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Rolla Peace News April 13, 2021 |
Dear Friends:Editor's note: Please consider writing for our newsletter. It's always very exciting to be able to publish submissions from our readers.In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) From Our Readers: The Taliban b) More War on the Horizon c) March 2021: Eighth Warmest on Record 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office, THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 15, FROM NOON TO 1:00 PM (and most subsequent Thursdays until Peace is established). Please join us this Thursday in saying NO WAR AGAINST IRAN or any other country. The temperature is predicted to be in the 50s. 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. 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) From Our Readers: The Taliban b) More War on the Horizon c) March 2021: Eighth Warmest on Record From Our Readers: The Taliban A reader writes: My response:“You sound as if you think the Taliban taking over is a good thing. ... My understanding is that the Islam of the Taliban is a disaster for women. ... From what I've read, women have had more rights under the American occupation of Afghanistan than under the Taliban. I fear this progress will be erased once the Taliban takes over again.” To my knowledge, no talib has ever shot up an Asian massage parlor. In the United States, where deadly violence has become a daily occurrence, all too often killing women and children, one has to wonder why one would characterize people halfway around the world as “a disaster for women.” Would it not make more sense to spend one's energies trying to decrease the level of violence here at home? Afghanistan has been constantly at war for 42 years, most of the time against foreign invaders. War is a disaster for all, but particularly for women and children. Not surprisingly, in Afghanistan too, deadly violence is a common occurrence. I find it difficult to talk about any kind of Rights at all, when you may have a bomb dropped on your house at any time or if you go outside you may get mowed down by a reaper. 42 years ago, the United States, with a lot of help from Saudi Arabia, armed, trained and financed foreign mujahideen, including Osama bin Laden, to fight against Afghanistan's Soviet-friendly government which was quite progressive in its treatment of women. After the Soviet Union was driven out of Afghanistan, the Taliban gained control of 2/3 of the country, and may have succeeded in unifying it, had the United States, along with an alliance of close to 50 countries and a smattering of local warlords, not invaded and occupied. Since 2001, The Taliban has been quite successful in challenging foreign invaders and an occupation government that would likely fall within months were it not propped up militarily and economically by foreigners. The Taliban now control over half of Afghanistan, and the foreign invaders seem to have little stomach for continuing the fight. If the Taliban stands poised to gain control of Afghanistan, it is because they have fought to free Afghanistan from foreign control, while others collaborated. It is often referred to as “cancel culture,” where you focus on one aspect of a group to paint it with a negative brush. It is very important to give credit where credit is due. If you focus on the negative, that is, indeed, what you will get: negativity. This is not the way to make Peace. Do I think the Taliban or any other government that may come out of 42 years of war will be a progressive democracy? Of course not. The evils, that result from war, remain long after the fighting has stopped. War has a way of coming home. We make war all around the world, and now our homeland is at war with itself. Perhaps, had we not made 42 years of war in Afghanistan, the victims of last month's Asian massage parlor shootings and countless others might still be alive. Unfortunately, this is a bitter lesson that we have yet to learn. More War on the Horizon Military Budget:It doesn't seem to matter whether the government is Democrat or Republican. The military budget goes nowhere but up. Biden's budget proposal includes an increase of $11 billion over the already bloated Pentagon budget. Taiwan:China and the United States continue to escalate provocations in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. Here's a little history: Taiwan was brought under Chinese suzerainty in the 17th Century and then ceded to Japan in 1895. Japan ruled Taiwan until the end of World War II, when the island was returned to China. When the Guomindang (Nationalists) were driven out of China in 1949, they set up a renegade government in Taiwan, under the protection of the United States, whose navy controlled the strait between Taiwan and the mainland. Since then, China has considered Taiwan a renegade province and proclaimed its intention to eventually reunite the island with the mainland. Until recently, the Guomindang has harbored the illusion that it was going to return to the mainland and seize control of all China. It is only recently that China has felt strong enough to challenge US dominance in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. As an ascending power, China holds all the aces. All they have to do is wait. The Chinese are a patient people. Waiting is among their strong suits. In the case of Taiwan, they have already waited over 70 years. Incidentally, Taiwan, like the southwestern United States, is currently suffering from severe drought. Taiwan's scenic Sun Moon Lake is a dry desert. Wouldn't it make far more sense for everybody to work together to reverse global warming? Ukraine:A resurgent Russia and an aggressive NATO are both building up their forces on Ukraine's borders and in the Black Sea. A nuclear exchange is certainly possible, perhaps even likely. March 2021: Eighth Warmest on Record Driven by a moderate La Niña episode and an unstable jet stream, February 2021 was the least anomalously warm month since November 2014. This relatively cool interlude did not reach into March, which has climbed back into the top ten warmest months of that name. More climate details in this ongoing essay on Climate Catastrophe. 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 Rollaites for Peace: near the 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, Tom yushasager (at) yahoo.com |