"Before the Flood" with Leonardo di Caprio

I watched this powerful film on Climate Change last night. You can watch on-line (the National Geographic Channel) here.
This film is a new release, one hour, 41 minutes, gripping and compelling.
I’ll say no more.
Take the time….
More information on other ways to watch this video are here.

Dick Bernard: Meeting a Witch.

First, a significant program which will be accessible worldwide for the next week, beginning tonight on the National Geographic Channel. Details here. This film, “Before the Flood”, is Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary on Climate Change, on the National Geographic Channel tonight, and gives details on the many free access points for the film on the web for the next few days.
POSTNOTE Sunday evening Oct. 30: I have just watched this film. It is very thought provoking. Excellent.
The Witch
Saturday noon our friend, Don, and I went to the local Dairy Queen for lunch. Just inside the restaurant, we met a nice looking middle-aged lady all dressed up as a witch, tall pointed hat and all black clothing, about to leave.
I made a good-natured crack, and she responded, good-naturedly but with authority, “I am a witch”. There was a small amount of banter, and we were on our respective ways. She was a most pleasant person!
Around us were a few youngsters “practicing” for Monday night, All Souls Day, Halloween. There weren’t any hobgoblins, but the assorted costumes allowed that they were preparing for “trick or treats” a couple of days out (we used to say “money or eats”, too – I wonder….) Our neighborhood lately has been almost devoid of young gremlins, though my wife has stocked up for Monday night since there are a fair crop of new neighbors with kids, including a 7 year old next door. We might get some business.
The little interchange with the witch (I’ll take her word for it), caused me to think.
Witches tend to get a bad rap, which causes them to most often be quiet about their belief system. Our mindset, when “witch” is mentioned, is of people casting spells; the “wicked witch of the west”, “witches brew” and such.
(The witch we met yesterday did a more than reasonable “cackle”.)
There likely is a reputable witch web site that is “fair and balanced”. For the lazy researcher – me – the wikipedia entry seems helpful. You can read it here.
One day a year – tomorrow – the kids come around to stock up on unhealthy food bought by otherwise good parents.
No carrot sticks and celery on Halloween! Apples have a bad reputation…too easy to put sharp things in.
There are other events. A number of years ago I walked in the Mexican Dia de Muertos, “Day of the Dead” in south Minneapolis. It was very impressive. My guess is that it will happen this week as well.
This morning at Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis there will be the 22nd annual procession of the Icons, an annual event connected with All Souls Day, always impressive (at 9:30 and 11:30 Mass for any interested).
A few years ago, around Halloween, Nov. 5, 2001, we happened to be at a B&B overlooking a little park in London, England, and at night noticed parents and children were around in the park with little fires, having fun and celebrating something or other. Later I learned it was Guy Fawkes Night, celebrating the day that a militant English Catholic tried and failed to blow up Parliament in 1605.
I don’t know if I actually met a “witch” yesterday, but whoever she was, I’m grateful that she caused me to take a moment to reflect on the humanity of all of us, and the sometimes nonsensical things we do to validate ourselves over others; or just invalidate others….
There’s room for all kinds of people in our society, so long as we deal respectfully with each other.
Have an enjoyable Halloween!

Dick Bernard: Two Gentle Books for Peaceful People….

The old ballad comes to mind as I begin this post: “Home, home on the range, where the deer and the Antelope play, where seldom is heard, a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day.”
As this latest round of “daily dismal” – the 2016 election season – nears an end, I’d like to invite attention to some truly positive inspirational books about people like us; like the folks most of us are blessed with next door; the people we see at the grocery store, in church, out walking in the park….
The two books (click on the titles for more information about each):
“Green Card Youth Voices”. 29 Immigration Stories by young people at a Minneapolis High School
“A Peace of my Mind American Stories” 63 people, 40,000 miles across the USA
In my opinion, both books deserve and will receive national recognition.
Very briefly:
Green Card Youth Voices
It was a privilege to listen to three of the 29 authors of this book read from and discuss their experiences as Green Card Youth, immigrants to the United States. The three, pictured below 2nd, third and fifth from left, were Zaynab Abdi (pp 1-4) from Yemen; Fosiya Hussein (pp 113-115) from Somalia; and Wendy St. Felix (pp 109-111) from Haiti. (The other two in the photo, visitors at the talk: Lulu, a PhD student from Brazil; Shimri, a peace activist from Israel.)

