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Rolla Peace News

May 4, 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.

Webperson's note: If you are having trouble reading this, it is posted at
http://tomsager.org/Peaceletters/peaceletter050421.html

In this newsletter is:

1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021
2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org)
          a) 2020: A Year of Militarism, Profits, Poverty, Death, and Disease
          b) Looking for Wisdom in All the Wrong Places
          c) Are The American People Racist?

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1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021

We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office, THIS THURSDAY, MAY 6, 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 60s. 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) 2020: A Year of Militarism, Profits, Poverty, Death, and Disease
          b) Looking for Wisdom in All the Wrong Places
          c) Are The American People Racist?

2020: A Year of Militarism, Profits, Poverty, Death, and Disease

It was a year of sickness, death and poverty for the many. Meanwhile military spending worldwide increased to almost $2 trillion with the United States accounting for 39% of all military spending. Billionaires increased their wealth to over $10 trillion. Poverty increased to 800 million worldwide with 50 million in the United States alone. 1.85 million died worldwide of COVID-19, with 363 thousand dying in the United States.

Yes, 2020 was quite a year.

Looking for Wisdom in All the Wrong Places
“To rely on the wisdom of the people in power is the worst thing you can do.” —Howard Zinn
When I first read this, I thought it was a joke. The Biden administration plans to deny the Taliban “international legitimacy” and economic aid, if they won't play by our rules after our departure. Really? The Taliban almost single-handedly beat back the most powerful military the world has ever known, including their Afghan allies and almost 50 other countries. Hey, how much more legitimacy could you ask for? And economic aid? I suspect Afghanistan will always be able to find a market for its opium among the wealthy of Europe and North America.

And Zalmay Khalilzad puts his faith in the Afghan Government to hold back the Taliban after foreign militaries depart. Huh? Without truly massive foreign military and economic assistance the Afghan government would have folded long ago.

And Lloyd Austin has figured out that Climate Change is a threat to our security. No kidding? How many hurricanes, wildfires, floods and droughts did it take you to figure that out?

'Nough said.

Are The American People Racist?

Joe Biden says, “I don't think the American people are racist.” But, I'd have to ask, which American people are we talking about? Still, one thing is for sure. We live in a racist society. The phrasing of this question itself is racist. The Americas include two large continents as well as Central America, the Caribbean Islands and more. To use the word “Americans” to refer exclusively to the inhabitants of just one country comprised of maybe 10% of the area and 30% of the population is racist. Many Americans who are not Estadounidenses find this offensive. Many Americans who are Estadounidenses are totally unaware of this.
Note: Unitedstatesian is hard to say and doesn't sound nice. I like the Spanish word, Estadounidense. It flows easily off the tongue (once you get used to it) and has a nice sound to it. I think we should adopt it. Here are a few other words we have adopted from the Spanish language: mosquito, guerrilla, pronto, rodeo, El Niño. There is a much longer list here.
In truth, I think our problem is an addiction to violence, of which racism is merely one form. Here's an incident that demonstrates this addiction quite well: Last year in Loveland, Colorado, a 73-year-old woman weighing 80 pounds with dementia and sensory aphasia was beat up by police who dislocated her shoulder and broke her arm and then left her for hours without medical attention and joked about it. Her race is not mentioned in this article, although she appears Caucasian. (Loveland, huh?)

Individuals with sensory aphasia typically “have difficulty understanding written and spoken language” and “remain unaware of even their most profound language deficits.” Sensory aphasia can be a death sentence in a society in which police may react violently when their commands are not obeyed immediately.

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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 Rollaites for Peace: near the top of rightmost column).

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Wage peace,

Tom
yushasager (at) yahoo.com

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