#987 – Dick Bernard: Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Day after Yesterday

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Last night I went to an outstanding program commemorating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
This was a one-night program. The program booklet can be seen here: Auschwitz- Apollo 1-2015001. As the program booklet notes (p. 2) Dr. Sean Vogt, Director of the wonderful Apollo Male Chorus, was moved and inspired by a personal visit to Auschwitz in 2011.
The production was magnificent, including a premiered work, and deserves repetition. One can hardly imagine the amount of work that went into making “the Liberation of Auschwitz” happen.
There has never been a substitute for individual or small group commitment to bringing a goal to fruition. That was certainly true last night.
I sat there, last night, reflecting on our own trip to Auschwitz and other places of the Holocaust 15 years ago. I was intensely involved at every step of that powerful journey, and the combination of about 40 of us, mostly Catholic and Jew, had its own powerful (though mostly unstated) dynamics. There was, after all, a very long history of Catholic (and Christian, generally) teaching about the Jews which in the Catholic Church always culminated in the Good Friday recitation of the central role of the Jews in the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus. This theological history, in a very real sense, aided and abetted the Nazis in making the Holocaust possible in the first place.
The unworthiness of the Jews was internalized in Christian teaching.
On the Pilgrimage, we were all aware of this, and there was frequent talk about this, and we doubtless all reflected on this in differing ways.
We arrived home, and went our separate ways. In yesterdays post I summarized:
“[May 4, 2000] at the entrance to the first of the horrific exhibit buildings at Auschwitz, we saw, posted, with emphasis, the oft-noted quotation of George Santayana:
“Those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it”
We arrived home in Minnesota emotionally and physically exhausted a few days later, and after a period of several months of reunion and passion, building on what we had experienced, our lives cycled back to normal – a usual pattern after such high (or low) experiences.
Then, little more than a year later came 9-11-01. I suspect we reacted, individually, and continue to react, in different ways. We’ve never talked about that, as a group.
What would we say?
Today, 15 years later, the memories of the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau remain vivid.
But on this day of remembrance, and in all days, we humans are well advised to remind ourselves of what we, ourselves, are capable of, for good, and for evil.
Auschwitz-Birkenau is a powerful reminder; 9-11 as well….”
Those 16 months between coming home and 9-11-01, and the many years since 9-11, have a cautionary message for all of us, that catastrophes can themselves be misused and abused for self-interest.
Some months after we arrived home, a suicide bombing, or several, in Israel, provoked what has become a common response: rather than “an eye for an eye”, or dealing with the suicide bombing as a crime, the issue became Israel versus Palestinians in Israel, and I remember vividly the general formula: one Israeli Jew killed translates to ten Palestinians dead, in response. It was like saying to me, in Minnesota, that if I didn’t stop the killing by someone I didn’t know 200 miles away, that I might be killed in response, or my house destroyed. The excessive revenge response made no sense to me, and I said so, and I was no longer considered an ally by some.
After 9-11-01 came e-mail “forwards” including photos of some apparent-Palestinians cheering the collapse of the Twin Towers. The Us versus Them theme intensified. The issue of Moslems as the problem entered the conversation.
Moslems replaced Jews as the problem….
In Sep., 2006 I was invited to the local premier of a widely circulated (and still available) “documentary”*, which featured film clips of a few radical Moslem leaders railing against the Jews. We have all seen such clips, carefully selected and edited, used to attempt to prove almost anything. The purpose is simple: to create an impression (much like the Christian teaching about the role of Jews in Christ’s death on the cross): “Crucify him!”
Or kill them.
In recent days there is, of course, the developing situation in Europe in the wake of “Je Suis Charlie”, seems to focus on demonstrations focusing against the Moslem immigrants, rather than the lunatics that actually did, and abetted, the killings in Paris. The initial issue in Paris focused on Freedom of Speech. But now there’s the less than subtle ‘spin’ that the killing of four Jews now represents a new rising of anti-Semitism, with the very recent matter of Bibi Netanyahu attempting to use the tragedy to seize the political advantage against the supposed threat of Iran, including involving the American Congress. Again, it is not a pleasant time, and perspective is lacking. Two violent incidents are being misused.
I could go on, of course.
Can we talk?
* I am not inclined to give free publicity to this film, which I consider a hate film, but in the interest of discussion, here is the wikipedia link about it. In my own “review” September 27, 2006, I said in part, this: “…It is a new but classical propaganda film…The tone of the film was such that you’d walk out of the theatre and almost be inclined to cross the street if you see a Muslim coming your way…that kind of ‘balance’.”
The person who invited me to attend the film was not pleased with my review…you can read the entire review here: Obsession Rev 9-27-06001 The Sep 2000 U.S. News and World Report article about American Neo-Nazis (referenced in review) is here: USNews-9-25-2000001
Of course, the film gives an obligatory disclaimer: “This is a film about radical Islamic terror. A dangerous ideology, fueled by religious hatred. It’s important to remember most Muslims are peaceful and do not support terror. This is not a film about them. This is a film about a radical worldview, and the threat it poses to us all, Muslim and non-Muslim alike.” But the emphasis is making common people fear and distrust all Moslems, not just the few. As we all know, this narrative played out well in Germany in the Auschwitz days, against another minority.

#986 – Dick Bernard: Learning on a Beautiful Spring Day at Auschwitz-Birkenau

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PRE-NOTES: 1. Auschwitz-Birkenau, air photo and description: Auschwitz-Birkenau001
2. Recollections of a GI who visits Dachau shortly after liberation in 1945 are at the end of this post.
(click on photos to enlarge them)

A quiet walk on a beautiful day May 4, 2000. Approaching the entrance to Birkenau death camp, Poland.

A quiet walk on a beautiful day May 4, 2000. Approaching the entrance to Birkenau death camp, Poland.


January 27, 2015, marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp near Oswiecim, Poland. This day, 70 years ago, marks the beginning of the end of WWII, the deadliest war in world history, in which near 60,000,000 people died, about 3% of the world population.
Near 6,000,000 of these deaths were Jews, over half the world Jewish population at the time. One in six of the Jews who died in WWII, died at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
May 4, 2000, my 60th birthday, was spent at Auschwitz-Birkenau with a group of about 40 Christians and Jews from Temple Israel and Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis MN.
It was a beautiful spring day.
I suspect there were many such beautiful (weather) days at this horrid place during its operation 1940-45, but the business of this camp, which opened the same month and year that I was born, was death, pure and simple.
At Auschwitz, the victims were largely Polish political prisoners; at Birkenau, the victims were Jews.
Our Pilgrimage was a profound one. Earlier we had visited Plaszow (suburban Krakow, subject of the movie, Schindler’s List), Terezin, Prague. And spent a day at Tabor, a Czech town whose Jewish population was obliterated in the Holocaust, but whose Torah was saved and had become part of Temple Israel in Minneapolis.
May 4, we began our visit at Auschwitz. Then we walked to Birkenau, along the very same railroad tracks which brought box cars full of victims to the rail head within the camp (photo above). Men, Women and Children whose destination was the brutally efficient ovens.
Birkenau May 4, 2000 by Matt Smith

Birkenau May 4, 2000 by Matt Smith


Birkenau May 4, 2000, by Matt Smith

Birkenau May 4, 2000, by Matt Smith


The sole function of this awful place was to kill people, mostly Jews, as efficiently as possible.
It was an experience burned into one’s very soul.
If had lunch that day, I don’t remember it.
On our day, the sun was shining, temperature about perfect, the grass green, leaves were on the trees, birds chirping….
We walked mostly in silence in this horrible place; often the sound of our feet the only human sound.
One of our fellow Pilgrims, Len Kennen of Temple Israel, later assembled a photo gallery of what we saw not only at Auschwitz and Birkenau, as well as from other sites of the Holocaust we had visited. Len’s photo galleries, added with his permission, are accessible here and here. Click on any photo to enlarge it. (Photos from the other sites are accessible here.)
As our day closed, the group gathered for a memorial service and candles were lit in memory of those whose lives ended here.
Earlier in the day, at the entrance to the first of the horrific exhibit buildings at Auschwitz, we saw, posted, with emphasis, the oft-noted quotation of George Santayana:
“Those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it”
We arrived home in Minnesota emotionally and physically exhausted a few days later, and after a period of several months of reunion and passion, building on what we had experienced, our lives cycled back to normal – a usual pattern after such high (or low) experiences.
Then, little more than a year later came 9-11-01. I suspect we reacted, individually, and continue to react, in different ways. We’ve never talked about that, as a group.
What would we say?
Today, 15 years later, the memories of the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau remain vivid.
But on this day of remembrance, and in all days, we humans are well advised to remind ourselves of what we, ourselves, are capable of, for good, and for evil.
Auschwitz-Birkenau is a powerful reminder; 9-11 as well….
A memorial service between the ovens....
Ben and the Memorial Candles within Birkenau

Ben and the Memorial Candles within Birkenau


Group Reflections at Birkenau May 4, 2000: Auschwitz May 4 2000 001
Directly related: North Dakota GI Omer Lemire was one of the first to visit Dachau after its mid-April, 1945 liberation. The experience affected him the rest of his life.
Here are his memories of that visit: Omer Lemire at Dachau001

#977 – Dick Bernard: 2015: A Good Year To Remind Ourselves That We Are Part Of A Global Community.

