‘Commentary’ Archives
Part VI: Gallery of Loss and Light
By HARVEY WINJE “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; Power is ever stealing from the many to the few!”-WENDELL PHILLIPS In one word: Imperialism. In two words: Manifest Destiny. Nations conquered, Dakota Land stolen, settler colonialism in Mpls before and after WWII, WWII, Messiah Congregation vs the American Indian Movement, betrayal of a Covenant in Phillips Community, institutional expansion, trust of leadership and neighbors, production of disguised military bombs locally, and institutional ruse-philanthropy; are all instances of power to the few and imperialism at different levels. “You are Lucky to be in the Belly of the Beast!” U.S. attacks Iran! Our losses in Phillips pale in comparison to the devastation, depravity, and negative impacts of innumerable assaults on humanity locally and internationally this last year! Imperialism happens in many ways. “Ah, the wars they will be fought againThe holy dove, she will be caught againBought and sold, [...]
Right Thing the Wrong Way
from the series Something I Said... By DWIGHT HOBBES Dwight Hobbes ICE is doing the right thing the wrong way. The 2024 wholesale deportation of Tren de Aragua gang members videotaped terrorizing apartment residents of Aurora, Colorado was a desperately needed rescue action. It began a practice, though, by which, instead of targeting violent parasites who prey on those leading productive lives, federal law enforcement is, itself, wantonly destructive. For going on two years, South Minneapolis has seen Mexican immigrants and Mexican American citizens live in fear to the point of hysteria, making what used to be a humorous quip frighteningly real: because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. Accordingly, it’s quite sensible that in January the Minneapolis City Council asked Gov. Tim Walz to institute an eviction moratorium. You go to work, get arrested and deported, you’re unable to pay rent. You don’t get deported but are detained too long, [...]
Greece’s Golden Age: Passion and/or Wisdom?
from the series Peace House Community Journal... By MARTI MALTBY Marti Maltby Many years ago, I heard a debate about whether Greece’s Golden Age was represented by the great poets such as Homer, or by the philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Why should this matter to us now, thousands of years later? Because it might give us some insight into today’s situation.Homer gave us epic tales involving a vibrant world of violent passions, both positive and negative. Wars were fought over trivial matters. Gods and men competed for glory. Each individual had unique powers and personalities. By contrast, the philosophers sat around and discussed. Plato’s Republic, one of the classics of philosophy, contains no action other than people making speeches. Their goal is to discover reality (or however Plato phrased it; I haven’t read him in over 30 years). They focused on universal truths that applied equally to everyone, not individual people. In our modern [...]
