Caste/Voting/Census

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POSTNOTE 2, March 11:  A highly pertinent column related to yesterdays Presidential Primary contests and the fiscal crisis and the coronavirus can be read here, “About That Revolution”.  The “ball” is in every single one of our “courts”.

POSTNOTE: This post is intended to hopefully help start a conversation.  Also, note continuing updates on Coronavirus post (published 3/6/2020).  Check the archive section of this blog, especially January and February, 2020, for related columns, if you wish.

A longtime friend sent an intriguing e-mail a few days ago.  I asked permission to reprint, and told him I would respond with my own opinion, which follows his comment.

My friend of many years: “I was at a dinner party the other day that was attended be a lady that I had worked with in the early 1960s.  Part of our conversation related to our supervisor who was from India and his treatment of another Indian in our group.  India has a caste system and our supervisor was from the third tier while the other Indian was from the top tier, and we were discussing the tension between those two guys. 

The reason that I bring this up is that in the US we sort of have a caste system when it comes to politics.  I saw some data a while back that showed that 62% of our population are classified as the working poor.  These people live paycheck to paycheck if they are lucky.  Many of these people don’t play a role in our politics unless they happen to be in communities like the black communities in the Carolinas where the community is self organizing at times and at those times have a high voter turnout.  Otherwise, it is only the upper part of our caste system that impacts elections.  Just passing these thoughts on to you for you to think about.  I’d like to see your views on this subject sometime.”

I asked my friend, and he verified, that the supervisor “third tier” would have been socially inferior to the “top tier” if back in India.  Caste matters in India.

I knew next to nothing about the India caste system so called up a ‘briefing’ of sorts from Wikipedia which I found quite interesting.  I’ve found this on-line encyclopedia very adequate to start a trip to gather credible and objective information.  It is worthy of respect, which it has earned.

It was interesting to learn that the British borrowed from the earlier Indian system, essentially creating the caste system from which the two work colleagues, described above, had come.  It used to be said the “the sun never sets on the British empire”.  Of course, this applied to others as well, but in the 19th and 20th centuries, colonial England was the big dog.  When the UN formed in 1945, British India included present day Pakistan and Bangladesh as parts.  Britain, and other colonial empires of history, were able to dominate by using and refining existing systems, and likely this was true in India, as well.

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But how about “democracies” like ours, which have systems described by my friend in the second half of his note to me?

No real difference, in my opinion.  We were once part of the British Empire, and when we rebelled, our founders borrowed from the British system, specifically replacing the Emperor with the concept of President and a theoretical system “of, by and for the people”, a Democracy, as written by President Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg address in 1863.

But we’ve had and still have our own castes, initially called slaves, and on and on and on.

I don’t agree that there is a political “caste” in the United States, at least in theory.  Theoretically, we have a democracy; in practice only a few actually participate in that democracy, for all of the reasons one might present as excuses, and all the impediments that are set up to keep certain people away from voting.

Most recently, in Minnesota, I participated in the DFL (Democrat) biennial precinct caucus.  There are over 4000 precincts in Minnesota, and perhaps 17,000 persons (of a 5.7 million population) actually attended their caucus.  I don’t know the number who attended the Republican caucuses, but my guess theirs was far less.

At these caucuses (about 17 attended from my precinct), we elected the people who later will consider and endorse candidates for local, state and federal elective office.   Only people who were actually there in the room were selected.  Those who stayed home mostly voluntarily opted out of the inconvenience of coming to an evening meeting. [Note my friends response, below, and my response to him.]

A few days later, over 700,000 Democrats voted in the Primary election, for a single office, President of the United States.  That was the only issue on the ballot.  Here is the vote, Democrat and Republican, in the Minnesota Primary.

My only point, really, is that when it comes to Politics, people generally self-select themselves in or out of the system – they make their own “caste”, in effect, and the political “caste” gains power by participation, not by exclusion.

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My friend makes a comment that is most interesting to me, above, about “communities…where the community is self organizing”.  The comment, unstated, is about Power.  To achieve power, the communities described self-organized, and spoke together.

Years ago I heard a speaker define the concept of Power in a very simple way.  He first of all went through the traditional definitions of Power: who is the boss?; who controls the money; commands the theology, on and on.

Then he got to the last Power in his talk, which he called “Referent Power”, “the likeability factor”.  This was what probably prevailed in the example used above.  “The community” was sick and tired of being sick and tired, to borrow a phrase.  Enough made a collective decision to stand up and be counted in unity with each other.

Another friend, also years ago, described a similar situation in his city in New Jersey, which was predominantly lately immigrant Catholic run by older line Protestants.  The Catholics were discriminated against (my friends father was a Protestant minister).  Finally, they had had enough, and they voted in a sufficient bloc to throw the bums out of office.  No, they didn’t elect perfection, or even necessarily someone who was for their particular issue, they just wanted their voice to be heard, and they had to shout together, and they did.

As Lincoln also said at the same speech at Gettysburg, “now we are engaged in a great civil war”.  We choose to be engaged, or not; whether to compromise for the common good, or not.  It is in our hands.

Thank you for asking!

RESPONSE from the originator of this post, received overnight, March 10:  I read your blog and realized that I should have elaborated a bit relating to the 62% of our population that are classified as the working poor.  What needs to be understood about a large portion of that 62% is that many of them have multiple jobs and still cannot make ends meet.  Think about the single Mom with two or three little kids and with two or three jobs.  For this person, deciding on whether or not to vote is not a choice while surviving is their entire focus.  There is a large portion of our population for which voting is not an option and that was what I was alluding to in the discussion of our own caste system.

MY RESPONSE: I’ll add your comment.  I’m aware of your concern.  I know people in this category.  But even for them, there is a choice of whether or not they vote.  Their dynamic is probably much like the outcaste’s in India.  In various ways they are made to feel worthless.  This is also true with being counted in the upcoming census, which is the reason you see the ads on TV now.  In the case of the census, they don’t/won’t respond, even if people come to their door: “illegals”, homeless, etc., who are afraid to be counted, even if they know it is to their detriment.

After I sent this, I thought back to two trips to Haiti in the early 2000s, and specifically back to a momentous series of elections in years in the previous decade.

Haiti was and is desperately poor, dominated by a rich oligarchy and by the United States policy going back to the time of its independence from France in 1804.  In 1804 a rebellion of slaves in Haiti, led to a Declaration of Independence from the French.  Haiti was too close, and the new U.S. was too dependent on slaves to even recognize the developments in nearby Haiti.  The ongoing story is as interesting as it is unflattering to the U.S.)

In the early 1990s the dispossessed poor of Haiti finally had had it, and thanks to an activist Priest and his allies, got the vote…and went to truly extraordinary efforts to vote, though most were illiterate.  Voting didn’t seem to accomplish much, at least not visibly, but I think change did begin to happen, and continues to happen, with little support, still, from our side of the pond.