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The United Nations Building, snapshot, June 30, 1971, Dick Bernard

The United Nations Building, snapshot, June 30, 1971, Dick Bernard


Calendar/timeline for 2015, the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II spotlighting some significant dates in history: Community of Nations 2015 calendar March 2016 edition.
Following Dr. Schwartzbergs comments (below) are links to 55 posts in 2015 which directly related to International Issues.
NOTE TO READERS: An addendum to the original edition of this post, Jan 1, 2015, included comments by Dr. Joseph Schwartzberg with a succinct history of the United Nations System and his ideas for reform. The remarks were included, with his permission, at the end of the original post.
In recognition of Dr. Schwartzbergs upcoming Workable World Conference (Oct 9-10, 2015) I am moving his January 5, 2015 comments to the beginning of this revision, with other comments now at the end of the post.
Schwartzberg book001
Dr. Joseph Schwartzberg, December 4, 2014

Dr. Joseph Schwartzberg, December 4, 2014


DR. JOSEPH SCHWARTZBERG COMMENTS January 5, 2015
THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM: TIME FOR “ PLAN C”
In any given period, the international system is characterized by some minimally acceptable rules of order. These rules may be partially codified; but, to a large extent, they are tacitly understood, generally reflecting the balance of power perspectives of a small number of influential states. This essay considers systems in the period since World War II.
Plan A: Traditional Power Politics Plus a Weak United Nations System
The United Nations Charter, adopted in 1945, was not a democratic document. In the Security Council, the sole UN agency to enjoy binding powers, the so-called P5, the principal victors in World War II, were not only given permanent seats, but also the right to veto any resolution of which they disapproved. All other members reluctantly accepted this dispensation, relying for protection on their sovereign immunity from outside intervention. In theory, all states were sovereign equals. Each could do whatever it wished, no matter how immoral, within its own borders. Nor did it matter whether its actions were for the good of the planet. Nevertheless, most states behaved reasonably and the system worked well enough to help avert World War III and to provide modest benefits to needy nations.
In its early days, the UN was looked upon favorably by the United States, which, together with its allied and client states, mainly in Latin America and Western Europe, could win just about any vote in the UN General Assembly. The Soviet Union, naturally, frequently used its veto to block Western initiatives. But, as the UN expanded, mainly because of decolonization in Africa and most of Asia, the balance of power shifted. What had been a primarily East-West contest morphed into opposition between the global North and South. In the new power configuration the South won many victories, but they proved to be pyrrhic in that decisions were non-binding, unenforceable and largely ignored by powerful states. New agencies continued to be created to deal with issues of global importance, but they were typically under-funded and inadequately staffed. The United States continued to pay lip service to the importance of the UN, but we also made sure that it did not become a serious contender for global political power.
Overall, the planet continued to be wracked by political, economic and social injustice. Looming environmental dangers were ignored. Leaders and diplomats were largely oblivious to many mounting dangers and failed to recognize the sowing of the seeds of terrorism.
Plan B: An Abortive Pax Americana
With the unanticipated implosion of the Soviet Union in 1989, a seemingly promising new era dawned in world affairs. The United States emerged as the sole hegemon in a politically uni-polar world. Its capacity to lead was unprecedented. Many of our leaders, however, especially on the political right, perceived the global situation as enabling the establishment of a “New American Century,” a Pax Americana backed by worldwide acceptance of free-market capitalism and guaranteed militarily by “full spectrum dominance” (on land, sea, air, and outer space) and marked by pro-American, nominally democratic regimes on all continents. Remaining adversaries were to be hemmed in by a global network of hundreds of military bases. To be sure, it would be expensive; but it was a scenario we believed we could afford.
But there were problems. Nobody ever asked us to be the world’s policeman and political arbiter. We lacked the skill to export democracy to other lands. Most of the world did not buy into the neo-con myth that we were the “shining city on the hill” And then came 9/11! Our response was the unwinnable global War on Terrorism that has obsessed our political thinking ever since. Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and other nations have wreaked incalculable death and devastation and drained our economy of trillions of dollars and precluded meaningful reforms in our own country and abroad. For all practical purposes, the UN was relegated to a bit and subservient part. And most of our political establishment still doesn’t get it.
Plan C: A Transformed United Nations System
All of the problems confronting our planet before 9/11 are still with us. Some, especially climate change, have become appreciably worse. Plan B isn’t working and needs to be replaced. We need truly global, not essentially unilateral decision-making. The United Nations must be transformed and strengthened. Decisions must be binding, democratically reached, accepted as legitimate, and enforceable. The global South deserves to have an appropriate voice in world affairs. Terrorism must be addressed, not by killing ever-greater numbers of presumed potential perpetrators, but by eliminating its root causes in global and local injustice. Ordinary citizens deserve to be represented in a World Parliamentary Assembly. Better ways must be found to tap the wisdom of civil society. Unilateral military adventurism must yield to duly authorized missions carried out by a competent standing peace force. The jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court must be made universal. The list goes on.
Happily, solutions are in sight. Suggesting how best to address these issues is the purpose of my most recent book, Transforming the United Nations System: Designs for a Workable World. The book, published by the United Nations University Press in 2013 has been enthusiastically endorsed by numerous prominent world thinkers. You may easily order a copy on-line from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or the Brookings Institution Press.
*
(continuation of January 1, post)
Dick Bernard comments:
Do make it a priority to read Dr. Schwartzberg’s book on Transforming the United Nations System, and attend the Workable World Conference, which is based on the book.
Most Recent Related Blog Posts, since January 1, 2015: (earlier posts are found at the end of this page.)
47. Nov. 16, 2015 Paris, November 13, 2015
48. Nov. 18, 2015 Paris, the 6th Day.
49. Dec. 1, 2015 “Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream…A Million Copies Made”
50. Dec. 4, 2015 San Bernardino
51. Dec. 5, 2015
 Christine Loys. A Message From COP 21, Paris, The Global Conference on Climate Change.
52. Dec. 7, 2015 December 7, 2015: “War” to Peace: Changing the Conversation.
53. Dec. 10, 2015 Muslims
54. Dec. 14, 2015 The Paris Climate Talks Conclude…and Continue, and Begin
55. Dec. 17, 2015 “Let There Be Peace On Earth And Let It Begin With Me.”
(click to enlarge)
UN vehicle in Hinche (Ench) Haiti, March 2006

