Nelson Mandela – F. W. de Klerk

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“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with them.  Then he becomes your partner.”  Nelson Mandela

Minnesota Orchestra Program cover, July 21, 2018

Sometimes I stumble on things, such as last night at the Minnesota Orchestra.

We were unable to attend the last program in our subscription series, and had a deadline of August 1 to select an alternative.  There were two Beethoven’s upcoming, and we invited our neighbor, Don, to pick the date, if any.  He said July 21.  And so he and I happened to be at Orchestra Hall for the finale of what must have been a great day of celebrating the Centennial of Nelson Mandela’s birth: July 18, 1918.

This morning, Basilica’s newsletter “cover story” was a column by Janice Andersen about a Basilica group visiting South Africa a few months ago.  You can read it here: Andersen – S. Africa002.

Sometimes I just stumble into history.

Nelson Mandela is such a universally recognized person these days that any link I provide would be superfluous.  Choose your own.  He went from Prisoner to President of South Africa; and the white person who peacefully transferred power was then President  F. W. de Klerk, who with Mandela earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.    You can revisit their respective perspectives in 1993 here.  You can access each of their Nobel Lectures at the time they received their award.

de Klerk is the forgotten man in this duo.  He is the South African white leader whose lot it was to peacefully transfer power to Mandela, beginning the process of change to a new way of looking at the matter of race in this country where Apartheid became a universal symbol of repression.

On a poster at Orchestra Hall was a very brief sentence describing de Klerk’s role.  In another poster, and in the work Harmonia Ubuntu, World Premiered on Saturday, was the Nelson Mandela quotation that leads this post.  (More about the work here: Harmonia Ubuntu001)

In another “stumble” back in 2012, I had an opportunity not only to meet F. W. de Klerk in person at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, but to hear his own statesman’s address as a laureate.  (Mandela was not in attendance; he was in fragile health and died about a year later.)

But I had an additional and unique opportunity to actually see de Klerk express his emotions in a most innocuous way at the Peace Prize Festival.

Strictly by chance, I was seated in the second row in the gymnasium at Augsburg.  At my right, came de Klerk and the group that was ushering him around.

There was some unheard conversation, while waiting for some first graders to sing a song, and de Klerk, obviously insisting, came and sat directly in front of me, raptly paying attention to the always captivating young singers.

I could see a grandfather sitting there in front of me, much more than just a VIP….  It was a memorable moment of peace that I will not forget.

F. W. de Klerk, March 2, 2012, Nobel Peace Prize Festival Augsburg College Minneapolis MN . The students who he was watching at his left also show in the television screen in this photo.  Photo by Dick Bernard.

de Klerk and Mandela are not the only statesmen on opposite sides who have won the Peace Prize.  The prize, I think, recognized the risks both leaders had to take to accomplish even a small amount of change.

The risk was a huge one for the designated leader of South Africa, de Klerk.  Nelson Mandela had already paid his own great price.

As everyone knows, progress comes in increments and not in bunches.  S. Africa is not a perfect society.  It wasn’t.  Neither are we.

But South Africa will never be the same again.

Democracies do not work by themselves.  They depend on citizen involvement and risk taking.  We get what we deserve.

Mandela and deKlerk and many others have made and will continue to make a big difference, everywhere.  But as Gandhi so correctly said, long ago: “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

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This years Nobel Peace Prize Forum comes up Sep 13-15.  Give yourself a treat.  All information here.

The Minnesota Orchestra makes a two week, five venue, tour to South Africa in August, the first ever for a United States Orchestra.  Check their website for more information.

Dr. Maureen Reed, former Executive Director of Nobel Peace Prize Forum, begins her second year teaching about Nobel Laureates in September.  Program details about Out of the Lab and Into the Fire: Scientists and the Nobel Peace Prize are available here.

The First Graders, March 2012, Nobel Peace Prize Festival, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, photo Dick Bernard

COMMENTS:

from a friend of classical music: 

Thank you for the perspective.

Many Orchestras in the US have spent the year recognizing the work of Leonard Bernstein on what would be the 100th anniversary of his birth (Both Bernstein and Mandela were born in 1918). I find a touch of irony in the Beethoven played last night during the Mandela recognition and on their tour of South Africa.

There are many spins on the intent of the content in the Beethoven 9. But I do find a touch of coincidence that Bernstein conducted the 9th in Berlin on Christmas Day in 1989, celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall. The cause of freedom and social justice seem to be ever-present. At that time, Nelson Mandela was still in prison and would be freed in about seven weeks on February 11, 1990.

from the net …

Exulting Freedom in Music

by Klaus Geitel

On Christmas Day 1989 Berlin (and soon the world) experienced something like a celestial gift: the “Ode to Freedom,” a composite event, spread out over the centuries so to speak, by Schiller, Beethoven – and Leonard Bernstein. The occasion was to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall in a manner which would impress itself once and for all on people’s minds. The Ode “To Freedom” – as Bernstein had the soloists and chorus sing in the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony – indeed symbolized for many Germans a depth of joy they had hitherto hardly known: freedom, a gift from the gods.

