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Rolla Peace News June 22, 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.In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) From Our Readers: On Sharing Vaccine b) Wilbur Ross c) From Our Readers: Canadian Tar Sands d) Erratum e) Shanna Swan on Fertility 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office, THIS THURSDAY, JUNE 24, FROM NOON TO 1:00 PM (and most subsequent Thursdays until Peace is established). Please join us this Thursday in saying NO WAR AGAINST PALESTINE or any other country. The temperature is predicted to be in the 80s. 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 only 2, 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) From Our Readers: On Sharing Vaccine b) Wilbur Ross c) From Our Readers: Canadian Tar Sands d) Erratum e) Shanna Swan on Fertility From Our Readers: On Sharing Vaccine A reader sends in links to two articles detailing how some vaccine is finally finding its way to poor countries: Here's one from NPR. And here's one from the Guardian. My response: As these articles state plainly: while totally inadequate, this is certainly a step in the right direction. The process should have been started months ago. Even supposing the virus did “jump naturally” from beast to man; we should ask who holds the greatest responsibility for human encroachment upon the wilds; setting up the conditions for the jump to humans? It is certainly the wealthy countries, with their infinite greed for oil, meat and lumber, who hold this responsibility. Yet these same wealthy countries have hoarded the supplies of vaccine and refused to even share their “intellectual property” with poorer countries. Wilbur Ross Donald Trump's former Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross has been in the news lately for extreme corruption, having made millions of dollars off of his position in the Trump Administration. Wilbur Ross provided me with my first indication that the COVID-19 pandemic might have started in an act of sabotage against China, when he remarked in January 2020 that the novel coronavirus was “another risk factor” that people will consider before doing business in China. “So,” Ross opined, “I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to the U.S., probably some to Mexico as well.” So, I ask: Would someone so callous, insensitive and corrupt think twice about sabotaging a rival country by releasing a deadly virus? Think about it. My comment on the Wilbur Ross quote above was: “Hey, Wilbur, You're getting senile. You weren't supposed to say that in public.” From Our Readers: Canadian Tar Sands A reader writes: My response:“In connection with your comment on the Canadian tar sands, I tried to find some photos I had of this area in Alberta province. ... Truly dismaying what we are willing to do to nature for our selfish convenience.” Yes, makes you wonder whether Nature might not be better off without us, ... at least until you recall that we are a part of Nature, not some Other that stands in opposition to Nature. The question I posed above might be analogous to asking whether we wouldn't be better off without our right arm. On the other hand, Nature is quite capable of excising damaged parts of her body. She does it all the time ... and regrows new parts. We refer to this process as evolution. So, maybe we ought to be thinking about how we might survive the next mass excision event. Erratum The pipeline I referred to last week should have been the Keystone XL Pipeline, not the Dakota Access Pipeline. Shanna Swan on Fertility Shanna Swan's book on Fertility, Countdown: How Our Modern World is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Males and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race, which I discussed briefly two months ago, is now in the Rolla Public Library. I highly recommend it. 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). 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, Tom yushasager (at) yahoo.com |