‘Raise Your Voice’ Archives
The End Stage
RAISE YOUR VOICE By PETER MOLENAAR In last month’s column the question was posed: after socialization of the production of energy, what sector of the economy should be socialized next? Patience, please. Hold your revolutionary horses. For now, you will be served another dose of foreshadowing. It was at the Franklin Avenue Open Streets event that I became acquainted with Cecelia. Cecelia is an Ojibwe elder whose story of fortitude will be revealed in the September issue of this paper. The end stage? Bags of money won’t save the souls of “patriotic” militias who bow before billionaires. The belief that we are experiencing the “end stage of capitalism” is spreading like wildfire among the nation's youth. We are told that public ownership of the main means of production is the inevitable consequence. However, at the age of almost 72 years, I might not live to see it. Indeed, one must have “revolutionary patience!” Yet we continue to hear youthful [...]
Raise Your Voice: Reporting Back In
By PETER MOLENAAR June 14… A co-activist with the Minneapolis Regional Retirees Council knew the bus route. We traveled a good length of Bloomington Avenue before ultimately arriving at 4th and Hennepin for a demonstration at Xcel energy headquarters. MN350 and Sierra Club had combined to produce a splendid multi-racial/multiple-nationality gathering. Xcel was denounced in English and Spanish for being a private utility, guilty of “extraction from nature and the public.” Quiz question: When “power to the people” is truly realized, what industry is first on the list to be socialized? In hand that day was an article printout from the PEOPLE’S WORLD with the caption: “Trumpite Postmaster DeJoy sued over huge gas guzzler buy.” The USPS desperately needs to refurbish one of the largest vehicle fleets in the world. However, if DeJoy is allowed to have his way, these will not be modern electric trucks produced in a union shop in [...]
Right to Life
Raise Your Voice By Peter Molenaar In the space of this paper, many years ago, a “marine sergeant” opposed me with the declaration: “I will fight to the death in defense of the U.S. constitution.” My goodness… Given all the varied and contentious interpretations, should we commend the man for his commitment? Would he consider the words of John Locke, the philosopher precursor to the founding fathers? Locke spoke of the right to make revolution, i.e., the right of a revolutionary people to write their own constitution as needed. A side note: “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of property” became “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" as per Thomas Jefferson. But hey, Locke said “pursuit of property” as long as it is earned, whereas, most property in the modern U.S.A. is unearned! Now, regarding Roe v Wade, we must consider the establishment clause of the First Amendment… It was Jefferson who [...]
