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Rolla Peace News August 23, 2016 |
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================================= Dear Friends:In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THIS WEEK, THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016 2. BUEHLER PARK - CORRECTION 3. LOUISIANA: WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND 4. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Taliban Making Gains In Afghanistan b) Our Criminal injustice System c) And The Presidency... It's Up For Grabs
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We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office THIS THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 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 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. 2. BUEHLER PARK - CORRECTION Rolla director of Parks and Recreation, Floyd Jernigan, informs me that the dog-park will NOT be discussed at Wednesday's meeting of the Parks Commission. It is, however, an open meeting and all are welcome: 5:30 Wed. Aug 24th at the Centre (12th and Holloway). Meanwhile, phone calls and emails are still needed. Here are the details again: Please contact:City of Rolla: (573) 426-6948, citycouncil@rollacity.org 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 3. LOUISIANA: WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND A couple of congressional representatives and a senator from Louisiana, climate deniers all, who voted against federal aid to victims of Hurricane Sandy in 2013, now are asking for federal aid for victims of Louisiana's recent devastating floods. When asked how he could reconcile his vote against aid to Sandy's victims with demands for assistance for Louisiana, a spokesman for Rep. Steve Scalise stated that the two situations were like “apples and oranges.” Yeah, it's different when it's in your own back yard! I would hope that Congress would not deny assistance to Louisiana on this basis, since the people suffering the effects of the flooding (not these clowns) had nothing to do with the 2013 vote. Meanwhile, back in Washington: A mild suggestion from the White House Council on Environmental Quality that federal agencies consider climate change in making decisions that impact the environment provoked outrage among many Republican congressmen, including Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah and Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who still denies that climate change is a reality. Apparently, most Republicans believe that what's been happening in Louisiana, Texas, California — and worldwide — is perfectly normal, and that “climate scientists are just ganging up on Exxon to enrich themselves.” You don't hear much on the subject from Democrats, either — most of them don't want to lose the votes (and the money) from the fossil fuel industry et al. Raul Grijalva, a Democratic congressman from Arizona, is one who is willing to be heard. Here's his article. 4. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Taliban Making Gains In Afghanistan b) Our Criminal injustice System c) And The Presidency... It's Up For Grabs TALIBAN MAKING GAINS IN AFGHANISTAN In spite of more US boots on the ground, the Taliban continues to make gains and now controls more territory than at any time since 2001, 15 years and billions, if not trillions, of dollars ago. I'm absolutely amazed. In 2001, we were told pacifying Afghanistan would be a “cake walk.” I suppose that's what the British thought in the 19th Century and the Russians in the 20th. Great powers are truly blinded with arrogance. For a local analogy, consider the ongoing nature of the City of Rolla's 20 year battle to destroy Buehler Park. OUR CRIMINAL INJUSTICE SYSTEM This article by private eye, Judith Coburn, is a MUST READ for anyone at all interested in “reforming” our criminal injustice system. As Coburn notes, “Oakland feels like Saigon, Tegucigalpa, or Gaza. There's the deception of daily life and the silent routine of dread punctured by out-of-the blue mayhem. Oakland's poor neighborhoods are a war zone...” Looking at photos of the climate-induced mayhem in Louisiana and California, I suspect that more and more of the world will soon be looking like war zones. As one of Coburn's clients notes, “It ain't just, but that's how they do.” AND THE PRESIDENCY.... ITS UP FOR GRABS It appears that Donald Trump's short flirtation with the Republican Party establishment may be coming to an end. I suspect that this will bring his campaign a boost. As I noted months ago in a open letter to Donald Trump, “Your true talent is buffoonery. Stick to what you do best. You will not get elected by pretending to be a ‘rational statesman.’ If you win, you will win as a buffoon.” And by contrast, as Ralph Nader notes, “Hillary is the clear reported choice for president not just by the Wall Street crowd. The champions of the military-industrial complex love her variety of extreme hawkishness, which rings the cash registers for ever more military weapons contracts.” Polls (for what little they are worth) seem to be mostly favoring Hillary Clinton by a narrow margin. But if I were to place a wager, it would be on Donald Trump. Disclaimer: I do not intend to vote for either of the two major-party candidates. ================== 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 ### |