October 20, 2016, Minneapolis MN

October 20, 2016, Minneapolis MN


It is very easy in these days to become terminally cynical about any hope for the future.
Kids like these (and there are lots of them) bring hope back.
Green Card Youth Voices is more than just pages and pictures. Each story includes a link to an on-line video interview with the author; and there is a Study Guide at the end of the book. So the book is not a destination, it is a beginning of a journey.
I highly recommend getting to know the organization, Green Card Voices. I had the very happy privilege of meeting the Executive Director of the organization, Tea Rozman-Clark, where her group was having one of its first programs, at Hosmer Library in South Minneapolis, in Nov. 2013.
A Peace of my Mind American Stories compiled by John Noltner.
american-stories001
I met John Noltner some years ago when he was beginning a photo journalism project, interviewing people engaged in peacemaking. His first book, A Peace of My Mind, and subsequent traveling photograph display which has been very well received around the United States led him to a 40,000 mile journey around the U.S., and lengthy interviews with 63 ordinary people about life’s stories and lessons.
September 27 I was privileged to be with a large group listening to John talk about his project.
Sitting nearby, it turned out, was the subject of one of the stories, Deanna Thompson (pp 44-45) a six year survivor of Stage Four Breast Cancer, teacher of religion at Hamline University, St. Paul, a positive example for us all.
Deanna Thompson (at right) Sep 27, 2016

Deanna Thompson (at right) Sep 27, 2016


Another story is Padre Johnson‘s, Cody WY (pp 86-87). The students above are holding Padre’s 1992 book, Journeys with the Global Family, recounting his time spent with people in 159 different countries in the 1970s. His is a remarkable story.
John Noltner’s trip to American Stories is described here, including link to a long interview in the Smithsonian on-line newsletter.
There you have it: two new books, 92 stories by and about ordinary people – people like us. These are ideal gifts for yourself, and others, at any time. Every story gives cause for reflection. Check them out. They’re an investment, not a cost.
IN MEMORIAM:
Connections may seem random. They really never are. Everything has a reason.
A year ago this week my friend, Lynn Elling, then 93, seemed more and more determined that there must be a meeting about peace at his favorite restaurant, Gandhi Mahal, in Minneapolis. I knew what he wanted, but precisely who and what was not clear this time. Finally, I went to his home, and eight of us met with him on Friday evening, Nov. 6 (photo at end of this post).
It was Lynn who had invited me to the initial event of Green Card Voices in Nov. 2, 2013. It was through Lynn that I had some time earlier met Padre Johnson.
Lynn’s resume for Peace is long and stellar. He could not, would not, “put his feet up”. He too-well remembered the carnage at Tarawa Beach as a young LST officer in WWII.
Sep. 21, he was at the Dedication of The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis as a Peace Site.
Our Nov. 6 meeting ended, and Cathy Manning took Lynn home.
The next day, Nov. 7, he was admitted to the hospital, and except for about two days near his death he didn’t come home again.
He died Feb. 14, 2016, at the doorstep of 94.
Lynn, there are others after you who carry on your work. Thanks for your efforts.
In peace.
Lynn (at right) at what turned out to be his final Friday night gathering at Gandhi Mahal restaurant.  The next day he went into the hospital, and except for three days in January, 2016, never returned home.

Lynn (at right) at what turned out to be his final Friday night gathering at Gandhi Mahal restaurant. The next day he went into the hospital, and except for three days in January, 2016, never returned home.

Dick Bernard: The Down-Ballot Elections.