Semper Fi

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Yesterday I was primarily involved in family matters related to the induction of Grandson Spencer into the U.S. Marines.  At the induction at the Henry Whipple Federal Building in Bloomington, the backdrop was this map of the world.  Spencer and about 20 others recited the oath of enlistment.

Ft. Snelling MN July 17, 2018

It was a powerful time, plenty of misty eyes (including my own), a rite of passage.  By evening Spencer was on the ground in San Diego and today he is finding out what boot camp is all about, thirteen weeks to go.  He’s got his head on straight, and I think it will go okay.  And I’m hoping we can be out there when he graduates into full Marine status in October.

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I didn’t catch the sum and substance of the Trump-Putin dalliance until near 8 p.m. last night, and read about it this morning Not Just A Coincidence.

The exact same day my grandson took the oath, which includes to “obey the orders of the President of the United States”, that same President is completing a trip in which he has disgraced the United States of America.  If every other scintilla of evidence was identical, but the Presidents name was Obama, or Clinton, not Trump, I can imagine the howls of outrage today.

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Preparing to take the Oath July 16, 2018; Spencer is off this picture, to the left, third row.

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It perhaps seems odd that this writer, an anti-war Democrat who is a Vietnam-era Army veteran from a family full of military history, some of it tragic, should be, proudly, at an induction ceremony into the military for my own grandson.

Not so at all.  I was there for Spencer’s pre-induction a year ago, at the same facility.  He had decided on his own that he wanted to be a Marine, and has spent the last year of high school in preparation for the very hard work beginning today.

There are very few who now enter military service.  Possibly one percent of the American population is active military.  Spencer’s Dad, who graduated from high school in the late 1980s, when asked, remembered only about five of the 300 who graduated with him who actually went into the service.

All three of we Bernard brothers were military – two career officers in the Air Force (I volunteered for the Draft, in Jan. 1962, to get the obligation over with).  But being an enlisted man in an Army Infantry company preparing for Vietnam was a great plenty of relevant background for me.

My Dad’s only brother died on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor; four of the five men from the North Dakota section of land on which my mother grew up, two brothers and two cousins, were military in WWII or Korea.  The fifth boy was needed on the farm.

So, this day, as true for many years, I am both in the Veterans for Peace and also the American Legion.

And I can go to a military induction and be very, very proud of a Grandson who’s made a big commitment, and wish him success, and most especially a career that does not involve war.

Grandson and Daughter after the induction ceremony July 16, 2017

I’ll long remember two events after the induction.  The first was the handover of the iPhone…no such distractions at boot camp.  The second was the little book which Mom gave to son.  “What’s that?”, I asked.  “A Bible”, and gave it to me to sign, my signatures joining others.

Congratulations, Spencer.  Safe return.  All my very, very best.

Next event for me, the Veterans for Peace National Conference, Twin Cities, August 22-26, 2018.  Then the Nobel Peace Prize Forum at Augsburg College September 13-15.

COMMENTS:

from Carole: Thank you for this, Dick.  I am part of a transitional generation — from a family with a proud military history — to a mother of two non-military sons, both of whom understand the dangers inherent in our current circumstances.

I abhor war, but I understand defense. I hope that those who follow the path into military service will be wise and generous.
Congratulations to your grandson — may he defend the good, and always be  safe.
from Georgine: In this picture, one can see Great Uncle Frank in him.  Best to him, and may he thrive.
from Carl: Congratulations! Marines are a tuff bunch of guys.
from Jeff:  It will be a long 13 weeks, it hasn’t gotten any easier.

from Barry:  Sounds like he knows what he wants to do and am sure he is honorable in his desire to serve his country. Too bad it is under the likes of Trump and company. Hope he will find something of benefit from his service and not come out of it too badly damaged. 

See you at the [Vets For Peace] convention Aug 22nd to 26th. Be sure and spread the word.  NOTE: Barry is a Vietnam Vet and a great person for whom I have the utmost respect.

from Greg:  Yet another great post, my friend.

Your first task is to run, not walk, to your nearest public library to check out a copy of, Eat The Apple, a book written by Matt Young in which he chronicles his three-year enlistment in the USMC.  Of course he devotes much of the book to his first thirteen weeks, in basic.  Quite graphic in parts so it is up to you to decide whether to share with your daughter.
Matt survived several deployments in “sand land” and upon discharge attended college earning a M.A. in literature and is now a college professor in creative writing.   .
Second, if you and the Marine’s parents concur I would appreciate knowing Spencer’s full name and mail address so that I might drop him a message from time to time.  Promise I will be on my best behavior.
Of course I will keep the lad in my daily prayers.
from Mel: You should be proud, the young man will meet many new thins and a wide cross section of people and see many new places.  I joined the Air Force as a Cadet but not get past third class and washed out so instead of accepting a Commission I was discharged.  My friends and neighbors picked me out for the draft and so back into uniform for me.  I was offered a commission again but opted to get out after 18 months which turned into 24 months at the benevolence of Harry [Truman?] at which time I became a staunch Republican.
Response from Dick: Of course, I’m proud.

