‘Raise Your Voice’ Archives
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 [...]
Through Different Eyes
By Peter Molenaar In this part of the world, we are fortunate to have The Circle, a paper which elevates Native Americans while stifling racism and chauvinism in general. It was not so long ago that I communicated with Ricey Wild to commend her column “It Ain”'t Easy Being Indian.” Her words, so often packed with meaning, are a reflection of personal experience. Do see the June issue for the context of the following quotation. “I understand now how we the oppressed were with evil intent told to oppress other non-whites so we kept fighting against each other rather than organizing to make null and void our common adversary ”“ White people. I sincerely apologize to people whom I have never met whose culture I degraded. I truly did not know but when I did learn I stopped that behavior and became interested and respectful of others”' human experiences and history”¦ When I say or write White people I mean the culture of greed and hate they [...]
Beyond The Great Bdote
By Peter Molenaar For the Dakota, a ”˜bdote”' was most frequently the convergence of two rivers (a place where two waters come together). In today”'s world, “great bdote” refers to the ongoing meltdown of the polar ice caps. Unfortunately, close to 100 million people in Bangladesh stand to be inundated. How many millions of our own people might be reduced to refugee status? Moreover, in what spirit will those with power and guns respond? Is catastrophe inevitable? Actually, some sectors of the ruling class are behaving accordingly. Yet there is a glimmer which suggests that solar energy will ascend to displace coal via market forces. However, these “forces” tend to be finicky. Meanwhile, we dare not sleep before the dawn “beyond coal.” To put it mildly, carbon dioxide emissions must be suppressed immediately. It”'s like putting a man on the moon”¦only infinitely more important. So”¦ (more…)