UN vehicle in Hinche (Ench) Haiti, March 2006


The United Nations turns 70 this year, less than two months after the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.
WWII followed WWI by about 20 years.
The dreaded WWIII, which could easily destroy us, has not happened and I have to believe the very existence of the United Nations is a large part of the reason our human species has survived in spite of dire threats, and in fact will continue to survive as we cobble together ways to get along.
Most of us know little about the United Nations (UN), which is a shame. My personal learning curve has been recent. There is a great deal to learn.
To some, the UN is an enemy entity, even though it is not a country, and its structure mitigates against making imperialistic moves, if indeed its actors would even have an interest in such.
Perhaps it is because the UN was a coalition of partners which had a logical structure at the time of its formation: five powers have always dominated it, each possessing veto power. They are the countries which won WWII: United States, England, France, Soviet Union and China. There were 46 other founding nations in 1945; now there are 193. (Japan was admitted in 1956; Germany in 1973.)
I have noted that change happens within the UN system, though at a glacial pace. This is to be expected. Some observers wish the UN system would cease to exist; others expect miracles from it, including instant change. Given the enormity of its mission, it is a marvel it exists at all!
But the UN and its numerous associated agencies, like World Health Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, UNICEF, and on and on, contribute markedly and quietly to helping our diverse world not only survive, but thrive.
A key question, for me, is “where would the world be in 2015 without a United Nations?” I think we would rue the day the UN disappeared.
A new resource I highly recommend to those wishing to learn about the UN: Dr. Joseph Schwartzbergs 2013 book “Transforming the United Nations System, Designs for a Workable World”: Schwartzberg 2013001 (cover illustration above). This 364 page academic work is full of data, history, and ideas for “transforming” the UN and it is a book that is getting broad attention within the UN community of interest. Book is available on-ine from Amazon,Barnes and Noble, or the Brookings Institution. Inquiries and comment about the book to Dr. Joseph Schwartzberg at Workable World Trust.
POST NOTE #1: Some personal thoughts about the UN (yours are solicited as well).
My direct contact with the United Nations is very limited. Until 2006, the only direct exposure to the UN was a visit to New York City in 1972, part of which included a stop, as a tourist, at UN headquarters.
In March, 2006, we visited the interior of Haiti. It was my second visit, and a time of political uncertainty in the country. In the interior city of Hinche (Ench), we met and visited with a retired police officer from Quebec who was on assignment with the UN to help build a more effective local police force there. He saw his duty as a needed service.
Later we saw a UN vehicle on a Hinche street (a photo leads this post). The photo speaks for itself. I don’t know who was with the vehicle; at any rate, it was calm in the streets surrounding.
A few days later, enroute back to Port-au-Prince and in the town of Mirabelaise, one of our vehicles stopped to repair a flat tire. We took a break, and we met by coincidence a squad of UN Peacekeepers from Nepal. We had a very brief chance to visit with some of them, and I took this two minute piece of video of our interaction. There was nothing intimidating in our interaction or what we saw in the park. The voice-over you hear is mine. It was simply a spontaneous piece of history that I filmed – a different look at the stereotype of UN Peacekeeper. (Here is the same video, without crawl script.)
In this amateur video, you can get a sense of the humanity of the “peacekeepers”; young soldiers as you’d find anywhere in the world. That they are Nepalese came to be notorious a few years later when their encampment just east of the town, was identified as the probable source of the cholera epidemic that devastated Haiti in 2010. Instantly, that incident became another piece of evidence, to some, that the United Nations was no good.
But that chance encounter with those few young Nepalese has had a durable and positive impact on me.
POST NOTE #2: At the end December, 2012, I stumbled across a local incident which attracted my interest. The Commissioners of Hennepin County (Minneapolis and area) had taken down a United Nations flag which had flown on the plaza for 44 years. This story continues – you can read it here – and is fascinating mostly in the active interest in keeping secret who it was who pushed the Commissioners to take their unanimous action in March of 2012.
More recently, I noted that a flag I thought had been a UN Flag had been taken down at a major Edina Hospital. I inquired about it, and was informed that it wasn’t a UN flag, but rather the flag of the World Health Organization (WHO) (which is one of those UN agencies, now independent, whose flag essentially mirrors that of the United Nations flag on which it is based.
Again, someone wanted that flag down, someone probably threatened by its very existence there, but it is near impossible to find out the truth….
(click to enlarge, once enlarged you can further enlarge the flag and see that it is indeed the WHO flag).
Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina MN April 1, 2013

Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina MN April 1, 2013


(Continuation of Related Posts)
1. Jan. 16, 2015: Global Health: The Greatest Story Rarely Told
2. Jan. 15, 2015: The Paris Attacks.
3. Jan. 27, 2015: The 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
4. Jan. 28, 2015:: Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Day After Yesterday.
5. Mar. 3, 2015: Netanyahu at Congress, March 3
6. 6. Mar. 6, 7, 8, 9, 2015: Series of posts about the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Forum, Minneapolis MN.
Ten Videos featuring major speakers at the 2015 Forum can be accessed here. In particular, I recommend President Jimmy Carter’s Mar. 6, 2015 address, found at this link.
7. Mar. 10, 2015 Thoughts at 1000
8. Mar. 13, 2015 When Stupidity Triumphs
9. Mar. 18, 2015 Netanyahu’s “Victory”
10. Mar. 20, 2015 A Remarkable Evening remembering Vietnam War
11. Mar. 21, 2015 Visiting Selma AL Mar 7, 2015
12. Mar. 29, 2015 Esperanto
13. Mar. 31, 2015 Negotiations with Iran
14. Apr. 4, 2015. Death and Resurrection: Cuba and the Minnesota Orchestra.
15. Apr. 9, 2015. Flossenburg
16. Apr. 22, 2015. Earth Day 2015
17. Apr. 23, 2015. War is Hell. How About Waging Peace?
18. Apr. 28, 2015. An Hour With The Governeur-General of Canada
19. May 1, 2015. Memorial Day 1946, and the Residue of WWII
20. May 12, 2015 The Minnesota Orchestra Goes to Cuba, and Some Thoughts of the Early 1960s
21. May 23, 2015 Thoughts About the War About War
22. May 27, 2015 A Memorial Day to Remember in LaMoure
23. May 29, 2015 Catching a Moment in Time Saturday, March 18, 1905
24. Jul. 4, 2015 “God Bless America”
25. Jul. 7, 2015 Two Flags, Two National Anthems: Cuba at Minnesota Orchestra Hall
26. Jul. 16, 2015 Going to Peace. A Reflection on Detente With Iran
27. Aug. 4, 2015 Dr. Joseph Schwartzberg. Remembering India’s Early Support For “One World”
28. Aug. 6, 2015 August 6, 2015: The Atomic Bomb at 70. Reflecting on Peace.
29. Aug. 10, 2015 Nagasaki, August 9, 1945. A Message to the Peace Movement
30. Aug. 16, 2015 A Thank You to President Jimmy Carter
31. Aug. 24, 2015 Tom Atchison’s Memorial, and Two Upcoming Events [Hiroshima Nagasaki Exhibit at Landmark Center St Paul (ongoing) and Iran Nuclear Deal (see Aug 27)]
32. Aug. 27, 2015 Dealing With Differences. The Iran Nuclear Agreement, the Koreas, North and South, et al.
33. Sep. 5, 2015 That little Kurdish boy who drowned.
34. Sep 7, 2015 The Little Kurdish Boy Who Drowned (continued)
35. Sep. 11, 2015 September 11.
36. Sep. 18, 2015 The International Day of Peace 2015
37. Sep. 21, 2015 The International Day of Peace; A Pope and the Year of Mercy
38. Sep. 24, 2015 Creating a Workable World: Transforming the United Nations System
39. Sep. 27, 2015 The Pope’s Speech to the U.S. Congress
40. Oct. 6, 2015 A Conversation about the United Nations: Looking at the UN at 70
41. Oct. 7, 2015 Bombing the Hospital in Afghanistan. Who’s at fault about the killing at Roseburg, Oregon?
42. Oct. 12, 2015 Getting Perspective on the UN System at 70
43. Oct. 18, 2015 From Darkness to Light. A Journey Towards Peace and Reconciliation.
44. Oct. 26, 2015 Ehtsham Anwar: Seeking An Answer To A Disconnect. Americans as Peaceful People; and America’s International Image As Warmonger.
45. Nov. 5, 2015 Video from Workable World Conference Oct 9&10, 2015; Ehtasham Anwar Video Interviews of Minnesota Peacemakers, May & June, 2014
46. Nov. 11, 2015 Armistice Day, 2015

#971 – Dick Bernard: Experiencing History. Cuba, Iran, North Korea and other places.