What candidates and issues are on your Nov. 8 Minnesota ballot? Check here for specifics.
Last night, Oct. 25, I went to the local League of Women Voters “Meet the Candidates” Forum in Woodbury. The Forum was divided into two parts: 1) the six candidates for State Senate and House of Representatives; 2) the ten candidates for two Woodbury City Council seats.
I stayed for part one. I’m at the end stages of a bad cold, so left before part two.
The Monday Forum, and others, are available for viewing here.
Woodbury is a city of near 70,000, and Minnesota legislative districts are about 80,000 population. No candidate can be expected to marshal a campaign to knock on every door, or even a large fraction.
The Forums are an effort to give interested citizens a small amount of actual face-time with the candidates.
Candidates for State Legislature
In our case, the local league ran the one hour session expertly, tightly managed. All of the candidates were polite (five women, one man, for three positions).
I would guess that there were 100 of us in the room; nothing raucous from the audience, polite applause for all at the end. Audiences, real people, are important.
Each candidate could make an opening and closing statement, and all were asked to respond to 6 questions. The session was one hour: 10 times 6 = 60 minutes…and there’s opening and closing. That’s less than a minute per round per person.
It seems odd, but even that brief time can give one a sense of a candidates knowledge, demeanor and general feelings about the few issues raised.
But you also become aware of how complex the job of a state legislator is.
The people we send to St. Paul in January have to be quick studies, willing to work very hard, and have a great commitment to not only their constituents, but to the entire state and indeed our nation. There are no ‘easy’ questions in their positions. They run, willingly.
City Council, and other Down Ballot.
The candidates and issues “down ballot” are all very important. You don’t see TV ads or lawn signs about them. These are not glamorous jobs, and local politics can be very mean and nasty. If you’re in a dysfunctional town, you know it, and the town suffers. We seem fairly lucky here in Woodbury, but how to go about deciding between ten people for two positions?
As I mentioned, I did not stay for part two.
As I was leaving, a young woman approached me and introduced herself as one of the candidates for City Council. She gave me her card. She made a very positive first impression. The issues she raised with me resonated positively. She had no idea who I was.
(click to enlarge)
andrea-date003
Are others of the ten better than her? She earned a head start in my book!
Between now and when I vote, I’ll seek to find my two choices by asking people I know if they have specific recommendations for the City Council. These are people who pay more attention to local politics than I. As a matter of course I don’t vote for candidates I don’t know, (except incumbent judges which are a separate category).
Other offices/issues
My ballot shows one candidate for County Commissioner. An incumbent, the incumbent has always seemed to do a good job. Easy choice.
There are three candidates for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor District 5 Washington County: My choice is George C. Weyer. I had no idea what this office was about until a chance meeting with Mr. Weyer some years ago. Check out the website (linked above).
Finally, there is a Constitutional Amendment on the Ballot which “removes legislators power to set their own salaries, and instead establish[es] an independent citizens-only council to prescribe salaries of lawmakers.
It sounds so innocent and obvious. But I’ll very likely vote no. There are too many questions about what “independent citizen’s only” means. Too much potential for mischief to be made. The job of Legislator is very important, too important to be left to potential whim and caprice. Under our system, lawmakers should continue to make laws, one of which is their compensation. There are a great plenty of ‘checks and balances’ within their own membership to take care of problems.
Take your vote seriously November 8.

Dick Bernard: "The Times They are a-changing".

From 1983-91, I lived and worked in Hibbing MN. My office was on the Main Street, 402 E Howard St, the Teske Building, and I lived in an apartment about three blocks away on 1st Ave.
Those days I often went by the boyhood home of Bobby Zimmerman, and since I worked for school teachers I was often in the Hibbing High School, a short walk for me, the high school from which Bobby Zimmerman had graduated in 1959. In the 1980s, as I recall, Bobby, (later aka “Bob Dylan“), was not yet on the list of Hibbing legends. Out at the overlook for the giant Hull-Rust-Mahoning mine, the main famous guy for Hibbing pictured in the gift shop was Gino Paulucci (you can probably look him up).
Hibbingites, then, would have been surprised – shocked – to know that within the last week, their Bobby Zimmerman, Bob Dylan, would be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in the fall of 2016.
That is how Change seems to work….

