POSTNOTE July 8: see postnote July 7.

Today is Independence Day.  Here’s the Library of Congress history about July 4.

I have an affinity for history, and over the years, in travels here and there, it’s always been my inclination to stop and look at placards and stop in at museums of one sort or another, to get a taste of history wherever I happen to be.  Over my life, I’ve made 49 of the 50 states and have seen a great deal in person.  (It appears I’ll miss Alaska,  but no matter).  There’s a lot of history packed into this country’s 248 or so years.

Flag over Ft. McHenry MD ,July 1999, by Dick Bernard

For some reason, this day my mind zeroes in on  ‘Star Spangled Banner’ fort (Ft. McHenry) made famous by Francis Scott Key, which I visited 25 years ago this summer.  (Photo above).  Mostly it rests quietly in outer Baltimore harbor. Here is the map of the area.  In recent months Francis Scott-Key bridge, a couple of miles further seaside, was taken down by an out of control container ship.

Today I’ll take the easy route and just present the history of Ft McHenry as interpreted by its proprietors.  I’ve “been there, done that”.   As the saying goes, in a lot of ways, if you’re seen one fort, you’ve seen them all.  But they’re all unique in their actual history.  Here’s a story of Francis Scott-Key.  As you can read, history is complicated….

America is an exercise of now 248 years, of we the people building a country, now including 50 states: our United States of America.  What our forefathers have fought for, over the last near 250 years, is now at risk. At this July 4, the project begun in 1776 is in very real danger of collapse.

Civil War veterans at O’Fallon IL 1908, from my post for July 1, 2024

Here are some sobering thoughts to consider in coming days and weeks.

Here is my own post, “Joe“, for July 2, 2024.

Heather Cox Richardson‘s Letters from an American dated July 3, 2024.

Joyce Vance‘s Civil Discourse dated July 4, 2024; Joyce also posted overnight on a Congressional review of the dangerous 2025 initiative which is being rolled out by the far right.  Here is that column.

If you worried about disinformation before, my prediction is you’ve seen nothing yet to compare with this years firehose from the Radical Right, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), the new terror.  Here’s a little primer from June 2: Disinformation StarTrib June 2 2024.  Know the original source and authorship of anything you receive.  If you can’t validate it, dismiss it.

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AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO CARE:

Wednesday evening after I had prepared today’s message (the portion above the photo of the Civil War soldiers), I received one of those ‘e-forwards’ that became ubiquitous during the good old (and vicious) days of misinformation and disinformation. in the T-Party and MAGA days.

I have never blocked such information or its senders – they’re often nice people who I know personally, and I want to know what’s out there>. For a long time the garbage essentially disappeared. It appears to be back again, a resurrection as it were.

You will notice that my source of information about Francis Scott Key and Ft. McHenry is the National Park Service, and about Independence Day itself, the Library of Congress of the United States.  Plus, I actually visited the place in 1999.

The item in question (below) is a YouTube video about ten minutes long which has apparently been viewed millions of times and came to me from a reliable source I know well and respect.  It is inspiring.  However, I took particular interest in it because it is about  Francis Scott Key and the events at Ft. McHenry, which topic I had been drafting hours before receiving the content you see above.  The video has the clear implication that we are and were founded as a “Christian” nation, a favorite false trope commonly shared.

Like most such items, the narrator and audience in this forward are not identified, but seems to be a preacher in some large church somewhere.

The video slant clearly seems  “Christian”,  as the word is defined by somebody, and it is also disinformation, as is pointed out in the important note included with it at YouTube – be sure to read that note, it is easy to overlook  Below is the link, and with the above caveats I encourage you to take the time to watch it.  In my opinion it is one of the ‘cannon shots’ that we will be subjected to over the coming weeks.  We are in a war for the future of our nation.

If you wish, here’s the video, which I have watched in its entirety:

Caveat Emptor.  To be forewarned is to be fore-armed.  Best advice going forward: accept nothing at face value, especially if political in any way, verbal, audio, video, in writing makes no difference at all.  Everything from an unknown source has to be suspect, until more is known about the product being sold..

POSTNOTE July 16, 2024: I came across the tourist brochure I picked up at Ft. McHenry in July, 1999.  It was 18×24 printed both sides, glossy paper.  Here is the pdf of the portions which included text: Ft. McHenry MD.  Here’s what I wrote to my friend who sent the video in the first place: I haven’t been able to get the Star Spangled Banner piece out of my mind since July 4.  First, I don’t seem to find any evidence that there were any civilian casualties at Ft. McHenry, and only a couple of military. The big battle was at Bladensburg in what would now be suburban Washington DC.   [It was] over 30 miles from Ft. McHenry – a long distance in 1814.