My message: more of us need to show up, including those who can’t spare the time or whatever.  (My personal website on Haiti)

Let’s keep on talking.  Thanks for bringing up the topic.  Note I’ll change the title of the blog.

 

COVID-19 Coronavirus

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March 6, 2020: Today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune devoted most of the front and last page of the news section to COVID-19.  At the same time, there do not seem to be any confirmed cases in Minnesota, though the Thursday paper headlined “2 MSP fliers in self-quarantine” who “had been in close contact with infected person in Europe.”

On the ground, today, I’ve been scheduling a dinner meeting for perhaps 60 people on April 15, and one of the directions included “we would like know the deadline for canceling this reservation, since there may be a need to do so due to coronavirus concerns.”  The situation is not abstract, anywhere.

Yesterday we were in Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis for a concert at 11 a.m..  The hall was pretty well packed with senior citizens, reflecting no panic.  Similarly, last night we were at a large fund-raiser in St. Paul, and all was cool.  Again, as of now, nothing happening here yet.  But we are not detached from the world here in Minneapolis-St. Paul and probably everyone expects the virus will light here, and spare them.  All the blanks can be filled everywhere by the daily news.

Today’s front page photo had vice-president Mike Pence touring 3M, which is about 5 miles from where I write.

Two or three days earlier, I was watching Pence’s news conference about the crisis.  In my hearing, it was all about, and addressed to, corporate America…basically an infomercial for Big Business.  It was so thick with implied ‘advertising’, I tuned it out.  There’s lots of money to be made from a crisis…and lost, too, when Wall Street drives the conversation and the Street takes a dive.  There are priorities at the time of a crisis, and they aren’t the most vulnerable and thus most likely victims of something like Coronavirus.  Self-interest comes first.

(As I write, 4 p.m. CST March 6, a report that the first Minnesota case of Coronavirus has been confirmed – no other details.  We’ll all be watching this evenings news and retracing our own steps, wherever these were.  

Later, 5 p.m.  The first Minnesota case is in Ramsey County, which is the next door county to us, St. Paul and area.)

The chatter on the tube these days reminds me a something I read a few years ago: “The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” by Naomi Klein.  Later, Naomi expanded on this in the later book, Shock Doctrine.

The first consideration of business is the economics: how much will our involvement be worth to our bottom line?  Cynical?  Perhaps.  Prove me wrong.

So, we hunker down here, and hope it doesn’t stop by here.  Escaping is, unfortunately, unlikely, since I live in what is by and large a professional community with lots of people working for big international companies.  For the moment, at least, I’m not going to change my lifestyle, but….

Stay tuned.

POSTNOTE:  I have no hostility to “business”.  I would much rather that it would be a partner rather than competitor of government, which is also essential in so many ways.   The debate about Capitalism and Socialism is, I believe, rooted in this sense of competition – who wins, who loses.  Both have a very important role, and always have.  The current administration, as evidenced by the massive tax cuts in December 2017, has a big bias in favor of big business, and we shall see more and more evidence of this in coming months.

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Saturday, March 7: This morning at coffee, friend Dave showed me some photos on his tablet.  He’d been at the local Costco yesterday, and many shelves were stripped of their wares, apparently by customers worried about the next few days.  A short while ago, I stopped at my daughters, and she suggested we lay low for the next couple of weeks.  Folks over 70, and people like myself who’ve had major surgery, are prime targets for traumatic disease.

Such is how it goes, beyond the headlines, with ordinary folks.

So, today, no trip to the gym, which is always a busy place.  A new interest in washing hands, hopefully not a coming compulsive behavior for this country cousin long in the big city.  Decisions to be made: going to church; elbow bumps or shaking hands; a class I don’t want to miss on Tuesday evening; on and on….

The news on the tube and in the papers can take care of itself.  Probably I’ll update this post whenever something pertinent and personal occurs.  The folks who emptied the shelves in the local superstore had their reasons.  Tonight our elderly friend across the street will come over for supper, I understand.

Have a great day.

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Sunday, March 8, Reasonable Paranoia:  There’s a phrase that has always caused me to smile: “Just because I’m paranoid, doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get me.”

Today I decided to go to Mass at Basilica, my usual Sunday destination.  I suppose we’re considered a ‘touchy-feely’ place, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when the Priest read the following brief advisory from the pulpit: coronavirus Basilica20200308.

The presence of the virus in the U.S. is no laughing matter, even if in Minnesota there seems to be only a single case so far.

Yesterday afternoon, I checked in at the Weather Channel, and at the time they were playing a program about the deadly Moore Oklahoma Tornado of May 20-21, 2013.  It was followed by a program on the assorted hurricanes of 2017, including Puerto Rico.

In my mind came a blending of the contrasting, yet similar, images of tornado, hurricane and virus, particularly in the present day.

With tornadoes and hurricanes, these days, there is generally pre-notice – be watchful.  Some places, like Oklahoma specifically, are more at risk more often.  No matter the preparedness, sometimes it isn’t enough: 24 died in the Moore tornado; thousands in Puerto Rico hurricane.

With coronavirus, it’s a nastier animal than its cousins, but it is also far more stealthy.  You can’t see it or feel it until its upon you, and then you will likely survive, or possibly not.

Storm shelters are part of the preparedness for weather/climate events.  Preparedness for coronavirus is not simple, and easy to overlook.

Be prepared (I tell myself, too).  I live in best of all possible worlds, and worst: a very large metropolitan area close to care, but full of potential risk as well.  How to deal with this?

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Sunday evening, March 8: I did my ordinary exercise at Lifetime Fitness.  The greeting today was essentially the same as at Basilica: the basics of avoiding contracting, or transmitting, Coronavirus.  Someone told me that CDC (Center for Disease Control) has the menu on its website.

A great friend since I was in 8th grade over 65 years ago lives only few miles from the epicenter of the outbreak in suburban Seattle.  I can hardly imagine how traumatic this must be for folks in that neighborhood. Here’s the latest news I could find, from closest to the scene.

[Latest news, Mar 12: here]

Apparently there was a second report today, of another case in St. Paul.  Obviously, among over 5 million people, very small, but I appreciate the awareness.

The big learning for me, so far, is hands: wash them, often….  It does involve relearning.

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Monday evening, March 9: My friend in Seattle area wrote this afternoon: “Hi Dick, this Coronavirus thing is indeed scary.  And what makes it even scarier is that until we do some serious tests like they are doing in South Korea, we really won’t know the extent to which it has spread across our nation.  Can’t believe how long it is taking to get the testing underway.  In the mean time, I just continue being the recluse that I am and limit my interacting to my family other than doing a bit of shopping from time to time.”

There is a great plenty of news, which I won’t add to.

