News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Tuesday April 23rd 2024
Re: Letter to the Editor
Here is the promised “rebuttal” to Sam Harrison’s June letter which sought to discredit my May article entitled Peace Be With You. This May offering revealed a local connection to the war between Russia and Ukraine ($billions spent on war, even as climate change begs solutions and has induced starvation in East Africa).
Frankly, Mr. Harrison’s dismissive tone is difficult to grapple with. He describes himself as “someone with a long academic background”, whereas, “Mr. Molenaar repeats a number of Russian talking points…all of which are refutable.” Rather wish he had troubled to refute one… am glad he is not a peace negotiator! Note: Although I placed primary blame on U.S. imperialism, I also stated: “Putin went way out of bounds to reveal his own imperial vision.”
Mr. Harrison, you have asserted that my reference to fascistic gangs in Ukraine was somehow overblown when, not so long ago, similar not so sizable gangs set fire to our own city!
Is it not now ironic that the likes of Henry Kissinger has called upon Ukraine to cede territory in the name of peace? The Crimean people have voted overwhelmingly to rejoin Russia. Right or wrong? The people of the Donbas are entitled to a U.N. supervised referendum on the question of their independence. Don’t you agree?
Peter Molenaar
Note: Peter Molenaar is a regular opinion columnist for the alley.… Read the rest “Re: Letter to the Editor”
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church: 150th Anniversary and Still Proclaiming the Gospel
Credit: Photo provided by St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
By PASTOR TOM PARRISH, current pastor of St. Paul’s
On Sunday July 10, 2022 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at Portland Ave S and 19th Ave will be celebrating 150 years of Jesus’ faithfulness and mission. That timespan takes us back to 1872, a mere seventeen years after Minneapolis was established, and the same year St. Anthony Falls and Minneapolis merged into one city. The proximity of Fort Snelling, built in 1819, was one of the major catalysts for the establishment of the two towns and their uniting into Minneapolis.
1872 was a mere four years prior to Custer’s defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Into this mix St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church was established. Throughout those 150 years the church has had but one goal. That goal is to clearly present the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
How did St. Paul’s go about this mission? The church did the typical things most churches do in providing worship, music, education, children’s Sunday School and member care.… Read the rest “St. Paul’s Lutheran Church: 150th Anniversary and Still Proclaiming the Gospel”
Raise Your Voice: Reporting Back In
By PETER MOLENAAR
June 14…
A co-activist with the Minneapolis Regional Retirees Council knew the bus route. We traveled a good length of Bloomington Avenue before ultimately arriving at 4th and Hennepin for a demonstration at Xcel energy headquarters. MN350 and Sierra Club had combined to produce a splendid multi-racial/multiple-nationality gathering. Xcel was denounced in English and Spanish for being a private utility, guilty of “extraction from nature and the public.”
Quiz question: When “power to the people” is truly realized, what industry is first on the list to be socialized?
In hand that day was an article printout from the PEOPLE’S WORLD with the caption: “Trumpite Postmaster DeJoy sued over huge gas guzzler buy.” The USPS desperately needs to refurbish one of the largest vehicle fleets in the world. However, if DeJoy is allowed to have his way, these will not be modern electric trucks produced in a union shop in Wisconsin. No, they will be gas and diesel vehicles produced in a nonunion shop in South Carolina. Several key activists are now familiar with this article. So, we shall see.
From the Clean Transportation website of MN350:
“Air pollution caused by vehicles is the United States’ biggest single contributor to global warming. It’s responsible for up to an estimated 4,000 annual deaths in the Twin Cities alone, and disproportionately affects the young, old, low-income, and communities of color.”… Read the rest “Raise Your Voice: Reporting Back In”
Keep citizen journalism alive!