COMMENTS:

from John, driving across Utah July 4:

Utah country road July 4, 2024

from Claude: That’s a great video and now I have shared it.   I found it compelling. It’s true we have become the empire we fought against but we wanted something different than a kingdom with an upper crust of royalty. Our election situation is so ironic.

response from Dick: Claude, who I’ve known for years, my generation, probably as if not more ‘progressive’ than I am, sort of threw me for a loop – his response to the video seemed much different from mine.  Therein lies a learning opportunity, maybe.

I. too, thought the video was powerful.  But there were a couple of perceptions advanced in the video that turned me off.  First, it’s been watched millions of times and arrived at least ten years ago and even the originator noted in the notes accompanying it that its version of history was slanted.  And of course, it focused on “Christian” – a quote attributed to George Washington that George Washington never made.  Ten years ago would be 2014, during the Obama years and during the always aggressive times of the Tea Party soon to morph into MAGA.  It is likely that the video was produced sometime in the early anti-Obama years.

It was also in the time period when the so-called White Christian Nationalist bunch was sharpening its swords and some were revising history to make us a  white Christian country, which we were not founded as being, and which is not supported by the Constitution.  And then there is the matter of what qualifies as “Christian”.  In my growing up in 1940s and 50s Catholics hardly qualified as Christian to some.  The Catholic/Lutheran and Protestant Ten Commandments are worded somewhat differently.  The Jewish Ten Commandments was dismissed.  Nowadays Christian Nationalists are much of the oxygen for the so-calleed conservative support for the ex-President.  Who qualifies as “Christian” defies an easy explanation.

Having said this, Claude and I and likely the person who sent me the video would get along just fine in a conversation, but the polarities remain, and have to be dealt with, one piece at a time.  I’m glad Claude was complimentary.

POSTNOTE June 29: I plan to do a specific post, probably simply titled “Joe”, probably within the next week or two.  Check back if interested.

June 28, 2024: I did watch the entire debate last night, and my comments are at the end of this post, preceded by other comments about last night that I’ve received.  The initiating post, with six other comments, is here.  I will add additional comments, if any, at this page, so feel free to comment yourself, and/or check back in awhile to see if there is anything new.

from Carol: Instead of listening to whatever recap foolishness they always have afterward, [my husband] and I just had our own recap.  He’s probably been more of a Biden fan than me, but he totally agreed.  Biden’s polling is going to go in the toilet after tonight.  And hopefully Trump’s will drop as well.  You know who won tonight?  That crazy Kennedy guy who wasn’t even on stage.  Either that, or this mess just ensured that a whole lot more folks won’t vote at all.  The Democratic party had better take a very fast hard look at this, and punt.

Tonights debate?  See “Politics” at the end of this post. 

9:56 p.m.  Thursday June 27 – I watched the entire debate as an 84 year old man, 2 1/2 years older than President Biden….  Followup Post :He showed up”, here

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Monday I saw the film “Treasure”  (released June 2024) at a theater in Inver Grove Heights MN.

I was the only person in the theatre, for the single showing of the day, at 3:30 p.m.  I only wished I had brought along tissues – it had that kind of emotional content for me.

It was one of the most powerful films I’ve had the privilege to see.  Perhaps the theme, and the current time in history, mitigate against its success at the box office, but I can see it as basis for tens of thousands of introspective thoughts, and dialogue opportunities about making ours a better world.

Obviously, it’s not a box office hit.  It’s easy to search for what reviews there are.  Here is one of many reviews, this one from the Jerusalem Post.

I give the film my highest rating.  It is filled with nuance far beyond a simple dad and daughter nostalgia trip.

Friend, Carol, called my attention to it on Saturday: “We were planning on seeing the new movie “Treasure” but it has disappeared from theatres in like a week.  Do you know anything about it? (seeing as you always seem to know about good movies…)  It’s about a Holocaust survivor who returns to his roots in Poland.”

I looked it up: the nearest theater showing it on Saturday was in Hudson WI, 15 miles or so away.

