back in 1873, behind French names that were anglicized: “Roy” became “King”, and infinite other examples.
But, back to Friday, October 2. Check us out. Stop by. Let others know.
*
About the sponsoring group, French-American Heritage Foundation (FAHF):

FAHF (full disclosure: I am current vice-president) is the latest in a line of groups seeking to preserve the French heritage in the midwest.
In the twin cities, in recent history, FAHF was immediately preceded by La Societe Canadienne-Francaise du Minnesota (LSCF) which existed from 1979-2002, and whose founder was legendary Franco American John Rivard, native of the Range-Somerset WI area also well known as the popular Father John of St Anne’s in Somerset. . LSCF lives on at the FAHF website in Chez Nous, its “kitchen table” produced newsletter, all of whose near 1000 pages, indexed, can be found under the tab “library”.
(Mr. Rivard retired before the internet age, thus no URL links were found about him for this article; though much can be read by him within Chez Nous. He died in 2005 at age 94.) Below is the jacket of the video produced for his memorial service in 2005.
John Rivard 2005001
September 28-30, 2012, another well known and passionate Minnesota French-Canadian, Dr. Virgil Benoit of Red Lake Falls MN envisioned and put together an event, Franco-Fete, in Minneapolis. This event followed several predecessor events at Grand Forks, Turtle Mountain (Belcourt) ND, Bismarck and Fargo, ND.
The 2012 event was very successful, but not without considerable stress. Three days prior to Franco-Fete, Dr. Benoit was in a serious car accident, and spent Franco-Fete and many days after in a hospital in Grand Forks. A dozen or so of us who had volunteered to help, were thrust into completely unanticipated leadership roles.
After Franco-Fete, in November, 2012, a core group in the Twin Cities met to debrief Franco-Fete, and an outgrowth of that meeting came FAHF, which has formal 501(c)3 standing, and is now completing its third year of existence.
We have weathered the birthpangs of any new organization, and look forward to a long future.
We invite you to join us as we continue the task of helping to preserve the French in America presence in Minnesota and surrounding areas. Membership information here.
* – Questions? Call Dick Bernard at 651 334 5744

#1066: Dick Bernard: The Pope's Speech to the U.S. Congress September 24, 2015

In my September 21 post, I described Pope Francis as a transformational figure, setting a new tone for the global conversation, not only among Catholics. He had just arrived in the United States. Today he leaves. Nothing changes in my personal assessment of this Pope.
I was most interested in his address to Congress on September 24. That speech can be read in its entirety here.
I watched most of the speech on television, then printed out the text, something I rarely do. It was noted by reporter that the dignitaries in the chamber didn’t receive advance copies of the speech. In effect, they weren’t given cue cards about when to applaud or not, and had to guess when or whether to cheer this or that pronouncement of this first-time visitor to the United States.
And the speech was given in English, apparently as foreign to the Pope as Spanish is to reddest of the rednecks about those people from south of the border….
The Pope’s speech was, I believe, not to the Congress at all, but to everyone else who took the time to watch or listen to it or print it out for further reflection…and action. As one would expect, it was very carefully crafted.
Leaders have to be astute people, simply to be in the positions they occupy. The Pope has achieved a pinnacle he never dreamed of (nor wanted) and his performance speaks for itself. My Catholic Church is no Democracy, but Pope’s are elected by their brothers in the College of Cardinals. Doubtless Pope Francis didn’t get unanimous affirmation from his peers…but he got enough. Not all the Cardinals were, likely, happy with the result.
Likewise, Catholic Bishops are not “birds of a single feather” either.
The best a Pope can try to do in his time in office is to get his point across, and Pope Francis continues to speak eloquently for himself in that regard.
What I personally noticed in his speech, as I was watching it, was what he had to say, particularly the words he used.
The word I noticed that he specifically emphasized was a pretty powerful one: “dialogue”. Best I can tell he used that word 11 times in his speech, with emphasis. While the political polarization of the last ten or more Congresses have emphasized polarization and refusal to compromise, here was someone in their midst repeatedly asking for dialogue.

(“Dialogue” is a favorite of mine: A word search shows “dialogue” appearing in some form in 55 of these blogposts over the years, including the first, introducing this site March 29, 2009, and especially October 29, 2010. My favorite definition of “dialogue” is at the end of the Oct. 29 post. I include it again at the end of this post.)
My guess is that, when he was talking to Congress, Pope Francis was mostly talking to the rest of us who elected these folks in the first place.
His whirlwind visit to North America is about over, and the rest is left to all of us.
The ball is in our court. Will we be in the game, and stay in that game, or not?
It’s an important question only each one of us can answer.

ON DIALOGUE: (from #266, October 29, 2010)
I often go back to a great quote I found in Joseph Jaworsky’s 1996 book, “Synchronicity, the Inner Path of Leadership“. Preceding the chapter on “Dialogue: The Power of Collective Thinking“, Jaworsky includes the following from David Bohms “On Dialogue”:
From time to time, (the) tribe (gathered) in a circle.
They just talked and talked and talked apparently to no purpose. They made no decisions. There was no leader. And everybody could participate.
There may have been wise men or wise women who were listened to a bit more – the older ones – but everybody could talk.
The meeting went on, until it finally seemed to stop for no reason at all and the group dispersed. Yet after that, everybody seemed to know what to do, because they understood each other so well. Then they could get together in smaller groups and do something or decide things.

