+' Rolla Peace Newsletter, January 31, 2017

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Rolla Peace News

January 31, 2017

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Dear Friends:

          In this newsletter is:

1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THIS WEEK, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017
2. REALITY AS SATIRE
3. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org)
          a) From Our Readers: Women's March On Washington
          b) More On Peace
          c) Bernie And Hillary
          d) Donald Trump

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1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017

We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office THIS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017, (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 30s. 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. REALITY AS SATIRE

This snippet of “news” is living proof that truth is stranger than fiction. No fictional spoof on government could be more absurd than Donald Trump's first 11 days as President. And Myron Ebell, one of Trump's top aides, really goes over the top here.

Sample quotes: Ebell is CEO of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a think tank devoted to fighting regulations. “Our special interest is, I would say, freedom,” Ebell said of the think tank, which ExxonMobil has helped to fund in the past. What????

And check this out: “China is making big investments in producing more solar panels and windmills, which they sell to gullible consumers in the western world, so that power and electricity prices will become higher and the Chinese economy will become more competitive.”

To quote Niels Bohr (again), “There are some things so serious, you just have to laugh at them.”

3. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org)
          a) From Our Readers: Women's March On Washington
          b) More On Peace
          c) Bernie And Hillary
          d) Donald Trump

FROM OUR READERS: WOMEN'S MARCH ON WASHINGTON

In response to my statement last week:
“The Women's March on Washington [January 21] drew an estimated 1/2 million, double the inauguration, and that's in Washington alone. There were satellite marches all over the world, estimated at 4 to 5 million total. There were marches in St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri; but not, to my knowledge, in Rolla. Rolla boasted a Peace vigil the day before the inauguration that drew a crowd of four. But quality beats quantity any day of the week. The Rolla peace vigil was the only one of the three events that recognized a woman's Right not to be bombed by a mostly male military.”
Mark Haim, executive director of Mid-Mo Peaceworks writes:
“I do have a minor revision to offer up. The CoMo march was a Solidarity March put together by a broad coalition of 24 groups, largely spearheaded by Peaceworks and had a broader issue focus than most of the Women's marches, including PEACE.

“I'm attaching a pic of the lead banner at the front of the March. Peace and Climate Action were major foci. You can see lots more pics via this FB event. BTW, there was a reliable person counting the marchers and he counted 3,608 walking. That makes it the biggest demo I've ever worked on organizing. It was an amazing day.”

And a Rollaite who attended the St. Louis march also notes:
“There were signs for many concerns, at the march. Mostly for ACA, women's rights, and against his racist and exclusion policies, as well as gay rights. People are really afraid they'll lose visas, get deported, etc . Didn't see too many anti-war signs. A lot of ‘love Trumps hate’”
Many thanks to Mark Haim and all who kept PEACE alive at last Saturday's marches. While all these other issues: healthcare, education, bullying, racism, and discrimination of all colors and flavors are important, they pale to insignificance in comparison to PEACE and Climate Justice. Tens of millions have died or been driven out of their homes due to war and climate degradation and now eke out a bare living at best as refugees. Even more millions have lost close friends and relatives to war and climate degradation. How do our little complaints compare? Another reader writes:
“I don't know about Helen, but my understanding was that Tom did not support Hillary Clinton, the only candidate with a chance to beat Trump. Since you did nothing to attempt to defeat Trump, your carping rings a bit hollow to me.”
First Helen's response:
“I supported Bernie Sanders, who would (imho) have beaten Trump decisively. The feeling in this country was for change, not more of the same. Hillary and her cohorts in the DNC and the media, as evidenced by some of the leaked emails, rigged the primaries against Bernie. There's every chance that without the dirty tricks, Bernie would have won the primary and the presidency. Enough people wanted change at any price that Trump was able to squeak out a win, with the help of the gerrymandered electoral districts. The truth is, we have a broken political, social and economic system that appears to be going down. Maybe it would have gone down slower under Hillary, but I don't think it's sustainable for much longer in any case. Civilizations have always come and gone over time; there's no reason to think this one will last forever. What happens next is anyone's guess. Old Chinese curse: ‘May you live in interesting times.’”
And my response: Here is what I wrote the day before the election. I have nothing further to add:
“Tomorrow I'm going to the polls to vote.

“I'd like to vote for peace; but she's not on the ballot.

“I'd like to vote for a serious and sustained effort to reverse climate change. She's not on the ballot either.

“It's sad. Here are the two greatest existential threats to humanity; and neither one is on the ballot.

“After I vote, I'm going to continue to vigil for peace.

“After I vote I'm going to continue to support the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies who are fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

“After I vote, I'm going to continue reading to young children. Maybe they will grow up and do a better job of building a peaceful, just world than my generation has done.

“After I vote, I'll continue to defend Buehler Park. Maybe when the children I read to are grown, Buehler Park will still be there for their children too.

“In short, no matter who wins or loses, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

“Change comes from below. Change rarely, if ever, comes from the top. I still believe that if enough of us band together and work for peace, we shall have peace.”

MORE ON PEACE

The hands of the Doomsday Clock have moved. We have two-and-a-half minutes left; the closest we have been to Doomsday since the 1950s.

Mikhail Gorbachev writes an editorial on the pressing need for nuclear disarmament.

BERNIE AND HILLARY

Here's a rousing speech that Bernie, whom we should have elected president, gave to the Women's March. And you might like the quotes and image of Bernie on my website (index page, top-center).

Hillary, apparently, did not attend the Women's March; but here's a couple of day-after tweets from her.

DONALD TRUMP

There's been a lot written about Donald Trump recently. Here are two of my favorites.

As noted before, Donald Trump is a most unpopular president. It took him only eight days to gain a 50% disapproval rating.

And here's a psychological evaluation of Donald Trump that a reader sent me — Malignant Narcissism. I think the evaluation is “Right On.”

And don't miss Helen's column (above) on Trump advisor and climate denier Myron Ebell.

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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 (click on Grassroots Rolla: top of rightmost column).

If you don't wish to get notices of peace events in the Rolla area, let me know and I'll take you off this list.

If you want to be added to this list, let me know.

Wage peace,

Helen
helenm (at) fidnet.com

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