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We are, I think, in a very significant time in international history. And it is a good time, but very scary for those who need enemies to be scared of, and dangerous because of a desire to maintain the historical status quo of enemies and war as a solution..
It is a good time to look at the pre-history (that which occurred before the recent history that we are directed towards.) There is a tendency to ignore bad decisions long before that lead to the present. For instance, WWI, the war to end all wars, had a lot to do with creating WWII….
President Obama continues to make very good calls on very complex international situations. Without doubt, he’ll be vilified for all of them, because he’s plowing new ground. As I said in the previous paragraph, it is a good time, for each of us, to start brushing up on history, the history we won’t easily find or hear about, since some things are considered by official dispensers of information to be best left unsaid….

Some snippets, from a bystander (I could easily make this post much, much longer):
1. Added Dec. 19, from reader John Noltner: “I thought I’d share a little of the Cuban beauty I found when I was there a couple years back.” You can view his montage here. John’s work, A Peace of My Mind, can be found here.
CUBA. I was in college when Fidel Castro took over Cuba (1959), and when President Eisenhower made Cuba an enemy state (1960).
Last night I looked at the college newspaper I edited then, and found the article on the front page about the “Afro-Cuban Review” which came to the college in summer 1961. I reread the article, and found the performers were from “Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad” – apparently no Cubans….
Back in those days, of course, having black people in our town was very unusual, a novelty, one could honestly say. Cuba then and now was a black country. So, also, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad, though, unlike Cuba, they weren’t Communist.
Interesting.
(click to enlarge)
Viking News, Valley City ND State Teachers College, July 5, 1961 page one
In 1962, in an Army barracks below Cheyenne Mountain in suburban Colorado Springs, I watched President Kennedy address the nation during the Cuban Missile Crisis (mid-October, 1962). Colorado, then and now, bristled with military installations and was in the bulls eye, so the Rocky Mountain News reminded us. It was a very nervous time for we young GIs, but it passed quickly.
Ultimately Presidents Kennedy and Khruschev decided there were better ways to deal with their relationship than pointing missiles at each other. We didn’t want Soviet missiles in our backyard much like, I suppose, the Russians are not keen on having NATO missiles in their backyard in Ukraine or such today.
And need I mention how it all started, with Teddy Roosevelt’s “charge up San Juan Hill” and the Spanish-American War which began in 1898, the pretext being the supposed bombing of the USS Maine in Havana harbor.
My Grandpa Bernard didn’t go to Cuba, then, but he did spend a year in the Philippines 1898-99, part of the Spanish-American War which gained for the U.S., Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Philippines, and created the largely ignored part of Cuban-American history we need to read for the first time, between 1898 and 1959….
2. NORTH KOREA. Last night Nora O’Donnell’s (CBS Evening News) voice went dead on-air while talking about the apparently connection between North Korea and the hacking of Sony Pictures and the cancellation of the movie “The Interview” scheduled for Christmas Day. It was a long and distinct enough breach so I wondered: was that brief time of dead-air not a coincidence….
There is lots of pre-history here, too.
A week or two ago I had lunch with an executive of a major corporation here, and was moved to ask a dumb question.
He was South Korean by birth and upbringing, much younger than the Korean War, and I asked him, because I didn’t know, how it was that North and South Korea came to be.
Easy.
Korea at the time of WWII was part of the Empire of Japan; many of the soldiers killed in places like China and the Pacific Theater were Korean conscripts, he said. As I mentioned at table, “cannon fodder?” Of course.
After the War the victors, split Korea into two: North and South. “The victors”, in this case, were what have been since 1945 and presently remain the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: Russia, China, U.S., France, United Kingdom. Not long thereafter came the Korean War, and the deadly military adventure there, including General McArthur’s being fired by Eisenhower for exceeding his authority, and over 60 years of history where we apparently have preferred having an enemy, than working towards resolution.
Check it out.
3. IRAN. History begins where political leaders want it to begin.
It is that way in all regimes, whether good guys or bad.
Our public history of Iran begins with the U.S. Embassy Hostage Crisis of 1979, which was very useful in bringing down President Carter in the 1980 election.
You have to look a bit further to find the back-story: the overthrow in 1953 of democratically elected Iranian President Mossadegh by covert organizing by the West, especially somebody by the name of Kermit Roosevelt, is mostly overlooked.
The objective: to protect western oil fields in Iran. The Shah of Iran was installed, and was hated by the people he governed. Near his end, he was hospitalized in the Mayo Clinic, in our own state. In effect, we welcomed the leader Iranians hated.
I somewhat haplessly crossed through an interesting demonstration by Iranians when President Carter came to Minneapolis in 1978 for a political event. Their heads were covered with grocery bags, and the demonstration was completely peaceful, but serious. This was before the hostage crisis a year later….
4. ETC.
In this post, I give no links. I didn’t even fact check the specific dates, since I lived some of them and have learned the others over the years.
Take some time to see where history began in these and other circumstances.
I applaud President Obama for his move towards normalizing relationships.
May it continue, regardless of the political hysteria it will excite.
COMMENTS:
from Jeff: Nora O’Donnell… wow, I saw that, Bridget mentioned it and I said “you must have touched the mute on the remote” (she did have it in her hand)… she said she didn’t. I never thought of that connection. And it’s odd as I/we seldom watch the network news at 5:30…
I think the Sony decision was amazing… now it is said to have come from N Korea…a commentator on CNN said expect to see the USA and international financial community cut off all financing for N Korea…apparently they did that several years ago and in 2 to 3 weeks they couldn’t pay the Generals…things changed quickly.
Cuba: good op/ed in the NYT saying basically the GOP is following old thinking per usual. Actually I suspect that except for the Florida crew and Menendez from NJ, and of course, Cruz, there are few against this. The GOP in the new Congress might try to scuttle it but its insipidly stupid. Has been for years… the logic of having on going relations with Russia, Japan, Vietnam, Germany, Venezuela, etc. after and during times of enmity is so overwhelming its beyond speaking. We bankrupted a country and people. The moneyed criollo class who came here post-Castro have called the shots for years and the yokels have eaten it up.
Personally I think the change has a lot to do with the current Russian situation…I think the handwriting is on the wall for Cuba… Russia is heading toward a complete economic meltdown and that is not good for Cuba.
Korea: I don’t know the history of the conscripts of Japan… of course I know the history of the “comfort women” and the general historical enmity between Korea and Japan. My guess is Korean conscripts largely died in China during the war.
Philippines: the war there has been mentioned several times as a complete precursor to our Iraq expedition. Imperialism based on ignorance and blithely turning a population into an enemy.
From SAK: Many thanks for drawing attention to #971 – I agree it is much better to make friends than enemies & especially in this world of ours with vulnerable internet/communications & weapons that are readily available and devastating!
I have been investigating WWI a lot since it is a sad anniversary of sorts – except for the Christmas truce [1914, 100th anniversary this year] which moves me every time I read about it – I also watched a very good French film about it. I suppose instead of the war to end all wars that was the peace to end all peace (1918-19).
As for Mossadegh & other oily business a French/German channel recently broadcast a couple of episodes:
“La face caché du petrole”
1. dividing the world here; and
2. manipulations, here.
from David: Thank you for your peaceable perspective.
President Truman canned Dug Out Doug-ie. That is what my Chief Petty Officer called the fade away soldier. A member of our Chapter 154 (Vets for Peace Fargo-Moorhead) has an anti-war brochure on the Philippines. Horrendous anti-terrorist and insurrectionist atrocities there. I call us the run-to-the-gun Nation.
Blessings on all — animal mineral vegetable.
from Flo: Yesterday, when I heard President Obama on MPR telling us of his executive orders to make the changes he could in our relations with Cuba, I cried for joy! Then I pulled out our photo album with pictures and memorabilia of our 2012 Lexington Institute educational tour to Cuba with about 30 returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Yes, the government of Cuba must make changes, too, but the Cuban people certainly don’t deserve the sanctions and the embargo imposed by our own government. Neither do we, who declare ourselves FREE. The instructions we received on what we could and couldn’t purchase and bring back with us to the USA and what we could and couldn’t do required a full page of small print!
My fervent parting hope for Cuba was that the American embargo be lifted and the curtain separating our countries be shredded. Thank you, President Obama, for giving my hope wings!
***
More from Dick:
An amusing footnote: Back in the 1990s I was having a conversation with a valued relative, my Dad’s cousin, who was a retired bank president in a major Minnesota town, an executive type who had been President of the Minnesota Bankers Association, and before that rose briefly to Colonel in the WWII Army in the Pacific, right at the end of the War.
Somehow or other we got to talking about Castro and Cuba.
“You know”, Marvin said, “back in 1959 I made a $5 bet with a friend that Castro wouldn’t last six months. Guess I got that one wrong.”
A not so amusing footnote: Our complete dependence on the cyber-world (internet) is perhaps our major vulnerability as a country. Imagine your world, today, without computers. In my opinion, it is unimaginable.
The only fail-safe I see is that the world is now so tied together – so interdependent – that an attempt to destroy one countries capabilities would be as destructive to the enemy as to the target. The internet is, in a sense, even more our mad, mad world, than the insane nuclear arsenal we still find a need to have.
An awful footnote: In this same fortnight came the intersection of two events: the terrible tragedy of the bombing of the school in Pakistan, with more than 100 dead; and the grotesque defense of torture back in the good old days by Dick Cheney and company, and the quiet acquiescence of a distressingly high percentage of Americans to that practice of torture.
In this age of misinformation, disinformation, false flags and the like, it is risky to believe any narrative put forth by anyone about anything.
In my opinion, we forfeited our innocence and goodness the first time we tortured someone to attempt to extract information, and even if we now totally outlaw the practice, it will be a very long time for us to restore our standing as even slightly righteous.