 

Cupcakes.

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Last weekend I sang the praises of the film about Fred Rogers, “Will You Be My Neighbor”, which we had seen last Sunday.  Kathy wrote: “RBG also uplifting and worth seeing.”

“RBG“?  It is the documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  We saw it yesterday at the Edina Theatre and highly recommend it.  If you are mired in depression about the state in which we find ourselves, RBG is a very good movie to lift you up, and get on the move again.  RBG seems to be at the end of its theatre run, but it will continue to be accessible in the many ways you can now access film on-line and in video.

July 12, 2018

“If it is to be, it is up to me.”

A U.S. Senator relayed this old saying on national television, a few days ago.

He was talking not only about himself, and his colleagues, but most especially to anyone of us who are concerned about where we’re at as a country.

For all of us deeply concerned about the status quo, “If it is to be, it is up to [us]”.

Giving up is not an option.

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Best I can count, today is the 50th since life changed in the most drastic possible way for grandson Bennie and his family.  Three days ago he was transferred to Gillette Hospital in St. Paul for rehab.  Two days ago he became a teenager: 13.  Ten of us celebrated his birthday in a conference room at the hospital.  His Aunt Ann made some wonderful cupcakes.

I marvel at the near 37,000 visits to Bennie’s Caring Bridge site.  I will let the family fill in the blanks at Caring Bridge from time to time.  It is not easy to compose these posts, so there are delays.  The family knows many are out there, caring.  Thank you all.

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This weekend officially ends civilian life for grandson Spencer, heading for U.S. Marine Basic Training in California on Monday morning.  Another life change in a family.  We saw him Wednesday, along with most all of the rest of the family, including his cousin and Aunt, Lindsay and Jennifer from Colorado.  We’re proud of Spencer, though I hope the only outcomes of military for him will be positive, rather than war in any of its aspects.

My friend, Lyle, now in mid-80s, still flies the Marine flag at his home.  He’s the most gentle yet committed guy I’ve known.  He started post high school life as a Marine, as has Spencer.

January, 1962, I was in Spencers position, heading off to Army Basic Training at Ft. Carson CO, not knowing, then, that the unit to which I’d be assigned was preparing for the Vietnam War.  Luckily, for me, I was in and out very early.  My Company saw deadly duty some years later in Vietnam, so I was told.  37 casualties.  War is not a video game.

These days I’m a Vet for Peace, whose national conference is in St. Paul in a few weeks.  I think I’ll attend.

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I can remember when “life after high school” began for me – at least in terms of orienting to the future.

It came when granddaughter Lindsay was born in 1986.  Life is far more than thinking about today.

It is the grandkids generation who will wonder, what were we thinking…?  We’re creating their future, today.

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POSTNOTE: Today’s Just Above Sunset “A Clear and Present Danger“.  Each of these posts is valuable, and free.  This is our country, under attack, and it is up to us to do more than we think we can to change course.

It’s the Law

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As I write, POTUS is about to announce the new Justice for SCOTUS.  It’s not worth my time.  NYTimes just broke in on my screen with breaking news.  I know the name.  That’s sufficient.

In the interim, to those who may be de-spirited, I recommend looking up the new documentary about Fred Rogers, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”.  We took the film in on Sunday afternoon, and it was moving and quietly inspirational.  Mr. Rogers (1928-2003) was in the public eye on PBS from 1967, illness ending his career not long after 2001.  My children were born 1964-1975, in the Mr. Rogers era.

Mr. Rogers and Mr. Trump: what an odd pair….

See “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” about the lifetime Republican, Fred Rogers, and get to work replicating his example, one small step at a time, where you live.

Meanwhile, back to the Law and tonights announcement.

It is a temptation to lament tonights action, the effective final step in (hopefully, for some) making people like myself irrelevant in the American political process.

For years, at least since 1980 if not before, there has been a radical right wing ideological objective of taking over the levers of U.S. government (the law-makers and judiciary) at state and national and even local and school board level, and this has been very successful.   We have seen the results of single party domination in the past 17 months, and we will probably see it even more, now, with the not at all hidden intention of packing of the judicial system.  The people be damned.

Set the ideological tilt of the courts, the ultimate goal the lifetime appointments of Supreme Court Justices, and its game over, or so it is presumed.

