Golan Heights (earlier titled “Ilhan Omar”)

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POSTNOTE March 22, 2019: Golan Heights, etc.  Read  and reflect on “Not Thinking Things Through”, Just Above Sunset for the first day of Spring, 2019.  It is an important piece for the conversation about the issue of Israel.

I have found it dangerous to express opinions on the topic of Israel, but I need to again take the risk:  for many years I have felt, and occasionally said, that Israel, even more than Oil, is the long term crisis in the Middle East.  It is the tinderbox, and all that is needed is somebody dangerous to strike a match.  I have further said that AIPAC is no friend of the Jews…it is not an easy sell…but I hope the Democrats stay away….

No different now: history is filled with splendid little wars that are valued by tyrants to validate themselves.  In the longer term, these never end well, note even the Big and Glorious ones like the Third Reich,  but oh, they feel so good at the beginning.

I’ve seen the Golan Heights, if only from a distance.  It was part of a brilliant sunrise at Nof Ginosar on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee in January, 1996.  A little later we took something dubbed the “Jesus Boat” (after an ancient relic of a boat preserved there) down to Tiberias for a fish dinner.  It was a delightful day.  I don’t know if Golan extends to the Dead Sea, but if it is, we saw it closer up at the now-resort place infamously remembered as Sodom.

The most recent splendid little war for the U.S. was Iraq, of course.  “Mission Accomplished” May 2003?  Now the Current Occupant and his assorted entourage seem to have devised their own winning formula for the Middle East.  I’ve watched the dominoes, like Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran….  But tyrants are doomed to lose, but they take down with them their dreams of dominance and control.

Caveat Emptor.  Beyond the “big yawn” is a future we will regret.

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(Original Post, titled Ilhan Omar, March 9, 2019)

Earlier this week came the “firestorm” of commentary about Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.  At the end of the week came the anti-hate resolution passed near unanimously by Congress.  In between came a flurry of comment about the issue within my own personal list.

Personally, I support Rep. Omar’s rights to speak out on issues, and I believe her comments were appropriate and respectful.  I think the Congressional resolution was and is appropriate, and I hope those who regularly rely on hate speech are at minimum reminded of their own abundant sins when using words to “kill” others, like “illegals”, Muslims, and on and on.

Here are two links which help describe who Ilhan Omar is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilhan_Omar and https://omar.house.gov/.

It is not lost on me that yesterday was International Women’s Day, and that, in Minnesota, debate continues about ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment.

Following is the conversation earlier this week:  (the comments are passed on with permission)

I – The comments received March 7 about my own comments;

II – My personal comments on March 6, which preceded the responses in # I;

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I – (sent only to those who had commented by March 7, 2018):

I am sending this to the ten of you who have responded thus far.  I am thinking this is time to post this as a regular blog, including your comments as presented below.  I have more to say as well.
If you would rather your comments not appear, or if you have thoughts to add or revise, let me know by tomorrow.  I will probably post this later on Friday.  Many thanks for your inputs.  Sometimes tensions like this are really important to getting at crucial issues.

Comments

from long-time friend: Interesting discussion.  If I may put forth some thoughts on the subject.  Since Ilhan Omar is a Semite she can hardly be accused of making an anti-Semitic statement by just talking about the American Jews being so supportive of the Apartheid Government of Israel.

For openers you might inform your audience that Semites are a branch of the Caucasian Race, having nothing to do with religion. The primary factions of the Semites are those that descend from the Patriarch Abraham and include us Arabs, the Hebrews and two other groups whose names I cannot remember at the moment.
You might also bring up the fate of colonialism as it relates to the invasions and occupation of the continents of North America, South America, Africa, Australia and a large part of Asia.  Just as the colonists drove the indigenous peoples off their land, usurping their wealth, enslaving some of them and took control of their land, Israel is doing the same thing to the Palestinians, as per the attached chart.  There are many in this country that still don’t feel any shame for what we did to the Native Americans, so a lot of this may not have an impact upon your audience.
We have also talked about the Balfour Project, but that might be a bit too far for openers. Although Paul Waldman hints at that with his comment that“support for Israel has become increasingly associated with conservative evangelicals and the Republican Party”.  The evangelical extremes continue to push for stronger support of Israel in keeping with the Balfour Project.  [Dick: This seems a good website about BalfourProject.
I will be interested in how this all turns out.  Keep up the good work.
from Carol: I’m really interested in this.  On the one hand, the new House was elected to put the brakes on the Trump administration, and in some manner send him packing.  The Republicans love this whole flap, and it’s sucking up all the oxygen and taking away from the main goal.  But I agree with you – I don’t see that Omar has (purposefully, at least) said anything so wrong.  She obviously comes to this from a different perspective – and it’s way past time that we had this dialogue.  The rulings that those who have a contract with government must support Israel, for example, are awful.  Our own president sees fit all the time to criticize the others of our allies…  But Israel can do no wrong.
I think the House leadership was delighted to have all their new young, diverse members they could show off – but they were kinda expected to hunker down and fit in.  So now they have the nerve to have their own opinions – and express them!  Horrors.
[My Jewish friend]  tells me that most of American Jews do not support the current Israeli government, nor its treatment of Palestine.  Apparently the bulk of Israeli government supporters at this time comes from the right-wing evangelicals.
This is from my perspective: I may have said that I was raised very right-wing conservative.  And all my growing-up time I heard that Israel was “God’s chosen people,” and that if America ever turned its back on Israel, God would turn His back on US (that extended to any criticism also).  I told [my friend] that I was stunned the first time I ever heard a person in authority criticize Israel.  Obviously, we need to always have their back – but it’s really dangerous for the U.S. to have an ally that we have to pretend can do no wrong.
from Joyce: I haven’t yet had a chance to read Alan’s blog today, but I will read it soon. Meanwhile,this (Tom Friedman, NYT March 6) is powerful, and it reflects my opinion.
from Jermitt: Many of us have trouble differentiating the difference betwee Israel as a country and the Jewish Faith.  There is clearly a confliect when we consider them as one, i.e., a Jewish state.  Israel is a political geography state, as I understand it, but is a state when most of the people practice the Jewish Religion.

I too, believe there are times when politicians are pressured into supporting Israel and/or Israel’s political leaders when it has not been the best interest of the USA.  Not supporting Israel may give you the label of not supporting the Jewish community, which should not be the case.

from Norm: Omar has to learn as did Wellstone when to speak out to be taken seriously as well as when not grandstand as she has been doing and no doubt will continue to do as long as she is in congress or until she has a come to whomever talk with some who will hold her attention.

Wellstone did the grandstand bit at the Viet Nam Memorial as a protest against sending troops somewhere into SW Asia.

He quickly learned that was a dumb-ass thing to do as most VN vets thought that using their memorial as his pulpit was disrespectful of their service let alone that of their friends and buddies with names on the Wall.

He did learn quickly and well as indicated by the great number of his colleagues from both sides of the aisle coming to town for his funeral.

There were there to show their respect for a colleague with whom they often disagreed but a fellow and important colleague never-the-less.

They did not owe Wellstone a damn thing as the dumb ass Rich Kahn claimed that they did during the service beyond just showing their respect for him as they did with their attendance.

Israel is no angel here as you implied, Dick, but the Palestinians in many cases are not either.

Omar has to learn when to speak up to be effective let alone taken seriously.

