‘Raise Your Voice’ Archives
Newtown and Us
By Peter Molenaar Among the countless commentaries written in the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy there was an anomaly. The author advised that we not pursue empathy toward the parents. Any such attempt to connect with that moment of anguish and the extended grief would fall woefully short. Allow me to disagree slightly with this assertion. It does help to bow the head and close one”'s eyes. Call it whatever, with me as your witness, even atheistic communists do this. By this effort human beings are able to approach comprehension. We must try. To the Newtown Federation of Teachers, the Newtown Federation of Custodians, the Newtown Federation of Educational Personnel and the American Federation of School Administrators, the president of the AFL-CIO conveyed in part the following: “”¦As a father myself, this tragedy is a parent”'s worst nightmare”¦do what we do best ”“ support one another as we try to recover from this senseless [...]
Basilica and Savita
by Peter Molenaar Readers of this column might know that the realm of philosophy is divided into two camps, i.e. idealism and materialism. Idealists believe the universe was preconceived and then created, whereas materialists believe the universe has always existed and that consciousness is the product of material evolution. So now”¦ The exhibit of Ludmila Pawlowska”'s “Icons in Transformation” has completed its show at the Basilica of Saint Mary. Set in the awesome nave with its stunning statuary niches, the production was probably the most exquisite artistic exposition of philosophical tension ever. Enter the nave”¦ There were numerous larger-than-life panels suspended in space with eyes peering from beneath dirt and debris. Likewise, the majority of wall hangings cast eyes, often highly abstracted. The tension between ”˜intelligent design”' and ”˜natural selection”' was evident to this observer. In [...]
“Real Americans Vote” Who are the real Americans?
I saw a yard sign in the Seward Neighborhood, it said, “Real Americans Vote” ”“ no, that is not correct, most real Americans do not vote, most Native Americans do not vote, and they are the “real Americans”. When I tell people I have not voted in over five years, and I”'m proud of it””they are disgusted, shocked, but if I was not a middle-aged white guy, but a Native man, they of course would be much more respectful and understanding of my desire to not participate””now why is that? For anyone to assume that I should participate based on my skin color is arrogant and racist. Minnesota is 98% white, it”'s a white thing, and I get sucked into it and am expected to do certain things because I am white ”“ and when I don”'t, it is like I”'m turning my back to my own kind. Here is the white belief, this place is about us, for us, owned by us, ours to govern, ours to sell, created for us, ours to manage [...]
