Rolla Peace News
January 19, 2010

Dear Friends:

          In this newsletter is:

1. THURSDAY NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE
2. THREE (UN)HOLY WARS
3. HAITI "INVADED" BY CUBAN DOCTORS

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1. THURSDAY NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE

Our weekly noon vigils are on Thursdays. We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office THIS THURSDAY, January 21, (and all subsequent Thursdays until peace is established) from Noon to 1:00 PM. Please try to join us. The temperature is predicted to be in the mid to high 40s with a 50% chance of rain. If you do not feel comfortable standing with us in front of the Post Office, please consider driving by and showing your support for our message by honking your horn and flashing a peace sign.

2. THREE (UN)HOLY WARS

Historian Howard Zinn analyzes our 3 holy wars (American Revolutionary War, US Civil War, and World War II) which (he claims) "you cannot say anything bad about." He points out that while these wars were fought (at least in part) for just causes, a just cause does make a just war. Other countries won independence from Britain without fighting a war; other countries have abolished slavery without fighting a war; and fascism has also been defeated without fighting a war. "Our culture," says Zinn, "is so war prone that we immediately rush and make this illogical jump from 'this is a just cause' [to] 'therefore it deserves a war.'" Read or listen to Zinn's speech.

3. HAITI "INVADED" BY CUBAN DOCTORS

Dave Lindorff points out that while the US sends aircraft carriers and troops to Haiti, Cuba is increasing its contingent of 400 doctors in Haiti by another 30, (click here). The US has a long history of military adventurism in America's second democracy and poorest country: from its support for the vicious Duvalier dynasty to its involvement in the 2004 coup that ousted democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and beyond. For an excellent account of the 1994 US invasion of Haiti, read "Hideous Dream" by Stan Goff (US Army Special Forces, retired). Goff introduced me to the Haitian proverb: "The higher up the tree the monkey climbs, the more, all you can see of the monkey is his ass." It's just as true in the US as it is in Haiti.

When the dust has settled, and Haiti goes back to its normal role as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, consider contributing to Lambi Fund for ongoing development in Haiti.

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Rolla Peace News is distributed by email once a week on Tuesday evenings (except on rare occasions) and is posted on the web at http://tomsager.org (links below my photo on upper left of home page).

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Wage peace,

Yusha
tom (at) tomsager.org

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