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Thursday morning, March 12: A great deal has transpired since March 9:  I did contact my family physician yesterday.  I feel fine, and told her so, and filled her in by e-mail of my daily habits (coffee shop, church, fitness place).  Her prompt e-response was to refer me to the Center for Disease Control website, here.  Another excellent source is Johns Hopkins University is here.

In sundry ways, I am seeing proactive response in my own circles.  The Caribou coffee shop manager told me that they are instructed to sanitize common exposure areas, like door knobs, every half hour.  Business is way down, she says.  

I speak to church and fitness center advisories above.

Personally, I attended a workshop at Basilica of St. Mary on Tuesday evening.  This was a group of over 50, and there was no perceptible change in ordinarily careful behaviors.  I am not sure about the status of the last three workshops, on following Tuesdays.  The programs are being video-taped.

Within the last 24 hours, the decision was made to postpone a 4-15-20 program we were organizing here; a 3-22-2020 program I planned to attend is also being postponed.  Both were expected to attract from 50-70 people.  I’m very active in both organizations. The decisions were made without dissension.  No question, fear is a driver.  These are both voluntary events.  Who will come?  What will it be like next week?  Next month?

A friend expressed concern about the impact of Fear in decision making at the time of this Crisis.  He did a more than reasonable imitation of FDR in 1933: “only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.  It is a concern worthy of noting, but fear is likely a real factor in the reactions of individuals, including myself, at this time.  It brings to mind a powerful illustration, Crisis Sequence, I saw at a presentation in the early 1970s.  Here it is, below, and the illustration explains itself.  Basically, we are in stage I.  Here is a pdf of the chart: Crisis Sequence 1970s.  (I dusted this off after 9-11-01, and on other occasions since.  In some ways we are still living in phase I when it comes to 9-11.  It is not healthy.)

I don’t think we’ll be able to rest easy for considerable period of time; on the other hand, if community response is like what I have seen so far, we will lessen the risks.

Comments are welcome.

from Lydia, March 12, a letter transmitted from a friend in Italy (Lydia is a long-time friend):

A LETTER SENT FROM ITALY TO A FRIEND.

I am writing to you from Bergamo, Italy, at the heart of the coronavirus crisis. The news media in the US has not captured the severity of what is happening here. I am writing this post because each of you, today, not the government, not the school district, not the mayor, each individual citizen has the chance, today to take actions that will deter the Italian situation from becoming your own country’s reality.  The only way to stop this virus is to limit contagion. And the only way to limit contagion is for millions of people to change their behavior today. 

If you are in Europe or the US you are weeks away from where we are today in Italy.

I can hear you now. “It’s just a flu. It only affects old people with preconditions”

There are 2 reasons why Coronavirus has brought Italy to it’s knees. First it is a flu is devastating when people get really sick they need weeks of ICU – and, second, because of how fast and effectively it spreads. There is 2 week incubation period and many who have it never show symptoms.  

When Prime Minister Conte announced last night that the entire country, 60 million people, would go on lock down, the line that struck me most was “there is no more time.” Because to be clear, this national lock down, is a hail mary. What he means is that if the numbers of contagion do not start to go down, the system, Italy, will collapse. 

Why? Today the ICUs in Lombardy are at capacity – more than capacity. They have begun to put ICU units in the hallways. If the numbers do not go down, the growth rate of contagion tells us that there will be thousands of people who in a matter of a week? two weeks? who will need care. What will happen when there are 100, or a 1000 people who need the hospital and only a few ICU places left? 

On Monday a doctor wrote in the paper that they have begun to have to decide who lives and who dies when the patients show up in the emergency room, like what is done in war. This will only get worse. 

There are a finite number of drs, nurses, medical staff and they are getting the virus. They have also been working non-stop, non-stop for days and days. What happens when the drs, nurses and medical staff are simply not able to care for the patients, when they are not there?

And finally for those who say that this is just something that happens to old people, starting yesterday the hospitals are reporting that younger and younger patients – 40, 45, 18, are coming in for treatment. 

You have a chance to make a difference and stop the spread in your country. Push for the entire office to work at home today, cancel birthday parties, and other gatherings, stay home as much as you can. If you have a fever, any fever, stay home. Push for school closures, now. Anything you can do to stop the spread, because it is spreading in your communities – there is a two week incubation period – and if you do these things now you can buy your medical system time. 

And for those who say it is not possible to close the schools, and do all these other things, locking down Italy was beyond anyone’s imagination a week ago. 

Soon you will not have a choice, so do what you can now. 

Please share.

March 13:   My in-box is full of notices of cancellations of major and not-so-major events, most of which have been very well publicized on major media.

This morning I was surprised at my Caribou Coffee, where everyday I bring my “antiques roadshow” quality Caribou Coffee Mug, long used and well-loved.  Today there was a sign that they won’t fill mugs – part of the COVID response.  I took a photo, and told the manager I appreciate their actions.  Their business is down, but I guess this is a normal consequence.

Caribou Coffee March 13, 2020. Note the sign. Thank you to Caribou.

March 14, 5 p.m.: I watched the White House press conference today and I have no comments on that.  What informs me, now, is ‘on the ground’, here at home, where in many and diverse ways the community is dealing with the present reality in what I feel is a very positive way.  Of course, stuff is selling out at stores , the same as everywhere else.  Virtually every program has been postponed or cancelled in the Twin Cities area – if you wanted to go out it would not be much fun.  The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in St. Paul has been cancelled; best advice, call ahead you go anywhere.  I’m not one who thinks that the emergency aid bill in the Congress will go through without controversy, even though the House Democrats, most Republicans and the President gave agreed on the terms. The Senate won’t act until next week…dependent on the Speaker.

It’s a beautiful, sunshiny, chilly day here in Woodbury.  Pretty quiet.  I plan to go to Church tomorrow – my day to usher.  I expect it will not be well attended, and lots will be different compared to usual Mass.  That will be tomorrows report, probably.

from Mary in New York, March 14: Hope all are doing well….so many closures that the world is a different place this Saturday….at least in Fairport, New York.  I have cooked and cleaned and picked up yard sticks and while debating next move decided to make a few phone calls but even that is a bit fruitless as folks are doing whatever……perhaps searching for something in a poorly stocked market.  So back to e-com!!

Social distancing is certainly the norm today-and probably for many more days to come.  Not particularly upsetting, just different.

I find the coverage of this pandemic a bit over the top but  understand that many folks have not worked in a field where scary microbes are the rule, not the exception. I believe in basic hygienic practice and hand washing.  I am also humbled by how rapidly disease can get out of control and, with this last week or so as evidence, how quickly normal expectations and practices can change.
Still not sure why toilet paper is being hoarded?? This is a nasty respiratory virus, folks!!
In any case-weather the worries and normal will return.  Perhaps, on the other side, some of the cautions will have become habit and we have wisely decided to ignore some of the ridiculousness.
Oh bother……theaters are now closed!  Net Flix here I come!

