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Rolla Peace News August 2, 2016 |
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================================= Dear Friends:In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THIS WEEK, THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 2. MEANWHILE AT THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION... 3. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Rolla's Buehler Park Under Attack — Again b) We're Bombing Libya — Again c) A Terrible Terrible Horrific Incident
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We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office THIS THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016, (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 90s. 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. MEANWHILE AT THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION... Ex-CIA Chief Leon Panetta's speech was disrupted by protesters chanting “Love, not war!” and “No more war!” Many, though not all, of these were Sanders supporters. Convention personnel responded by turning off the lights in those sections where the protests appeared to be coming from. A large number of other convention attendees began countering with shouts of “USA, USA!” The media, of course, publicly scolded the protesters for being unruly and disrespectful. But really, how else would it have been possible for them to be heard? Certainly no anti-war spokesman was invited to speak. And Bernie Sanders himself did not mention war in his otherwise inspiring speech. Protesting by its very nature is disruptive — it happens because no one is paying attention to something that needs to be attended to. If quiet protests are ignored, they will become loud. Too bad about Mr. Panetta. Michelle Obama made a well-received speech about how far we have come from being a slave-owning country to having a black family in the White House, so we should continue this trajectory by electing Hillary Clinton. Nobody (except the protesters) wants to talk about war. They just want to keep doing it. 3. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Rolla's Buehler Park Under Attack — Again b) We're Bombing Libya — Again c) A Terrible Terrible Horrific Incident Rolla's Buehler Park Under Attack — Again On July 18 the Rolla city council received a serious proposal from Kent Bagnall and Crystal Watson to fence in 1/3 to 1/2 of Buehler Park for dog runs. Kent Bagnall is the owner of Kent Jewelry and Crystal Watson represents Royal Canin. Although this is apparently the first formal proposal to convert Buehler Park into a dog park, the City has been discussing this possibility for nine years. Buehler Park is a beautiful, small city park, and because of its location there have been various suggestions that would either destroy it (1996; sale to Cracker Barrel) or alter its present character (the recent dog-park proposal). Fencing in the Western part of Buehler Park for dog runs would significantly alter the nature of the park. It would no longer be a park for all local people and visitors to our area. It would be primarily for dog-owners willing to drive their dogs to the park. City of Rolla: (573) 426-6948, citycouncil@rollacity.orgHERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELPPlease contact: Royal Canin USA HQ: (800) 592-6687, info.usa@royalcanin.com Royal Canin in Rolla: Crystal Watson, (573) 202-9034, crystal.watson@royalcanin.com Kent Jewelry: Kent Bagnall, (573) 364-1030, kent@kentjewelry.com and respectfully request:“Please do not build a dog park in Buehler Park. Let Buehler Park remain a beautiful park for all people to use and enjoy.” You may also add something like:“Instead please consider building a dog park across Kingshighway near the Welcome Center or at some other location in Rolla.” Thanks for your help. More info at http://buehlerpark.org We're Bombing Libya — Again “Who's ever heard before of a ‘moderate’ with a Kalashnikov.” —Robert FiskFive years ago the Obama administration bombed Libya and armed a group of “moderates,” who deposed strongman Muammar Ghaddafi. I guess, in reality, these “moderates” weren't quite so moderate. If you want to see how “moderate” they really are, just look at one of the videos of the death of Ghaddafi (WARNING: very gruesome!). Then came the Benghazi incident, where a bunch of our allies attacked the US consulate and killed our ambassador and three others. I'd like to share with you my Benghazi Conjecture. It's really not a conspiracy theory. In fact, it's not a theory at all. After all, I have no proof. And the best supporting evidence I have is that it makes sense, whereas nothing else I've heard about this incident does. I think the Benghazi incident was an inside job, probably orchestrated by neocon forces within the US establishment. Its purpose appears to have been three fold: 1. Get rid of a troublesome ambassador who had “gone native.”In any case, now we are bombing our former allies in Libya in a “sustained offensive” that is unlikely to end soon. A TERRIBLE TERRIBLE HORRIFIC INCIDENT “The earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there—there you could look at a thing monstrous and free. It was unearthly,”Ellicott City, Maryland received a whole month of rain in just two hours in what is described as a 1,000 year event. The Patapsco River rose more than 13 feet. But 1,000 year events are becoming all too commonplace. We have seen a number of them already this year. India has also experienced devastating floods in July. California and much of the North American West are in the midst of a devastating fire season. The Soberanes fire in the Big Sur has destroyed thousands of acres and keeps growing. The length of the fire season has been growing too. Soon the California fire season may become 12 months long. In Washington, a wildfire burns dangerously close to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, one of the most polluted parcels on Earth. Here is some of Stuart Palleys wildfire photography Absolutely awesome! Scientists are astounded by how rapidly the Earth has heated up and millennial weather events have become commonplace. They needn't be. This was predicted many years ago. The problem is to a great extent with their computer models — never trust a computer. Their models apparently assumed linearity. A little more carbon dioxide results in a little more heat and a few more extreme weather events. But in truth, complex natural processes are rarely linear. In this case, a little more carbon dioxide has resulted in a lot more heat and a lot more extreme weather events. Here's a riddle for you: How are our California fires like our foreign wars? Answer: They never end. And how do our presidential nominees feel about climate change? One doesn't believe in it and the other doesn't care about it. Yet, here in Rolla, the summer weather does not appear unusual. But don't let the stillness fool you. “And this stillness of life did not in the least resemble a peace. It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention. It looked at you with a vengeful aspect.” ================== 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 ### |