#968 – Dick Bernard: War Child, Growing Up In Adolf Hitler's Germany. Annelee Woodstrom

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Today, even more so than most, will be a frantic, “CYA”, day in Washington D.C. when the long expected Senate Committee report on the U.S. and the practice of Torture during the Iraq years is released. My favorite blogger summarizes the chatter as it gathered yesterday here.
Everyone will have their own opinion. Mine borrows an old farm phrase: “the chickens come home to roost”. Our willful reinterpretation of things like the Nuremberg Principals and the Geneva Accords to justify torture basically destroyed our credibility in the world. In the wake of Iraq, we cannot pretend to be innocent purveyors of only good.
Last night I went to hear our friend Annelee Woodstrom talk to 35 very attentive Friends of the Southdale Library about her book, “War Child, Growing Up in Adolf Hitlers Germany“. Full disclosure: we have been good friends of Annelee since I first read of her book being published back in 2003; I was privileged to edit her second book, Empty Chairs; I’ve heard her talk several times; this morning, a little later, we’ll drive her home to northwest Minnesota, and spend a few days with her. She and her story are no stranger to me.
Through no fault of her own, Annelee grew up in Adolf Hitler’s Germany, her home from her birth in 1926 till she left the country in 1947 to become an “enemy alien” in the United States, marrying the “Gentleman Soldier” from Crookston MN who she and her family met when the U.S. Army liberated her town of Mitterteich.
She saw it all through a young persons eyes: the desperation of the Germans, humiliated by the Treaty of Versailles at the end of WWI; the promises, made and fulfilled by a charismatic German, Adolf Hitler, and his Nazi party; the beginnings of the persecution of the Jews (there were two Jewish families in her Catholic town of 6,000, and both survived the war, though they disappeared for a long while); having to drop out of school to go to work in a telegraph office in a city 95 miles from her home; experiencing the bombing, and at the end, walking 95 miles home – an 8 day trip – sleeping in ditches, starving, when all was lost.
Through it all, Annelee describes, from personal experience, why the horror of Nazi Germany could happen. It has never been a great surprise to me. People then, there, were like people here, now. Somebody promises a better life, a convincing message and some fulfilled promises make a better life possible, when the promise “goes south” it is too late….
Annelee, as a young girl, wanted to be part of Hitler Youth. It looked like fun. Her parents refused to allow her to join.

Annelee's family in Germany ca 1943, the last time she saw her Dad alive. Annelee standing at left

Annelee’s family in Germany ca 1943, the last time she saw her Dad alive. Annelee standing at left


Privilege went to party members: her Dad refused to join and ended up drafted into the German military system, ending up dying somewhere in Siberia, they think. There is no grave to visit….
For Annelee, personally, the key dates are 1939, when she was required to leave school and go to work; and 1943, when the momentum of the war shifted, and the national mood went from optimism about winning the war, to questions of survival.
If one looks at things like politics from the perspective of an innocent civilian, as Annelee was, one sees how families, communities, and finally countries can run amuck.
In the desperate times, people want a promise of hope; in good times, they gravitate to whoever can bring them the goodies; in the bad times, they get desperate, and by then are frozen out of the decision making process, afraid even to be honest within their own families.
Survivor of the remnants of the Thousand Year Reich, Rev. Martin Niemoeller, used to speak a lot about what the Germans learned from their experience. His message varied a tiny bit from speech to speech, leaving scholars to seek the actual origins of what he actually said, but this is the essential quote:
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Thank you, Annelee.
Annelee Woodstrom, Dec. 8, 2014, at Southdale Public Library Edina MN

Annelee Woodstrom, Dec. 8, 2014, at Southdale Public Library Edina MN

#967 – Dick Bernard: The Wallet, Pearl Harbor Day, 2014

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NOTE: November 25, 2016: The Dec. 7, 2016, post will include a link to this post, and more information relating to the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Directly related post here.
PRE-NOTE: I have written often, here, about the death of my Uncle Frank, my Dad’s kid brother, on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, and how there was an unexpected family reunion – one I attended, as a one year old – in Long Beach CA less than five months before he died. Here and here are two related posts about this.
Dec. 7, 2014, at Landmark Center in St. Paul, I shared a small part of my own family story at a commemoration of December 7, 1941. A summary of what I said follows below, at “Pearl Harbor, a Family Reunion”. More details can be read here: frank-bernard001
The Wallet.
A month ago a mystery envelope appeared in our mailbox – the small packet from Scottville MI was postmarked Nov. 6, 2014.
It was from a cousin of mine, and when I opened the envelope the content was an old leather wallet (photo below, click to enlarge all photos).

The Wallet, 2014

The Wallet, 2014


It was very fragile, this billfold (another name for wallet). I was curious.
There was no money, but plenty of paper, all of which I removed. The Identification card said the wallet belonged to Vincent Busch, Berlin, N. Dak. Vincent is my Uncle, who I’ve spent a lot of time with especially this past year. Below are the entire contents of the Wallet.
Busch Vince Wallet003
See “More about the wallet” following “Pearl Harbor, the Family Reunion”
PEARL HARBOR, THE FAMILY REUNION
(Click to enlarge)
The family members in the story are, at right: Richard, Henry and Esther Bernard. From left, Henry and Josephine Bernard, Josie Whitaker, and Frank Bernard, Henry's parents and siblings, in Long Beach.

The family members in the story are, at right: Richard, Henry and Esther Bernard. From left, Henry and Josephine Bernard, Josie Whitaker, and Frank Bernard, Henry’s parents and siblings, in Long Beach.