I hope that she figures that out very soon but I am quite sure that she will not do that any time in the future.

She is a product of condescending political correctness and the group hug folks and, as such, does not have any good pollical sense of how to be taken seriously s a new congresswoman.

Wellstone learned the hard way how to do that and hopefully, Omar will as well…but I seriously doubt that she ever will…or will ever even want to for that matter.

from Ed: I appreciate the letter in support of Omar’s right to speak. As a member of two progressive Jewish groups who oppose the current Israeli policies on dealing with the Palestine issue, I am happy to support Betty McCollum’s positions on this controversial issue, which are close espoused by Omar.

Omar is a first term representative who would be wise to emulate Betty. Skip the Tweets and get to work like Al Franken did and become an effective representative for the 5th district.

Omar should follow the lead of Betty, a more senior progressive representative who knows how to work the system. Omar is on a self-destructive path which is sad for all her constituents. She is too eager to be in the limelight, She should shift gears now.

from Paul: Thanks for the link, Dick. It brings much clarity to this latest kerfuffle.

from Jeff: [About] Ilhan Omar and the weaponisation of antisemitism [Guardian, March 6, 2019, Joshua Leifer]

from Donna:  Another interesting article about Ilhan Omar’s statements.  Thanks for you blog.  [Washington Post Plum Line Blog March 5, 2019]

from Lillian:  I agree 100% [with your comments.  [See II below].
I was angry when Netanyahu was invited to speak to the House.  The head of another country has no place speaking in/to congress.  Which goes to Omar’s  comments of dual loyalty.
We blindly support Israel (in an attempt to prove no antisemitism? ) while they deny the whole Palestinian country basic human rights.  Omar is brave to verbalize this.
II – (My originating post, March 6, 2019)
The column, Discriminating Tastes,  is a long and, and in my opinion very important, column about the Rep. Ilhan Omar controversy and the hypocrisy surrounding it.  You need to not only read the whole column, but then reflect on your own attitudes.

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Just to be clear, I have no issue with Rep. Omar.  Her District is a short 20 minute or so drive from where I type, and I am in her county often – it is where we go to church.  She has the same rights as anyone, including allies of AIPAC, to express her opinion.  At the same time, I’m nervous about writing and sending this e-mail.
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It is from Rep. Omar’s district that 40 of us, half Catholics and half Jews, went on a Pilgrimage to Holocaust sites in Czech Republic and Poland, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 2000.  My 60th birthday was spent at Auschwitz-Birkenau.  Our joint congregations have a large plaque at the Holocaust Museum in Washington.  I am told it cost $50,000 evenly split between Temple Israel and Basilica of St. Mary.  I was responsible for over $1,000 of the contribution.
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It was also in her district, about a year later, when I was called by some of my Pilgrimage colleagues to explain myself at some statement I made which implied criticism of the Jews position on the Palestinians in Israel.  My colleagues knew me well enough to not “denounce” me, but I felt treated no differently than I see Omar being treated today.  I don’t recall the exact issue, but I think it was around the issue of the wall of separation (West Bank Barrier) then under construction to keep Palestinians separate and restricted.
[This] was particularly close to me, since four years earlier I had been to Israel with a group, one of whose leaders was a Christian minister who was Zionist supporter.  On my wall, to this day, is a plaque signed by Ehud Olmert,  then Mayor of Jerusalem, who later had his own legal problems. A month before we went to Israel came the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, by a Jewish ultra nationalist.
One of our first stops on our tour was at his grave.  We were in Bethlehem before the wall was built; we were allowed into the Dome on temple mount.  It was a different time, apparently.
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One of my friends, back then, was the then director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.  He died over ten years ago, but he and I had civil conversations of my position that Israel was exacerbating the problems in the Middle East.  This was during the time of the Iraq War.
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AIPAC and Netanyahu are not neutrals in this issue.  Over the years I’ve paid most attention to the Pro-Peace Pro-Israel group J Street.  If you go to their website you will see their position on the issue du jour.  My interest is human rights for Palestinians.

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At minimum, read Discriminating Tastes, think and if you have the courage, talk about the issue.
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PS:  Just days ago I sent out a link in a blog which I hope you now visit.  It is a 7 minute video, “A Night At The Garden”, New York City 1939, accessible here  (4th paragraph of blog).  It shows our country at its worst – and we’re not that far from that today, though the specific rhetoric has changed….

Near entrance to Birkenau Death Camp May 4, 2000. We had been given permission to wallk between nearby Auschwitz and Birkenau. It was a very somber reflective walk. Photo by Dick Bernard

III – There were a flurry of responses to the responses.  It is my election to close this blog with the above comments.  And to encourage  open, respectful and in-person discussion among people who have differing points of view.
When I wrote my initial opinion on March 6  (Section II above), the most significant personal statement was in second para: “At the same time, I’m nervous about writing and sending this e-mail.“   Even as an ordinary, old white man, I have an internalized fear of offending anyone in, shall I say, the protection of AIPAC.  I have more than one reason for saying this.  That will have to wait for another day.  Succinctly, AIPAC is not a reliable friend of the Jewish community or Israel, in my opinion; neither is another well know  fear-monger, the current President of the United States.
Of course, there are endless arguments one way or another on any issue.  Here’s one from today’s Washington Post, called outstanding by a Jewish friend.
IV – Among several other comments, here’s one which responded to this post, from a good friend in England who’s Syrian Christian.  

A few comments & quotes regarding this continuing chronicle.

You wrote: “She has the same rights as anyone, including allies of AIPAC, to express her opinion.  At the same time, I’m nervous about writing and sending this e-mail”. A few years ago the distinction was made & respected: criticism of Israel & Zionism is fine as opposed to anti-Semitism (usually taken to mean attacks on Jews & Judaism although Arabs are Semites as well) which is wrong. Nowadays criticism of Israel & its policies is becoming increasingly taboo especially in the US which is more royalist than the king – even in Israel many criticize their state’s policies. In France, where anti-Semitism is already outlawed, there is a suggestion to ban anti-Zionism & in the UK the squabble about anti-Semitism is threatening to split the labour party.

 

Writing about the secular Zionist leadership, Ilan Pappé said: “though they did not believe in God, He had nonetheless promised them Palestine,” & he goes on: “the Bible was not taught as a singular text that carried any political or even national connotation . . . leading rabbis treated the political history contained in the Bible, and the idea of Jewish sovereignty over the land of Israel, as marginal topics in their spiritual world of learning. They were much more concerned, as indeed Judaism in general was, with the holy writing focusing on the relationship between believers, and in particular on their relations with God.” Now Pappé is an Israeli Jew living & working in the UK so I guess he can get away with such opinions without being attacked. The whole question of (a single dominant) identity has come back with a vengeance & combined with the return of unrelenting nationalism in many parts makes for an explosive mixture.

 

Ilhan, Ihlan let’s call the whole thing off!

“The Long and Winding Road”

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from TPT (Channel 2, St. Paul MN) newsletter for February 2019, p. 2

Tonight (Monday Feb. 25, 9 p.m.) and Thursday 8 p.m. : “MINNESOTA EXPERIENCE: JIM CROW OF THE NORTH

Roots of racial disparities are seen through a new lens in this film that explores the origins of housing segregation in the Minneapolis area.  But the story also illustrates how African American families and leaders resisted this insidious practice, and how Black people built community – within and despite – the red lines that these restrictive covenants created.  A Twin Cities PBS original production.”  