Carol wrote: “We were going to go on Father’s Day but the weather was crappy.  It had just come out – and now it’s basically gone.  Oakdale theatre said nobody was coming to it.  I’m wondering… bad timing? protests?  It’s not very highly rated – but, like Cliff said, what do THEY know.  Cliff has been to Poland several times, and his German ancestors came from what is now Poland.  So maybe we’ll like it.”  

Then, later, after seeing the film Carol said: “I highly recommend it – I think you would really like it.  Certainly a different movie.  We did go see it in Hudson, and there was one other person in the theatre…  Granted, it was a beautiful day outside, but I think that’s really a shame.  It’s probably kind of a niche movie.  It’s based on a book and real story, which often are my favorites.  I think there’s been complaining that the scenes of them visiting Auschwitz weren’t graphic enough, or something.  But they made their point.”

I can only second what she said.  In my opinion, it is much, much more than simply Poland and Auschwitz, though that is the basic premise of the story: a daughter takes her dad to visit his Polish homeland about 1990, and the story goes from there.

I made a list of insightful moments for me, personally.  There were over 20 on my list, more than just a few for a two hour movie.

I could go into a lot of detail, but if you simply go to the movie and open your mind to reflections on not only the holocaust, but our contemporary world, I will be very surprised if you don’t agree with me – that the film is an investment, not a cost of time and money.

The internet will give showing times if any are available.  Possibly it is available on line, though I didn’t check that.  At least check it out.

Thank you, Carol.

POSTNOTE: About 6 million WWII casualties were from Poland.  About half of these were Jews, the other half Poles.  (In pre-war Poland, the total population was about 35,000,000, of which over 3,000,000 were Jews, of whom less than 400,000 survived.)

I was at Auschwitz-Birkenau the entirety of my 60th birthday, in 2000.  It is one of those times I will never forget.

Walking from Auschwitz towards Birkenau Death Camp May 4, 2000. Photo by Dick Bernard

Our group spent about three days in Poland.  Earlier our tour group had visited the site of the Plaszow Camp (the “Schindler’s List” camp) in Krakow area.  One of my most vivid life memories was at the memorial monument there.  We had just arrived, and our bus driver privately and quietly picked a tiny wildflower and placed it at the monument.  In my mind, I can see the touching action of that ordinary bus driver as I write.

POLITICS: 

I likely will watch the “debates” on June 27 more as theater than substance.  MPR this morning said that as many as 60% of Americans may watch all or some of the action tonight.

I am interested in and have followed politics carefully for many years.  Both Trump and Biden are well known quantities now – 90 minutes or whatever watching them as verbal gladiators is a waste of time, in my opinion, but a cash cow for media.  Minds will not be changed, and the persons who should be paying attention likely won’t be watching anyway.  Yes, I’m a cynic.

I will write more about the candidates and races after the Democrat Convention (Augut 19-22), and before early voting begins in Minnesota (September 20).  Most likely my comments will be the last week of August at this space.  

(FYI, the Republican Convention is July 13-18; Minnesota Primary Election is August 13.  I have signed up as an election judge for Primary Election.). More information for Minnesotans accessible here.

A post I did earlier, entitled Fascism, is worth a look, if you haven’t previously done so.)

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Also, on-line as of June 27, a post on a talk by Dr. Michael Osterholm, well known in Infectious Disease work.

COMMENTS (more below):

from Jeff: Debate: I am in that non watching 40%,  I generally don’t watch, they really arent debates and have gone downhill rapidly since the late 80s.  And yes, for most of the audience it isnt going to change any minds. As for me, there really is only one option, its either an old man or a mad man.  I will go with the old one.

The focus of this post is Maryam’s commentary following the map.  Maryam is a long time good friend who grew up in the Middle East, and is long time American, and shares her important insights.  She expands on a brief passionate commentary she made at a meeting I attended on June 4.  Please take the time to read and reflect on what she says so powerfully….  (Ironically, on the same day I am publishing this piece, Russia (Putin) and North Korea (Kim) have expressed dangerous solidarity with each other, and the major headline of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes “Iran set to triple nuclear capacity“.)

Very recently – within the last week – I was sorting papers and came across a file folder labelled simply “Gaza 2008-09“.  The file was mine, now 16 years old.  It had been an active file for me back then.  (FYI, here are the pertinent contents of that file: Gaza 2008-09.)

16 years.  How time flies.  When disaster happened in Israel near Gaza seven months ago, October 7, 2023, I had to review for myself where and what Gaza was.  Sixteen years ago, Gaza had also been front page news in the U.S.