Summary of remarks made at Landmark Center, Dec 7, 2014
I am one of very few Americans today who can honestly say they actually physically met one of those killed aboard the USS Arizona, Dec. 7, 1941. My last meeting with my Uncle Frank Bernard was at the end of June, 1941, five months before he died. I was one year old. I have the photo to prove it (above)!
The constellation of each and every victim that fateful Sunday, carry their own stories, in various ways.
Here’s some fragments of mine.
Frank served on the Arizona for six years. He was a shipfitter. Getting in the Navy was an accomplishment during the Depression. He seemed headed for a career in the Navy, but then there’s that letter he typed aboard the Arizona on “Nov 7 1941” (a Friday) where he asks his brothers advice: “I think I will get hitch to that little girl up in Washington she is a honey…what do you think of that…?”
I don’t know when that letter arrived back in ND. Neither do I know where the letter was written. From 27-31 October 1941 the Arizona was dry-docked at Pearl Harbor, and subsequent records went down with the ship.
Then, there’s a family picture I have, taken in late June, 1941, at Long Beach CA, of the entire family – there were 7 at the time. On the back of the photo Grandmother later wrote “the first time we had our family together for seven years and also the last.” It says it all. (The reunion was a surprise. No one expected the Arizona to pay a call at San Pedro, just down the coast from Long Beach.)
Forty years later, in 1981, Dad wrote a long and comprehensive history of his life and gave it to me. Ten years later, I was preparing a book of memories to give him on the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, and found in that history which he had written, not a single word about Pearl Harbor. This is how repressed memory works (or doesn’t work).
On the other hand, my parents next male child, born in Nov. 1945, was named Frank Peter, doubtless in memory of Dad’s brother.
I asked Dad about the missing memories. My folks had a battery operated radio but Dad recalled that on December 7 they were not listening to the radio. The first word of the bombing at Pearl Harbor was received when [a colleague teacher] returned …late in the afternoon.
“During the week following the attack it was first announced that John Grabinski, a sailor from Grafton and Frank’s friend, had been killed. It was only later in the week that it was learned that John Grabinski was safe, but that Frank Bernard had been killed aboard the Arizona.” (Mr. Grabinski lived into his mid-80s, much of his later years in Arizona.)
Of course, the early chaos brought no news of who had died. A high school student in Dad’s class recalled years later that “I don’t remember us ever talking about [Dad’s brother] losing his life from the Japanese attack.”
The family did not get together, and to my knowledge there was no memorial service, or funeral. My grandparents, of Grafton ND, were in Long Beach; their daughter was in Los Angeles, and my parents were in rural North Dakota.
There was nothing much that could be done.
Many years later, a relative of mine found a very long article in the Grand Forks Herald of February 17, 1942, and sent it to me. It was about a North Dakota picnic in Los Angeles (in those days, state picnics were major events, attended, sometimes, by thousands). Reference was made to a talk by the Polish Consul in Los Angeles, in which he remembered “a young man of Polish descent at Pearl Harbor, the young man being a native of the Grafton area.”
The article continued: “When he had finished reading a man and his wife arose in the audience, the man asking if he might interrupt for just a moment…the man said the report of that boy’s death later was found to be in error, but that the man actually killed at Pearl Harbor was the pal of the boy mentioned in the first report. “The boy killed,” said the man, “was our son!” The couple standing were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bernard, long time residents of Grafton. The entire audience arose and stood in silence for a moment in honor of the dead hero and the parents who made the sacrifice.”
There are no winners in war. Let us not forget.
Frank Bernard, Honolulu, some time before Dec. 7, 1941

Frank Bernard, Honolulu, some time before Dec. 7, 1941


…More about the 1941 Wallet
Busch Vince Wallet002
Busch Vince Wallet005
Finally, the rest of the contents spilled out. Here they are, speaking powerfully for themselves (look for and note, especially, the name Francis Long): Busch Vince Wallet004
I surmise that this wallet was a Christmas gift to Uncle Vince in 1940, probably from his parents (he would have been 15, then). The assorted photos and cards are classmates including his 12 year old brother, Art, a couple of nearby cousins, Anita and Melvin Berning, and other classmates from the Berlin High School. There were also some Gas Ration cards from WWII. There are two photos of Art, lower left of the four visible photos above, and at the top of the first pdf page.
Vince and Art shared a tiny little room in the farmhouse until Art graduated from high school in 1945. The winter heat source was the furnace chimney which came through their room. Bedrooms were for sleeping, period.
If I’m right, that the wallet was new in 1940, it was probably in Vincents pocket when the below picture was taken on Mother’s Day, 1941, at the farm.
Busch Bernard may 1941001
Vincent and Art and Anita and Melvin are the kids towards the right of the photo. Are left are Vince’s parents, my grandparents, Rosa and Ferd Busch; and interspersed are by parents Esther and Henry Bernard and my other Grandparents Josephine and Henry Bernard, down from their home in Grafton ND.
This was a peace-time photo, at least in the United States.
Seven months after this picture, December 7, 1941, the Bernards youngest son, and my Dad’s brother, Frank, went down with the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. We last saw him in late June in Long Beach, apparently a surprise visit as the Arizona was in port at nearby San Pedro. Every American instantly became a part of America and the World’s most deadly war, till now.
In the wallet, there’s the card for Francis Long, a neighbor and school mate of Vincent.
On Thanksgiving I showed Vince the wallet and its contents, and I also showed him parts of some of the many albums his family kept over the years.
In the collection was this photo:
Francis Long, probably spring or summer 1944. He was apparently killed in action shortly after going on active duty.

Francis Long, probably spring or summer 1944. He was apparently killed in action shortly after going on active duty.


“Who’s that?” “Francis Long”, he said.
Francis went off to WWII. Apparently shortly after he went to the Pacific theatre, things went wrong. August 20, 1944, Grandma wrote a letter to another son, George Busch, a naval officer on a Destroyer in the Pacific Theatre, and said this: “Fri we had a memorial Mass for Francis Long killed July 2 on Saipan in action….” (This photo was developed by Brown Photo, Minneapols, Oct 5, 1944. In those years, few pictures were taken, and it often took a long while to finish off an 8 or 12 exposure roll.)
War is never a solution, but for some reason we persist in our insanity that it is possible to kill off our enemies, and thus achieve piece. We are all “enemies” to somebody, somewhere. Let’s change the conversation.

#964 – Dick Bernard: Thanksgiving? The implications of Ferguson MO

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This will be one of a series which all begin “Thanksgiving?”
Thanksgiving for me was at a nursing home in North Dakota, with my last remaining relative from my Mom or Dad’s generation – her brother. His health is such that he’s confined to a wheelchair and is on oxygen, and while he is very sharp mentally, in relative terms, he’s in the Peace Garden Suite – the place where people with Alzheimers and the like live. He has no short term memory to speak of.
Lately, joining him in his unit have been an attorney with a long history and strong positive reputation in the town; and another man, an excellent musician, who until recent months was living in the Assisted Living portion of the Nursing Home complex.
Such is life for all of us. Here today, then gone. We can pretend that we’ll beat death, but however we beat the odds, some day it certainly will catch up to us, as it has, already, with one-fourth of my cousins.
But that isn’t what has me up at 4 in the morning on this day.
More, I’m thinking about the national insanity facing us: the aftermath of Ferguson MO.
Ferguson MO is todays Selma, Alabama, 1965, and I wonder what we’ll do about it, as a society.
None of us are expert on this case, certainly not I.
But enroute home from North Dakota last Friday I kept thinking of the “Un-indicted Co-conspirators” in the case. There were three of them, to my way of thinking: Michael Brown, teenager, unarmed, who’ll never be able to speak for himself, dead on a Ferguson street in August; and Darren Wilson, police officer, who killed the teenager, also un-indicted, with the opportunity to prepare a perfect case before a Grand Jury. He could tell his story to the world.
Michael Brown can’t.
Just before Thanksgiving, in my Nov. 25 post, I described what possibly was going on with Michael Brown that day in August, 2014: “stupid kid action”.
This wasn’t about what happened in the street – we’ll never know for sure about that; rather about the snip of convenience store video and the cigarillos. There are only conflicting witness accounts of what happened in the street. Wilson had plenty of opportunity to defend himself, but Brown never had that chance, dead with six bullets striking him.
I’ve known plenty of “stupid kid” situations in my life. Any of us who are honest would admit to our own “stupid kid” actions in our own pasts. Somehow we lived past them; stuff we didn’t tell our parents about…that, likely, they don’t want to know.
Overnight I thought of one scenario similar to the street scene in Ferguson MO. It involved one Byron Smith in Little Falls MN, who shot and killed two local teenagers who were up to no-good in his home; in fact, they had a history. All of the actors in the Little Falls scenario were white, and Smith was indicted, tried and convicted, and is now serving a life sentence.
Above, I mention three un-indicted co-conspirators.
The third: the sacred Gun*, most always the accessory to the crime of killing someone in our society.
I struggle with how to personally stay engaged with both of the issues Ferguson again identifies: active racism in our society; and insane reverence for the Gun.
Without the Gun placed in action by Officer Wilson, no one would have been dead, and “Ferguson” would not now be a household name.
This is far beyond a simple Second Amendment issue (“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”)
We have embraced violence by weapons in this country. We are the lesser for this.
* POSTNOTE: This is no anti-gun rant. If somebody likes to hunt, the gun has its place. The Uncle referred to above still has six common weapons, safely stored. They were valued by him – very much a part of his life on the farm, always for hunting.
I brought along several albums Vince had kept over the years, and he became particularly animate about three photos like the following:
(click to enlarge)

Vincent and Art with the catch of Jackrabbits sometime in 1941-42. At the time, jackrabbits were numerous and a nuisance. He had similar photos with skunk, and ducks, etc.

