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Rolla Peace News May 19, 2015 |
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================================= Dear Friends:In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THIS WEEK, THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015 2. THE PEOPLE WIN ONE 3. AND ANOTHER ONE 4. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Amtrak and Germanwings b) Another Atrocity in Baltimore c) Genocide ================================ 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office THIS THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015, (and all subsequent Thursdays until peace is established) from Noon to 1:00 PM. Please try to join us. 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. 2. THE PEOPLE WIN ONE Here's a NYPD incident with an unusual ending: A couple of plainclothes cops manhandle and attempt to arrest a 14-year-old girl in Harlem, and the community gathers around to defend her. One of the cops starts to become violent after the people urge the girl to get his name and badge number, and the crowd pushes right back. This could have ended badly, but fortunately didn't, and it's good to see the people win one for a change. The cops finally just left after a woman shouted, “You know you're doing wrong — go home!” Someone got the whole incident on video. 3. AND ANOTHER ONE Los Angeles becomes the fourth large city (with Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle) to pass a $15/hr. minimum wage. The “Fight for 15” movement appears to be gaining momentum, and about time! No one will be getting rich on $15 an hour, but a lot of people will be able to afford food and a place to live, which they can't on the Federal minimum wage of $7.50. To get an idea of what this means to a low-wage worker, read this piece by a McDonald's employee. 4. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Amtrak and Germanwings b) Another Atrocity in Baltimore c) Genocide AMTRAK AND GERMANWINGS What does the Germanwings crash two months ago and last week's Amtrak derailment have in common? In both cases, a man considered sane and responsible was placed in a position of responsibility over a group of travelers. In both cases the man appears to have been derelict in his duty and many died. In one case, the Germanwings copilot is said to have locked himself in the cockpit, placed the plane on a collision course with a mountain, and breathed easily as he and 149 others plunged to their death. In the other, the engineer is said to have no recollection of the train speeding up to 106 mph on a 50 mph curve. Neither story rings true to me. In both cases I feel there are lots of missing pieces. I have grown so used to official lies. I just assume the government is lying to me because that is what it does, consistently and shamelessly. Perhaps there is a connection between the two incidents. Then, again, perhaps there isn't. But don't expect to hear the truth from your government. ANOTHER ATROCITY IN BALTIMORE While people have been focused on the police murder of Freddie Gray, the city of Baltimore has shut off water to 1,600 homes in the past six weeks creating a health and environmental hazard. GENOCIDE Here's a story about a genocide that you may not have heard of. The Rohingya people are fleeing persecution in Burma where they are forced to live in camps that can only be described as open-air prisons. The lucky ones are the ones who make it to Malaysia. When asked, “Given all of the dangers they’ve risked, from drowning to rape and beatings, would they recommend the journey to those still in Burma?” The answer without hesitation is “Yes.” There are lots of genocides going on in the world. You can read about a few of them at End Genocide. Not mentioned at this website are the genocides in Gaza, Afghanistan and Iraq. ================== 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 Grassroots Rolla: 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, Helen helenm (at) fidnet.com ### |