Some old Stamps mark some leaders and times of change in the United States

Some old Stamps mark some leaders and times of change in the United States


Dylan wrote “Times they are a-changin” at the beginning of his career – 1964.
Those of us old enough to remember the 1960s and the 1970s know it wasn’t a sedate time for those who liked to remember the “good old days”. It was a time of Civil Rights and Human Rights; Vietnam and 18 year olds getting the right to vote (1971) and women getting maternity leave rather than having to quit their job when they were “showing”.
For kids, today, achievements like those are ancient history. A 50 year old African-American today would have been two when Martin Luther King was gunned down in Memphis in 1968.
Change had its costs.
We’re once again in the throes of change, but it’s different this time.
For near eight years now, an African-American man, Barack Obama, has been President of the United States, and his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, has become one of the true exemplars of American ideals. Yes, it took 145 years from the Emancipation Proclamation for such an occasion to happen, but it has happened, and there’s no turning back.
And it wasn’t easy.
Recently I found a note sent to me by a valued friend, which was written the day after Barack Obama was elected in November, 2008. It is rather remarkably awful. Here it is: letter-11-04-2008002.
Four years later, a day or so after the re-election in November, 2012, an anguished relative forwarded a column in Forbes magazine, about how, after President Obama was reelected, the entire American economy would collapse. I kept that one too: Misery Loves Company. It, too, speaks for itself.
Now we seem at the doorstep of, thankfully, electing the first woman President in American History, Hillary Clinton. [My formal endorsement of Hillary Clinton can be found at my blog for Sep 24, 2016]
It needn’t surprise that it’s taken so long to get around to actually elect a woman; after all it took women 57 more years to get the right to vote, than for the slaves to be emancipated in the United States (1920 vs 1863).
It’s an unpleasant fact, I believe, that it was easier for Barack Obama to become President, than it has been for a woman: Obama is a man…. But he, too, had to break down a huge barrier. It’s the same, now for Hillary Clinton.
While women Heads of Government have not been uncommon around the world (a listing here), thus far it has not happened here in the United States.
Within the last few days I received the first terrified prediction of what will happen if Hillary Clinton becomes President of the United States. (I choose not to share this one – you can guess. The same guy sent a dozen forwards of Alt-right stuff overnight. He’s committed.)
But “the times, they are a-changin”, and while no one can accurately predict the challenges for America’s first woman President (and there will be challenges, as there have been for all the predecessors), this country will be the better for the experience, and we can learn a lesson we’ve been reluctant to accept: that women are very worthy leaders too.
The election isn’t over yet.
Vote, and vote very well informed, November 8, 2016.

POSTNOTE: At the end of the the October 18 post, I shared this quote by James Fallows of the Atlantic:
“Probably the memorable quote for me is this one I saw yesterday, in the Atlantic, from James Fallows, as follows: “The very hardest thing about being president is that almost all of the choices you get to make are no-win, impossible decisions. Let civilians keep getting slaughtered in Syria? Or commit U.S. forces without being sure who they are fighting for and how they might “win”? Propose a “compromise” measure—on health insurance, gun control, taxes, a Supreme Court nominee, whatever—in hopes that you’ll win over some of the opposition? Or assume from the start that the opposition will oppose, and begin by asking for more than you can get? Choices that are easier or more obvious get made by someone else before they are anywhere close to the president’s desk.
These decisions are hardest when life-and-death stakes are high and time is short. In 2003, invade Iraq, or wait? In 2011, authorize the raid on bin Laden, or not? In 1962, when to confront the Soviets over their missiles in Cuba, and when to look for the possibility of compromise.
The more I’ve learned about politics and the presidency, the more I’ve been sobered by the combination of temperamental stability and intellectual rigor these decisions demand. Stability, not to be panicked or rushed or provoked. Rigor, to understand what more you need to know, but also to recognize when you must make a choice even with less information than you would like.”

When Bob Dylan wrote “the Times they are a-changin'” in 1964, he was just a kid.
Oh, what an anthem it has become.
All of us have had to endure change, which is quite often scary.
Most often, the one who takes the risk to change finds that life is better on the other side.
I always will remember a piece of prose I saw at a time of huge change in my own life, in 1982.
Here it is:
Leo Buscaglia quotation

Leo Buscaglia quotation

Green Card Youth Voices: A Special Event Thursday evening, October 21.

