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Rolla Peace News April 18, 2022 |
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Dear Friends:Editor's notes:In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Another Eastern European History Lesson b) Joke of the Year c) Interview with Noam Chomsky d) Still Some Sanity Left in this World e) Climate Catastrophe Updated 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022 We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office, THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 21, FROM NOON TO 1:00 PM. Please join us in saying END THE WAR IN UKRAINE AND ALL OTHER WARS — LET PEACE PREVAIL. The temperature is predicted to be around 70. 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: Please consider writing for our newsletter. It's always very exciting to be able to publish submissions from our readers. 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) Another Eastern European History Lesson b) Joke of the Year c) Interview with Noam Chomsky d) Still Some Sanity Left in this World e) Climate Catastrophe Updated Another Eastern European History Lesson
Two months ago I briefly discussed some Russo-Ukrainian history starting around World War I. Now, let's go back to around the 9th Century CE: It is fairly well-known in the United States that the Vikings came out of Scandinavia and raided the coasts of Western Europe and offshore islands. Less well known is that they also followed inland rivers into the heart of Eastern Europe and built the Kievan-Rus' Empire that included much of what is now European Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine.“History does not repeat itself, but it delights in patterns and symmetries.” —Stephen Kinzer The Kievan-Rus' empire lasted into the 13th Century when the Mongol Horde swept out of Central Asia and established the largest land empire ever created that stretched from the Pacific Ocean to Eastern Europe. When the Mongols arrived in Eastern Europe they sent an envoy to Kiev proposing that the Kievan-Rus' surrender in exchange for their lives. The Kieven-Rus' killed the Mongol Envoy. When the Golden Horde arrived at the gates of Kiev, they sent another envoy demanding surrender. He was also killed. The Mongols laid siege to Kiev and killed all but 2,000 of its 50,000 inhabitants. Moscow was also burned to the ground by the Mongols but ended up faring better than Kiev. By paying high tribute to the Mongols, they won concessions and later turned on the Mongols and drove them out of Russia. The Mongols generally offered their victims the choice of surrendering and living or dying in battle. Vladimir Putin, who is certainly familiar with this history, offered The Ukraine a much better deal. The Ukraine could have avoided the current war by simply declaring neutrality. Instead they listened to false promises from the United States and Western Europe, and ended up at war. Even if Russia were to withdraw from The Ukraine today, Ukraine would certainly be left far worse off than if they had accepted neutrality. There is little solace in the fact that empires always end up devouring themselves, typically, within a few centuries. Due to climate change, today's empires are likely to fall a whole lot quicker than the historic empires discussed above. Sadly, neither Helen nor I knew of the Kievan-Rus' Empire until recently; but you can bet that every child in The Ukraine learns this history and more. There is a story about Genghis Khan that he personally killed 1.75 million people in an hour in revenge for the killing of his favorite son-in-law. While clearly an exaggeration, we should note that science and technology has given Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden and others the wherewithal to kill far more than 1.75 million people in an hour. Joke of the Year Joe Biden has recently called for the trial of Vladimir Putin for “War Crimes.” Ok, where? The International Criminal Court (ICC)? Neither The Ukraine, Russia nor the United States are members; so the ICC lacks jurisdiction. In fact, the United States has done far more than any other country to hamstring the ICC. In 2002, the Hague Invasion Act which authorized the use of “all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any U.S. or allied personnel being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court” was signed into law by then president George W. Bush. In 1986, Nicaragua won a judgment against the United States for “unlawful use of force,” in the International Court of Justice (different from the ICC). The required reparations were never paid. Actually, I'd love to see Vladimir Putin in the dock at The Hague, along with numerous US presidents who have committed War Crimes in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Does the theft of billions of dollars [by Joe Biden] from a nation facing famine and starvation [Afghanistan] rise to the level of a Crime Against Humanity? Perhaps we should let the ICC rule on that one too. Interview with Noam Chomsky At 93, Noam Chomsky remains as sharp as a tack. Don't miss Jeremy Scahill discussing the Russo-Ukranian War and other matters with Noam Chomsky. Still Some Sanity Left in this World Last month, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) became the 60th State Party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons undertaking (among other things) to “never under any circumstances develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” Climate Catastrophe Updated The March update to my Climate Catastrophe essay has been posted. Most notable among the March highlights was the simultaneous heat waves at both the Arctic and Antarctic during March. If you live near an ocean, watch out! Sea levels are arising. The April update is sure to include the recent floods is South Africa which have killed over 400. 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 |