#1065 – Dick Bernard: Creating a Workable World: Transforming the United Nations System

Friday evening and Saturday,October 9&10, at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Dr. Joe Schwartzberg’s book, Transforming the United Nations System, will help focus attention on transformation of the United Nations, this year celebrating its 70th birthday. All details about this “Creating a Workable World” conference, including about conference convenor Joe Schwartzberg, can be seen here.
Schwartzberg book001
The conference promises to be a very interesting exchange of ideas about making the UN better.
There is no shortage of opinions about “the UN”. Far too many of these opinions, unfortunately, are ill- or un-informed.
Powerful people with their own agenda, who hate even the concept of the UN system, want it gone. Most of us have little or no knowledge of how the UN or its broad network (as World Health Organization et al) works. The UN is a complex system, a global community, which is often called upon to deal with impossible situations: hunger, refugees, atrocities, on and on.
One might call the UN a global mechanic, on call to take care of wrecks.
The UN was created out of the horrors of WWII, officially founded October 24, 1945, and during its entire history it has been called to help order chaos in an extraordinarily complex and imperfect world.
70 years after emerging from the ashes of WWII, it is still dominated by the five winning countries of that war: the United States, Russia (formerly Soviet Union), France, United Kingdom and China.
The most populous of its over 190 countries, China, outnumbers the smallest, Nauru, by a factor of 145,000 to one. Its power actors represent competing ideologies, only slightly dimmed by the end of the Cold War.
Dr. Schwartzberg’s academic work describes the UN system in understandable terms, and furthermore proposes a framework of solutions for the future. This major conference will be a unique opportunity to learn more, and engage in conversation, about the UN and its future role in the world.
I’ve read the book, and been part of a discussion group which talked about every chapter. It was a rich learning experience, a framework of reference.
*
What is the world that is the United Nations? There are endless examples….
A week ago I attended a talk by Dr. Jeffrey Broadbent of the University of Minnesota which added greatly to my knowledge of how complex this world is.
Dr. Broadbent’s topic was very simple: watching how newspapers in 18 countries treated the topic of global climate change, thus assessing national attitudes. (His website can be accessed here.)
His powerpoint was simple and very complex. Here’s a photo of one slide:
(click to enlarge)

A schematic representation of newspaper reporting on climate change....Dr. Jeffrey Broadbent

A schematic representation of newspaper reporting on climate change….Dr. Jeffrey Broadbent


This slide shows two foci; a later slide introduced a third, called Mitigation, as an approach to climate change. It was all very complex, but at the same time understandable.
Near the end of the program, a black man, a native Oromo of Ethiopia, rose to powerfully observe that none of the data presented appears to represent Africa.
Indeed, that was true, because Africa does not have dominant newspapers from which to glean the data Dr. Broadbent seeks.
But the point was nonetheless made: Africa is already, and will doubtless increasingly be, bearing the brunt of the failures of the more developed world, with consequences for us all.
Making a point with Dr. Broadbent, Sep. 16, 2015

Making a point with Dr. Broadbent, Sep. 16, 2015


(Similarly, alternative media like Facebook, now dominant over print media in many quarters, are not yet part of the analysis. The research is still a work in progress.)
Whatever your knowledge, or your feelings, about the United Nations, the October 9 & 10 Workable World Conference will be worth your time. Check it out.
The United Nations Building, snapshot, June 30, 1971, Dick Bernard

The United Nations Building, snapshot, June 30, 1971, Dick Bernard


More on the general topic of the UN at 70 here.
The matter of the removal of the United Nations Flag at Hennepin County (MN) Plaza here.

#1064 – Dick Bernard: The International Day of Peace; A Pope and the Year of Mercy*

Today I went to the third event I knew about relating to International Day of Peace in this area. I described each of them a few days ago, here. It was a joy, not a chore, to go to these events.
This afternoons was a particularly gentle set of songs presented by Ensemble Music as part of a sing-around-the world broadcast by the organization Music Together. As I write, the around the world mini concert continues, with the centerpiece, the song “May All Children”: Song May All Children001
It is not hard to have hope, and be willing to work for it, when I see kids in action, as I did today:
(click to enlarge)

At Global Market, Minneapolis MN, Sep 21, 2015

At Global Market, Minneapolis MN, Sep 21, 2015


Yesterday, at Minneapolis’ Loft Literary Center, was an impressive dedication of the Loft as an International Peace Site. Here, singer Larry Long, was the troubadour; 94 year old Lynn Elling did the honors dedicating the peace site, as he has done for years, and Martha Roberts, President of World Citizen described the groups program of peace education. There appeared to be more than 100 in attendance at the event.
Martha Roberts explains World Citizens Peace Actions; Phillip Lund, of the Peace Writers Group at the Loft, and MC of the Peace Site celebration, assists, Sep 20, 2015

Martha Roberts explains World Citizens Peace Actions; Phillip Lund, of the Peace Writers Group at the Loft, and MC of the Peace Site celebration, assists, Sep 20, 2015


Lynn Ellling, seated, center, explains his view of peace in our world.

Lynn Ellling, seated, center, explains his view of peace in our world.