I don’t happen to agree.  But equilibrium won’t easily return.  It won’t return at all if people like myself, and there are tens of millions of us, collectively decide to concede our responsibility as individuals to be cause in the matter of our children and grandchildren’s future, including the future of others world over.  Quitting is not a winning strategy.

But to be agents of change, we need to be the one who are the change agents, as stated above, “one small step at a time, where you live.”

There’s an old saying (apologies to cat lovers) that “there’s more than one way to skin a cat”.

For those who think dominance through the Law is the ultimate win, stay tuned.  You’ll pay a heavy price, too.

POSTNOTE: Overnight, and excellent: “No One Expected Thugs” 

Here is a longer Wikipedia entry about Fred Rogers.

Ronald McDonald House

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Most every time my spouse goes to an evening meeting or get-together I tell her I’ll be dining out at a four-star restaurant.   Usually, my trip is to left-overs, or on occasion the neighborhood McDonalds, for a hamburger and small fries….  My “threat” is always an idle one.

This has taken on a far more serious tone in recent weeks.  Since grandson Bennie had the accident,  his parents, and on occasion some other family members, have been guests of the Ronald McDonald House which is part of the hospital in which Bennie is a patient.  It has been a godsend for them in the past six weeks, as it has doubtless been for thousands of others since the idea took root in 1974.

Of course, on every trip to McDonald’s you’ll see a discreet invitation to leave some change for the Ronald McDonald House.

But it was an abstract idea for me until I saw it in action.

About a week ago I dropped into the local McD’s for the usual, and saw the above sign on the door.  I came back later with a case of water and a check – not a huge one, but more than a little….

In the endless bombardment of awful we are subjected to every day, the Ronald McDonald House is a reminder of the great reservoir of goodness that surrounds all of us, ready to help when we least expect it.

Below is a discreet photo of Bennie and his parents less than two weeks before all of their lives changed in an instant.  I’m glad I took the photo.

Have a great, gentle, day today.

Thank you, McDonald’s, for a great idea.

May 13, 2018. Mother’s Day. Bennie and family in foreground.

COMMENTS

from Kathy: Good morning, Dick. I am proud to say my Dad was a founding board member of the RMH and my sister Jane a more recent active Board member. They both were McDonald restaurant  owners in St Paul area.  The home has provided TLC to so many children’s families.

from Bonnie: I’ve been following Bennie’s journey on Caringbridge and pray for him everyday and as he comes to mind.  What a arduous journey for him and for his parents and for all of you—well, for all of you who love him.  I’m glad there is one ray of light in this journey.

from Joni: RMH was a godsend when we found ourselves out of state with Parker in IU-Purdue several years ago.  A very worthy organization indeed.

The Politics of Fear and Resentment: From the Heart of Memory.

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My understanding is that Donald Trump will be in North Dakota today.  So will I, though our agendas are very different.  I am traveling to complete some legacy work at the North Dakota Historical Society in Bismarck, completing the task of adding old family farm photos to the North Dakota archives.  One of them is this one from a trip by a relative to our shared German homeland in 1954.  This farm had survived WWII, but the horse says a lot about conditions, nine years after the catastrophic WWII to make Germany great again.

An American visits relatives on a farm in Germany, 1954.  She, like I, 44 years later in 1998, was related to the family we visited.

For Germans, the promised 1,000 year Third Reich* had lasted a few, short, deadly years.  Our U.S. can well be on the same deadly course.  Hitler began his ascent when the Germans were in desperate poverty; Trump began when the U.S. was at its peak, ascendant in the world….

Recent events have upset our dear friend who has lived an hour from Trumps apparent destination for over 70 years.  She’s nearing 92.  Her first 20 years were in the initially hopeful, soon awful, years of Hitler and the Third Reich.  Her life began in 1926; the deadly years began in 1936….

She wrote what follows on June 23.  I’ll let her words speak for themselves.  I send this with her permission.