POSTNOTE, March 15: Beginning today, I will continue the conversation about the Coronavirus Crisis here, titled Speaking personally.   Note also, my post on March 13, “Fear itself“,  March 15, 17 and continuing

POSTNOTE early a.m. March 14:  In this early morning batch of e-mails was a letter to subscribers from Executive Editor Martin Baron.  The first paragraph said this: “On January 8 this year, Washington Post reporters Gerry Shih and Lena Sun reported an outbreak of an “unidentified and possibly new viral disease in central China” that was sending alarms across Asia in advance of the Lunar New Year travel season.”

The e-mail immediately preceding was today’s Just Above Sunset, Staging an Intervention.

Yesterday was a large trove of notices about cancelled events and essentially identical advice about COVID-19.  I have been grateful for these assorted advisories, and the ones I’ve seen in person, at my coffee shop, fitness center, grocery store, etc.  Most of these posted yesterday or a day or two before.  I’ve been involved in a couple of those decisions affecting groups in which I’m very active

It was March 6, one week ago, that I published the first segment of this post.  That’s how long it took for me, an ordinary citizen, to get the message.  I don’t think I’m unusual.

Now, six weeks later, it appears that the ‘boots are on the ground’, a community in action, more or less together.

This will be a unusual weekend for most of us.  A good time to read and to contemplate how we fit in to all of this in a week with scarcely any equal in my lifetime.   We have an opportunity to truly ‘get’ that we are all in this together….

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Comment from Jim, Mar 10 (I believe Jim’s wife is a retired ER physician:  “On the coronavirus: laboratory testing shows it as a SARS virus on steroids. It binds to the same epithelial cell receptor protein as SARS but does so more strongly. It also mutates rapidly; already there are seven circulating strains of the virus. A rapidly mutating virus is hard to control via a vaccine. Trouble, trouble, trouble.”

There have been and will continue to be periodic updates here.  Check back once in awhile.

 

Tone

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Tone, defined, for the purpose of this blogpost: “Noun, 2. the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.”

Tomorrow (Tues, March 3) is the Minnesota Primary Election.  There are 16 Democrats on the DFL ballot; there is one candidate on the Republican ballot.  Two other parties have chosen not to participate in the Primary.  There is only one issue on the ballot, the Presidential preference.

All details can be found here.

I will vote tomorrow.  My personal philosophy appears at the right hand side on this page, as it has appeared since the blog went on line in March, 2009.  I gave those words some thought, then, and have seen no reason to change it since.  I will choose one of the 16 candidates presented on the Democrat ballot tomorrow.  I think they – all of them – reflect a strength of the Democratic Party.  (For various reasons, nine candidates on the DFL ballot have already dropped off, and more will.)  In the end, one will be nominated by delegates selected at local precinct caucuses or their equivalents around the United States.  It isn’t perfect.  Neither is it perfect to present only a single candidate, as this state’s Republican Party has chosen to do.

I have mixed emotions about this (for Minnesota) new election.  Previously, the presidential preference was a function of the precinct caucus.  Mostly, I am concerned that this simply further amplifies the perception of many that the only election that matters is that for President of the United States.

There seems undue and excessive and dangerous emphasis on who will be President, period.  And that whoever  is elected to be President should have a corner on Power.  The notion of Three Branches and the power of the people has been eroded over the years, and in recent times been severely damaged and too many have stood idly by.  Civic commitment too often is to, perhaps, vote once, for President, and that is enough.

It is not enough.

This is where the business of “Tone” comes in.  Our national attitude seems less caring than what I remember in the not-so-good old days before “Tribalized” politics, and government by Twitter and Trolls and Bots and on and on.

Our national civic sloppiness is not, and will not, serve us well.  Our local, state and national “tone” is lacking.

Every elective office is important, indeed essential.  In one of my recent posts, I suggested writing down the names of the people who represent ourselves in each level.  Of course, I’m one of the people, and I did this for myself.  I did pretty well, though not for offices like our towns Mayor and Council, or our County Commissioners.

So, I took the test, and I passed, but no “A” – that’s for sure.

The calendar says its about 246 days to Election Day, November 3, 2020.  That’s plenty of time to get up to speed on who’s running for what, and who they really are, beyond just their names, their pitches against their opponents, or their self-congratulatory stories about themselves.

Whoever it is: President, Senator, Congressperson, Governor, State Senator or Legislator, on and on,  get to know them, and vote, and vote very well informed.  This is your country, and ours….

JUST FOR INFORMATION SAKE:

The U.S. Population now is more or less 330,000,000 people.  We don’t all think alike; nor do we all have identical abilities, or needs.

Each U.S. Congressional District has a population of about 760,000.

Minnesota, my state, has about 5.7 million people, more or less two percent of the national population.  Each of our legislative districts has about 43,000 population.

One philosophy will not dominate, even if one ‘side’ or the other thinks it can control the others.

Any person who has ever been elected to any office soon learns that to ignore an opposing point of view is dangerous.

Collectively, we need to learn to live together.

Some time back we participated in a meeting about a movement called Better Angels  Check it out.

Recent personal posts on the topic of Politics (access in Archive, at right): Feb 13, 16, 21, 24, 26, 29

POSTNOTE TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020, 3:30 A.M.:  I published this yesterday, before Amy Klobuchar announced she was pulling out of the presidential race.  Later in the afternoon, I happened to turn to MSNBC at 6 p.m., the beginning of the Chris Matthews hour, which I normally don’t watch – too strident.  Matthews came on, briefly, to retire.  An obviously stunned Steve Kornacki filled in.  I didn’t watch the rest of the show since, as I said, I normally don’t watch it.  Overnight, the New York Times had an article about what I had seen.  Also, overnight came Just Above Sunset, “Simplifying Matters”.   It’s worth your time.  Brace for the upcoming months.  Not long ago I did a post, “Nation of Manchurian Candidates?”  I think we’re about to find out.  Probably Wednesday Mar 4, I’ll add a postnote here, and I’m inviting comments, the first two of which are below.  “We, the people” are about to be tested, and it is the collective we that will decide our fate going forward.

POSTNOTES March 4, 2020, 8:45 a.m.

There are several comments in the comments section, and there may be more, later.  

I voted Tuesday morning.  I marked my ballot for Joe Biden.  I would have voted for Amy Klobuchar, but she had withdrawn the previous day.  I’m two years senior to Mr. Biden, so I know both the limitations and the assets of age and experience.  A few others told me who they voted for – a variety – but this is their business.  It seems obvious to me that people are paying serious attention to the importance of this election.

Biden has not yet been nominated, of course, and I “don’t count chickens till they’re hatched.”  Personally, I could have supported almost all of the Democratic candidates who were listed on the DFL ballot yesterday (16 in all).  Tulsi Gabbard’s candidacy puzzled me.  Though she seemed to be a fine person, too, she was my exception….