The above, and following, items are some recent and very relevant comments on where our diverse and still conflicted nation is on the notion of living together as a people in the United States and Global Community.

From Jeff: “Watch A Night at the Garden – Field of Vision.  This was nominated for an academy award as a short documentary.”  This is about 5 minutes, film from 1939 in New York City.  Watch it all.  You will be asked to sign in to confirm your age.  You will see why.

from recent Letters to the Editor printed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Feb. 19 and Feb 22, 2019…worth reading and thinking about and discussing: World Citizenship003.  Presented are four brief letters with differing points of view.  This pdf can be enlarged for easier reading.

None of the above items have direct relationship to each other, except for their direct relationship to the general topic of “getting along”.

In the same time period came two programs, for and by young people, which helped expand my own vision about relationships.

Friday I was invited to attend a kids movie, the third production of “How to Train Your Dragon”.  It opened Feb 22 and is in theaters everywhere.

I thought this would simply be a cute kids movie, and I knew granddaughter Lucy had a long-time fascination for dragons.  Her Mom, took us to the show between blizzards.  The film is, in my opinion. a gentle talk on the conflict we all have between options of getting along, or not, and  empowers young people to make a difference.  Yes, it is a fantasy, and it is for kids, but I found myself wrapped up in it.  It is by no means a waste of time.

Then came yesterday afternoon, with the same family, at the annual scholarship concert for Angelica Cantanti,  This was a wonderful live music concert featuring the music of The Beatles.  Of course, there is no film of this program, but here is the program for the afternoon: Angelica Cantanti002.  The songs the kids sang are on pages 5 and 6 of this program.  If you’re of an older generation, even the names of the songs will bring back memories.

POSTNOTE:  I live in the world of “oldtimer”, but the more I see of the kids world, of most any age, I think they are “getting it” and are ready to take on the task of making the world a better place, despite too many efforts to harken back to how it was, not all that long ago.

The same TPT (see first paragraph) show “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”, the story of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, on Saturday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m.

POSTNOTE 2:  Last night, the film Green Book won major awards at the Oscars.  We saw the movie, and it deserved the plaudits.  It added to the sense of optimism I conveyed in the first paragraph of the Postnote.  This mornings Washington Post brings another view.  You can read it here.

I continue to be optimistic about the U.S. making a significant turn in the area of race relations, even when such optimism seems ridiculous given some current events, like the Coast Guard Officer strategizing to cleanse the country of people he disagrees with.

My optimism flows from the young people, and by “young” I mean my grandkids age, who have been raised in a more tolerant environment than their parents or myself.  Recently my daughter, a school Principal, and myself had a brief snippet of conversation about bullying in schools.  Of course, it still exists, she said.  But the larger point is that kids coming to school with varying handicaps (weaker), were most likely to get affirming support from their less challenged classmates.  People convey such attitudes to their children.

There is hope.

Concerning is the kind of opinion expressed by the 60 year old woman on February 19 (link to Minneapolis Star Tribune letters above).   She certainly has the right to say what she says, publicly, as does the companion letter affirming what she had said.  Holly and Dorothy are not alone in our country, and there are lots of them, including large numbers of women, who we have traditionally thought of as being more tolerant and gentle.

We’ve come a long ways in my 78 years (the New York City rally in 1939 not long preceded my birth in 1940).  We have an awful long ways yet to to go.

Keep on, keeping on.

COMMENTS:

from George: Thank you, Dick, for getting our attention. Apparently, there were also many Trump votes in 2016. I believe that these two issues are somehow connected.

from a friend in England:

Many thanks for those thoughts Mr Bernard – the Beatles’ Long & Winding Road has always been one of my favourites of theirs.  The issue is intriguing & explosive. I very much appreciated your including 4 letters published by the Star Tribune on the topic. They clearly demarcate the two sides – and this in Minnesota, one can only be worried about the rest of the US! So many places are torn apart by this matter & it is changing the political landscape in many western countries including Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, UK, Germany & US . . .

 

As is often the case it’s not black & white & both sides have valid points to make. I like to think it’s a case by case problem. Take the US for example. Some like the Quaker William Penn arrived intending to live alongside the original inhabitants thus Philadelphia was established as a city of brotherly love. Others arrived with loaded guns & with far from brotherly intentions. In Latin America many Spaniards came as Conquistadors while in Paraguay there are ruins of Jesuit & Franciscan settlements which were established with the best of intentions. The original inhabitants could be of two varieties as well the naturally welcoming & the reflexively belligerent.

 

There is also the question of numbers. I doubt even the most idealistic & romantic would welcome a billion Africans into Europe or a billion Chinese into the US? Of course the lowest of the low are the cynical (cynic comes from the Greek: dog or dog like) politicians who inflame emotions in their own interest come what may. Statements like some of president Trump’s are inexcusable, e.g. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people”. So only a small minority is made up of good people & there is no certainty even about this because the president only assumes this is the case. Wow. How many votes did that get me?

 

Inflammatory statements could come  from anywhere. How should Europeans feel upon hearing the late Libyan leader Gaddafi’s remark: “We have 50 million Muslims in Europe. There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe—without swords, without guns, without conquest—will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades.” & often the media isn’t doing the world any favours. In the UK, after decades of anti European slurs etc, people voted (marginally: under 52% to over 48%) to leave the EU for various reasons paramount among them the worry about immigration. A case of shooting oneself in the head fortunately non-fatally.  Here exaggerated a bit to be sure but with many valid points!

 

I am fond of “The meek shall inherit the earth”  – the way things are going there mightn’t be much left to inherit though.

 

 

The Wall, etc.

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“The Wall”: A tiny primer to help keep your sanity.  

My favorite home atlas is the Life Pictorial Atlas of the World, a major compendium, which I purchased in 1961.

Of course, “The Wall” is about all that we’ve heard talked about recently.  Here is the Life Atlas map of the U.S. Mexico border:

U. S. – Mexico border, as of 1961. Life Pictorial Atlas of the World.

Here is a link to an enlargeable pdf view of the same geographic area: U.S. – Mexico Border001

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has published U.S. International Borders: Brief Facts.  Here is the link to the Nov. 9, 2006, update, which I presume is the most recent:  https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS21729.pdf  There is a great deal of information in this brief report.

1,933 miles: U.S. – Mexico border

3,987 miles: U.S.- Canada border excluding Alaska

1,538 miles: Alaska – Canada border

12,479 miles: U.S. Coastline. (Per the CRS report above referenced: “It is important to note that boundary and coastline distances can differ significantly….” detail at page 3 of report)

Personal comments at end of this post.

ETC.

1. Yesterday we saw the film, “They Shall Not Grow Old”, about the British participants in World War I.  This is an absolutely outstanding film.  See the Rotten Tomatoes review here.  It is near perfect.  This film shows the face of reality of war, using archival film, and narrated by those who served and survived (there were 1 million British casualties in this awful war).  Check it out.

2.  Especially for readers interested in politics and/or North Dakota: February 11, I posted about Amy Klobuchars announcement as candidate for President in 2020.  In the postnote within this post, I referenced an excellent video about former ND Governor William Guy, and subsequent learned of other excellent NDakota based videos.  Simply read the postnote.  The links are accessible anytime.