Finally, on Saturday, a moving and impressive event at the Landmark Center, the new film, Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard (program booklet here: Hiroshima Schoolyard001), with filmmakers Shizumi Shigato Manale. Producer, and Bryan Reichhardt, Director, and Melvin Carter, Exhibit Collection Curator of some recovered “kid art” drawn at Honkawa Elementary School within sight of ground zero at Hiroshima in 1946.
Melvin Hardy, Shizumi Shigeto Manale, and Bryan Reichhardt, following the film "Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard" Sep. 19, 2015, Landmark Center, St. Paul MN.

Melvin Hardy, Shizumi Shigeto Manale, and Bryan Reichhardt, following the film “Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard” Sep. 19, 2015, Landmark Center, St. Paul MN.


Very good news for readers who are interested in the film. It will be shown again at Landmark Centers F.K. Weyerhaeuser Auditorium Lobby on Saturday, Sept. 19, 26, Oct 3, 17 and 24 at 2 p.m.
This Saturday, Sep 26, atomic bomb survivor (hibakusha) Ms Michiko Harada, will speak at the same venue at 1 p.m.
This will be an inspiring afternoon. “pencil it in”, then attend!
*
Of course, Tuesday, Sep 21, Pope Francis arrives in the United States, bringing his message of peace and justice. What he does here, and the previous two days in Cuba, have been and will be broadly reported.
As a Catholic, I see Pope Francis as a transformational figure, much like John XXIII (visionary leader who built Vatican II in the early 1960s). Change in my church is agonizingly slow, but it does happen, and it is happening. (Here is what I wrote about the brand new Pope Francis on March 31, 2013.)
A week ago, on Sep 23, I happened to be at Basilica of St. Mary when it was announced that one of the rear doors would be sealed after the 9:30 Mass, not to be opened till mid-December. (A photo is below).
Sunday I asked what this meant.
There is a long tradition of sealing a door at St. Peter’s in Rome in a similar fashion; new this year, Pope Francis called for all Cathedral rank churches in the world to join the tradition.
It may seem like no big deal, as the designation of the coming year as the Year of Mercy, but I see it, and other attendant actions by this Pope to be a very important shift in tone of the institution that is the Catholic Church, still an immensely large and diverse community in the world.
This week the Pope will speak to Congress, and have lunch with the poor of Washington DC.
This is the kind of leader he is.
Catholic or not, he gives a good example to follow.
(click to enlarge)
Sealing the door at Basilica Sep. 13, 2015

Sealing the door at Basilica Sep. 13, 2015


Whatever your creed, think a bit about how you can make the Year of Mercy come alive this year. The Pope’s message Here.
* – Mercy, A Forced Choice: February 8, 2005. Reflections from a Workshop on Sustainable Peace: Mercy001 (See page one, specifically). Written by Dick Bernard Feb 8 and 14, 2005

#1063 – Dick Bernard: The International Day of Peace 2015

The United Nations Building, snapshot, June 30, 1971, Dick Bernard

The United Nations Building, snapshot, June 30, 1971, Dick Bernard


The United Nations has had an International Day of Peace since 1982; and in 2001, set the day for future annual observances as the autumnal equinox, September 21, of each year. The theme is “an annual day of non-violence and cease fire”
(The observance of Peace Day at the United Nations in 2001 happened to be September 11, 2001. According to my friend, Madeline Simon, “on Sept 11, 2001, the celebration started–but was not completed, due to the attack. [The event] appeared to somewhere on the roof area [at the UN], and then an evacuation of the building followed.”)
The first Peace Day I actually attended was at Minneapolis’ Loring Park on September 21, 2003, organized by a coalition of downtown churches led by First Unitarian Society and member activist Madeline Simon. It was an inspiring program.
International Peace Day at Loring Park, Minneapolis, September 21, 2003

International Peace Day at Loring Park, Minneapolis, September 21, 2003


As time has gone on, thanks to efforts of groups such as Peace One Day, the Day of Peace has thrived. The young man whose passion led to the UN proclamation setting Sep 21 as the day to spotlight peace, Englishman Jeremy Gilley, has seen the day grow from a few curious supporters in London, to as many as a billion people who know of peace day, and take the message to heart. The film which introduced Peace Day to me in 2003 is still available, here, Peace One Day Pt. 1. Gilley’s accomplishment has been an amazing one, a testament to one man’s grit and persistence, and it has grown, and grown, and makes a difference in the world.
Check out celebrations of the International Day of Peace in your area. If none exist, become part of the solution for next year.
In the Twin Cities I know of at least three events this coming weekend (there may be more):
1) In St. Paul, at the Landmark Center on Saturday, Sep. 19 at 2 p.m. an important exhibition and film will commemorate Pictures from A Hiroshima Schoolyard. More information on this program and related events here.
2) In Minneapolis, at the Loft Literary Center on 1011 Washington Ave. S, the Loft will be dedicated as a Peace Site at 2 p.m. on Sunday Sep. 20
3) In Minneapolis, 3:30 – 5:30 at Midtown Global Market 920 E. Lake St Minneapolis more info at this Facebook link. About the worldwide event: Families in U.S., Japan, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and more will sing for peace on September 21st: To celebrate the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, thousands of Music Together families with young children around the globe will participate in a livestream of [their] song for peace, “May All Children.” For 22 hours, families from around the globe will gather and sing “May All Children” in the 4 PM hour in their local time zones, creating an ongoing live presentation of the song from many different cultures. Children, parents, and teachers from more than 30 locations are participating in the event, including New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Croatia, Bermuda, and across the United States. The livestream will run for 22 hours on September 21, 2015, 12:00 AM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time. Live link here.
There is a culture of Peace that is alive and well in our communities, showing itself in many and sundry positive ways.
Become part of the movement to make every day, everywhere, a place of peace.

