‘Raise Your Voice’ Archives
ABOARD the TIME-SHIP
from Raise Your Voice.... Peter Molenaar By PETER MOLENAAR Please note: The following is a patchwork piece which reflects a local story in conjunction with a scholarly article published originally in the June 26 issue of the Monthly Review magazine, purchased from Mayday Books (301 Cedar Ave. S.) Let’s step into a future we can all thrive in! So read the call to an UNIDOS event held on 9/26/2026 at the All Nations Indian Church (1515 E 23rd St.). Indeed, the space provided a time-ship experience with flashing lights and other such delights, all of which served to invoke an ancient indigenous code: plan ahead now for the seven generations yet to come! But why was this labor of love attended mostly by members of the “boomer” generation? Was there also an AI Robot whispering: you have now entered the Anthropocene!? Hey, the emergence of a new historical epoch, dubbed the Anthropocene in the late 1940s and ‘50s marked a historical shift, as humanity became the [...]
Questions for Mom and Dad
By PETER MOLENAAR Peter Molenaar By dint of a mother who remained a Christian until her dying day, and his atheistic father, their son is inclined to believe that science illuminates the face of God. But, Mom and Dad, some questions for you remain: When we visited our national parks did we not acknowledge the spirit of the original beholders? Why then do the oceans now rise against the shores of Earth and why so many forest fires, hurricanes, and floods? My goodness, Mom and Dad, is the collective labor-time of the working masses no longer the source of value within the realm of commodities? (Sorry to be such a difficult child!) Did we not honor the one who rebuked the capitalists occupying the temple and was subsequently crucified? Why then are cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security even considered? Mom and Dad, what should I do to help make America good again?
Pondering the Breath of Life
from the series Raise Your Voice.... By PETER MOLENAAR Peter Molenaar It can be said with certainty that the neighborhoods served by this paper constitute a community of shared memories, one of which is indelibly etched within. Presumably, then, the young poets among us will grant an old man some license: Most of us bold enough to leave our mother’s womb will inhale the scent of lilacs when in bloom. Yet every blossom withers before evoking again and again: the breath of life. While pondering the breath of life, we might acknowledge our Ward 10 councilperson. Aisha has returned with reports from her recent tour of Cuba, an island nation long tormented by a blockade which now threatens to pull the electrical plug from incubated babies. Naturally, some voices have emerged on the local scene which appear to mimic the vocal shrugs: “stuff happens” and “that is the cost.” Others believe Aisha deserves commendation for her compassionate example. In [...]
