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Rolla Peace News May 10, 2023 |
Dear Friends:Editor's notes:In this newsletter is: 1. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) War Is NEVER Over (Mines) b) War Is NEVER Over (Nukes) c) Climate Highlights: Fort Lauderdale Gets 26 Inches of Rain in 24 Hours d) We Are Our Own Worst Enemy War Is NEVER Over (Mines) One seldom considered aspect of war is unexploded mines, left in the ground by all warring parties. These mines lie in wait for a child at play or a farmer tiling his fields to set them off.“One of the dirty little ironies of war is that it matters less who wins the war than where it was fought.” Demining is never 100%. There are always some left over that kill and maim long after “peace” is declared. The Ukraine may now be the world's most mined country, possibly surpassing Afghanistan, Syria, Angola, Vietnam and others. War Is NEVER Over (Nukes) Russia has declared that it will respond in its own way and at its own time to a drone attack on the Kremlin, purported to be an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Now Russia is evacuating its citizens from several towns close to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear complex. Guess what may be coming next. Over a year ago, in the early days of the current phase of the West's war against Russia, I wrote: Let's end this stupid war — before it's too late.“In fact, Russia, being in full control of six Ukrainian nuclear power reactors at Zaporizhzhya, has yet another option: Wait for a day of strong easterly winds; create a false-flag attack on Zaporizhzhya, releasing deadly radiation which will blow over Western Europe.” Climate Highlights: Fort Lauderdale Gets 26 Inches of Rain in 24 Hours So what's it like to be on the receiving end of a flood of biblical proportions? This short article from Yale Climate Connections by Ian Rowan and Daisy Simmons on the Fort Lauderdale flood and how neighbors helped neighbors is well worth the read. And don't miss this one on Africa's recent flood, drought and cyclone disasters also from Yale Climate Connections. The Democratic Republic of Congo was particularly hard hit by floods. Over 400 dead with thousands still missing and more thousands homeless. From Portugal to Vietnam, Eurasia and North Africa have been hit by a record-setting early heatwave. Southeast Asia has been particularly hard hit. And the North American fire season is off to an early start with almost a million acres in western Canada up in smoke. We Are Our Own Worst Enemy The suicide rate in the United States among 13 and 14 year olds has more than doubled over the decade 2008 - 2018 according to a study by Sarah Wood of Florida Atlantic University. Wood found that suicide is now the leading cause of death for 13- and 14-year-olds in the United States. School stress, social media and guns stand out as potential factors in the increase in suicides.“We have met the enemy and he is us.” And I will add a fourth potential factor. At age 13 and 14, children begin to question their elders. Perhaps, some realize that their parents' and grandparents' generations have sold their inheritance in a vain search for wealth and power and are leaving them nothing but a “mess of pottage.” This realization can easily lead to depression and perhaps suicide. So who needs enemies? We can't blame suicides on the Russians and Chinese. Or can we? I'll refrain from descending into “lurid disaster porn” by discussing all the recent mass shootings and killings in the United States. 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 |