Vincent and Art with the catch of Jackrabbits sometime in 1941-42. At the time, jackrabbits were numerous and a nuisance. He had similar photos with skunk, and ducks, etc.


Guns had their place in the rural areas. Not like today, when the right to kill another human in supposed self-defense is viewed as almost a sacred right by some.

#961 – Dick Bernard: Ferguson MO. A Victim Impact Statement

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Beginning last evening there’s been plenty of news about Officer Darren Wilson, un-armed victim Michael Brown and Ferguson MO. There’ll be a great deal more.
The news will be as it is.
Some thoughts from my little corner….
Yesterday afternoon I met a guy at a local restaurant I frequent. He was a retired police Lieutenant. We were introduced by a mutual friend, Mary, who’s a grandma and a waitress par excellence.
As he was leaving, we compared notes a bit: he’s retired 16 years from an area Police Force, me, 14 from teacher union work. I gave him my card with my blog address, and told him I’d written about the tragic death of policeman Shawn Patrick in neighboring Mendota Heights some months ago. Maybe he checked it out.
Of course, very shortly thereafter Mendota Heights came Ferguson MO, which I also wrote about here.
The story about the implications of Ferguson is just beginning.
A few thoughts about what I’ll call “A Victim Impact Statement”.
When the Grand Jury deliberated, one witness obviously missing was Michael Brown, deceased. He was not available for questioning. He was dead.
He publicly lives on in (it seems) in a photograph, and a tiny piece of stupid kid action in a convenience store, caught on surveillance camera. There’s nothing he wrote about what happened that afternoon; there’s nothing he’s said.
He has no voice.
Officer Darren Wilson, on the other hand has a voice. He could tell his own story to people who mattered. And in the halls of justice he has apparently been cleared, according to the laws of the state of Missouri.
But Wilson’s own life will never be the same again. He is a victim as certainly as Wilson was.
He’s left the force, apparently, and after a certain period of great public attention, he will disappear into the anonymous world of one-time celebrities. His enduring fame will be as the cop who shot the unarmed kid on the streets of Ferguson MO. People will forget the date and the circumstances and the arguments will be whether or not he deserved his fate.
There are other victims too: Brown’s parents; Wilson’s family; the entire community…on and on. This espisode only began when the gunshots fell silent. There are many victim statements being written.
Shortly, I’ll head to my barber who is retired, works from his home, was a Marine in Vietnam, has a son who’s a policeman, and I’ll bring up the topic. We will have an interesting few minutes together today. We are, and will remain, very good friends. We might disagree.
For me, the un-indicted co-conspirator in this and in so many other cases will be weaponry – a gun. Surely it was used legally by an officer of the law. But without it, I wouldn’t be writing this piece. Michael Brown wouldn’t be dead.
Darren Wilson has killed a young man in circumstances none of us will never know for sure.
We can all be righteous in our judgments, but the fact remains: there are at least two victims in this scenario, a young cop and a young kid.
Will we learn anything?
Happy Thanksgiving.
POSTNOTE: The visit to the barber began with his bringing up the situation in Ferguson: I didn’t have to raise the topic. The topic dominated our minutes together. We had a very civil conversation.
There was talk about “anarchists” and the 2008 Republican Convention security in St. Paul. St. Paul was an armed camp then. At the time, his barber shop was within blocks of possible violence. He worried. I was in a protest march: I saw the police on rooftops in over-the-top battle gear. We were peaceful – no anarchists around me.
My barber was a Marine in Vietnam. In the course of conversation he brought up the battle of Chu Lai, of which he was a part, near 50 years ago. He remembered the shooting, particularly he and his buddy shooting at two people in pajama like garb running away. One fell dead. Afterwards they went to check. The victim was a very young girl. Neither of them has ever forgot what they saw that day in battle.
We wished each other a Happy Thanksgiving, and I was on my way.
COMMENTS:
from Flo, Nov 25: Regarding your blog post. I think of the goal of Restorative Justice, recognizing that there’s a perpetrator, victim, and a community, including the families, for whom the need for justice needs to be addressed. For sure, there is no peace reigning in communities of color, anywhere, at this time. White people are further arming themselves against their perceived enemies, and the war goes on. Here is a piece that was just sent out by our UMC Bishop Ough for your consideration: “Do justice Special message from Bishop Ough following grand jury ruling in Ferguson”
from Carol, Nov 25: It didn’t take long to find this online, altho’ it was long ago. I remember being just stunned by the grand jury decision. These kids were running away from the police officer through an orchard, and he shot once. The bullet went through the back of both boys, killing them both. The officer said he thought they were adults, as “Hmong are small people” (I guess it’s OK to shoot adults in the back). This crap didn’t just start with Ferguson.
****
On Friday, November 19, the US District Court approved dispersal of $200,000 for the families of two Hmong teenagers that an Inver Grove Heights Police Officer Kenneth Murphy shot and killed in 1989, Inver Grove Heights Attorney Pete Regnier told ASIAN PAGES. The court determined this settlement last March, Regnier said.
… 13-year-old Ba See Lor, who was killed in the Inver Grove Heights case. Also shot and killed in Inver Grove Heights in 1989 was 13-year-old Thai Yang…
In 1990, a Dakota County Grand Jury issued a no indictment decision for the deaths in Inver Grove Heights, avoiding charges against Officer Murphy. After a police chase, the boys left their stolen car and ran across a field, but one boy carried a screwdriver that Officer Murphy thought was a gun.
from Dick, postnote: It happened, shortly after Ferguson erupted into the national news in August, that I was driving down a city street in Woodbury and for no apparent reason a policeman pulled me over. He approached the car, and was very polite, and told me I had not signalled my turn. This surprised me. I always signal my turn (but this time I had forgotten). He asked to see my insurance papers, and I looked where they always are kept, in the glove box. But they weren’t there. Now I was rattled.
There was no ticket, not even a warning, and the officer was very pleasant (such as these things go), and I was on my way. But the whole episode shook me up. This was not part of my daily return.
A little later I took out my wallet, and there was the insurance certificate. I had taken it out when I rented a truck to help a friend move. I wrote a note to the officer.
The entire episode reminded me that encounters between police and civilians are never benign, regardless of guilt or innocence. The word to the police has to be, it’s all about relationship. If the relationship comes to be based in power, and in the case of Michael Brown, armed power, all is lost. In my opinion, The Gun is a very major part of this issue. We need to attend to the issue of Guns in our society, regardless of who carries them or for what reason.

#959 – Dick Bernard: The Ukraine, Russia, and US.

