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Rolla Peace News February 21, 2022 |
Dear Friends:Editor's notes:In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2022 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) More on Whoopi Goldberg, Race and Man's Inhumanity to Man b) Why Are We Financing Our Own Extinction? c) Care for the Children; and They Will Care for You d) One More Toke Over the Nuclear Line 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2022 This week, because of expected cold weather on Thursday, we vigil for Peace in front of the Rolla Post Office on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, FROM NOON TO 1:00 PM. Next week we will return to Thursday vigils. Please join us this Tuesday in saying NO WAR IN THE UKRAINE OR ANYWHERE ELSE — LET PEACE PREVAIL. The temperature is predicted to be in the 50s. If you do not feel comfortable joining 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. Note 1: Since there are so few of us, generally 2 or 3, no need to cancel; but let's maintain social distancing. Note 2: In case of inclement weather, vigils may be canceled or terminated early. 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) More on Whoopi Goldberg, Race and Man's Inhumanity to Man b) Why Are We Financing Our Own Extinction? c) Care for the Children; and They Will Care for You d) One More Toke Over the Nuclear Line More on Whoopi Goldberg, Race and Man's Inhumanity to Man With Whoopi Goldberg back on The View, I thought this might be a good time to recount some recent scientific discoveries about race.“It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation.” As this article from the Scientific American points out, according to mathematical models, somewhere between 2,000 and 3,500 years ago, there lived a person from whom EVERYONE (Yes! EVERYONE) alive today descended. And going back further, 4,000 to 7,500 years ago, everyone alive today shares ALL (Yes! ALL) of their ancestors who lived back then. There is no need to go back to Adam and Eve. This occurred far more recently than that. “Modern man” is thought to have appeared on Earth around 300,000 years ago — forty times earlier than our ancestral divergence began. Yes, indeed, we are all sisters and brothers, genealogically, as well as spiritually. Genealogically speaking, there is no Black Race or White Race or Jewish Race or Oriental Race. There are no master races or civilized races or indispensable races. There is only one race, the Human Race; and the sooner we learn that, the better off we will all be. However, while genealogically we are all of one race, we are not all of the same ethnicity. That is an entirely different matter. Ethnicity refers to cultural heritage, while race, as used here, refers to genealogical heritage. We should celebrate our ethnic distinctions as well as our genealogical similarities. And while we are all of one race, we are all, except identical twins, genetically distinct since we inherit half our genetic makeup from each biological parent. And then, there are random genetic mutations introduced into the human genome from time to time. It's really too bad that Ms. Goldberg's comments have been swept under the rug, particularly her comment about Man's Inhumanity to Man, which goes on today. It is happening before our eyes in Afghanistan, where the wealthiest country in the world (that's us) steals from the Afghans and leaves them to starve and freeze. It's also happening in many other locations such as Palestine, where Israel has created the world's largest open air prison with almost two million inmates and Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States, through bombings and blockade, have created one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. Why Are We Financing Our Own Extinction? Governments spend at least 1.9 trillion annually in subsidies for industries that harm the environment according to a study by Doug Koplow and Ronald Steenblik. The two sectors receiving the largest amount of harmful subsidies are: fossil fuels, $640 billion and agriculture, $520 billion. Here are a few examples from the recent news: The Biden Administration continues coal leasing on federal lands. The purchase of carbon offsets has become an excuse for further environmentally damaging development, accelerating environmental collapse. China has decided to “go slow” on decarbonization, citing its need for continuing economic development. Demand in rich countries for nickel which is used in electric car batteries is contaminating drinking water and causing environmental devastation in Indonesia Per capita emissions of greenhouse gases in rich countries dwarf those of poor countries and show no signs of abating. An average Estadounidense emits more greenhouse gases in a day than an average Congolese emits in a year. Ethanol, the much touted biological substitute for gasoline may be even harsher on our environment than gasoline. Government subsidies for turning manure into methane only create more corporate animal farms at a time when we need to be transitioning to plant-based diets. What have I missed? Let me know. As George Monbiot has pointed out, “There is nothing that cannot be corrupted, nothing good that cannot be transformed into something bad.” In truth, we need to stop lying to ourselves and everyone else. Our “civilization” is unsustainable and there is no way we can continue consuming the Earth's resources as we have been doing and living a profligate life-style. Transitioning to a sustainable culture will require large life-style changes — changes that we do not appear ready to make. However, not making the necessary changes, will, most assuredly, lead to environmental collapse and possibly even extinction. Care for the Children; and They Will Care for You Using their home-made vaccines, last September, Cuba became the first country to vaccinate children as young as two years old. They have now reached 95% coverage of young children. As a result, the omicron variant, which spreads to a large degree through children, didn't hit Cuba nearly as hard as other countries with many unvaccinated children. Meanwhile, here in the United States, where we have been unable to produce a safe and effective vaccine for children under 5, we have allowed the $300-a-month Child Tax Credit to expire, causing a 41% spike in child poverty. And the New York City Police Department brags about arresting “criminals” over stolen diapers, medicines and baby formula. Eliza Orlins, a former candidate for Manhattan district attorney remarked, “This is not public safety, this is cruelty on display.” One More Toke Over the Nuclear Line Last week, the United States deployed nuclear-ready B-52 bombers to Fairford Air Base in the UK, from which they threaten western Russia. This week, Russia held nuclear drills on its western border. I suspect most people don't want nuclear war — not even the threat of nuclear war: not in the US, not in Russia, not in the Ukraine, nor in Europe, Asia or anywhere else in the World. Yet, this is what our world's dystopian “leaders” give us — threats of nuclear war, that at any minute may escalate to worldwide nuclear annihilation. Rolla Peace News is distributed by email once a week on Tuesdays (except on rare occasions) and is posted on the web at http://tomsager.org (click on Rollaites for Peace: near the top of rightmost column).Wage peace, Tom yushasager (at) yahoo.com |