This Thursday, Oct 20, from 6:45 – 8:45 p.m., three young people, all immigrants and “Green Card Youth” in Minnesota, will share experiences and perspectives on living in the United States.
The program is free and open to the public, at Plymouth Congregational Church, (Jackman Room), 1900 Nicollet Avenue S (between LaSalle and Nicollet at Franklin Ave). Directions here.
The three students:
Fosiya Hussein (Somalia)
Luis Angel Santos Henriquez (El Salvador)
Wendy St. Felix (Haiti)
Central to the conversation will be the new book, Green Card Youth Voices.
Moderator is Tea Rozman-Clark, a 2015 Archibald Bush Fellow and founder of Green Card Voices.
This will be a very interesting program with opportunity for dialogue about a most important topic in contemporary United States conversation.
Young people are not only stewards of their own futures, but of our future, and the future of our planet.
Here is a great opportunity to hear their voices. Don’t miss this chance to interact with these young people from diverse places.
Take the time to participate this Thursday.
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Third Thursday is a regular program of Citizens for Global Solutions MN bringing perspectives on contemporary issues. You can see more about Third Thursday and Citizens for Global Solutions MN, here.

Dick Bernard: The Election is Three Weeks from Today: "Trustworthy"? "Honesty"? and Down-Ballot

My own strong endorsement of Hillary Clinton for President, since 2008, has long been “on the record”. The essential information is here, (note the brief section below the stamps.)
Minnesotans have been able to cast their ballots since late September. I guess I’m a traditionalist: I’ll likely join the line at our local polling place on election day.
“Trustworthy”
When I described my support for Hillary Clinton in 2008, I described her as competent, experienced, tough – a person able to tolerate and navigate the terrible brutality of contemporary American politics.
This year I added the words honest and trustworthy to my descriptor of her.
Back in the September 24 post, I invested a few paragraphs on the business of “honesty” as it related not only to Hillary Clinton, but to all of us.
I said nothing more about “trustworthy” on Sep 24.
I said nothing more because there was nothing more to say….
In my opinion, to declare someone can’t be trusted (is not trustworthy) is a cruel value judgement unless there has been a direct personal experience – some proof, personally experienced.
Tell me about the person who has said they never violated trust, and I would show you an example of a liar, at minimum, lying to themself. This is part of all of our lives, but not a fatal disability.
As it applies to Hillary Clinton, I offer a single example in defense of her as a person, as a leader.
One single time in my long life I have been within hand shake distance of a person who was actually President of the United States, and that was for an instant.
It was August, 1975, outside the Marriott Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota, and President Gerald Ford was on the other side of the ropeline. My preoccupation was to take his picture, and I did:

President Gerald Ford August 19, 1975.  Photo by Dick Bernard, top of Tom Bernards head just visible in foreground.  Tom was 11.

President Gerald Ford August 19, 1975. Photo by Dick Bernard, top of Tom Bernards head just visible in foreground. Tom was 11.