“Memories of Germany flow back into my brain every day.  Although I was barely 10 [1936],  I was bothered when I saw Mr. Klein sweeping the streets.  This was the first time I was aware that he was Jewish, different from us, the Aryans.
When I came to America in 1947, I truly believed I left Adolf Hitler and his dictatorship behind—- But now, decades later, it seems history is repeating itself again— this time in  America —in the land I love.
Our President, Donald Trump, apparently finds that Adolf Hitler’s ideas can be used and work to keep him in the White House.
Check this out — It did happen and continues to happen as long as we are silent bystanders. Adolf Hitler died, but his ideas are fed and kept alive.
HITLER used racism to rise to power
TRUMP uses racism to rise to power
HITLER promised to make Germany great again
TRUMP promises to make America great again
HITLER Fascist…anti Jew
TRUMP Fascist…anti Muslim
HITLER blamed Jews for Germany’s problems
TRUMP blames immigrants for America’s problems
HITLER thought Jews should wear special ID’s
TRUMP thinks Muslims should wear special ID’s
Donald Trump is trying his best to have people believe anything in news NOT said by him, is FAKE NEWS.  A great number of people believe that.  One of my people who loved my books is totally committed to Trump— I am wrong, wrong as far is she is concerned.
When I look at what is going on right now, we are very close to Konzentration Camps for defenseless kids.
If we need more groups to hate America and its people, the parents who lose their children, will be the first in line to go against us to get their children back.
The attention span of most voters seems to be zero.  All Trump needs to do to get another big tax cut through for the worker, and an hourly wage increase— all is forgotten and he is in again.
Germany 1936 was when Hitler overwhelmingly had the people convinced that he had made Germany great again.  He was in, and the people were in chains.
I am almost glad that I am going on 92— Think about our grandchildren and great-grandchildren when they are asked to pay back what we squandered.
Germany 1936 is here again— trying to get into America.
Oh, Trump is meeting with Putin— Well, Hitler met with Stalin.
I have been thinking— when Trump gives me sleepless nights:
People don’t  seem to have a long-time attention span anymore—- or worse they refuse to think past their kitchen table.
I want to say—“Will you help to get America Back???” or “America lost— Lets get it back—- your vote can decide.”
Our friend continues:
“Is it too late???  You see, if Trump does like Hitler, he will give another  tax break to the worker—this and a raise— that’s what Hitler did in 1933-1936.
Hitler  built the Autobahn and he was in for good. I have come to the conclusion, people are not that different from one country to the next.
I thought we were better, but we are worse— because as a Nation we should know better—now we have  technology which shows us how these innocent children are taken.
One woman said to me, “All they have to do is stay where they are, and we won’t bother them.  They will have their kids.”
I got so upset I TOLD HER THAT  I  RAN AWAY FROM WORK, ALONE, 18, [1945, near the end of the war] BECAUSE I THOUGHT WE COULD FALL TO THE RUSSIANS WHO RAPED EVERY WOMAN, CHILD  TO THEIR LIKING.
I WANTED TO BE WITH MY FAMILY  AND FEAR DROVE ME ON AS I WAS SHOT AT AND HUNGRY.
SHE REPLIED, “BUT THAT WAS WAR, NOW WE HAVE PEACE.”
I ASKED HER WHERE DOES YOUR FAITH AS A LUTHERAN COME INTO THAT?  SHE SAID THAT THESE MOTHERS WERE WARNED THAT THEIR CHILDREN WOULD BE TAKEN— AND THEY DIDN’T LISTEN.
HER FINAL WORDS—“I WOULDN’T GO ANYWHERE WHERE I AM NOT WANTED”.
Dick, I didn’t make that up, that really happened last night while I walked down to the Park.
I AM REALLY NOT MYSELF, I AM SO UPSET AND SAD— BECAUSE THAT IS NOT  THE AMERICA I CAME TO.  I LOVE AMERICA, GERMANY IS MY NATIVE LAND BUT AMERICA IS MY HOME.
WHAT HAPPENED, HOW CAN WE SINK SO LOW???”

1954, photo by the American visitor to the same farm

The same shrine, seen by Dick Bernard in 1998. The shrine was erected in thanks that four of the residents of the farm, draftees into the German Army, survived WWII.

Related previous post is here: “The Face of America”

This is a crucial time in our history.  This is not a time to be hopeless…paralyzed into inaction.

My friend, SAK, “across the pond” in Europe responded to “The Face of America” as follows:

Thanks for that! It is indeed surprising how immigrants, even recent ones, have turned against immigration. The situation in Europe is quite different in that the local population cannot be considered an “immigrant” one unless one goes back many many hundreds of years & in some cases thousands. It is therefore more “understandable” to find resistance to immigration although the wheel is still in spin. In the US where there is no king it is surprising to find so many who are “plus royaliste que le roi”.

Perhaps you have come across Mark Lilla (latest book: The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics).

The BBC interviewed him recently (here) (forward 25 minutes)

A bit from the programme blurb:

“The time for evangelism – of speaking truth to power is over, he says, now it’s all about seizing power to defend truth.”

He suggests working from the bottom up but the interviewer noted that it would take a long time to win the presidency & the president mainly determines foreign policy – I guess she was looking from a UK perspective & she is also worried about the havoc Trump is creating worldwide.

Your dad’s “a quitter never wins; a winner never quits” came to mind. The equivalent in chess is: “No game was ever won by resigning.” Still Lilla thinks it’s an uphill struggle to avoid resigning given that so many states are governed by republicans – state legislatures & governors.

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Prayers of the Faithful, Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis June 17, 2018:

“For those elected to public office, for an unwavering commitment to the promotion of justice, peace, and dignity for all…For all the people who have made this country their home, and for all those who continue to move here, for respect and radical hospitality for all.”

About Tuesday’s Supreme Court opinion on Presidential authority,  here.

  • – Generally, the First Reich is considered to be the time of the Holy Roman Empire; the Second Reich began in about 1870 with Prussia.