#1062 – Dick Bernard: The "Debates"

Last night I turned off the “telley” at 6:30. I missed the “debates” from the Reagan Library in Simi Valley California.
Not that there is much to miss. The combatants (that’s what they are) are practicing refining their hopefully winning message to a certain subset of the American electorate who will, in a few months, be voting in Republican Primary Elections in some early states, like New Hampshire and Iowa.
Everything is very predictable. Occasionally some surprise happens, as when now-former candidate and Texas Governor Rick Parry, in the 2012 round, declared firmly that he would eliminate three U.S. Cabinet departments…but who, when asked, couldn’t remember the third…. Those things are noticeable. Depth of knowledge apparently is not needed.
We are stuck with the “debates”.
The choice is whether to watch them or not. It is like getting hooked on a “reality” show like “Big Brother” (doubtless borrowing from George Orwell’s “Big Brother” in the book 1984. Big Brother never makes an actual appearance in 1984, but he is omnipresent….)
The debates cause me to think back to 1982 when my Dad and I and four traveling companions met a solo traveler at Laval University in Quebec City. Her name was Mary, and she was from England. We invited her to join us for a day or two of sightseeing.
Mary, I came to learn years later, was the daughter of a prominent Judge in London’s Old Bailey Court, His Honour Alan King-Hamilton, and years later, in October 2001, I was able to meet him in person, still intellectually formidable at age 96.
In 1926-27 he had been President of the Cambridge Union Society.

Cambridge Union Society with  committee and two  guest speakers 8 June, 1927. Debaters in America, Fall 1927:  Alan King-Hamilton and H. L. Elvin, front 4&5th from left; H. M Foot, back, 4th from left.   From King-Hamilton's book, "And Nothing But the Truth".

Cambridge Union Society with committee and two guest speakers 8 June, 1927. Debaters in America, Fall 1927: Alan King-Hamilton and H. L. Elvin, front 4&5th from left; H. M Foot, back, 4th from left. From King-Hamilton’s book, “And Nothing But the Truth”.


Mary took my wife and I around to places to see in London, one of which was for lunch at Middle Temple, a haven for barristers, and in the library I pulled a book from the shelves by her Dad, And Nothing But the Truth. Lo and behold, the first page I opened referred to a 1927 Debate Tour of the United States taken by the Judge and two of his colleagues, H.L Elvin and H. M. Foot, as part of the exchange program of the Institute of International Education (IIE), now commonly referred to as the Fulbright Program.
Over time, I came to learn much about the Debates in 1927. A list of the debates is here (two pages): King-Hamilton et al 1927001. Alan K-H turned 22 near the end of the U.S.-Canada tour.
In 1927, debates were, like the Presidential debates now, spectator sports. In effect, in this case, the U.S. college versus Cambridge!
The teams had to be prepared to argue either the affirmative or the negative of several different issues.
In one memorable debate, at UCBerkeley, there was such a large crowd that they agreed to do two debates simultaneously in two separate halls. This made for some amusement. Judge King-Hamilton recalled in his diary “when I arrived in the second hall, I [found] that their first speaker and Elvin (who spoke first for us) [had] already finished, and Elvin [had] been filling in time by entertaining the audience with his views on America. I [had] to dash back again to the first hall and reply to three speeches, two of which I [hadn’t] heard.” But, all was well: “it [was] a very successful and amusing evening, and we were all in good form.”
After a month and a half in North America, King-Hamilton mused on the United States: “through the Middle West, from North Dakota to Texas, we have encountered religious curiosity which develops into something like intolerance upon the information being given to them. In the East they want to know who your father is, in the Middle West who your God is, and in the far West how much money you’ve got!” In his 1982 book, “And Nothing But The Truth”, Judge King-Hamilton recalls this same question, and asks “I wonder if it is still the same now, more than fifty years later.” (p. 14)
I wonder how the good Judge, deceased at 105 in 2009, would comment on the American “debates” if he were now to witness them.
Personally, I find them as substantive as “let’s make a deal” or similar game shows.
Caveat Emptor….

#1061 – Dick Bernard: September 11

NOTE: I’ve added a postnote to this post.

Nuclear weapons, from display at Hiroshima Nagasaki Exhibit at Landmark Center, St. Paul Aug 23, 2015

Nuclear weapons, from display at Hiroshima Nagasaki Exhibit at Landmark Center, St. Paul Aug 23, 2015


Seventy years ago today, September 11, 1945, my mother’s brother – my Uncle and Navy Lieutenant George Busch – was on board the Destroyer, the USS Woodworth, which had anchored the day before in Tokyo Bay. (WWII was over, the surrender signed nearby on September 2, 1945.)
I know this from the ship daily log books which I had requested back in the 1990s. Uncle George was on the Woodworth, from January, 1943, through the end of the war, till docking in Portland Oregon October 20, 1945, thence reentering into American civilian peace-time society.
Presumably on September 11, 1945, those on the Woodworth had an opportunity to take a look at what was left of Tokyo.
from Bombers over Japan WWII, Time-Life Books 1982, page 198

from Bombers over Japan WWII, Time-Life Books 1982, page 198


Perhaps some of them – perhaps my Uncle George? – did as my Dad’s cousin and best man, Marvin, an Army veteran, who was field promoted to Colonel by the end of the war, and was for a short time head of a Prefecture on Japan. He told me once that his first act on reaching Japanese soil was to “piss on it”. So it is with showing dominance over enemies after conquest, and disrespecting the vanquished, even though his Prefecture was far from the seat of things militarily – it was just a rural area in northern Japan.
The war in the Pacific had been a vicious one for all, and in addition, Marvin’s cousin, my Dad’s brother Frank, had gone down with the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.
Marvin and Frank, circa 1935, probably Oakwood ND

