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Rolla Peace News May 30, 2017 |
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================================= Dear Friends:In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THIS WEEK, THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017 2. TWO DIFFERENT COMMENCEMENT ADDRESSES 3. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Stephen Hawking And The Fate Of The Gods b) American Indian Wars — Still Not Over c) And Our Middle Eastern Wars Get Even More Brutal d) Gimme Some Truth
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We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office THIS THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017, (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 70s. 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. TWO DIFFERENT COMMENCEMENT ADDRESSES Today, Bernie Sanders delivered the commencement speech at Brooklyn College, which he attended back in the day. As always, Bernie didn't waste words on platitudes, but dived right into what he wanted to communicate. He urged graduates to stand together against the oligarchy that is American politics today, and to work for equality and justice for all Americans, not just the 1%. In this article, you can either read the transcript of his remarks, or watch him say them. On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence also gave a commencement address, this one at Notre Dame University. At least the first half of his speech was just a bunch of words meaning nothing, and after nearly every sentence he would pause for applause, and if it didn't come right away he would wait for it. I have to admit I didn't listen to the whole thing; I got bored. The most interesting thing was the walk-out of about 100 graduates at the beginning of his speech. I wasn't able to find a transcript of Pence's speech, but if you want to watch the YouTube video of it, here's the link. 3. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Stephen Hawking And The Fate Of The Gods b) American Indian Wars — Still Not Over c) And Our Middle Eastern Wars Get Even More Brutal d) Gimme Some Truth STEPHEN HAWKING AND THE FATE OF THE GODS “There feeds he full on the flesh of the dead,Three weeks ago I wrote a short snippet on Stephen Hawking's upcoming television series and his pronouncement that Earth will become uninhabitable by humans and we have but a century left to find a new home planet. Here, David Macaray also opines on Stephen Hawking's pronouncement , noting that expertise and genius in one field doesn't necessarily translate into expertise and genius in another. I would go a step further: Expertise or genius in one field often precludes expertise and genius in others. The dynamic is straight forward: Become a specialist and put all your energies into one area, and there is often little left for other endeavors. The keyword is “often.” Some, like the late Isaac Asimov, seem to be able to achieve expertise in almost every field of endeavor. Now, Macaray's second point: To declare that planet Earth is damaged beyond redemption is “the cruelest and most destructive form of defeatism.” This requires some discussion. For someone like myself who believes in miracles, nothing is ever damaged beyond redemption. On the other hand, it seems clear that Collapse is imminent; Even if we were to stop producing greenhouse gases immediately, even if we were to all work together instead of fighting with one another, it is unlikely that we could avoid Collapse. So what comes next? Suppose that a few of us, heeding Hawking's advice, manage to escape Earth's collapsing environment and find a new home among the stars. Perhaps possible, but lets focus on those of us left behind on an inhospitable Earth. I am mindful here of Tom Godwin's 1950's science fiction novel, The Survivors. The plot: “A group of humans are marooned on Ragnarok, an inhospitable planet. Death is assured — well — almost. They survive and evolve under Ragnarok's harsh environment into a race that is somewhat more than human. And over the generations they remember their destiny: To return to the stars and exact revenge upon those who marooned their ancestors on Ragnarok. At the end of the novel, their destiny is fulfilled.”Before you book passage on the Hawking Interstellar Express, reflect on this story, especially since those who abandon Earth will likely be those most responsible for her destruction. I think Macaray got is right. Let's all focus our resources on saving and protecting Earth. The stanza from the Poetic Edda at the top of this snippet describes Ragnarök. Ragnarök, literally, the fate of the gods, in Norse mythology, might be likened to End Times. Earth is consumed by fire and water (as seems to be happening now) and even the gods die. But Ragnarök is also a myth of rebirth. Earth rises from the waters and is repopulated by two surviving humans; and even the gods return. Let it be so. AMERICAN INDIAN WARS — STILL NOT OVER Here is an expose from The Intercept based on both leaked and public domain information. It shows collusion between federal, state and local law enforcement, Energy Transfer Partners, and private mercenary and security firm TigerSwan against the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies. Documents show that the non-violent water protectors were considered terrorists and that TigerSwan and law enforcement consider this confrontation a war and used brutal military counter-terrorism tactics such as water cannons, attack dogs, LRAD sound devices and rubber bullets against the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies. AND OUR MIDDLE EASTERN WARS GET EVEN MORE BRUTAL US military raids and airstrikes are killing more and more civilians in Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere. All this brings to mind a frequently asked question from 16 years ago: “Why do they hate us?” No, I don't think it has anything to do with our fast-disappearing freedoms. GIMME SOME TRUTH “Sounded like the Truth;Back in March when I wrote about the March for Science, I jokingly said to myself, next there will be a March for Truth. I oughtn't to joke about such things. There is an International March for Truth this Saturday. Actually, it seems to be a march for an independent investigation into Donald Trump and his friends' dealings with Russia; but that is a totally different thing. Personally, I think we ought to try to get along with Russia and all other countries; but I don't see how a March for Truth will move us in this direction. Maybe someone will explain it to me. I've written about this before. The title of this snippet is also the title of a John Lennon song. 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 ### |