COMMENTS

from George, who grew up in Central Europe: Thank you, Dick  Fortunately, there are some deep differences:

Hitler was a consistent, persistent and well-organized bastard.  Mr. Trump not so much!

Our ‘deep state’ and free media are much more independent, stronger with deep foundations than they ever were during the Weimar Republic and our country has centuries of Democratic traditions unlike Germany  that was ruled by an emperor before WW1 and the creation of the pre-Hitler Weimar Republic;
Fortunately, also our military has centuries of Democratic traditions and our Generals already stated that they will not carry out an illegal order like a preemptive nuclear first strike!
from Greg: It was reported today that in a suit brought by the ACLU a federal judge in San Diego issued an injunction ordering reunification of immigrant children and parents.  Last week when I learned his name and wanted to know more about him I did a Google search.  The judge’s parents met while his dad was serving in the U. S. military in Asia.  His mother was Japanese.  The judge is a native son of California.  Reading that, I knew Trump had no chance of winning.  This judge well knows the Korematsu decision in which the U. S. Supreme Court upheld the use of Japanese exclusion camps used in California during World War II.  This case is generally viewed as the second worse decision by the Court ever.  Worst decision is the Dred Scott case by which the Court ruled a freed slave remained the property of his master and had to be returned to him.    The war continues but we are winning important battles!
from Carol: Wow, Dick, WHAT A POST!!  You probably won’t get this until you get back from ND.  But if you see your friend, please give her a big hug from me…  I am forwarding her message.
from Jerry: Thanks Dick.  I agree with the comments in your blog.  It is a scary time and the comparison to Nazi Germany is apt.
from Kathie:   I did read the comments of your friend who grew up in Nazi Germany and agreed with her comments.  I believe she is right, we have a very bad situation under the Trump Administration, Trump being a person who is totally unqualified by temperament and knowledge to be our president.  Thanks for sending the comments.
from Irvin:  I would appreciate your removing my name and e-mail address from your contacts. I am greatly offended by your poltical commentary, and your advocating any political positions.
from JoAnn:  Thanks for sharing. The parallels are frightening and should be heeded. But, too many people are blind to the reality.
from Victor:  Thanks for the memories of your friend. I grew up in North Dakota in a German Community. Oh yes it can happen here. I fear for American too as she  does. I agree with her, people are the same everywhere in the world. Emotions and propaganda “trump” decency and common sense every time. And unfortunately we are the genocidal animal. We have done it to Native Americans and black people, why not each other. Not a pleasant thought, but yes it can happen here. We shall see very soon in November.
from JoAnn:  Thanks Dick, a powerful piece. Thank you for sharing. Can’t believe what is happening in this country.

from the author of this post, translation of a letter from a relative in Germany, age 27, and is a professional person:

“I recently conversed with [your son], and we were on American politics and President Trump.
I said about Trump:  From early on, he proved that he is NOT a politician—he is a businessman, and leading a country and politics is not business— it doesn’t work that way.
The  ideas he expresses, the way he treats other countries and the heads of countries does not cement the friendships that up to now have crossed oceans and distance especially between Germany and America. That is NOT good.
But my sincere hope is that finally real, true heads of State, especially the Democrats, step up to their jobs, forget about Establishments, come forth and deal with the worries the forgotten, average citizens face.
Presently, your politicians fight with each other, and think only of themselves and how they can enrich themselves while they pass laws.
I hope that Trump’s actions will finally bring the changes that are desperately needed in your country and for the world. I hope that in [2020] you will get a different president, because I think that President Trump is detrimental  for America and he doesn’t help the future of America.
I hope that after him, you will have better politicians, politicians who learn to work for ALL the people not just for the selected few.
So far Trump’s actions and politics have  brought about loss of trust and friendship of the countries who look up to America and were your friends.
Many people here in Germany and other lands are angry with America because they can no longer give approval and understanding for the actions of America’s President, Congress and Senate. I feel there is much danger at the present that we lose our partnership with America..
Even with George Bush, many people showed dislike for his politics of war. However, since Trump, the dislike of American politics  has grown greatly.
I find the present situation very worrisome , and people fear for the future.
We must remember, as countries, we need each other. Only if we stay united can we work toward peace, freedom.
We must also  work to increase betterment of living conditions of other countries who lack the means and materials to do so on their own.
America again should want to be and exemplify good leadership  as the shining star and once again become the leader of the world.
I wish you and all a good week.
July 4, this comment was added from the same person: 

In 1933 Adolf  Hitler left the European Voelkerbund, (League of Nations).  He said that the membership in the Voelkerbund consists of oppression of  the German people.
President Trump ended the following existing international agreements for these given reasons:  these agreements are detrimental for America,  and they infringe the growth and security of America.
1.    The Paris Climate  Agreement
2.    the G7 State Agreement
3.    The Iran Agreement
I am Not sure if my spelling is correct for all the agreements, you are better informed than I am.
If I become aware of any other similarities— they are so scary, I will surely send them to you.
For now, my dearest, I say what you need:
GOD BLESS AMERICA.

from Carol:  Yesterday while shopping I ran into my lady friend from Iran and her daughter.  The conversation quickly turned to Trump – and the fact they don’t know if any of their relatives will now be able to visit again.  The daughter said that her husband’s nephew was about to get his green card, and was on his way here from Iran to attend graduate school.  When he went to the embassy (in another country, as there’s no U.S. embassy in Iran), he was sent back home because of Trump’s edit.  She was in shock.