Marvin and Frank, circa 1935, probably Oakwood ND


There have been lots of September 11ths before and since 1945.
September 11, 2015, in addition to the obligatory nod to THE 9-11, will probably feature, on TV tonight, the endless commercials attacking one of our MN Congressmen who apparently is not condemning the Nuclear Agreement with Iran and is viewed as politically vulnerable. One ad ends with a horrific fireball, a “mushroom cloud”, as if it is some unique invention to be pioneered by the Iranians if we don’t see to it that they’re kept under our heel. Such propaganda is expensive and persuasive. We have become slaves to sophisticated media messages which are difficult to escape.
But there are alternative realities as well. Tomorrow somewhere in the Twin Cities a large number of new citizens will proudly take the oath, and graduate to full citizenship in the United States. It is doubtless a ritual shared in all countries, all that differs is the precise way it is done.
And these new citizens will be proud of their new citizenship, as they’re proud of their own homeland, and are likely more aware than the vast majority of us about what it means to be an “American”. They’ve had to study our system, and they are knowledgeable. Sorry, more of us aren’t as aware….
We all will do as we will do today, and tomorrow and next week and on and on and on.
Three simple suggestions:
1. To become acquainted with the organization Green Card Voices, which is doing very significant work to bring to life those who have spent years as Green Card holders in the U.S. enroute to citizenship.
2. If you’re in the Twin Cities, take time to go to the Landmark Center in St. Paul, and see the exhibit provided by the City of Nagasaki about the bomb and its affect August 9, 1945. It is a relatively small exhibit, but if you pay attention to it, you’ll easily be there more than an hour. It’s on till November 28. The schedule is here:
(click to enlarge)
Hiroshima Nagasaki001
3. To pick up and reread, or read for the first time, George Orwell’s “1984”, published in 1949, which I probably didn’t see till college days. It is rather disquieting to translate his novel to present day American terms: actors like “telescreen”, “Proles”, and all of that. (I looked up September 11, 1984, and there really wasn’t all that much happening that particular day. But Orwell was in many ways a visionary, and most of us are todays Proles, who allow life happen to us without much regard to the consequences.)
Each one of us has a certain command of our own “ship”, and we can impact positively or negatively on how it sails, and how it impacts ourselves, and others.
Have a great day.
Same source as above, Aug. 23, 2015

Same source as above, Aug. 23, 2015


POSTNOTE: After publishing the above I watched the 9-11-2015 evening news which, as expected, emphasized again, on this 14th anniversary of 9-11, the continuing national mourning of what seems to be our now perpetual “Pearl Harbor”.
No “mushroom cloud” ads appeared, as erroneously predicted by myself, perhaps because a concerted effort to stop the deal failed in the U.S. Congress on Sep. 11 – a date probably specifically strategically selected for the vote.
No doubt, we experienced a tragedy 9-11-01, but the biggest tragedy of all is our continual obsession of the need to be in control; and the seeming narrative that the only way to prevent war is to be stronger and more threatening than the other party in preparing for the next war…more or less the narrative of George Orwell’s 1984. We seem to need to have an enemy to validate our existence. We are made to live in constant fear of some other.
9-11-01 took the lives of 3 Minnesotans, it was reported tonight. In the 2000 census there were 4.9 million Minnesotans. (There were 281 million Americans in 2000.) After 9-11 has come continuous war, Iraq, Afghanistan, ISIS/Syria, with all the attendant loss of life and disruption of normal lives, including the present day refugee crisis. ISIS/ISIL is a direct outgrowth of our actions in Iraq, including regime change.
We don’t seem to learn, we need to change the conversation, beginning within ourselves.
I wonder if we have the capacity to do this….

#1060 – Dick Bernard: The First Day of School

Roosevelt office area from the front lobby August 23, 2015

Roosevelt office area from the front lobby August 23, 2015


This year is rather unusual in Minnesota. A very late Labor Day means that there have been some deviations from the normal mandatory day after Labor Day start to the 2015-16 school year.
Nonetheless, the evening just past was doubtless a nervous one for K-12 students and their teachers and other school staff as the new school year begins. Everything happens at once. Returning to school is much like going to a family reunion; you know what to expect, but you’re not sure how you’ll perform, regardless of your particular role. I’d guess there was more than normal incidence of fitful sleep last night.
For reasons laid out in a previous post, this year, for me, is much more significant than usual. My early career, I was a junior high school geography teacher, and in 1965, in my third year, 50 years ago this week, probably on September 8, 1965, I met my first classes of eighth graders at Roosevelt Junior High School in the Minneapolis suburb of Blaine MN.
It was my first year in Minnesota*.
I remember very little of the month of August, 1965. I still work at filling in blanks of that month, through mining the memories of others. August, 1965, was a traumatic time for me.
I do remember, as one of many new teachers in the Anoka-Hennepin School District, taking a bus trip to see the Districts schools at the beginning of workshop week. In those years, this already massive district was growing by over 2000 students a year, and each year brought newly built schools, and lots of new teachers.
Roosevelt Junior High School had just opened. Everything was new.
The school, then, was out in the country, literally, bordered by farmland, and reached by a two lane road. The nearest housing development was about a mile south. That was a long time ago. Here’s a photo I took of the school about 1968 (my brother was piloting the plane, and, remember, I was a geography teacher!)
(click to enlarge all photos)
Roosevelt Junior High School from the northwest, Fall, 1968