Was I in a position to judge President Ford’s trustworthiness, then, or any time? Certainly not.
Could he judge my own trustworthiness? (Those secret service guys answer that question! Their job was to trust no one, and was one among them.)
So, hardly anybody “trusts” Hillary Clinton, it is constantly suggested: the polls say so. Left, right or middle makes not much difference. But all there are are in support of this are insinuations, accusations, unsupported beliefs based on fragments of what is called evidence, but really nothing of substance.
This is a triumph of labelling run totally amuck in our own United States. Even the business of reporting of “trust” adds to the narrative that she can’t be trusted. “Well, they say….”
We cannot run our lives this way. We cannot be slaves to labels, maliciously applied. And “maliciously applied” is a constant in American politics these days.
There is that Bible truism, “Do not judge, that you may not be judged” (MT 7:1).
It fits.
Down Ballot
The most important votes, in my opinion, are well informed votes for the people running for the many other offices appearing on the ballot three weeks from today.
We not only need to know who these candidates are, but what they stand for.
Is it too much to ask that at least we know a little bit about every one of these folks, their records (or lack of same), before we vote for or against them, or don’t vote at all because we don’t know anything about them?
VOTE, AND VOTE WELL INFORMED TUESDAY NOVEMBER 8.
Here’s a site to beginning accessing necessary information, wherever you live.
POSTNOTES: ICONIC IMAGES AND A QUOTE
1. There are two images which are imprinted on my brain:
A. Two and a half years ago, it was in late winter of March, 2014, in small town North Dakota, I was stopping in to see my Uncle’s tax man to take care of business relating to my Uncle. As I approached the door a forlorn looking man came out, apparently the recipient of some bad news inside.
I’d never seen him before, being a stranger in town; nonetheless he felt moved to announce that Hillary Clinton should be in prison, one would presume because she was the cause of his misery. The false story about Hillary was apparently already full-throated in the alt-universe, even though it had been years since Hillary was in the U.S. Senate, and at that time was one of 535 lawmakers. She had been given powers that she didn’t have by those who hated her, even then.
2. Earlier this year, Sen. Lindsay Graham had dropped out of competition for the Republican nomination for President, one of the earliest to throw in the towel among the 17 contenders. I saw him one day on television, when only Ted Cruz and Donald Trump remained in the running, and he very clearly had no time for either.
Even so, even in this time of woe, he felt obligated to first announce the apparently sacred Republican talking point, that Hillary Clinton was a liar. I’ll not forget it.
3. Probably the memorable quote for me is this one I saw yesterday, in the Atlantic, from James Fallows, as follows: “The very hardest thing about being president is that almost all of the choices you get to make are no-win, impossible decisions. Let civilians keep getting slaughtered in Syria? Or commit U.S. forces without being sure who they are fighting for and how they might “win”? Propose a “compromise” measure—on health insurance, gun control, taxes, a Supreme Court nominee, whatever—in hopes that you’ll win over some of the opposition? Or assume from the start that the opposition will oppose, and begin by asking for more than you can get? Choices that are easier or more obvious get made by someone else before they are anywhere close to the president’s desk.
These decisions are hardest when life-and-death stakes are high and time is short. In 2003, invade Iraq, or wait? In 2011, authorize the raid on bin Laden, or not? In 1962, when to confront the Soviets over their missiles in Cuba, and when to look for the possibility of compromise.
The more I’ve learned about politics and the presidency, the more I’ve been sobered by the combination of temperamental stability and intellectual rigor these decisions demand. Stability, not to be panicked or rushed or provoked. Rigor, to understand what more you need to know, but also to recognize when you must make a choice even with less information than you would like.”

Dr. Joseph Schwartzberg: LESSONS FROM THE BERLIN AIRLIFT APPLICABLE TO HUMANITARIAN AID IN SYRIA

NOTE: The sole purpose of this post is to convey a three page proposal very recently written by my friend and mentor, Dr. Joseph E. Schwartzberg, Distinguished International Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota, and Director, The Workable World Trust. This is shared with Dr. Schwartzberg’s permission. It is my hope that you will further share this writing with your own networks. Dick Bernard
Dr. Schwartzberg’s three-page proposal is here: berlin-airlift-and-syria
Here is more information about Dr. Schwartzberg. Succinctly, Joe has “walked the talk” about a more workable world for many years.
The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) Factbook about Syria can be accessed here.
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POST-NOTE: I am reminded of Margaret Mead’s timeless quotation: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” And Gandhi’s: “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.

#1169 – Dick Bernard: A 175th Birthday in St. Paul; "In the Beginning, there was a Chapel"

Yesterday, I took a short trip to St. Paul, to a park at the corner of Kellogg Blvd and Minnesota Street, overlooking the Mississippi River.
(click photos to enlarge)

Site of the original church of St. Paul, built October, 1841, the namesake of the City of St. Paul MN.  Located at Kellogg Blvd and Minnesota Street, St. Paul

Site of the original church of St. Paul, built October, 1841, the namesake of the City of St. Paul MN. Located at Kellogg Blvd and Minnesota Street, St. Paul