In the file was a long commentary I had submitted as an op ed to the Minneapolis paper, along with letters to various officials, political and religious.  The op ed wasn’t published.  What surprised me is that I had forgotten about it.  I suppose this might be due to the fact that we are so inundated by “breaking news” that one event bleeds into another, and benumbs us, unless the “breaking news” directly and immediately affects us – an unfortunate and dangerous reality.

June 4, about two weeks before I discovered the file, I had been at the meeting referenced in the first paragraph. Maryam, who grew up in Iran, and has lived for many years in the U.S., gave a brief but impassioned commentary on her view of our view of the contemporary situation in the Middle East and world generally.  She was speaking from the heart – you can tell.

I asked her if she would be willing to commit her thoughts to writing, and if I could share them.  I felt her words held much grist for thought and discussion.  She agreed, and what she said follows, below.

I am grateful for her writing, and I hope it leads at least to thought and discussion.  First, a map of the Middle East from Goode’s World Atlas (19th Edition 1995 Rand McNally  p. 182). Note “Gaza” on the map.

Maryam:  I joined CGS [Citizens for Global Solutions] because I wanted to help inform typical Americans of their responsibility to make better decisions and vote with information and knowledge of the consequences of that vote to the rest of the world.

Have a great Father’s Day, whatever your personal role and experience might be.  I ask you also to check out my post for June 12.  It includes some learning recommendations on a critical issue facing all of us.

Onward: A short while ago my friend, Kathy, shared  a small box of memorabilia kept by her mother, who, in the 1930s,  was a country school teacher in what is now south suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul.  Among other most interesting contents in the box was this single  photo, ca 1915, at one of the numerous such country schools.  I would guess this school accommodated grades one to eight (roughly ages six to 14).

Country School ca 1915

A particular piece of good fortune came with this photograph.  On the back someone – probably the teacher – had identified all of the children by name.  One of the youngest ones, who Kathy pointed out, was born in 1909.

There are 14 children in the photo (actually the arm of a 15th can be seen at left, but that isn’t quite enough!).  Going by surnames, there were three from one family; two from each of five other families; and two singles – 8 families in all.  The family names didn’t have any obvious possible connection.

The teacher was Miss Hynes.  She didn’t share a surname with any of the kids, so she probably wasn’t from the township.  She would have been hired by a local school board, with recommendation and advice from the County Superintendent of Schools.  She would have had a very simple one year contract.

All of the kids were probably from nearby small farms.  Those days a typical farm might be one-fourth of a section (640 acres, one mile on a side).  Generally they would walk to school.  Odds were that they were all the same nationality and same religion.  In short, they mostly had something in common, and the older ones had probably spent their entire eight grades in the same one-room school.

I’m particularly intrigued by the bookshelf at the back of the room.  It they were lucky, some of the books may have been a ‘library’.  On the other hand, it could possibly be the storage place for the meager supply of school books on hand.

Behind the photographer would be the teacher’s desk, and the blackboard.  Usually, most of the windows would be on the south exposure of the building, to gather sun, and help keep in the heat in colder days.  There was a standard architecture for country schools.  There was almost certainly no indoor toilet, or running water.  It was one-room, with probably a small ante-room for hanging coats and such.

My mother went to, and both my parents taught in, these country schools.  For Mom and Dad, their country school work years were about ten years from the late 1920s to the late 1930s.  The individual school enrollment varied year to year.  Higher grade kids could and did help lower graders.  It there was a single student in a grade, and the student seemed to be doing fine, they’d simply be moved up into the next grade.

My Mom was one of these.  She ended up graduating from high school before she was 17, and went. out to teach country school right away.  Her first year ended at Christmas.  There were several older boys in her first school, and they were bigger than she was, and not inclined to behave.

She ended up teaching elementary kids for 30 years.

One of Dads country school kids ended up getting married to Mom’s brother – they met at college.  George and Jean  both became school teachers.

There are, of course, endless and varied stories about school.  Here’s one, with my response, from a 1979 column in the Minneapolis Star: School 1979 Mpla Star.  

Out of these humble places came rocket scientists, prominent leaders in all sectors, etc., etc.  The unifying element at all of them in this place called school was initiation into the world of relationships with others, then and still the real essential of living in a community, anywhere.

COMMENTS (more at the end):

from Fred: Very much liked the photo and accompanying words. It takes me back. My father attended a one-room school just east of Goodhue and pointed out its ruins to me.

from Rose:  An interesting read.  Thanks for sharing.