Entries by dickbernard

Protests

POSTNOTE April 12, 2025:  This afternoon I went to a community meeting including my state representative and state senator.  There were about 75 of us in attendance.  The purpose of the open meeting was to update us on the Minnesota Legislature now in session. The meeting was remarkable in its civility.  The two legislators did […]

Thinking politically

The previous post got me to thinking about politics in my own life.  What I articulate below I have said before in various ways.  I doubt it will surprise anyone who knows me. In my early times I had no particular interest in politics.  Dwight Eisenhower was President in my high school and college years, […]

Wisconsin…Hands-Off

Day 73 of first 100. Tuesday was an important Election Day in Wisconsin.  There were also two elections in Florida.  I choose to focus on Wisconsin because I’m about ten miles “as the crow flies” from Wisconsin, and the Twin Cities media carried much of the advertising seen by Wisconsin voters.  (I’m the dot on […]

The March to Fascism

April 1: An election day in Wisconsin and Florida. Give yourself 10 minutes to either read or listen to Thinking About from Timothy Snyder.  Skeptic?  Okay.  Shelve it for the necessary 10 minutes. * Here is my March 29 post, published on Day 68 of the first 100 days.  I am reposting this because nearly […]

Bits and Pieces

By my count, today is Day 68 of the first 100 days.  Our democracy is under assault, we have to be the ones who defend it.  Do something, every day.  There are at least 75 million of us. It seems pertinent this day to reprise my first and only reference to Tesla in these pages. […]

AMillionCopies

This letter is especially to you, specifically to you. Today (Saturday, March 22, 2025) is the second day of Spring in Minnesota, and Day 61 of the first 100 days since the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States. Today, it is increasingly evident that the citizenry of the U.S. is beginning to […]

The Empire Builder

UPDATED MARCH 22, 2025: The last few days I’ve had the privilege of watching the four episodes on the life of James J. Hill.   HERE is the link to the four episodes. An earlier promotional link about the series can be read here.  The portion about the link to the series there is outdated, […]

Decapitation

Why “Decapitation” as a title?  See end.  A dew days ago I responded to someone else’s post as follows: “Outstanding. Now if we all can really believe that we are the ones who will make the difference, one person, one action at a time“.  Barbara K, responded to my response: “Richard, I have posted this […]

“Acquiesce”?

The Saturday Minnesota Star Tribune main headline was clear enough: “Dems acquiesce to prevent shutdown“. Anyone who follows national news has read/heard all about it, so no need to go into detail. Elsewhere on the front page were other headlines “U approves limits on faculty speech…Resolution gives president broad control over communications”; “So why the […]

Social Security A bit of history…et al

PRENOTE: If you think what is happening, won’t happen, or can’t happen, read this at your leisure. It seems a good time to remember Social Security by re-presenting some history through some brief personal recollections, as well as some documentary ‘evidence’ as provided to a covered worker – myself – in 1992 and 2001. It […]