PERSONAL, ABOUT “THE WALL”:

I have my personal opinion about the premise of the U.S.-Mexico Wall: the crisis is contrived, playing on irrational fear, and not at all constructive.

There are sections of wall, built over time, for specific purposes.  This link is an excellent primer.    Much is barrier for vehicles only.

The U.S.-Canada land border is double the length of Mexico-U.S.  To my knowledge the only barriers are at the Mexican border.

My roots are in North Dakota and Minnesota.  Almost my entire life is here.  At the same time, my parents lived for ten years, full-time, in the border town of San Benito TX.  Their home was across the street from then-Berta Cabaza junior high school.  Except for their first winter, they never were “winter Texans”.  They were a short distance from the Rio Grande R (near La Paloma), and  about 20 miles from Brownsville-Matamoros (TX-Mexico).  We kept in close communication through visits, phone calls, letters.

Other than a hurricane one year; and a major bank failure in town another time, I have no recollection of reporting about any ‘unusual’ occurrences based on border issues.  Dad was a teacher, and after Mom’s death, he taught English as a Second Language at the Junior High.

No doubt there were issues on occasion, as there are issues on occasion in every single American community.

Best to do what you can to be well informed.

COMMENTS

from Larry: Thanks, Dick…I see that Lindsay Graham and the Trump staffer Stephen Miller are out defending the national emergency decision. This is downright crazy and unconstitutional. There is NO emergency. I just hope they don’t take funds needed for the Red River Diversion project (flood control). Those Canadian and Mexican border lengths are interesting. Here’s that Hill story on the support for the President’s position.  Makes me sick to look at the news each morning. Trump needs to go. Keep up the good work on your blog.

from Carol: That link to the CNN article/pics of the border is wonderful, thanks!  I will share.  (I think Trump must be envious of that golf course…)

from Sharon: Thank you, Dick. This was very informative !!

from Duane: Thanks, Dick….. It supports the idea of common sense…. Unknown to those in politics, and many other areas of power vs people….

from a long-time Friend:  Dick, thanks for the map — most helpful to have some semblance of comprehension.  In the 60’s we had a more calm, kind world.   The drugs were not what they are today.  The crime of today is horrific, the crime of yesteryears was not as extensive.

More power to you for whomever you support; I will NOT support Amy K for Pres & will do what I can to keep her from being elected ( I would like her to be treated as she has treated Trump).   I believe Amy would fold under the same lies & lack of support that Trump has endured.

Response from Dick:  Like my friend, who is about my age, I was in my 20s in the 1960s.  I don’t subscribe to the “calm, kind world” characterization of that time in history, given Vietnam, the “cold war”, etc.  Today we have instant communication through a multitude of media, not always factual in any sense of the word.  Back then, in my recollection, we had a few television channels, radio, newspapers and magazines, telephone…and not much else.  Breaking news, including the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, was primitive compared to today.  Later Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated, etc., etc., etc.  The 1960s, and surrounding years, were not “the good old days”, but they are often held up as idyllic times to criticize the present.

As for comparing Amy Klobuchar and Donald Trump, I am truly mystified.

from Norm:  As you and so many others have said, Dick, there is no crisis to justify the calling a national emergency to justify taking funds form other parts of the budget to build the wall.

Trump’s only reason for building the wall is so that he can tell his base that unlike many candidates for public office who say all sorts of unrealistic things during a campaign, he will claim (often) that he kept his campaign pledge to build the wall to keep “those people” out of the US.
From all reports the wall as envisioned by Donnie will be just as effective as was the Maginot line for the French following WWI.
Graham and others will go along with him on this exercise of presidential authority whether they see a need for it or not because of their fear that if they do not support Donnie, they will find themselves challenged by avid Trump ideologues in their next primary election.
The multi-joweled, McConnell, has essentially been emasculated by that threat having almost been beaten in the primary by such an individual the last time he ran for re-election.
With very few exceptions, we cannot expect the Republicans in the Senate to do anything other than to publicly support Donnie on this one.
from Jerry: Thanks, Dick,  I agree with you about the border issue.

from Carol: (in response to Dave’s, below)  I just read the comment at the end of your post “The Wall” accusing you of having “angry feelings” and telling you to calm down.  So I went back and read the (short) article, and saw nothing angry about it (nor have I ever known you to be/sound angry).  Maybe this person is talking about a different post? or has his bloggers mixed up?

I, on the other hand, am becoming angrier by the day.  We have a “president” with apparently nothing to do but create constant chaos.  Surveys show that overwhelmingly the American people do NOT want this wall.  When the Republicans had a majority in both houses of Congress for two years, they didn’t seem to want it very badly, either.  But now that Trump has figured out the House is not just going to roll over and play dead for him (like the Senate) – and that his “base” (or Ann Coulter) is unhappy with him – NOW he shuts down government for over a month, hurting so many individuals and the entire economy as a result.  We are very fortunate that there was not a terrorist attack while the Coast Guard, TSA, Border Patrol and FBI were understaffed/not being paid.  But we still can’t know who, or what, may have sneaked in during that time.  Then he appoints a bipartisan committee to work things out, but when they don’t vote to give him his way, he decides to declare a National Emergency when there is none, and grab money from wherever he can – inc. the military budget.
And didn’t he promise us that Mexico was going to pay for this?  We surely should be VERY angry.
In response to:  “Not to mention those who have died from illegal drugs from across the border.”
We are told that basically the only illegal drug which comes across the unfenced border areas is marijuana, and that the “hard stuff” arrives via legal checkpoints, tunnels, boats and small planes.  And much of it is coming from China (some even enters at our Canadian border).  Of course, our own doctors and pharmaceutical companies are now on the hook for pushing prescription opioids onto patients for years.  Whatever impact a Big, Beautiful Wall might have, it would have zero impact in stopping drug deaths. 
 
If we’re ever going to have reasonable dialogue, we need to start with some facts.

from Dave:  Note from Dick: Dave’s e-mail was received Feb. 17, 2019, but began in reply to an e-mail I had sent Nov. 2, 2018, referring to this Oct. 30, 2018 blog post written a week before the 2018 election.

Just returned from the south and received your email on the “wall.”  It appears someone living in Texas reported they had no border issues.  I guess you submit that as proof there is no “border issue.”  I submit this: “Mark Morgan, a career FBI official who served as Border Patrol chief for the last six months of the Obama administration before being removed once President Donald Trump took office, has come out this week in support of a border wall.”
 