175 years ago, in October, 1841, eight French-Canadians, migrants from Red River country, built a log chapel overlooking the Mississippi River at the point marked by the above monument, well hidden in plain sight.
The chapel (seen below as painted by Alexis Fournier) was dedicated to St. Paul, and thus the location once known as Pigs Eye, became St. Paul, and some years later became the Capitol city of the new state of Minnesota.
The simple structure was dedicated November 1,1841, 175 years ago.
fournier-chapel
About two weeks from now, Tuesday, November 1, a special event will mark the 175th anniversary of the little Chapel, which named a city, and became the first of four Cathedrals built in St. Paul.
A special program, sponsored by the French-American Heritage Foundation, will celebrate the anniversary (click here for all information about the program and registration.)
There is limited seating. Reserve soon.
If you haven’t been there in awhile, or ever, take a few minutes to visit the place that gave St. Paul its name, directly across Kellogg Boulevard at Minnesota Street in St. Paul.
There is a lot of history at this small place.
One of the four panels at the site of the monument to the chapel of St. Paul

One of the four panels at the site of the monument to the chapel of St. Paul


The monument looking from Minnesota Street towards the Mississippi River.

The monument looking from Minnesota Street towards the Mississippi River.


Also, FAHF has recently published three books about the French in America heritage in Minnesota. One of these is about the birth of the Cathedral, “In the Beginning there was a chapel”. Here is the link to order any of the books.
Disclaimer: I am a member of the Board of FAHF, and responsible for the three volume “Chez Nous”.
The third new book is “They Spoke French”, a primer about the strong but quiet presence of the French in Minnesota.
All of the books are brand new, very recently released. Each would make excellent holiday gifts.

#1168 – Dick Bernard: The Sunday Night Debate, two days later.

It is one month until election day. My personal position is here.
In this post I want to focus on an important, slightly noticed, aspect of Sunday nights debate.
(click to enlarge)

An outcome of civility in political conversation, 2016

An outcome of civility in political conversation, 2016


Sunday night I watched the entire debate from St. Louis. Yesterday, a long-time friend told of a Dad, who watched the debate with his son, whose class had been assigned to watch the debate. One can only imagine the class discussion on the day after the night before….
For me, there was one question that mattered Sunday night. It was the last question, from one of the citizens, and except for the moderators and whoever chose the questioner, it is likely that no one, including Secretary Clinton and Donald Trump, knew it was coming.
As best I recall, that last question was, basically, is there anything good you can say about your opponent?
Secretary Clinton complimented Mr. Trump on his kids. As a Dad with over 50 years experience, knowing the ups and downs of Dadsmanship, I thought that was a pretty neat compliment.
Mr. Trump complimented Secretary Clinton on her toughness (as I interpreted his response): “she doesn’t quit; she doesn’t give up…”. In his arena, power is everything, and she was ‘toe to toe’, not giving an inch. That, too, I thought was a pretty neat compliment.
So far, two days later, I have seen or heard no op eds about that final question. There have been mentions, but brief. Still, that moment on Sunday was a brave appeal for civility in the political conversation.
Politics has always been a competition of ideas. It is only in relatively recent years that it has become sanctioned brutality towards the opponent. “Character assassination” in all of its manifestations is rampant.
Back in 2004 I came across a particularly pertinent comment by then-U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey about the nature of politics. Sen. Humphrey used a pencil as metaphor, and you can read the short description on my website here. The quotation is the first paragraph; the rest of the writing is mine. The paragraph speaks for itself.
Vigorous debate has always been a part of politics. Sanctioned brutality and polarization are much more recent, and dangerous. Abraham Lincoln famously said “a house divided against itself cannot stand“. Last I heard, success comes from being together, not in a civil war, at every level.
It happened that right before the Sunday debate I was at a meeting with my local legislative candidate, JoAnn Ward, Minnesota House District $53A.
JoAnn (she’s third from left in the above photo) is seeking her third term; the first term as part of the majority party; the second as part of the minority.
From the beginning, she was aware of how dysfunctional government had become; where helping government work through bipartisan effort had become subordinate to partisan politics, each side distrusting of the other: the objective temporary power.
Early on, she decided to become a difference-maker, becoming active in a non-partisan national group called National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD).
The picture that leads this post will be part of a major mailer to JoAnn’s constituents soon. As will the neat graphic which makes up the address side of the mailer (portion of the graphic pictured below).
From a political mailer on civility.

From a political mailer on civility.


Sunday night a citizen in St. Louis asked the question and became part of the solution.
Similarly, JoAnn Ward as a legislator is taking a leadership role in doing the same.
As citizens, we all have a role to play in changing the conversation.
What is yours?