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Rolla Peace News July 29, 2024 |
Dear Friends:Editor's notes:In this newsletter is: 1. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Palestine, China and the International Court of Justice b) Immigration: A Matter of Justice c) Climate Catastrophe Updated d) Afghanistan and Climate Change e) Our Amazing Forests f) California Burnin' (on such a summer's day) Palestine, China and the International Court of Justice Two potential game-changers for Palestine occurred this week. 1. China hosted 14 Palestinian factions, including Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. All 14 agreed to form a unity government. This is so very important. One of Western colonialism's most successful tactics has been divide and conquer. If the colonized can be enticed to fight among themselves, the colonizers gain a free hand to do pretty much anything they want. However, if the colonized maintain unity, they can often defeat a much more powerful colonial force. Kudos to China and the 14 Palestinian factions who agreed to unity. Still, there is long distance from an agreement to a reality; but a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. While there have been attempts to achieve unity in the past, none have been backed by a country as powerful as China. The Western press has, of course, downplayed the importance of this first step. 2. In an advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is illegal and the Israelis, including the 700,000 Israeli colonists (incorrectly referred to as settlers by the Western press) in Palestine, must leave. That the occupation is illegal should be a no-brainer. However, now, it's illegality has been explicitly declared by the world's highest international court. Again, The Western press has, of course, downplayed the importance of this ruling. Putting the two together, we may soon see the day when a united Palestine is making its own decisions about its own land for its own people, free of foreign influences. Israel will almost certainly attempt to maintain its brutal occupation of Palestine. The United States will likely continue to support the Israeli occupation. But what about the rest of the world? Israel's global reputation has never been so low. While the world is full of atrocities, Israel's genocidal massacre of Gaza appears to be more than much of the world can stomach. Support for genocide has also damaged the reputation of the United States, perhaps beyond redemption. And meanwhile..... Besides disrupting shipping through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, Yemen has shown itself capable of penetrating Israel's “Iron Dome,” attacking Tel Aviv with a deadly drone, killing one and injuring others. Israel has retaliated, escalating the conflict. The Israeli occupied Golan Heights were hit by a stray missile killing 12 children. Israel claims it was a Hezbollah missile. Hezbollah categorically denies it was their missile, claiming an Israeli missile from their “Iron Dome,” could have gone astray. Some have noted that the missile could also have belonged to a third party. In any case, escalation appears to be in the cards. This tragedy could have been avoided by simply ending the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights and returning it to Syria. And Türkiye, not wishing to miss out on the action, has threatened to invade Israel. In sum, the world is not what it used to be. Lots of belligerent actors in a multi-polar world no longer dominated by a single undisputed super-power. The sooner we recognize this, and learn to make peace, the better off we will all be. Immigration: A Matter of Justice Frances Moore Lappé and Hannah Stokes-Ramos in this well-researched article, give us numerous reasons why wealthy countries should welcome immigrants from less fortunate countries. For example: Did you know that in the United States immigrants generate $1.6 trillion in spending power and pay $579 billion in taxes. As excellent as this article is, however, I believe that Lappé and Stokes-Ramos miss the most important reason for welcoming immigrants: Justice. After centuries of destroying much of the world through War, Exploitation and Climate Change, it's only Right that people whose homes have been destroyed, should be welcomed into the homes of those responsible for the destruction. It's a matter of Justice. Climate Catastrophe Updated Climate Catastrophe has been updated. You may find some of the recent highlights, surprising. (See following three snippets.) Afghanistan and Climate Change Afghanistan is among the ten countries most vulnerable to climate change. Nevertheless, Afghanistan has been left pretty much to its own devices since driving our the invaders, the United States and friends, in 2021, after 20 years of war. Afghans are used to hardship. In spite of drought and flood, Afghans are making do as best they can in a warming world. Deputy minister of higher education, Lutfullah Khairkhwa, notes: Our Amazing Forests“Just like they invaded our country, they’ve invaded our climate. We must defend our climate, our water, our soil to the same extent we defend ourselves against invasions.” This is absolutely amazing. In spite of fire, logging, insect pests, climate change, mismanagement and other trauma, the world's forests are maintaining their ability to sequester carbon. Aren't forests amazing? What can you do? Plant a tree! California Burnin' (on such a summer's day) After two seasons in which California wildfires burned under 400,000 acres, the big fires are back with a vengeance. The Park Fire alone has burnt over 350,000 acres in California and is still growing. The height of the 2024 California fire season is yet to arrive. 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 |