Several weeks if not months ago I drafted the below message after receiving your post(s) about the change in the Republican Party and how great Jimmy Carter was and Walter Mondale may have been had he been elected.  I decided not to send it but your email about the wall and the illegal aliens changed my mind.  It is intended to show the other side of folks who may not see things as they should.
Dick,  by this you must include your party.  Certainly the Democratic Party of today is not the party of Harry Truman or even JFK.  Your posts indicate how great Jimmy Carter was and how great Walter Mondale would have been had he been elected.  Since the time of Calvin Coolidge, Carter was one of three Democrats that failed to carry the liberal state of Massachusetts. He failed as the incumbent in 1980.  Not even Massachusetts felt he was a “great” president during his only term in office.  Mondale was one of the others and he only carried his own state of Minnesota in 1984.  Evidently the 49 other states failed to see his potential “greatness.”
Thomas Bailey tries to measure presidential greatness in his  book appropriately named “Presidential Greatness.”   A third of the book is dedicated to the question; “How do you measure presidential greatness?”  Do you depend on the voters to determine presidential greatness?  As an example, one poor soul said it was George Washington because he never told a lie.”  Too funny and/or too sad.  Probably not as ridiculous as thinking Carter was the greatest president.
No, I will not read your blog as it appears you are so angry you do not have an objective cell in your body.  My guess is you have always been a Democrat (not necessarily the liberal of today) but have not been able to open your eyes and see the liberal/socialistic party of today. Suggest you calm down and reverse your anger if you care to convince others of your beliefs.  Instead state facts to support your angry feelings.  I have voted for and against three different Presidents.  I suspect you have never crossed the aisle. 
By the way, the other Democratic candidate for the presidency that failed to carry Massachusetts was Adlai Stevenson in  1952 and 1956 to Dwight David Eisenhower.  My Dad and Mom voted for Stevenson both times because the Democrats were for the poor people.  To the end of their lives they always voted for the Democrats for the same reason, they were for the poor people  That check never came.  They worked hard.  In addition to their regular work, they scrubbed floors at the local golf club to pay the bills.  They frowned on welfare and to proud to seek it.  Yes, they were conservatives but didn’t realize it.
Instead of polarizing us more, isn’t there some common ground we can work together to achieve something positive?  Is there a possibility that we could agree on “term limits?”  I would walk shoulder to shoulder with you or anyone who would like to march for term limits.  If so, let’s start with something near the bottom.  How about truth in labeling?  Would you like to know what is in a bottle of wine? Is that Cabernet Sauvignon really 75% of that varietal grape?   How about what country a food product is made not just the distributor?  Don’t you believe the consumer deserves that?  I hope so.
Dave
A conservative independent.  I owe my vote to no one.
PS Please remember Kate Steinle in your blog….and the numerous others who have died at the hands of illegal aliens.  Not to mention those who have died from illegal drugs from across the border.

Amy Klobuchar

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Sunday, MN Sen. Amy Klobuchar made her first comments as one of the candidates for the President in 2020.  You can listen to her speech or read numerous commentaries about her candidacy here.

I don’t recall ever actually meeting Amy Klobuchar in person, but she has always impressed me as a leader who makes a difference.  If you know nothing about her, a good introduction is the Wikipedia entry about her.  As is usual for major candidates, she too has written a book, “The Senator Next Door” published 2015.  I have not read it, but plan to do so.

Jim Klobuchar June 16, 2012, Amy Klobuchars Dad, at my DFL Senate District Picnic at Tartan Park Lake Elmo, where he was speaker.  His daughter was running for her second term. (Photo Dick Bernard)

For Minnesotans, the name “Klobuchar” has been a familiar one for many years.  Amy’s Dad, Jim,  was long prominent as a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune; and the larger family story has long been well known and public, and will doubtless be resurfaced.

We all have our stories….

I did get to know Jim Klobuchar, in the 2000s, and in fact was in the same group of people with him when his daughter announced her first run for U.S. Senate.  (She is in her third term.)

I personally have always been very impressed with Amy Klobuchar.  She comes across as knowing the ropes of policy and politics and relationships.  Her relatively easy electoral wins were no quirks.  Her life story has not always been easy.

The business of running for national office is a brutal one.

When Amy Klobuchar made the decision to give it a go on the national stage, she doubtless had carefully considered all of the implications of a national political campaign.

As one who has known of her work since 2007 (when her first term in the U.S. Senate began), I have zero reservations about supporting her candidacy.  To paraphrase a kudo I recently heard about another unlikely political success [see postnote] in a neighboring state – my home state of North Dakota – a key aspect of Amy Klobuchar’s charisma may well be her competence.

Learning about Amy Klobuchar requires more than a tweet or two.  Take the time to learn more about her, her background and her potential as the first woman President in American History.

October 23, 2008, State Capitol, St. Paul, former Republican Governor Arne Carlson and Amy Klobuchar.  (Photo Dick Bernard)

POSTNOTE: North Dakota now seems to be a deep red Republican state.  But for a dozen years, from 1961-73, the Governor of North Dakota, William Guy, was a Democrat, standing for and winning reelection several times.  He was not a flashy fellow, but he could be counted on to represent the people of his state well.  And indeed, among many other compliments, “charisma of competence” stuck.  I would consider Amy to fit Gov. Guy’s model.  (You can view the entire 50+ minute video tribute to Gov. William Guy here.  It is very interesting, whether or not you have ties to North Dakota.  Videographer David Swenson, Makoche Studios, who made the Guy video with Clay Jenkinson, has made a number of other videos of a North Dakota theme.  These can be accessed here.   Special thanks for David for his work, and the headsup on the other videos.)

COMMENTS:

from a long-time friend on the west coast:  I and my sister were just talking about Amy.  I was telling her that I would like to see Joe Biden enter the race with an announcement stating that he was running for just one term to help get the nation back on the right track, and then select Amy as his running mate with the notion that she would be in a good position to win in 2024.  As well as women have done in 2018, I still hear my women friends being catty about voting for a women, so I keep thinking that the move from VP to the presidency would be an easier move.

from Bill: I’m with you, Dick. She may be considered in some quarters as too moderate, however, as you and I know, that may not be a bad thing.

from Jane: Thanks Dick. I have met Amy. What you see is what you get. She’s the real thing. She’s got that no nonsense approach typical of lawyers.

from Jerry: Dick, thanks for your endorsement of Amy Klobuchar.  I am also an advocate of Amy’s.  I promised her Dad I would  vote for her when she first ran for the senate and have always approved of  her work.

Before the “State of the Union”

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Last weekend I participated in the annual Men’s Retreat at Franciscan Retreat House in Prior Lake MN.  It was, as always, stimulating.

Other than the general framework, I  simply attend and participate, with the certainty born of experience that there will be insights gathered from the conferences and conversations and reflection time.  This years Retreat once again left me with lots to reflect on.

In particular, this year, two portions of the Retreat will stick with me, and their essence I would like to share with you.

At one of the talks, a reading, the Preface from a 1979 book by theologian Leonardo Boff, really spoke to me about community in general.  It’s vehicle is a train.  It was written in a religious context, of course; nonetheless, the “meat” of it in the first five paragraphs apply directly to any group in any context.  You can read the two pages here: Leonardo Boff001.  

Take some time to relate the words in context to our present day United States of America.  Tonight, of course, is the spectacle of the “State of the Union”.

The union, really, is the 330,000,000 or so of us who live in this divided country,

Saturday evening featured a movie – this year a one hour segment of the PBS series “We’ll Meet Again”.  The evening episode was Escape from Cuba, from Season Two.  It features two Cubans who escaped to the United States: one of them as a young child shortly after the revolution in 1960; the second as a teenager who left Cuba in 1980 as part of the Mariel Boat Lift.

The premise of “We’ll Meet Again” is to reunite, if possible, persons who have been separated for many years, where one person is driven by the desire to reunite.  The episode in question, and others, can be watched online and speak very eloquently for themselves.  It was a great gift to see the gift of hospitality to immigrants as reflected in the episodes we watched.  Fear of immigration and immigrants is a major issue today, and it is useful to study about the fears and the realities of Mariel.

