We’ll be at our Precinct Caucus tonight, at a Middle School in rural Lake Elmo ‘a hop and a skip’ from where Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann lives alongside a golf course. Many precincts will convene at this school, same as always. Four years ago, Feb. 5, 2008…well, here’s what I said, then: “I’ve attended precinct caucuses […]
Is there change in the air? Sometimes you just have to take the time to look…and then you need to double down, and go back to work, hard, hard work. Yes, I said “go to work”. Human nature seems to minimize accomplishments, and denies how much work is necessary to make changes, and to sustain […]
NOTE: This post originated in November, 2007, titled LYNN ELLING: A MILLION COPIES MADE: Visioning a New Declaration of World Citizenship, by Dick Bernard. Originally published Nov. 5, 2007 at Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers, of which Dick Bernard was then President, slightly revised February 3, 2011, and December 3, 2012, and has been updated by addition […]
Today is a pea-soup fog day in my town, and the temperature is about 32 degrees, so any of the resident Woodbury groundhogs have no worries about sunburn, or freezing to death. They will not see their shadow, at least not from sunlight. But the place for groundhogs today is Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney Phil has […]
See Feb. 6 Update at end of this post. Last night we attended a very interesting session sponsored by the group River Valley Action. The topic was Myth Busters. (DebunkingCommonMyths_Jan31_final) There were three excellent and knowledgeable presenters: J. Drake Hamilton of the organization Fresh Energy; Professor David Schultz; and Kathy Tomsich of League of Women […]
UPDATE see end of this post Thanks to a column in today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune I was reminded of long ago memories of Saul Alinsky. No, I didn’t know him, but I certainly knew of him, and he had considerable influence on my early work as a teacher union organizer. Yesterday was Saul Alinsky’s 100th […]
At this moment, it is uncertain how many proposed amendments to the State Constitution will be on the ballot in November. If you have an interest in the 150 year history of these amendments, all the information can be accessed here. Click on the link to the Minnesota 2011-12 Legislative Manual (Blue Book) at the […]
This morning, in Las Vegas NV, there will be a celebration of the life of my cousin Patricia (Pat), who passed away, cancer, on January 25 at age 61. Far too young, but this is how life goes…one of the two certainties we all share: we enter, we leave…. It was not my privilege to […]
This is posted BEFORE the actual State of the Union is presented by President Obama. This [Tuesday] afternoon I sent my own mailing list a reminder of President Obama’s State of the Union (SOTU) address this evening. The subject line read: “What would you ask President Obama?” A friend, who I think would answer to […]
This morning, as usual on Sunday, I went to 9:30 Mass at Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. Not as usual, I entered through the door directly beneath the west bell tower. I noticed a new marble step there. That door has been blocked off by yellow police tape for a long time – most […]