Here is where you can find more about the Minnesota vote yesterday.  [Added March 5: These were the top vote-getters: Democrat – total votes cast about 740,000 among 15 candidates on the ballot, one “uncommitted”. Biden 287,248; Sanders 222,276; Warren 114,606; Bloomberg 61,832; Klobuchar 41,478 – she had bowed out the day before the election, but her name and all the others were on the printed ballot.

Republican – 137,155 for incumbent President, 3298 for others.  Only one candidate was allowed on the Republican ballot per the Minnesota Republican Party, who controlled whose name(s) would appear, as was also true with the Democrats.]  I would suggest a visit to the home page as well where there is some information about election security.

I was an inadvertent witness to one piece of drama yesterday.  I wanted to verify our voting place, which sometimes changes, and when I went to the Secretary of State website it redirected me to another site, which was very helpful.  The Star Tribune writes here about this happening.  I visited, it appears, during the 17 minutes of the incident.  Were ‘bots’ involved?  Should the Secretary State resign?  All of these and more will be in some conversation.  I went to the site to find out where to vote, that is all.  I’m glad the alternative was available.

Check the other comments below.  In addition, here is a comment from my friend and DFL activist, Norm, on what he observed at his precinct in suburban St. Paul yesterday:

I voted earlier this morning and found no lines and just walked right in, signed  in, and voted.
I suspect that the voter turnout will be fairly light akin to a primary but hopefully greater than the presidential preference poll turnout at the precinct caucuses in 2016.
If the turnout is essentially the same as it was for the poll in 2016, the question will be begged, of course, whether the presidential nomination primary served any valid purpose other that perhaps assuring less crowding on caucus night.
You had noted the concern of the local AB [Archbishop Hebda] and his admonishment to the priests under his scepter to not vote today because presumably he did not want their parishioners to know which ballot they had requested although you surmised that it probably would not have been at all similar to the one that we requested.
In fact, the voting process at my voting site this morning was fairly private.
I had to give the election judge the last three letters of my last name and the first three letters of my first name.
He then plugged that into a little 6-8  electronic device on a swivel and turned it to show me so that I could confirm address and phone number.
He then set things up and turned the device towards me again allowing me to request either a DFL or GOP ballot…and then hit submit before he turned the device back so he could see the now blank screen.
Two small pieces of paper printed out two things on them:  One, to sign an oath to confirm that I was an eligible voter and, two, a little slip with my choice of ballot on it that he gave to me upside down so that he could not see what ballot I had requested.
I handed that off to another person who then saw which ballot that I had requested, gave the ballot to me, I voted, put my ballot into the machine, was handed an I voted deal and left.
Probably took no more than ten-minutes at the most.
So, while I do not know whether the process that I encountered with the small electronic device and all as what everyone else who voted encountered. 
On the other hand, if it was, the priests in the local AB at least would have left with only one person knowing which ballot that they had requested.  If the election judge who knew which ballot that the padre had requested was also a good Roman and perhaps a member of his parish, and if he/she was talkative, that could create  some interesting dynamics in the local parish round table, I would suppose.
Granted, presumably St. Francis might not have requested the same ballot as you suggested most of his peers would likely have but then…
Hell, even a Methodist like me can appreciate St. Francis!
AGAIN MORE COMMENTS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION, BELOW.  POSSIBLY THERE WILL BE MORE, LATER.  CHECK BACK.  

 

 

Primary Election

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Tuesday is the Minnesota Primary Election.  Lots of interesting information, including candidates, here.

You will note that the DFL (Democrat) ballot includes 15 names; the Republican only one, even though at the time of filing there were at least two other national Republican who expressed an interest in challenging the incumbent.

Today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune, on the front page, announced that the local Catholic Archbishop had sent a letter to diocesan Priests which basically (my opinion) prohibits Priests from voting in the primary as they will have to declare whether they are Republican or Democrat.  I am lifelong Catholic, and I’ll be at Mass on Sunday, as usual, so I know the drill.  The topic won’t come up, I’d guess.  We have one Priest who I respect a lot.  I don’t know where he lives or how he votes.  So be it.

(We tend to know where the current Catholic hierarchy in the United States stands, and while there won’t be partisan signs on their residence or office lawns, we basically know how they collectively lean, and its not in the “D” direction.)

We used to know that, too, during the good old days when Priests and Nuns, while not encouraged to participate were not prohibited from doing so, either, in things like anti-war demonstrations and declarations, or civil rights marches and on and on.  But that was in days of old.

I’ll vote on Tuesday.  This is the first time in a long while that there has been a presidential primary in Minnesota.  I suppose the legislature decided they wanted to be included in Super Tuesday for some reason or other.  (Before, we would do a presidential preference poll at the caucuses.  It wasn’t sexy, but it worked as well as having a special election.)

But, what am I to say?

See you at the polls, I hope.

*

Some additional words on Tuesdays Precinct caucuses.    I wrote very briefly on the caucuses on Wednesday: “Last night was precinct caucus night in Minnesota.  I attended as I always do”, giving the floor, then to my first wife, Barbara’s, excellent high school essay in 1960 on “I Speak for Democracy”.

Personally, I was very favorably impressed with the Tuesday caucus. I always attend these community meetings, and what most impressed me with this meeting, and I told the others such, was that new people were  facilitating and participating this year, including high school students.  Our conveyor said she was originally from India; in other ways we accurately reflected how I perceive our Precinct in our suburb.  There were only 17 of us in the room, which was somewhat lower than last time, but this was the first time that there was no presidential preference poll (see primary election above).

Precinct caucuses are not academy award gatherings: they are town meetings, albeit set up separately for Republicans and Democrats and others.  (The Republican caucus was at another high school in our town, and there were other caucuses held in other areas for what I consider minor parties, like Legalization of Pot, or such.).  Nobody is required to come; and there is no mandated outcome, at least at ours.  We’re at a time of transition in our country, and it is time for the young and under-represented to take over (and, likely, to make their own mistakes, as we did and have).

Of course, there was some grousing – I read a negative letter in the Wednesday Star Tribune from someone who  felt negatively about what I viewed as positive.

The same day, my friend Norm, who is a Democrat like me, and who occasionally “crosses swords” with me (or me with him), wrote his own opinion, which I share below, and with which I generally agree, though if I didn’t agree, that wouldn’t make any differences.  We need more conversations about who and how we elect the people who represent us.

Thanks Norm.

from Norm Hanson:  I [attended] as well, Dick, although I also feel that precinct caucuses may well soon go the way of the dinosaur without the need for the crash of a meteor to speed their demise.