*

Tonight, of course, is the State of the Union.  I most likely will not watch it. There is no need.  Everything is predictable.  And in our divided nation, I can see the people on Leonardo Boff’s train.

The State of our Union is, in the end analysis, something that each one of us has to create, one small or large action at a time.  I think we’re up to the  task.

COMMENTS

from Molly: 

Thank you, Dick. The Boff piece is new to me, and I will print it and work on reading it several more times… yes, thought-provoking and really fine.
In return, I offer what I was listening to instead of the SOTU (I cannot listen to him with equanimity…)
The piece (without visual distraction of dancers) is 17 minutes of Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Swans” from Swan Lake.
I had forgotten how penetratingly lovely it is.  here

Heart Month

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A sign at Cardiac Rehab at Woodwinds Hospital reminded us  this week that today begins Heart month.  I asked for a good link, and the recommendation was this one.  There are many other potential sources of information.

This topic is, shall I say, rather close to my heart.  I have an informal update maintained at my January 1, 2019, post.  The most recent update is January 29.  I am improving; feeling better; grateful to the medical and family community that has gotten me this far.  This weekend I’ll be at a Retreat – and annual event for me – and I look forward to it.

Have a great weekend.

 

Cardiac Rehab at Woodwinds Hospital Woodbury Feb 1, 2019

The pillow, Fairview Southdale Edina MN week of Dec 4, 2018

 

A Personal “State of the Union”

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PRE-NOTE:  I have struggled a bit about where I, personally, fit into being part of the solution in the current mess that is the United States…and it is a mess.  It is so much easier to be a part of the problem: to lament and to blame.  The thoughts which follow, which took root a few days before the shutdown ended last week, are mostly a message to myself.

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Shortly before the President called off the government shutdown last week, I was watching an interview of Gary Cohn at the Davos conference in Switzerland.  The lady doing the interview was doing a good job of pushing Cohn on the issue of the huge numbers of U.S. government workers either furloughed or working without pay.  Cohn is battle tested with such interviews – part of “basic training” for executives.  He held his ground: big permanent tax cuts (POSTNOTE ONE) were a hallmark accomplishment of the first Trump year; the key corporate function is responsibility to shareholders – the entities that hold shares in the corporation are all that matter.

Yesterday, at the local McDonald’s, I heard Cohn’s arch conservative counterpart on the other end of the economic scale rail on at a neighboring table.  Eavesdropping was unavoidable.  He was loudly noting to his table mates, all senior citizens, all men, about how the Democrats had to be investigated.  The reason, it appeared, was that the Democrat House of Representatives was about to begin investigations of sundry matters Trump.  The man on the soapbox was pretty incensed.  In my opinion, the guy is pretty representative of a large (but surmountable) class of angry citizens – we all know people like him.

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After watching Cohn, I did a  quick google: depending on what is apparently a loose definition, about half of American adults have some investment in the stock market, either as individuals or as part of groups (as retirement funds) etc.  (The vast majority of “investors” include myself, and many if not most of the people I know.  Most of us are tiny minnows in a pond of predator much larger investor fish.  We are useful as lunch for the big boys and girls, like Cohn.  There is no equality in the stock holding capitalist class.)

Re my old guy neighbor at the other table, later in the day came an e-mail from good friend, Madeline, which adds a little context on investigations, and which I include at the end of this post (POSTNOTE TWO).  My guess is Mr. Outrage and I wouldn’t agree on the meaning of the numbers.  I don’t think he could seriously disagree with the data….  But if to agree or disagree requires consideration of actual data, there is little chance of engagement.  That’s where he stands.  People like me are the problem; people like Trump are the savior.

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A quandary:

The shutdown and resulting hardship to hundreds of thousands of government workers has presented a quandary to myself.  Personally, we live in relative comfort.  If we need something we have access to it.

Round one of the federal shutdown is now over.  We weren’t touched, it seems…round two hopefully won’t happen, but there is no safe bet on that.

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While the first shutdown was in progress I asked my wife, did she know anyone adversely affected by it?  Her answer was “no”.  I knew no one either..

Most of us were not directly affected by the shutdown.  It’s easy to pretend that there is no problem.  What is on TV is there, not here.  But not necessarily.

A day later I had an unintended discovery.  I had reason to check an old recollection that related to the Dwight Eisenhower administration in, probably, 1952.  It was an historical archive matter, and the obvious place to get my answer was the Eisenhower Library in Abilene KS, a place I had actually visited in 1983.

Mine was a spur of the moment question.   I simply google’d the web site and a screen came up, similar to the screen which appears here.    The library and its services were shut down due to the government shutdown.  (I am not sure if the advisory about the site services being temporarily closed is now listed, but it definitely was, as recently as earlier this afternoon.)  I don’t know who’ll ultimately field my question at the Eisenhower library, but that person was one of those real people furloughed without pay in the longest government shutdown in American history; he or she lost, at least temporarily, 35 days pay, and is probably worried about future possibilities of a repeat.

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How to react?  What to do?

During the shutdown I was troubled by my own relative lack of concern for those 800,000 or so Federal workers on the street as political pawns.  What could I do, especially since the problem did not appear to be in my backyard, or even much in my own state?  There wasn’t so much as a jar in which to leave a buck for someone’s cup of coffee.

Personally, I decided to give an additional  $100 donation to the local food shelf, Christian Cupboard Community Food Shelf.  There are other local needs.

And then I learned about the unknown researcher in KS who was affected.  I can’t help that person directly or even, probably, indirectly.  But this unknown person helps identify for me the present reality of our country.  We are not independent entities; we are all tied together, regardless of where we live.

My challenge to myself will be to use my personal learning experience into action in the very small universe which I identify with.  That includes you.

I’m only one person, but I am one.  And that is my “State of the Union”, Tuesday, January 29, 2019.

Let’s get to work.

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Postnote 1 – “Tax cuts”.  A year ago, in late March, I had my annual appointment with the tax man.  This year, the results were pleasant – a reduced tax bill thanks to Uncle Sam.  My tax guy included a summary sheet which held a caveat: don’t count on this cut continuing in future years.  The corporate tax cuts in 2017 were “permanent”; the tax changes for the rest of us sunset on a schedule some years out.  Who will pay for the “loss” for which we were (and some may still be this year) beneficiaries?  Of course, it will be ourselves, and it will be paid, according to some dreams, from cuts in “entitlements”, things like social security and medicare and programs for the most vulnerable, the people without a political voice of their own.  It won’t happen immediately, but in a few years we’ll look back and wonder “how could we allow this to happen?”  Well, we did, and we thought it was great when we got that refund last year….

Postnote 2 – Investigations, from Madeline: The below listing comes from easily identified public data that we see on the media every day.    