This daughter, and the lady’s other daughter, were educated here at the U.  One recently obtained her Ph.D. here, is working for a top firm in San Francisco and awaiting some permanent work visa.  She’s terrified she will be sent back home before she gets that.
These people love their country, but hate their government.  My friend’s sister, an artist in New York, produces art mocking the Iranian regime.
What on earth do we gain from punishing them??  We are shooting ourselves in the foot so badly.

Father’s Day 2018

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All best wishes to everyone this day, whatever your status as a “Dad”, past, present, future.

To me, for a long time now, the term “father”, as “mother”,  is far more than biological or legal.  We are all, at times, “Mom”, and “Dad”, and all the rest.

Today, of course, in my world Bennie remains front and center. Here’s the most recent update, posted June 15.  The past day (June 16) was significant, and the next week, or two, or three, or whatever will be very significant, whatever that word means.  No one knows for sure….

My own Dad had his own “mantra”, “take it as it comes”…he had his reasons to adopt this wise outlook.

It’s now three weeks for Bennie in intensive care.

When this began, I linked to an inspiring piece of video called Gratitude.  Here it is again.

Cherish each moment.

Have a great day.

Singapore

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POSTNOTE, overnight: As the World Turns Again

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The television drones on within earshot, and the analysts are talking endlessly about what Singapore means, if anything.  Of course, no one except a select few know what will happen when an old compulsive capitalist liar meets a young communist despot, eyeball to eyeball.

Much will be made of absolutely nothing.  Anyone who knows anything about negotiations on even the simplest level knows that striking a good faith bargain takes a huge amount of time and effort.

I spent a lot of years in the negotiations arena, dealing with issues simple and not so simple.

This particular evening I remember a particularly bitter negotiations about 20 years ago involving the teachers in the very school district in which I write these words.

We were at loggerheads on this particular stormy January night, and a mediator had called us in for a last ditch effort to avoid a strike set to begin in a few hours.

It was around midnight, and about our only company was stale coffee and some remnants of equally stale donuts.  Bargaining isn’t for the faint hearted over tea and crumpets.  You hate being there, but the alternative is worse.

We, that particular night, were teachers and staff from two competing organizations working towards a merger, but still in the distrustful stage.

We had decided to work together on bargaining this particular year, and it was mostly successful, but one “side” was dominant by virtue of its statutory standing.

And then there was the real “other” side: management.

The players all knew each other, in some cases very well, for many years.  We knew the issues and the rules of engagement.  We’d been at this negotiations for months – typical for bargaining.  And before that were years of other negotiated contracts, some more easily reached than others.

On this particular night, sometime after midnight, the mediator and the chief negotiator for the other side, asked me to confer privately with them, as staff for the other side.

My side was spoiling for a strike.  They had waited so long.  They had no particular reason to trust me – I was an agent of their state union.

But this was a deaths door matter, and I became one of the three in a private office down the hall.  What was obvious was conveyed to me: the parties had reached their respective bottom lines, and there was an untenable “no mans land” remaining.  Some suggestions were made; I provided the necessary cover for the other negotiator, and we went back to tell the bargaining team that we needed to reach an agreement.

There was some relief but much anger in the room.  Six hours from now teachers were ready to picket the schools in the district.

I remember the awful private drive home on a very snowy, stormy night.  The phone trees announced no strike in the morning; a faculty gathering in this then perhaps 800 teacher district was set for two days later to consider the package.  People who have been involved with such negotiations can identify with how lonely a position one is in.

The day of the meeting came, and we presented the elements of the agreement previously reached.  There was a large crowd in the then-ballroom just a few miles down the road from here.

A vote was taken: my recollection the ratification was by 75%.

The President of my side didn’t speak to me again for the rest of his career.  He had staked it all on a strike (some years later he called, and all was fine, but the bitterness was palpable then.)

So, now we have “The Art of the Deal” guy out to prove the power of one where the antagonists have been at odds since about 1950, and there are huge disequities of power, (unless one considers that China is a crucial player in all of this as well.)

No doubt, our guy will announce a great victory, and their guy will go home and similarly announce victory to his impoverished masses.

The odds of swords into ploughshares is so infinitesimal as to be laughable.