Roosevelt Junior High School from the northwest, Fall, 1968


A couple of weeks ago I stopped by present day Roosevelt and took a few photos, all of which were reminders about 1965.
Photos August 23, 2015, Dick Bernard

Photos August 23, 2015, Dick Bernard


August 23, 2015 (the hallway looks almost exactly the same as 50 years ago.)

August 23, 2015 (the hallway looks almost exactly the same as 50 years ago.)


The classroom I started the school year in 1965, pictured August 23, 2015

The classroom I started the school year in 1965, pictured August 23, 2015


In the lobby, was a display case with some history of the school building itself:
History of the Roosevelt Jr. High School - display, August 23, 2015

History of the Roosevelt Jr. High School – display, August 23, 2015


SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES
Back in 1965, Roosevelt was grades 7-9; at some more recent point it became a Middle School, and at various point a new wing and a swimming pool were added, and the 10 acres were developed from the bare ground there when we opened the building.
In the course of 50 years, tens of thousand of students, and well over one thousand staff members have shared space at Roosevelt. Personally, I was there for seven years.
I was amazed at the wonderful condition of the school, so many years after it opened for business.
Today Roosevelt Middle School opens again for another year, and the faculty and staff greet a new crop of kids. Those quiet halls I walked a couple of weeks ago will teem with life again.
Each student will will receive a student planner with the “rules for the road” for the “town” that is Roosevelt Middle School. At the end of the planner are several pages we all might review. Here they are: Student Planner 2015-16001
My best wishes to the Roosevelt crowd, and to all school personnel everywhere.
Have a great year.
* POSTNOTE: My first August in Minnesota was in Anoka, then a country town, the county seat of Anoka County, perhaps 20 miles from downtown Minneapolis. The road to Minneapolis was two lane, down what was called the West River Road, alongside the Mississippi River.
I had been to Anoka once in my life, probably 1956, with my parents and siblings, when we stopped at Rum River Park. I know this only because I have a photo (which apparently I took). We would have been enroute to Chicago on U.S. 10 visit my Uncle and Aunt who had recently had their first child.
At Anoka MN, summer 1956, from left: Henry, Frank, John, Esther, Mary Ann and Florence Bernard.

At Anoka MN, summer 1956, from left: Henry, Frank, John, Esther, Mary Ann and Florence Bernard.


In 1965-66, my son and I lived at 1615 South Ferry Street, a block from the Mississippi River Bridge, “catty corner” from the Embers Restaurant across the street. Where the house stood is long gone. The Smarts, Mom, Dad and two kids, lived there, as did my son and I and perhaps one or two others who roomed upstairs. I don’t recall the others.
Being in a new town is a lot like being a young child again: one’s range is very limited.
For me, Anoka meant that house, an old corner cafe at the southeast corner of Ferry and Main Street, the old St. Stephen’s Catholic Church and Fr. Murphy. Much of that first month I drove into St. Louis Park to continue working in the original Lincoln Del. I worked there until early January when the toll of two jobs brought pneumonia to my door, and I had to quit. That broadened my horizon a tiny bit: the Mork Clinic and Goodrich Drug Store entered my sphere. But otherwise, mostly, Anoka was home, to work, either at the Del, or at Roosevelt Junior High School down then rural and two lane Co Rd 42, 125th Ave NW, 7 miles east of Anoka.
Anoka remains recognizable to me 50 years later, but like all places, particularly suburban, it is greatly changed by the passage of years.

#1059 – Dick Bernard: The Little Kurdish Boy who Drowned, continued.

Saturdays post brought an emotionally powerful response from our friend, Annelee, who grew up in Nazi Germany and was 18 when the war ended in May, 1945. Her comment, here, is worth reading, carefully, and applying to our own lives.
Sunday morning, enroute to Church in downtown Minneapolis, I met two buses whose signage said their destination was “State Fair”. Today, Labor Day, is the final day of the 12 day gluttons paradise. I like the Minnesota State Fair, and indeed was there last Monday, and if the spirit moves me I may go for a couple of hours early today as well.
(click to enlarge)