Just so we’re ALL clear:

Hillary Clinton Benghazi “Investigation”
4 years
0 indictments
0 convictions

Hillary Clinton Email “Investigation”
2 years
0 indictments
0 convictions

Trump-Russia Investigation

15 months

34 Indictments/Charges (Individuals) (and counting)

3 Indictments/Charges (Companies)
5 GUILTY pleas (and counting)
4 CONVICTIONS (and counting)

Indicted: Roger Stone
Indicted: Paul Manafort
Indicted: Rick Gates
Indicted: George Papadopoulos
Indicted: Michael Flynn
Indicted: Michael Cohen
Indicted: Richard Pinedo
Indicted: Alex van der Zwaan
Indicted: Konstantin Kilimnik
Indicted: 12 Russian GRU officers
Indicted: Yevgeny Prigozhin
Indicted: Mikhail Burchik
Indicted: Aleksandra Krylova
Indicted: Anna Bogacheva
Indicted: Sergey Polozov
Indicted: Maria Bovda
Indicted: Dzheykhun Aslanov
Indicted: Vadim Podkopaev
Indicted: Irina Kaverzina
Indicted: Gleb Vasilchenko
Indicted: Internet Research Agency
Indicted: Concord Management

Guilty Plea: Michael Flynn
Guilty Plea: Michael Cohen
Guilty Plea: George Papadopolous
Guilty Plea: Richard Pinedo
Guilty Plea: Alex van der Zwaan
Guilty Plea: Rick Gates

Over 191 Criminal Charges (and counting):

Conspiracy against the USA (2 counts)
Conspiracy to launder money (2 counts)
Bank fraud (8 counts)
Bank fraud conspiracy (10 counts)
Subscribing to false tax returns (10 counts)
Making false statements (6 counts)
Failure to file reports of foreign bank accounts (14 counts)
Unregistered agent of a foreign principal (2 counts)
False FARA statements (2 counts)
Subscribing to false tax returns (10 counts)

Assisting in preparation of false tax documents (5 counts)
Conspiracy to defraud the United States (13 counts)
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud (2 counts)
Aggravated identity theft (24 counts)

Peace,

Madeline

Green Book

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Last week our friend Kathy passed along a recommendation to see the Oscar-nominated film “Green Book”.  Yesterday we took the bait; it is a real winner.  See it if you can, if not in a theater, at home.  I’ve linked my google page on the topic so you can discover anything you want to know about the film, including reviews, etc.

The best commentary I saw is this one from Smithsonian Magazine.

The most succinct bits: it is about a 1962 tour to the south by black musician Don Shirley.  Such tours were fraught with peril in those days of death struggle to save segregation.   Shirley’s band was himself and two white men.  They traveled in two cars: the band in one, and Shirley with his white driver in the other.  The film is based on the true events of this tour which surfaced in places like Pittsburgh, Cedar Rapids, Memphis and Birmingham.

(Quite inadvertently I had my first experience with the deep south in the U.S. Army, on field maneuvers in North and South Carolina in 1962 and 1963.  We were preparing for Vietnam.  The experience was an eye-opener for this early-20s North Dakotan playing war in the rural precincts of both states.)

For some reason I remember the Don Shirley Trio.  Go to YouTube, and enter “Don Shirley Trio” and there are numerous entries.  Take your pick.

I thought back, during the film, to the unique opportunity I had in September, 1957, to hear Louis Armstrong and his band on tour in the middle of North Dakota, in tiny Carrington, perhaps 2.000 population at the time.  I was 17, in the front row on the Armory metal chairs.

I recall nothing untoward happening.  We certainly were treated to a first class concert by Armstrong and his group.  Someone had managed to book  the band, and they gave a great concert.

North Dakota had the exact same racial minority problem as anywhere else back then: it still plays out today.  There were very few African-Americans in NDakota then, though the Air Force bases were opening in Grand Forks and Minot.  Native Americans were more our racial victim of choice.  I was a senior in high school then, and I never gave any thought to where the band, including a female vocalist,  may have spent the night.  Most likely it was on their bus, enroute to their next gig, in perhaps Bismarck or Minot or such.

Years later, when I wrote about the experience, a writer for the Grand Forks Herald noted that the band was the first mixed racial group to stay in a Grand Forks hotel.  About that same time, I watched Ken Burns acclaimed “Jazz” series and heard a very angry Louis Armstrong, interviewed on television in Grand Forks, North Dakota, commenting on the then national news at Little Rock Central High School.

I like to think, now, that past is past.  I guess an honest observation is its not.  We aren’t as conscious of this today, but there still remains a lot of work.

Louis Armstrong program book cover, September 1957, Carrington ND.

Autograph, September, 1957

COMMENTS:

Mary: I also enjoyed Green Book and understand that this ‘guide’ still exists and is used in the south!

Marshall: Karen and I saw Green Book Friday night here in Petaluma.  We both enjoyed the movie. The movie was set in 1962 (the year we were married) and it really resonated with me. I was raised in Wichita, Kansas and did not experience the racial attitudes but understand that mentality.

Jeff: I saw it, liked it. thought both actors were great. Also the woman who plays the wife is great,
She had a part in “Mad Men” for a couple seasons and was great there too.

Lots of stuff surrounding the movie though…  the family of the musician says the book/screenplay is not accurate,
And also that having a black friend doesn’t make one not a racist.   And also that the Director has been accused of
Displaying his johnson to employees several years ago….

Anyway,  I liked the movie, and think small steps toward peace and justice are better than none at all.

I don’t know if you have HBO… but Mahershaka  Ali  has the lead role in third season of True Detective.   He plays
An ex Vietnam vet  Arkansas police investigator, the role has him play three ages of the same character.  The man
Really can act.  The story is excellent as well… has to do with a child abduction from the early 80’s… and the aftermath
Into the present day.    reminiscent of the Wetterling murder/abduction…

Response to Jeff: Granted, always, that movies take license with facts.  But I think the general tone of the film was very helpful.  I was especially taken by the ‘connection’ between working class Italians and thus African-Americans and everyone else for that matter.  Most folks have (had) no chance to experience the country club life (Birmingham) and live in the “Orange Bird” category just down the road, shall I say.  It did cause me to think again about what I thought, if anything, back in 1957 in Carrington, watching Armstrong and the group in person.  The side issues (where will they stay overnight?) flew completely over me.  They doubtless traveled by bus, which was not plush in those days. It is only in  recent years that the question has occurred to me.

Vice; the “Unitary Executive”

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Today is the 1st day of the 7th week following my heart surgery Dec. 4.  I’m told that most likely the body healing is near accomplished, but don’t rush anything.  Today I began a program of Heart therapy which will go on for some weeks.  I’ve started to drive solo again!  Think of being 16 again!  But I’m on a short leash – short trips around town.  Generally, health things seem to be going well.

I’ve spent these six weeks as a patient – much as inpatient.  The ongoing story is here.

With a few exceptions, the ‘outside world’ has been fairly foreign to me.  I was in a Minneapolis hospital bed watching the President announcing his threatened government shutdown on Dec. 11 to Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and all of us.  He scares me, but does not impress.  He can do great damage.  Today was the 32nd day of that government shutdown, the longest in American history, with no end in sight.  There has been other ‘news’ of course.  Some scraps, from my point of view.

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We managed to take in three movies in the time since I’ve come home.

The most recent film I would highly recommend: Vice, about the years of then Vice-President Richard Cheney.  (Look up “Unitary Executive” as you prepare for the film.)

The film has distinctly mixed reviews (I’ve linked the Wikipedia compendium above).  Vice is billed as a “comedy”, though in my viewing, there is not much comedy about it, and its basic data is completely consistent with the reality of, particularly, 2001-2008..  I lived the Cheney years, and I know the history and the actors in it in personal tems.

