Outside the Walls

"The Catholic vote" and "making hay while the sun shines"

This afternoon I attended the first of three sessions called “Forming Our Conscience” in the Undercroft (church basement) of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. I was most positively impressed. There were 50 of us in the room – more than I expected.MORE »

Attending Congressional District 4 political convention

By Dick Bernard, Outside the Walls

I’m a Democrat (called DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) in Minnesota).

Today I attended the 4th Congressional District Convention as a voting delegate. This was my first 4th CD Convention. It was a simple matter of redistricting due to the 2010 Census. The previous ten years we lived at the same address, but in the 6th CD.MORE »

Election 2012: Close down the denial mechanism and educate yourself about climate change

By Dick Bernard, Outside the Walls

A year ago today I was at a resort in suburban Albuquerque NM. It was a nice spring day, and I walked down to the Rio Grande River and saw this tree which was winning the race to be first to leaf out for 2011.

Above: April 10, 2011 Bernalillo NM on bank of Rio GrandeMORE »

The slow but certain suicide of Capitalism

By Dick Bernard, Outside the Walls

I’m not an enemy of Capitalism. From my earliest years some deference was paid to the person who lived in the biggest house in town; who occupied a position of status or rank; the most “successful” relative…. Right or wrong, they were thought to be deserving of being a bit better off.MORE »

Election 2012: Talking politics at the DFL Senate District 53 convention

By Dick Bernard, Outside the Walls

If you aren’t normally involved in politics, or even if you are, you might be interested in this recap of last weekends local district political convention.

Election 2012: Those not targeted by Voter Suppression Amendment must step up to defeat it

By Dick Bernard, Outside the Walls

Tuesday I was at the Capitol to deliver personal letters in opposition to Voter Suppression as embodied in HF 2738. Enroute there I stopped at the office of the Secretary of State and picked up a Voter Registration form, which is here: MN Voter Registration001MORE »

Election 2012: Voters the only antidote to Voter ID

By Dick Bernard, Outside the Walls

Sunday night, March 25, we tuned in on the new PBS series entitled “Finding Your Roots”, where historian Henry Louis Gates explores roots with prominent citizens. We watched the episode featuring political leaders Newark NJ Mayor Cory Booker and GA Cong.MORE »

Thinking about peace, near a St. Paul vigil against war

By Dick Bernard, Outside the Walls

CORRECTION 3/20/2012 • March 19 is a tragic anniversary. As my friend, Wayne Wittman, of Veterans for Peace put it: “On March 19, 2003, after a terrific bombardment called “Shock and Awe” we and the other nations we could coax to join us launched an invasion of the sovereign independent Nation of Iraq.”MORE »

Travelling with the Lexington Institute: Notes on Cuba, part two

By Dick Bernard, Outside the Walls

My sister, Flo, was in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic 1966-68, and was back to the DR to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps. She and Carter decided to add on a trip to Cuba enroute home. Here’s a vintage photo of Flo at the border of Haiti and Dominican Republic about 1967 or so.MORE »

The enigmatic island: Notes on Cuba, part one

By Dick Bernard, Outside the Walls

Cuba has always intrigued me, though the closest I’ve been is neighboring Haiti, which has both benefited and been cursed by its proximity to the island Communist Republic to its immediate west.

This is part one of a two-part post. Click to read Travelling with the Lexington Institute: Notes on Cuba, part twoMORE »

Outside the Walls

Free Speech Zone