The non-presidential election year caucus in 2022 may well be better attended if there are some state office races in serious contention.
If not, there will no doubt be fewer folks in attendance than there were last night.
Fewer and fewer states are retaining their caucus systems so maybe they have lost their usefulness in the eyes of many and ae becoming a thing of the past.
Clearly, Minnesota’s participation in the Super Tuesday voting next week has taken most of any remaining luster from the precinct caucuses.
To be fair, precinct caucus attendance had dropped off considerably for many years until presidential straw voting opportunities were offered and later given some weight in the national delegate determination process.
I mean, how long has it been since any precinct caucus attendee had to walk to Iowa in support of a cause or candidate?
For that matter, how long has it been since most precincts elected their full allotment of delegates to their senate district or county unit conventions? 
I do know that some have had contests for the delegate slots that have often been resolved without having to walk to Iowa, “I will agree to be an alternate.” or something like that.
On the other hand, I did enjoy my time at the my precinct caucus last night in spite of the small attendance  especially when thinking about the crowded caucus nights of many past years.
I saw and visited with a few old friends, met some new folks, heard some resolutions presented and defended including a couple of Kooky ones at least from my perhaps limited view of the world but not from the viewpoint of the presenters, of course.
We were only able to fill about half of the allotted 42 senate district convention slots for our precinct as not all of the 26 or so folks present wanted that status.
I am concerned that lack of interest let alone attendance occurred at several precincts in our senate district at least that will result in a poorly attended and fairly meaningless senate district convention.

 

 

 

“I Speak for Democracy”

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Today is son Tom’s 56th birthday.  His Mom, my wife, Barbara, died in 1965 at 22, when he was one.

Last night was precinct caucus night in Minnesota.  I attended as I always do.  I’ll write more about this later in conjunction with an unusual Primary election which was set up by MN law in 2016 for 2020.  Do participate in that election.

Recently I’ve been visiting with Barbara’s high school classmate and friend, Larry Gauper (both VCHS 1961).  In the course of an e-conversation, on February 23, Larry recalled when he and Barbara competed in the “I Speak for Democracy” annual competition.  His writing follows, and after that is the actual paper that Barbara wrote on the topic in 196o-61 at Valley City High School (which I have sent to Larry).  The words are their own; the interpretation is left to the reader.  They took their work seriously.  (Here’s an on-line article featuring a winning submission in the 1961 era,)

Larry Gauper, Feb 23, 2020, with his permission:

“One of the last times I interacted with Barbara was when we both competed for the VCHS competition in the Voice of Democracy essay/oration contest. Tina Steinborn, our English teacher, asked all of us to do an essay based on the criteria for the contest. We didn’t have to go any further and nearly all of her students stopped there. But Barbara and [I] truly went the extra mile.  We were then asked to report on a Saturday morning to record our essays on the school’s reel-to-reel tape deck. This is how the district and state events wanted submissions, via a tape recording. After Barbara and I finished recording our individual essays, the judges listened to them. Barbara and I waited for their verdict, as we sat in the hall outside the judges room. We were then invited in and I was named the winner. Her essay may indeed have been better than mine, but I was used to recording into a microphone.  Since [my] sophomore [year] I worked on the air at KOVC [radio Valley City] and we were now starting our senior year. Plus, in those days, a male voice on tape earned a few, albeit undeserved points. This was a cruel way to do this contest, exacerbated by the fact only two of us were competing. I remember Barb’s disappointment, expressed in tears. I had a hollow feeling about winning, certainly not celebratory. I overcame this when I went on to win the district and state competition and left Hector Airport [Fargo] for my first plane ride – to Washington, DC. How Barbara would have enjoyed that achievement in what was to be her very short life.”

Here is Barbara’s two-page typewritten Essay, transcribed exactly as written

I SPEAK FOR DEMOCRACY Barbara Sunde, English 12, 1960-61 Valley City (ND) High School

I stand upon the hill of darkness, and as I walk down the hill, I come upon a city with brilliant lights.  The city’s name is Democracy.  Democracy contains four sources of power which array the city with dazzling light.

The first power is named Freedom.  From this power come the lights from the very heart of the city.  The lights come from the people.  And when I say “people” I mean a definite type of people.  I mean people who possess hearts and souls.  People who want to think their own thoughts, worship in their church, their own Divine power.  For if these freedoms are taken from people, their lights shall fade away, and the heart of democracy shall be extinguished.

The second power is that of Independence.  As I witnessed the lights it produced, I saw that it especially applied to me.  It brought to mind a quotation by [Thomas] Moore.  “Better to dwell in freedom’s hall, with a cold, damp floor and mouldering wall, Than bow thy head and bend thy knee in the proudest palace of slavery.”

Perhaps born in poverty…but I am the richest person on this earth, because I have my freedom and independence of thought.  An independence which enables me to make the most effective use of my personal abilities.  Independence is a source of choice.  And even my poverty leaves choice.  I can use my God given talents and initiative to gain the wealth of the world, or I may remain in this poverty by my own choice.

Truth, too, is a power within the city.  And without truth I would not have my beliefs.  I would not be able to formulate opinions on the world in general.  Nor would I be able to give reasoning to others for the way I believe.  People who know the truth can set the thoughts of others, they can influence the world in general.  They can live their lives according to truth and all that is right and, according to how they feel within their heart and soul.  Indeed, the light of Truth shines brightly within the city.

The lights surrounding the city are produced by the power of justice.  For the justice is justice by the people.  What could be more fair than the judgement you yourself would give?  All fairness reigns and give a peace to the city.  It is in this peace of mind that I live in the city.

Yes, I live in the city of Democracy.  As I freely, think, so do I freely speak.  As I privately worship, so do I openly worship.  And these things do I do with a knowledge of truth, with a feeling of independence of thought, and with Freedom imbedded in my very soul.

The city was built long ago, and one may know that it took much turmoil and struggle.  I was not a part of this, but through a grace of God, I find myself living within the city.  My pride and joy are infinite for the individuals who struggled that there might be such a city.  That there might be for others, freedom, truth, justice, and independence.  That there might be for others, a democracy.

Perhaps my city seems a bit symbolic and not really an application to real life, but there is nothing more real to me than the democracy I live in.  For my democracy is a city.  Democracy does contain four powers. But these powers can turn people to dazzling lights, and make them into individuals and not just a general class called people.  I am an individual.  In freedom is my life.  In independence is my hope for the future.  In truth lies my right and my reason to believe as I do.  In justice lies my peace with my countrymen and my peace with God.

In Democracy lies my life, and this democracy allows me to say with all my heart, “I thank you Lord.”

Caucus

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Tomorrow (Tuesday Feb 25) is caucus night in Minnesota.  I will be there, as I have been to many caucuses over the years.  Next week will be Minnesota Primary Election.  I’ll participate in that, too.  That is a much more recent addition to the political menu in Minnesota.  We shall see how it works.  (Complete information for Minnesota can be viewed here, at the Minnesota Secretary of State website.)

