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Rolla Peace News July 30, 2019 |
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Dear Friends: http://tomsager.org/Peaceletters/peaceletter073019.html In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) From Our Readers: Turkey b) Tanker Wars c) Messy Wars 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019 We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office, THIS THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, FROM NOON TO 1:00 PM (and most subsequent Thursdays until peace is established). Please try to join us. The temperature is predicted to be around 80. 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 MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) From Our Readers: Turkey b) Tanker Wars c) Messy Wars From Our Readers: Turkey Last week I wrote the following short snippet on Turkey: A reader writes in:“Tiring of Donald Trump's bullying, Turkey took delivery of the first installment of Russia's S-400 Missile Defense System. Donald Trump was livid and threatening ... you guessed it ... sanctions. Turkey also unveiled plans to wean itself militarily away from the U.S. and build it's own fighter jet. Apparently, Turkey is really serious about becoming a military power to be reckoned with. So much so, that they have jailed a number of academics for the crime of signing a petition advocating peace.. My response: Too bad we don't demilitarize the entire Greater Middle East from Libya to Iran and beyond and send all foreign troops home. Would I praise Turkey for spending money on a military missile defense system? No. Lying between a nuclear armed Russia and a nuclear armed Europe, could I condemn them for buying a missile defense system? No. Would I condemn a nation, any nation, for jailing its citizens for signing a petition advocating Peace? Absolutely.“Not clear to me whether you are praising or condemning Turkey.” Perhaps one of the Turkish-Americans on this distribution list would like to weigh in on this matter. Turkey's aims in neighboring Syria don't seem to fit well with either US or Russian aims. The US supports Kurdish forces. Russia supports the government. Turkey opposes both. Incidentally, Turkey increased its military expenditures in 2018 by 24%, the highest increase among the top 15 countries in military expenditures. Here's an interesting tidbit. In 2015, Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet that appeared to have strayed over the border from Syria into Turkey for 17 seconds. Now, four years later, they are buying Russian missile defense systems and perhaps cooperating militarily with Russia in Syria. As I said last week: “This world gets more and more dangerous every day.” Tanker Wars Still a standoff. Gibraltar holds an Iranian tanker. Iran holds a British flagged tanker. But, judging by the fall in prices at the gas pump, no one's about to start a shooting war over this. As far as I know, nobody but yours truly has called for the closing of both the Straits of Hormuz and Gibraltar to all oil tankers. Many climate activists seem to have a blind spot when it comes to militarism. The US military is almost certainly the world's single greatest user of fossil fuels and the World's single greatest producer of greenhouse gases. Now keep in mind that the US spends somewhat more than 1/3 of the world's approximately $1.8 Trillion military budget. This will give you an idea of how much militarism damages our climate; and why we will make no progress in reversing climate change unless we drastically reduce our reliance on military solutions. By the way, if you don't see the connection between militarism and climate change, try designing a solar-powered fighter jet or an electric-powered tank. 21st Century militarism runs on oil. Messy Wars Wars are never easy and never clean. Danny Sjursen writes about our messy wars; and opines about Afghanistan: Leonard Cohen said something similar before he left us: “You're not going to like what comes after America.”“For someone like me who long ago turned his back on America’s never-ending wars on terror, it’s discomfiting to imagine the process that might finally lead to a U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, especially one negotiated by The Donald and his strange team of hawks. Of one thing, rest assured: bad things will happen afterward.” 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: at 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, Helen helenm (at) fidnet.com |