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PRE-NOTE: My choice in reflecting on talk such as described below is to never attempt to interpret the expert. So, after the talk, I asked Dr. Tonoyan if he had “any recommended available sources of further information I could share with my list?” He responded almost in short order: The best and the most level-headed analysis on the conflict is done by a good friend of mine from Baylor Serhiy Kudelia. You cannot get anything better at the moment. His articles appear here.”
A reflection on US (as in “we, the people” of the United States.)
Thursday evening a dozen of us gathered to hear Dr. Artyom Tonoyan speak on the topic of “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict: Causes and Consequences.”
I sent around the flier to my own mailing list, saying “This promises to be a very interesting program. Stop over.” Of course, I didn’t know if it would be “interesting”. It’s common to pre-conceive: “What does HE know?” This is a regrettable pre-judgement we often make about this-and-that. You can’t know if you’re right or wrong till you actually show up.
I’m very happy I showed up. The evening was extraordinarily rich in information and food for thought.
(click to enlarge)

Dr. Artyom Tonoyan, Nov. 20, 2014

Dr. Artyom Tonoyan, Nov. 20, 2014

We came, and a couple of hours later we left, my sense: all of us were well satisfied. I knew about half of the folks in the room, and they, and me, and the others, were riveted on the account of this Armenian native, with family in the Russian east of the former Soviet Union country of Ukraine. A hook for me to attend, frankly, was that airliner that went down over eastern Ukraine some months ago. I asked him to show the approximately location on the map he had projected. It was in the north part of the Donetsk region, the dark brown (most heavily Russian) of the eastern provinces. That was Dr. Artoyan’s only mention of the plane.
I go to sessions like last nights quite often. As with this one, I always take a pass on trying to do a review of what the speaker had to say – it is an impossible task to accurately do soundbites about, as in this case, hundreds of years of local and regional history, and multiple players . Suffice, that the situation in Ukraine – a country Dr. Tonoyan described as about the size of Texas – is exceedingly complex*.
In our country we tend to boil down “complexity” into headlines, or one or two minute summaries on the evening news, with content chosen by editors who can include or exclude anything that they wish, including whether to even mention a national or international happening. You don’t get depth by 144 character twitter feeds, etc. But that is how we seem to make many of our judgments as people.
As it happened, just a few hours before the meeting I had sent a handwritten letter (my choice of style when I’m serious about something) to Scott Pelley of CBS Evening News and CBS’ Sixty Minutes. It was a simple one page letter, and I raised a complaint about CBS news-editing, in particular the tendency I’d seen on his news program to use judgement laden words to describe certain people or situations. What led to the letter was his recent reference to “Obamacare”, as opposed to Affordable Care Act. Or almost casual labels like “terrorist” and “dictator” to refer to some vague “them” in a piece of news footage. Decisions like what words are used are decisions deliberately made.
But it takes time to be informed, and most of us don’t take the time to get informed; and worse, we make snap judgements based on someone elses analysis.
We left the meeting room last night much better informed than when we came. Dr. Tonoyan helped fill in the blanks of this regional crisis.
There are many legitimate sides to every story. We know this from our own lives. “Truth” can be an uncertain commodity, very hard to find.
The Ukraine, Russia and US is very, very – much more than how do Putin and Obama look at each other when the cameras are running.
We can’t be well informed about everything. Best we (US) can do is to avoid falling into the trap of judging the entirety by a fragment.
The program I attended is part of the Third Thursday Series of the Citizens for Global Solutions MN. I’m a member of the Board of that group. I encourage your participation.
Thank you, Dr. Tonoyan.

Nov. 20, 2014 Minneapolis MN

Nov. 20, 2014 Minneapolis MN

* – Here is the CIA Factbook entry on Ukraine.

#957 – Dick Bernard: "Last night I had the strangest dream…."

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Directly related: here
Last night Paul Chappell inspired nearly 300 of us at the Annual Celebration of the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers at Landmark Center in St. Paul. “Is World Peace Possible?” was his topic. Of course, the answer is “yes”, but one needs both to believe that possibility and work towards the goal rather than get mired in a sense of futility.

Paul K Chappell at Landmark Center St. Paul MN Nov 17, 2014

Paul K Chappell at Landmark Center St. Paul MN Nov 17, 2014


His essential message, as I heard it, is this: by nature, the overwhelming vast majority of we humans are not a violent people. All we need to do is look inside ourselves.
And good change happens. It has happened. It continues to happen.
Look back a few hundred years and recall what you learned about slavery, the virtually total absence of womens rights, the intolerance of ages past, for example, against the Irish, etc. We’re in a much better place today.
Who is to say that we can’t be in an even better place 100 years from now? Why not work towards a better world with hope, rather than descend into despair?
It all resides in our attitude, our belief that we can make a difference, our willingness to work, one act at a time, for that better world.
Success is in each one of us, not some “he” or “she” or “them”. It only takes a few to be the catalyst. Looking back, Mr. Chappell said, only about 1% of the population were activists in the civil rights movement; only 1% in the women’s rights movement.
Why not become part of that 1%, that one of 100? The message, as I heard it, is very simple: do something good, share it with those you know, work together and good will follow.
Paraphrasing Forrest Gump, “good stuff happens”. Each of us are the essential vehicle for that good stuff.
Of course, it takes far more than just listening to a speech, or to keep on doing only as we’ve always done….
Which causes me to think back to a familiar song by an obscure songwriter, whose title leads this post.
Twice in my life I’ve heard memorable renditions of “Last night I had the strangest dream”, the circa 1950 Ed McCurdy peace anthem made famous by singer John Denver in the hottest days of the Vietnam War of the 1960s and 1970s.
Last night I had the strangest dream
I never dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war
I dreamed I saw a mighty room
The room was filled with men
And the paper they were signing said
They’d never fight again
The first memorable rendition was June, 2007, when an elderly (but perpetually young) man I barely knew, Lynn Elling, rose at the annual meeting of World Citizen, a group he had founded, and led us in the song. He inspired me that day.
The second time was Armistice Day (Nov. 11, 2014) at the USS Ward Memorial on the Minnesota State Capitol grounds. There another elder (but perpetually young) lady I know, Sr. Bridget McDonald CSJ of the McDonald sisters, led us in the same song. Ours was a very chilly (in a weather sense) but spirited rendition!
"Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream...." Nov. 11, 2014, St. Paul MN led by Sister Bridget McDonald CSJ

“Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream….” Nov. 11, 2014, St. Paul MN led by Sister Bridget McDonald CSJ


And when the papers all were signed
And a million copies made
They all joined hands and bowed their heads
And grateful prayers were prayed
And the people in the streets below
Were dancing round and round
And guns and swords and uniforms
Were scattered on the ground
My favorite rendition of Mr. Denver singing “last night…” does not come up on an internet search, but nonetheless is hidden in plain sight on YouTube.
On a particular afternoon later the same summer of 2007 I visited Lynn and Donna Elling at their home. He brought out from a closet a 16mm 30 minute film he produced in 1972 featuring the political and civic elite of the Twin Cities. That film, called “Man’s Next Giant Leap”, was of course unusable in its existing format, so I urged Mr. Elling to get it converted to DVD, which he almost immediately did. .
That film, Man’s Next Giant Leap (1972), featuring John Denver singing “Last night I had the strangest dream” in a Minneapolis suburban home about 1971, can be viewed in its entirety on YouTube, search “Man’s Next Giant Leap”.
Mr. Denver donated an entire day to the film project. Early in the film, in two segments, John Denver sings the song. Elsewhere in the film, he is interviewed about peace.
It was, and is, as Mr. Elling likes to say, “precious”.
Last night, Mr. Elling, nearing 94 and still full of spirit, could not be at the hall to hear Mr. Chappell, but was there in spirit.
And as I listened to the remarkable Paul Chappell share his insights (which I heard in more detail at a workshop on Saturday) I was thinking to myself about the connections between song writer Ed McCurdy, balladeer John Denver, Lynn Elling, Sr. Bridget McDonald, Paul Chappell, and everyone of us interested in making McCurdey’s dream an ultimate reality.
Last night I had the strangest dream
I never dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war
Lynn Elling with Hennepin County/ Minneapolis MN Declaration of World Citizenship, Jan 3, 2013. The Declaration was signed March 5, 1968, by all major civic and political leaders of the area.

Lynn Elling with Hennepin County/ Minneapolis MN Declaration of World Citizenship, Jan 3, 2013. The Declaration was signed March 5, 1968, by all major civic and political leaders of the area.


Postscript: The above Declaration and the accompanying flying of the United Nations flag from May 1, 1968, till March 27, 2012, was a remarkable and once again unfinished story. Read more about its history and events preceding and following here.
Comment from Kathy M: I was impressed with him as a person and appreciated what he has put together.
His multiple examples of the changes our culture has made in so many areas was indeed encouraging. We have seen those changes in our life times and the cultural tolerance for violence and war may also shift.
I also loved how he elucidated the ways we use language that perpetuates prejudice such as collateral damage, terrorists, etc. and the ways the media scares the public that reinforces prejudice. I have used the “likely to be killed by a piece of furniture in your home as by a terrorist” several times already.
He was a breath of fresh thinking. The government/military bashing which, though I might agree with, gets tiresome and seems to lead into a dead end. I would like to hear more from him…thinking of getting his book…