Every state has its own system of selecting candidates for state and national office.  (QUICK QUIZ:  jot on a piece of paper the names of all of the elected representatives you know, from the most obscure city and county positions, to the President of the U.S.  Do this strictly from memory.  Do you know where their office is, and how to contact them?  Grade yourself.)

I’ve been to a lot of caucuses.  (They seem a lot like a “town meeting” in the northeast.). In a sense, caucuses  are basically community meetings of people with a similar-political party persuasion.  Mine happens to be Democrat, but there are Republican and other caucuses as well (check the Secretary of State link above).

In Minnesota we are organized by Precinct.  I never remember mine, (it is P-5 in Woodbury).  The State DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) website is helpful in finding the Caucus location.   In my case, the local Senate District 53 organization has set up a process to register on-line, which I have done.

Caucuses and the resulting Conventions and Candidates are imperfect which, in my opinion, renders them authentic representatives of the reality of our society.

The Minnesota Caucus, in my opinion, is the essential meeting if one wishes to make a difference.  It is participative, open to citizens who live in the district, and are in turn subdivided into gatherings by Precinct, in which the business of the caucus is conducted.

No, they aren’t necessarily interesting.  No, they aren’t always well organized, and messy.  Yes, they can be boring, and frustrating.  The rapid proliferation of ever-more advanced technology can be as much a curse as a blessing.

On the other hand, out of these caucuses come the rank and file delegates to later conventions which ultimately have the responsibility of endorsing candidates for state and national office, and the assorted Resolutions which set the philosophical direction of the political party.  All of this starts with the Caucus, and the first question which might be asked of someone complaining about “politics” or “government” in a democracy, is “how did you participate?” which does not mean voting.  In our system virtually 100% of the time the successful candidates for all offices, have been endorsed by a party structure that began with caucuses.

Of course, I recommend that you attend and participate in your caucus.  You’ll meet some nice people.  Likely you’ll meet candidates for local offices who you may not otherwise would meet, or get the first round of literature for this election season.

See you at the caucus.

As time goes on I will write frequently about politics at this blog.  Check back once in awhile.  Easiest to go to the home page, which will tell how to access all posts for a given month.

POSTNOTE, from Joyce: An excellent political analysis piece on Convention.

 

Politics

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February 19, I was watching Family Feud, a favorite escape.

For those unacquainted, family feud teams compete to guess how 100 persons answer questions on topics familiar to most everyone of us.  One of the questions host Steve Harvey asked this night: “What is one species you wouldn’t mind to see extinct?”  One of the popular answers, though not the top was “Human/Politicians“, ranked among other favorites, like “mosquitoes”.  People we love to hate…

As luck would have it, shortly after this show was the Democratic debate in Las Vegas.  I lasted only 15 minutes into the debate.  This night seemed to be ‘diss your opponents’ night.  Life is too short.

The incessant ‘debates’ in our contemporary political world seem not on substance.  They’re an exercise to accumulate viewer points at somebody else’s (a competitors) expense, featuring  Gladiators – politicians – whose weapons are words.

Personally, the debates reflect more on the audience – ourselves – than on the combatants.  Just another marketing opportunity for many, not just the politicians.

“WE, THE PEOPLE”, ARE POLITICS, nobody else.  If we don’t like what we see in the candidates, we don’t like ourselves.  Every candidate needs to get voted in, and they need to attract our votes.  In effect, we get – and we got – and will get – exactly what we deserve to represent us.

Personally, I have paid little attention to the debates, and so far I’ve made no contributions to individual candidates.   I’ve been clear that when the dust settles, and the Democrats have decided who to endorse, I will support their endorsed candidates at all levels.

There is now huge difference between the two major U.S. political parties.  The distinction between the parties is far greater than it has been in my lifetime, in my opinion.

We are a nation of 330 million people.  There is no one who can satisfy all our demands, or even most of them.  Personally, I am looking at someone moderate in demeanor and outlook – it matches the reality of my own career, where my daily job involved, imperfection, including my own.  I represented people in a union of diverse members.  Nothing was ever as it was portrayed at the beginning.  All were good people on all sides.  All were flawed including, as I mention, myself.  Nothing was, to use a lawyer’s favorite word: “clear”.

Politicians are no better or worse than any of us, individually and collectively.  They do have an impossible job, and it surprises me that people even choose to run for office.

Since early on, a favorite for me has been Amy Klobuchar, my local U.S. Senator for the past 14 years who has demonstrated, by the strength of her electoral victories that she represents well diverse constituencies.

Does this mean that she is who I will vote for?  No.  I’ve made my declaration above.

At minimum, I think our individual responsibility, at minimum, is to at the very least know who our many representatives are, from local to national, and then to vote well informed.

Nov. 11, 2020, we’ll know what we did to, or for, ourselves and our future.

Earlier post on this topic, here.

53-47

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Related post:  Jesus, here.

Today we stayed after Mass for a talk by a founder of a national group called “Better Angels“, which bills itself as “a working alliance to depolarize America”.  There were about 75 of us in attendance, and it was a very stimulating hour with Bill Doherty.   We’ll join.  I encourage you to check out this organization.

A couple of hours later, ready to take on the tread mill at the fitness center, I saw the presidential motorcade do a lap at the start of Daytona 500.  It was a fast trip from “depolarize” to “win-lose”.   I much prefer “depolarize”.

EVERYONE loses in “win-lose”, as even the ‘big guy’ in the lead car at Daytona will discover, sooner or later.

I have a great deal to say, here, but it will probably come over the next few days.  Check back once in awhile.

For certain, if you’re in Minnesota, participate in your precinct caucus on February 25, and the Presidential Primary on March 3.  Details can be accessed here.

Do check back in a day or two or three….

NOTE about “53-47”, the headline.  This was the vote on virtually all of the motions proposed at the U.S. Senate Impeachment hearing of the President some weeks ago.  At minimum, it symbolizes that the U.S. is basically, now, two countries, at war within ourselves.  Our Civil War was over the notion of two countries in what is now the United States.  Division doesn’t work very well….

*

Presidents Day, Feb. 17, 2020:

Last night we watched part one of the three part mini-series on George Washington (History Channel).  Parts two and three are tonight and tomorrow night.  Judging from part one, the series is worth your time.  Tonight will begin at the time of the Revolutionary War.  Here is an interesting commentary on Washington’s presidency in today’s Washington Post.  Succinctly, conflict has always been part of politics.  But the public, now more than ever, needs to be diligent about the veracity of instant communications.

Right before, Sixty Minutes had a segment on the allegations of the current President about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election – “CrowdStrike”, “the Server” and such.  “Nyet” is the analysis; a ‘gift’ from the Soviets.  You can watch the segment on line.

We are in the bombardment season of politics, and I recommend paying close attention and full participation .

A colleague at the Retreat I attended a week ago was making a complaint about politicians at lunch.  I responded “we – all of us – are “politics“.  That was all that was said on the topic at that table.