Do I want success?  For certain.  Do I want the “talks” however brief and surficial to help change the tone?  Of course, I do.

Will Singapore get it done?  Don’t count on it.  The meeting was private for a reason.  It is meaningless, except for PR value.

Where I write, it is 8:38 p.m. on Monday, June 11, 2018.

Iftar

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Eastview graduation June 2, 2018

Today is the 12th day after the accident which changed an entire constellation of lives, most especially Ben, David and Robin, but including our own and many others.

The latest update on Bennie is here.  As I write, I note 11,912 visits to Caring Bridge.

It overwhelms, really  Thank you all.

There has been more, these 12 days.  Several high school graduations;  then graduation parties, and a wedding to attend this weekend.  I watched grandson Spencer get his 5 seconds in the spotlight, one of 500 (that’s not his picture above, but you get the idea.  We had the best seats in the house, the overflow room with closed circuit TV!)

Thursday, Grandson Ted turns 18, and graduates.

In a month Spencer heads for Marine basic training; a month later Ted is off to college.  Spencer notes there will be another graduation in October out in California.  Graduation is indeed a “commencement”, as we all know, who’ve walked a block or two in life.

But I think the highlight of the week for both of us was participating in Iftar at the new mosque in our community.

Woodbury area mosque May 31, 2018

I would guess that there were about 250 of us in attendance, as the Ramadan daylight waned – 8:43 p.m. at our site – the time to break fast.  Iftar.

We were introduced to the community, and at each table one member of the congregation sat with us to answer questions.  Our hostess grew up in Riyadh.  There were evening prayers by the Congregation, which we observed.  After sunset we had a delicious meal.

What is always striking to me, and it was this particular evening, was how similar practices in different religious denominations are.  I happen to be Catholic: it is very easy to find many similarities to Islam, especially going back in time a few years: head covering; Nuns dress, on and on and on.

Evening over, feeling refreshed, we went our separate ways.  But I had not yet learned the most important lesson of our evening.

Yesterday, the phone rang and the person at the other end was the young woman who had sat at the table with us last Thursday.  This is the last week of school in this school district, and her kids had come home and told about this schoolmate who had been in a very serious car accident, and could they do something.

We had not talked about our family crisis that evening, but in the way things work, somehow or other they connected the dots: our grandson was the person who had been hurt and was in the hospital.  They wanted to help in some way.

As I speak, the young persons are preparing some sort of care basket for Bennie, who they probably don’t know personally – it is a large school.

What a heart-warming way to end a day.

Blessed Ramadan.

The still under construction Woodbury mosque.

Memorializing Peace

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Thoughts from May 28.

Consider joining the Poor People’s Campaign, supported by Vets for Peace.  In Minnesota, there is a rally at the Minnesota State Capitol today, Tuesday afternoon May 29, 5 p.m..  Details here.  For the event in your area, simply enter your zip code.

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For a lot of years I’ve attended the annual Memorial Day program of the Veterans for Peace at the Minnesota Vietnam Memorial on the State Capitol grounds.

It is always impressive, as it was again this year.  We are folks who have served, many who’ve seen war up close and personal, or know comrades who have, and who know war is not glamorous, nor the desirable option for resolving problems, however righteous it might seem.

Each year people in attendance are invited to speak, and so it was today.  A gentleman, 91, from WWII era (below), remembered someone from even earlier in his life.  Someone else read a poem, so on.  Sr. Brigid McDonald sang the song “Patriot Game”*, and on and on for an hour and a half.   It was a very hot day, but no one left.  It was inspiring.  No guns….  Talk of Peace, not of horrors of War.

Vets for Peace, St. Paul, May 28, 2018

Before leaving the grounds, I took a walk over the to stone “garden” between the Veterans Service Building and the National Guard Armory across Cedar.

At this garden, each county in Minnesota is represented by one boulder, and on each boulder is a portion of one letter to or from someone at war.  Individually and collectively they elicit thoughts and feelings.  The garden is worth a reflective visit.

Today a Native American veteran from the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, a platoon leader in Vietnam, spoke powerfully about the reality of war.  Behind him, about the time he spoke, a group of people who appeared to be Native American gathered at the Vietnam Wall, remembering people on the wall.

Vietnam Memorial St. Paul, MN State Capitol Grounds, May 28, 2018

“We were young.  We have died.  Remember us.”  The words say it all.

Mark your calendar for August 23-26 in the Twin Cities, and find ways to participate in the National Conference of the Veterans for Peace, hosted by VFP Chapter 27.

* A rendition of the song Patriot Game, here.

At the memorial garden on Minnesota State Capitol grounds May 28, 2018

Dwight Eisenhower, as quoted in Just Above Sunset “Not Just embarrassing“: “I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.”  At the Canadian Club in Ottawa Jan. 10, 1946, from the War/Defense quotes from the Eisenhower Presidential Library.