‘Raise Your Voice’ Archives
All in the Family
By Peter Molenaar Misfits and “free thinking” types should take Cedar Avenue to Hiawatha, west to Highway 94 to 394/12 all the way to Willmar, Minnesota. There you will find a sanctuary. Actually, this particular Unitarian church was founded by my Grandpa Peter Molenaar. I journeyed there recently to attend a reunion. The first encounter was with a second cousin. Mega-factory pig farms had put him out of the hog business years ago. Skeptical with regard to the emerging market for free range pork, Jay has taken to selling John Deere Tractors. Mary Anne, now at 90 years of age, was next on the scene. Taking both her hands, I bowed my head while apologizing for having disrupted one of her Bible lessons. The gift of her last hug will not be forgotten. In came first cousin Steve who had been an accountant in a polyethylene injection molding company. These days he is a “hired hand” on the 450 acre corn and soybean farm his wife owns. Between the two of us, it was [...]
Warblers of the World
By Peter Molenaar Flitting about within the fronds of my garden”'s crimson red okra, so tiny it was. Soft grays of wing, green and gold of body, its rapid head/eye movement processed a world far beyond the realm of my own slow wit. Most precious gift”¦ Come back! Members of the Audubon society have met at the East Lake Library. They are planning a street demonstration to demand bird-safe glass at the new Vikings Stadium. SAVE THE BIRDS ”“ SAVE THE PEOPLE ”“ SAVE OUR PLANET! A bird of similar feather was V.I. Lenin. He wrote an article in 1912 condemning a German firm which specialized in providing strike breakers, i.e., criminal hooligans. This firm was owned by one Ludwig Koch. Curious? Meanwhile, an ISIL has been spotted. Truthfully, an ISIL is not some type of bird, but rather it is another “monster of our own making.” (more…)
Gailileo”'s Compromise
By Peter Molenaar August 2, Powderhorn Art Fair”¦ Before descending the slope from the corner of 35th Street and 15th Avenue, I was enticed to scan the annual Women”'s Prison Book Project yard sale of used books. A hardback copy of Galileo”'s Daughter caught the eye. It was an excellent purchase for the sum of $3.00. It happened a few centuries ago that our Galileo made the irrefutable but annoying observation that Earth revolves around the sun. In order to please the Pope, he was compelled to present this finding not as fact, but rather as a dialogue between opposing hypotheses. Then despite his earnest effort, he subsequently found himself bowing before the Inquisitors-General while recanting his “heresy.” However, the point: By making this compromise, Galileo not only extended his own life but was able to preserve his work such that science was elevated forever. 1920”¦ More recently, our V.I. Lenin was to heap scorn upon those [...]