Minnesota State Fair, August 31, 2015

Minnesota State Fair, August 31, 2015


Meanwhile, back in reality-land, the picture of the drowned little boy is a haunting one, and if I end up at the Fair today, my view will be modified by events of the last few days in Europe and the Middle East.
A thought came to mind: last Monday I indulged in my once a year addiction there: deep fried cheese curds. They were advertised as having the same price as last year, $5.00, a “heckuva deal”, but the container seemed smaller than previously – perhaps a marketing strategy, less curds for the same dollars. Whatever. I bought ’em, and ate ’em and, as always, wondered why, afterwards. See them next year….
It also occurred to me that if everyone of us in the U.S. ponied up $5.00 one time, it would raise over $1.5 billion to bring help wherever needed. My $5 could be that single order of cheese curds that I certainly don’t need.
Meanwhile “over there”, the World Food Programme – one of the spinoffs originally part of the United Nations – announced it was out of money to provide minimal food relief to Syrians in refugee camps. This may have been to spur donations. It survives through international donations, including from the World Food Programme-USA.
On the news Sunday afternoon it was suggested that the U.S. State Department has devoted $4 billion to help alleviate the situation, but I’ve learned in the past to not trust numbers without more elaboration. I looked at the Department of State website and while it is a very interesting site to review, nowhere did I find such a declaration.)
Of course, I doubt many at the Fair tomorrow would think about giving up even $5 of their fun budget to help the refugees who are in Europe and those in desperate need in Syria and elsewhere. It is all so confusing. “Who can I trust with my money” is a common, and even rational, question.
And even the apparent U.S. Federal Aid of, they say, $4 billion, which seems generous, might be at least partially allocated to, for instance, the Department of Defense for war. (Though I don’t have facts on this, this isn’t a hypothetical concern. I once tried for nearly two years to get the Department of State to break down for me its own news release granting $50,000,000 Aid to Haiti in late 2003. They simply would not comply, though by the time I finally gave up, I had learned that the $50 million had gone to the Department of Defense to protect American interests, and to U.S. AID (Agency for International Development), the latter almost certainly for political destabilization of the then-sitting and democratically elected government in Haiti that the U.S. didn’t like. But it was very obvious that no one wanted me, or anyone, to know where that $50 million really went, if it existed at all.)
My sole point in all of this: I am not – none of us are – in a position to constructively change world policy on humanitarian aid in times of crisis, even if we know it is crucial. A few months wait for someone who is starving doesn’t work for the starving person. The money needs to be there, somewhere, to get used when it is needed. An at-best confusing system of assorted charities dealing with emergencies is not adequate. That is why I need to lobby harder for national and international systems, like a more effective and empowered United Nations, that is ready to step in whenever and wherever there is a humanitarian crisis as is now the case in Syria. Only there can my $5, or $10, really make a difference right away.
U. S. Navy Country Current Aug. 31, 2015, Minnesota State Fair

U. S. Navy Country Current Aug. 31, 2015, Minnesota State Fair


A final note: on that Monday at the Fair, I came across a wonderful U.S. Navy Country and Bluegrass music ensemble (above). They were so good, I came back to a second show at the Fair. You can catch them in several segments on YouTube.
At one point the leader recognized his fellow servicemen and women, “taking care of business” around the world to protect our American way of life. His was an applause line, of course, as when he asked we veterans to stand and be recognized as the service anthems were played. But herein is one of our national dilemmas. As a nation we are incomprehensibly wealthy compared to most, and our great wealth blinds us to the needs of others, including the poor in our own country, and our obligations to devote more of our resources in others behalf.
Are we able to learn? Can the little Kurdish boy who drowned help teach us a lesson that will endure?
POSTNOTE: Our initial contribution – $100 – today goes to the American Refugee Committee. They know the trade, and I know them from experience.
Comments, if you wish, to dick_bernardATmsnDOTcom.

#1058 – Dick Bernard: The Humanitarian Crises that we watch on Television. That little Kurdish boy who drowned….

It was heart-wrenching to see this picture in an e-mail this morning:
(click to enlarge)
demo on sunday
Here is the text of the e-mail: “Join us on Sunday, September 4 [6?], at Minnehaha Park [Minneapolis MN] to DEMAND an end to inhumane treatment of refugees, an end to tight border regulations and border walls, an end to police abuse of refugees and immigrants everywhere.
While a little Syrian boy didn’t survive his journey to safety around the world, the image of his body washed up on Turkey’s shore did. Images are not enough. As hundreds of thousands of people undertake the dangerous journey to Europe’s asylum, we must take to the streets to demand the world support them and keep them safe.
MEET AT MINNEHAHA PARK AT 11:45 TO BEGIN THE RALLY. BRING SIGNS AND SMALL DONATIONS FOR MOAS (MIGRANT OFFSHORE AID STATION) WILL BE COLLECTED AS WELL.
REPRESENTATIVE KEITH ELLISON WILL BE HOSTING HIS LABOR DAY PICNIC AND WE HAVE A CHANCE TO REACH A WIDE AUDIENCE.
See our facebook page for more info.”