All of the defects of “politicians”, whatever office, whatever party, reside at our doorstep – and to our credit, or our blame.  We elect them, or not, by our vote, or by not voting at all, or voting uninformed.

Thus far we have managed to keep a semblance of democracy in the U,S, for over 230 years, and if it survives, or not, is totally in our court.  Mostly I’m optimistic, but not always.  When political discourse is by twitter, or ‘forwards’, or non-engagement on even the most basic ideas, our country is in trouble.  We have a right to be ignorant, at our peril.

A week or two ago came the first ‘forwards’ of the season, both from friends, who got them from some unidentified other friend – stories passed computer to computer.

The first ‘forward’ was the basic assertion of facts, that weren’t facts in any reasonable context.

For just one example, the first ‘forward’ pointed out for some reason (among other things) how youthful five key actors in the forming of America were.  Indeed, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay and Thomas Jefferson were young in 1776 (born between 1743 and 1756).  But they weren’t the only founders of America, and the United States didn’t officially come into being until the ratification of the Constitution in 1789, thirteen years later.

If you look at our current leaders at all levels, they are relatively youthful as well.  Politics is not an old peoples game.  At the same time, the U.S. is immensely more complex than it was at the time of the Declaration of Independence.

(George Washington was born is 1832.  Ask Google, “what were the ages of the founding fathers” and it answers back:  “As it turns out, many Founding Fathers were younger than 40 years old in 1776, with several qualifying as Founding Teenagers or Twentysomethings. And though the average age of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was 44, more than a dozen of them were 35 or younger.“)

The second ‘forward’, purports to trash Bernie Sanders with an assortment of alleged facts, without any sources to check.  And so it goes.

As a matter of course, I don’t refuse ‘forwards’ – they are a source of perspective, rarely guilty of having been fact-checked.  Their purpose is usually to incite, rather than inform.  They will bloom like noxious weeds in the coming months.

Our friend, Annelee, who grew up in Nazi Germany (born 1926) offers a pertinent comment on today in America:  “Would it shake up some people and make them ask “Do we want Trump back?? or are we at the point Germany was at in 1933?  for the German people [in 1933] , media was very limited.  Most people didn’t buy newspapers nor did they own radios. I think there were five private business phones in [my home town of about 5,000 people] while I grew up.  The general public had finished high school or trade school.  Few ever went to college.”  

Annelee Woodstrom, has given many speeches on her book, War Child: Growing up in Adolf Hitler’s Germany,  and her facts have stood the test of many audiences.  She lived the life.  Her book has recently been translated into German.

Other recent posts on this topic at December 14, 2019, and January 21, 2020.

POSSIBLE ADDITIONS LATER.  Comments welcome.

POSTNOTE FEB. 18, 2020:  Today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune “Opinion Exchange” page has three excellent Op Eds on the general topic of “socialism”.  They are by Eric Dregni and Steven Backus and the third by David Brooks of the NYTimes.

 

Jesus

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Sunday morning Feb. 9, 2020, at Franciscan Retreats Center, Prior Lake Minnesota

Last weekend I spent at a Men’s Retreat at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Prior Lake.  I’m now a regular there, since 2014, I think.  From Friday night to Sunday afternoon there’s time to reflect.  It is good.

This year, the day before the Retreat, was the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C.  ….

During our Retreat, Brother Bob told us he would be placing some small stones on a table in front of the altar.  He didn’t say what was on each stone.  Before I left, I took a look.  Here are the words I found on the eight stones.

Goodness

Patience

Gentleness

Self Control

Kindness

Love

Joy

Truthfulness

Now you’ve seen them.  What do they mean in your life, today and going forward?

Because I was otherwise engaged last weekend, I really didn’t know much about the prayer breakfast, which made its own news.  The keynote speaker at the breakfast wrote a column which appeared in The Washington Post.  Here it is, worth your time.

Early Sunday came snow – a lot of it.  But it was beautiful, light, flaky stuff, accompanied by no wind, moderate temperatures for this time of year, and bright sunshine.

It had been a great weekend.

Feb. 9, 2020 Franciscan Retreat Center, Prior Lake MN

POSTNOTE Feb. 5:  Arthur C. Brooks (referenced above) published a followup comment in today’s Washington Post.  You can read it here. 

At the Retreat I got a good start on the Wayne Dyer book on Intention, which was recommended to me.  It is excellent.  Check it out.

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day.  I hope you and yours had an especially good one.  We shared the day with our 90 year old friend, Don, who lives across the street; then later went to a wonderful Kevin Kling program, “Love Show, Skyway to Heaven”,  at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Catherines University.

Traditionally I call on my cache of old postcards found at the Busch farm where my mother grew up.  There are 163 in all, mostly received from abut 1905-1915.  This one is not a Valentine theme (there are many of those), which I think it appropriate this year, for many reasons.

early 1900s postcard to the Busch farm, Berlin ND

 

Going to Retreat

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Shortly I leave for what has become an annual event: the Men’s Retreat at Franciscan Retreat Center in Prior Lake MN.  I asked a staffer how many years I’ve attended.  He checked, every year since 2014, except 2015, which I missed.

I missed 2015 because earlier in the week my Uncle Vince died in North Dakota at 90.  I was Vince’s ‘go to’.  The prior weekend I’d been there, and we all knew the end was near.  So is life.

Now it’s five years after Vince’s death.  Knowing him as I did, I wonder how he’d be in the wake of the events in the last week or so.  He was conservative, no doubt,  but I knew him well, a long, long time, and his notion of conservatism would be severely challenged.

The three day retreat is truly a godsend.  There is plenty of quiet time; no television; discouragement from having mobile devices of any kind.  You can read, walk (depending on conditions), pray.  Mostly we are by ourselves, on purpose.

I think Vincent would like that solitude.

This weekend has another nostalgic piece for me.  Last year I was two months out from heart surgery, and my first weekend out was the retreat.  My friend, Clarence, who had recruited me several years earlier gave me a ride – it was too soon for me to drive myself.

We had a particularly rich ride, out and back, time to reminisce about this and that.  About a month after the Retreat, Clarence was diagnosed with inoperable cancer, and some time later told a few of us the diagnosis.  Clarence was ‘no drama’ – he continued life as usual, with gradually increasing limits.  He ushered till he no longer could come to church.  When he died in the early fall, at 88, he had a truly grace-filled exit; and a deserved celebration of his life at his funeral.

So, Vince and Clarence are my heroes, particularly for this Retreat weekend.

I’ll taking along the book, “The Power of Intention” by Dr. Wayne Dyer.  It was a gift from Annelee, our 93 year old friend.  Look it up.  She said, for certain look for the 2010 edition, if you can get it.  The content is the same, but the art is phenomenal.

Back after the weekend.

Have a good one.