‘Raise Your Voice’ Archives
Raise Your Voice: Oct ’23
Break on Through By PETER MOLENAAR Peter Molenaar After a tearful goodbye in mid-August, my companion and I returned from the snow-capped peaks of central Oregon, a place where a mere 2,700 years ago, molten lava had inundated the valley. Sadly now, my younger sister suffers a terminal cancer, likely the result of prolonged use of chemicals in the cleaning of rustic second homes owned by the rich. Yes, we all struggle to make ends meet.Hey, after 25 years of my having resided in one place, a 3rd landlord within three years demanded that I empty my basement storage locker, after which he would raise my rent by $150. Note: under the previous lease that voluminous space was filled to the brim with books from the long gone Paul Robeson Marxist Bookstore, and no, I did not relish being temporarily enslaved. Moreover, over a projected 20 years, I was to become bankrupt! So, I gave notice.So then, immediately upon my return from Oregon, I was the subject of an interview with the [...]
Raise Your Voice: September ’23
By PETER MOLENAAR Peter Molenaar Yes, the City’s plan to concentrate diesel fumes in our neighborhood has been stopped, and the focus has shifted to the implementation of the Urban Farm business plan. To this end, I have engaged Mayor Frey regarding the Urban Farm to school market connection, and he was receptive.Meanwhile, activists have contacted me for insider information about Smith Foundry’s contribution to our diminished air quality.Note: At Smith Foundry, iron is cast in molds made of sand, the sand is composed of grains of quartz, quartz is crystalline silica (silicon dioxide) and fine silica particles make dust in the air we breathe. When concentrated, silica dust will, over the course of time, accumulate in the lungs. Having worked inside the bowels of Smith Foundry for 35 years, I should know. Hey, the community has a right to know. Hennepin County Commissioners get a message. Source: Peter Molenaar Smith Foundry, 1855 E 28th Street…Once upon a time, there [...]
RYV: Kanya Pays a Visit
By PETER MOLENAAR from the series Raise Your Voice Peter Molenaar Kanya Luchemba is an indigenous South African man, whose first language stems from Bantu. Years ago, his P.H.D thesis elaborated the theme: A History of Finance Capital as Pertains to Mineral Extraction Across the Globe. By way of UCLA, he landed here recently with a nephew’s wedding in mind. For several days, I was privileged to be his chauffeur!Note:By finance capital is meant: “the unity of industrial and banking capital.” By comparison, the principal owner of the neighborhood’s Smith Foundry actually occupied the front office on a daily basis, whereas the owners of world-wide mining concerns do nothing at all but enrich themselves. Hey, such is the nature of the imperial edifice.Wedding duties done, Kanya arose early enough to join the UPS Teamsters practice picket line. With some 340,000 workers, UPS is a multibillion-dollar corporation which seeks to rival mineral extraction in the arena of excess [...]