I’ve watched on every newscast the last couple of days first, the Turkish policeman carrying the lifeless body of this three year old Kurd who, with his mother and brother, drowned attempting to reach freedom. Yesterday and in today’s news we see the anguished young father returning to war-torn Syria to bury his wife and children, saying he does not plan to leave home again: he had left to help save his childrens future; now he has nothing but memories.
The news is full of stories about the tens of thousands seeking refuge from war-torn Syria in other places. We seem to say, “not our problem”….
What troubles me, as an ordinary American, is how insulated I am from these harsh realities. It is so easy to deny our place within the family of man, Watching the news images doesn’t affect me – we see so much of this so often on the tube, but most of us rarely experience anything like it, personally or through people we actually know.
We are isolated from an awful reality of so many. And life goes on: go to the State Fair, the last summer weekend at the lake, etc., etc.
For some reason, the TV image of the Turkish policeman carrying the lifeless Kurdish child reminded me of a long ago photograph from the Fargo Tornado Jun 1957003. The previous day a deadly tornado came through Fargo and West Fargo, killing at least seven people, including this little girl:
Fargo Tornado Jun 1957002
Of course, ten years ago came Katrina, devastating, particularly, New Orleans.
Ten years later, all is not back to normal, though everyone tries to put a positive face on our response to that tragedy, short and long-term.
It’s old news. So easy to forget.
Many years ago, perhaps sometime in the 1990s, an African-American minister put things in their proper context for me. I need to revisit his lesson….
By random chance, I happened to be listening to Krista Tippett’s Speaking of Faith (now called On Being) on Minnesota Public Radio, and her guest was a former evangelical Bishop down south somewhere.
He had built a very large congregation, based largely on expert preaching about the reality of Hell. He filled the hall, so to speak.
One day, at home, he happened to be watching the television news and saw the procession of refugees from the Genocide of Rwanda (1994). In the picture were children.
At that moment, he said, his definition of Hell changed, and the next Sunday, so did his message: Hell was not down there, for bad people; rather it was right here on earth for those poor refugees, particularly those innocent children.
For him, it had dire consequences. His congregants didn’t come to Church to hear messages like “hell on earth” as applied to real persons like themselves – that was too close to home for them, apparently.
His congregation quickly declined, and he literally had to start over.
I don’t remember his name, and thus I can’t find archival record.
For a moment, though, he changed my attitude, and it is good that I can remember it at least the anecdote now, and get more personally engaged.
We are, all of us, part of a much larger world, than just our home, town, state, or nation.
We best not forget that.
NOTE: Follow up post published on Sep 7, here.
COMMENTS:
from Alberder: This was a powerful post. Thank you.
from John: The hell on Earth part is true. The refugee/migration crisis of today will only get worse. But just imagine how much money is being made by the military industrial complex.
from Annelee who grew up in Nazi Germany, whose father refused to join the Nazi Party, then was drafted into the German Army as a road engineer:
Time moves on, the little Kurdish boy’s drowning, the Turkish policeman holding his lifeless body, the inconsolable father will shake most people up for a while — little will be done and people will move on with their lives glad they are not in the refugees situation.
I am guilty too of moving on with life —but memories of my past will not leave me.
I remember 1945 when 3 million Sudetenland Germans [what is now western Czech Republic] were forced to leave their homeland; when residents of what became East Germany left their homes and lived in refugee camps for a decade or more.
As you know I have a little doll house chair that keeps my memories alive. Today, my aunt Lisbeth is so much on my mind [one of those expelled from Sudetenland]. I still can see her when she handed me the little chair— she took it from her home— even though she had lost everything— she thought of me.
“Papa? may I ask why God leaves us so alone? I am NOT losing my faith, just questioning?????”
I watched 2020 last night when the Holy Father [Pope Francis]—spoke via phone to homeless and refugees.
A young man told his life story: His Mexican father brought his family to Texas where they worked to have a better life. The young man attended school in Texas— when he applied to attend the university, it was found that he and his family were illegal immigrants from Mexico. He and his family were deported to Mexico where they live in a homeless shelter.
Germany has so much to be ashamed of — from 1933-1945 — but I am proud that Germany will take 800,000 refugees to ease the suffering of people who were caught in a web not of their making.
———————————
My niece Manuela was here [from Germany]: I always tried to console Mama when she wished we would learn what happened to Papa [Annelee’s father, who refused to join the Nazi party and was drafted into the Germany Army to work on road construction – he was an engineer]. I always said that maybe it was better not to know.
Manuela: “I always wanted to know what happened to my grandpa [Annelee’s Dad] during or near the end of the war. I had it researched, which is costly, but possible now. here is what I have learned so far:
[Annelee’s Dad] was taken prisoner by the Russians during March 1945—-
He ended up in Siberia where he with other German prisoners of war built roads.
After 1945 Poland demanded German Prisoners from Russia —Papa was selected with a great number of other prisoners to be sent to Poland —- Poland sent these prisoners to Auschwitz.
While there they were killed to avenge all the Jews that Germany had killed at Auschwitz.”
NOTE FROM DICK: This is a particularly profound commentary on the reality of war. Annelee has been to Auschwitz four times, and never knew what Manuela, her niece, has revealed. The Jewish population of Poland was virtually obliterated by the Nazis; but a similar number (though fewer as a percentage of the population) of Poles were killed as well. Annelee’s “Papa” did the right thing, refusing to go along with the Nazi line, but was punished by the victors anyway. Those of us who feel we are insulated simply by virtue of thinking righteous thoughts have best think about this again. We are part of whatever system we happen to be in.
from Larry, in Fargo ND: Excellent piece on the refugees, Dick. Your comparison of the photo of the three-year old from Turkey with that photo from long ago is, sadly, appropriate and thought-provoking. As Shakespeare wrote, “what is past is prologue.” Truer words, unfortunately, were never written.
from Jeff: Good piece.
The photo was one of those that ends up changing minds. (starting to see some help for these unfortunates in EU)
As to yr preacher who had a change of view on “Hell”, I do remember that, think there was a magazine piece on him a few years back.
We apostates prefer to point to the continuing occurences of bad things happening to innocent people of course as proof of the absence of a “just” god.
Since the death of this innocent child alone, much less the people found suffocated in locked trucks, or hacked to death in Rwanda, Nigeria, (add your location), defies certainly the logic Of St Augustine and Aquinas, but certainly extinguishes the dim light of faith for many of us as well.