My reason for urging folks to take the time to take in the film is that it gives an opportunity to reflect back to the past catastrophic (my opinion) post 9-11-01 United States, over which Vice-President Richard Cheney was dominant.   9-11-01 shook me into activism, and while I’m now 17 years older, and not into aggressive activism at this stage in my life, I still feel that 2001-2008 was an extraordinarily dangerous time for our democracy.  Watching the film I found myself often thinking about how good a model Cheney was for the current occupant of the White House…and how dangerous this model was and still is for our democracy.

I encourage you to see the film.

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A Word About Negotiations:  The painful chaos in the United States since Dec, 11 is never far from view, even if a person – like myself, currently – is (it appears) insulated from the consequences.  I don’t have to work without pay, yet.  It’s a benefit of being long retired in a society that years ago cared about working people like myself, through retirement programs, Medicare and the like.  It is hard to keep perspective, but every day the TV brings the message back, as it did while my residence was a hospital bed for 17 days in December, 2018.)   No one threatened me with being left out on the street, as has now happened with hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

Just Above Sunset summarized the reality of the U.S. very well this morning: Dealing in Pain.

I woke before seeing this commentary, and as I opened it I was thinking back to my own work days, specifically 1972, when I went from a classroom teacher, active in a teachers association, to teachers union executive director in the same school district, in a place which was just making the hard transition from ‘bring and beg’ ‘negotiations’, to a statutory right to collectively bargain contracts with exotic things like grievance procedures etc.

It was a hard transition for both sides.  Management was used to having all of the power; labor wasn’t accustomed to having any levers of power.  Abundant mistakes were make, but we all grew and adapted, and today, 47 years later, there is still collective bargaining in this state.  People work stuff out.  The last strike I recalls was in the early 1980s.  There were other threats, but people on both sides got the necessary deals done.  It is how problem solving works.

Not now, in Trumps idea of the U.S.  I saw all manner of negotiators and negotiating myself, for 27 years from 1972-2000.  I was one among many trying to o what I could to get something settled.  We were of all sorts.

I can think of no ‘negotiator’ more incompetent than Donald J. Trump.  He stands along, stuck in his own complete incompetence.

It should not have to be that way.

Trump is apparently incapable of realizing that the rules of engagement changed when he became President of the U.S. (and dictator to the entire world) now over two years ago.    Where he could rule by threats and edicts and rank dishonesty in his little New York City empire, he is now  trapped in a system existing for over 230 years, which encompasses far more than vanity towers including his name in large letters, and which has over its long history, in imperfect ways, adapted to a rule of law where everyone matters, at least a little.

We’ll never be perfect; but we’re far better than we could be.

How this will all play out remains to be seen.  At the moment, it doesn’t look promising.  All I know is that every single one of us has an important and active role to play in becoming part of the solution.  We have to actually do things beyond complaining, and our actions of necessity will have to be small and direct acts of down-home democracy.  There is an infinite list of possibilities.

Ultimately, I think – I hope – Trump will collapse in his own mountain of garbage.  Our country can do better than welcome a national bully who apparently cannot conceive of anything or anyone even somewhat equal to himself.  Let’s get to work.

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Post note: I have been less than attentive to my blog space.  Dec 4 I had major heart surgery; Dec. 21 I came home from the hospital.  I’ve been in recovery mode ever since.  At midnight Dec. 22, the U.S. Government shutdown began and as of today is completing its 32nd day, the longest shutdown in U.S. history.  The first shot about the pending shutdown came on national television on Dec 11, when President Trump said he was going to shut down the government if he didn’t get the requested 5.7 billion for his wall on the Mexican border.  He said clearly and publicly he would accept responsibility for the shutdown.  The rest is argument.

Here’s the wikipedia article on the issue.  (Wikipedia turned 18 a few days ago, and has become one of the credibility rock stars for on-line sources of public information.  It got a well deserved shout out in Sunday’s Washington Post opinion section.

The Wall

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Last night I decided to watch, in total, the positioning of Donald Trump, and the responses from Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer.  I did watch every minute of the presentations.

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A few hours later came Just Above Sunset, which summarizes points of view from the pundit class about pertinent issues of the previous day.  You can read the summary, about “The Wall”,  here.  The e-mail following ‘Sunset’ was the morning opinion section of the Washington Post which, this morning, included six commentaries about the previous evening, only one of which gave the advantage to Trump; another one which fact-checked his every assertion.  This President is incapable of telling the truth, or negotiating in good faith, but to his admirers, that doesn’t seem to matter.

Mid-morning we went to the local indoor walking track, as I work at re-conditioning after recent heart surgery.  We were finishing the first lap of the perimeter when a man passed us by, and in passing commented on Trumps wonderful speech a few hours earlier.  I disagreed; the man reemphasized his support for Trump, and distaste for Democrats, and life went on.  It was a “life is too short” moment.

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The incident got me to thinking of a similar encounter in late winter 2014.  I was in rural ND, and stopped by to see my Uncle’s tax man.  A forlorn looking man had just come out of the same office and apparently  had just received some bad news about his personal tax situation.   I had no idea who the guy was, and I suspect the same was true for him, about me.  Just two individuals whose paths had crossed on a wintry morning.

The guy did volunteer an opinion: that Hillary Clinton should be in jail, presumably for causing him tax problems.  He was very specific.  She was the named perpetrator.  I was a stranger on the scene.

I said nothing.  It did occur to me that at the time, Hillary Clinton, had no policy position relating to tax policy or enforcement.  She had been U.S. Senator from New York for eight years (2001-2009), and certainly could have voted on tax policy but that was about it.  She had been Secretary of State from 2009-2013 in the Obama administration, and by 2014 was certainly interested in running for the presidency.  But that was about it.

Somehow that guy had been convinced that Clinton was his sworn enemy – without evidence.

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Last night, apparenly,  Trump worked his dark magic once again with the rube who expressed his opinion to us at the sports center.

I heard every minute of Trumps declarations; I had read the fact check analysis of his assertions about The Wall and the desperate need for it.  As always with Donald Trump, “smoke and mirrors” prevailed.  Nonetheless, as is commonly noted, as many as 40 percent of Americans believe his claims – lambs to the slaughter.  “Facts” matter only to the extent that the assertions are believed.  Reasoned argument is a waste of time.

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About all I could do this morning at the indoor track was to do what I did – disagree with the assessment and wish the guy a good day.  About the best I could hope to accomplish was to at least cast a slight doubt in the guys mind; perhaps causing him to think a bit before he makes the same kind of assertion again to the next mark.  I won’t change him into a champion of critical analysis, but perhaps I can have a little impact, anyway.

UPDATE 6 a.m. Jan. 10:  Here’s the newest Just Above Sunset, “The Sheer Force of His Mighty Will” .  Today is the presumptive visit to “The Wall” by Trump; and absent some miraculous development, the first official day of no U.S. federal paycheck to hundreds of thousands of government employees is tomorrow.

This brings to mind, “The Emperor Has No Clothes”.  A bully who negotiates through the “strength” of a bully is a terrible, impotent and dangerous negotiator.  I hope the American people, who elected this person, remember this at every future election for every office, anywhere.  We get exactly what we ask for.

A Thought:  During my hospitalization my good friends, the Krisch’s, gave me a book “A Nation of Nations, A Great American Immigration Story” by Tom Gjelten.  I have not yet opened the cover, but certainly will as the book seems very interesting and pertinent.  Do check it out.