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Rolla Peace News August 30, 2016 |
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================================= Dear Friends:In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THIS WEEK, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 2. BUEHLER PARK — KEEP THE PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS COMING 3. MEET A TRUMP SUPPORTER 4. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) I Offer Thee Three Alternatives b) The Zika Cometh
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We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office THIS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 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 70s. 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 — KEEP THE PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS COMING Your phone calls and email are having a positive effect. Keep them coming. Here are the details: 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. MEET A TRUMP SUPPORTER Reading this essay gave me some insight on why an intelligent, thoughtful person might support Donald Trump's candidacy. Mike Schaff, the man Arlie Hochschild writes about, feels that people should help each other, and that government programs destroy the sense of community. He feels that the government does not value people like himself, who work hard and make it on their own, while what he sees as “favored” minorities rake in the benefits. The area he lives in is a disaster zone, with a huge sinkhole, earthquakes from drilling and fracking, and fracking and other toxic wastes pouring into the waters of the Atchafalaya Basin, a National Wildlife Refuge that may no longer support any wildlife if this continues. Mr. Schaff is thus in a quandary; he would like government to help keep the drillers and frackers from completing the destruction of his environment, but he also hates government. He writes letters to state and federal officials, asking them to hold industry accountable for the damage they are doing (and to stop doing it) — but this is Louisiana; probably not going to happen. Mike Schaff knows that the Democrats have historically been more favorable to environmental protection, but the issue that drives him even more than his love for the land and water is his feeling that the Democrats have disrespected and devalued him and men like him. He's voting for Trump. Incidentally Ms. Hochschild hit a sour note when she stated “A vote for Hillary Clinton would protect the Clean Water Act, secure the EPA, and ensure that government would continue to act as a counterbalance to the Texas Brines of the nation.” Don't bet on it! 4. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) I Offer Thee Three Alternatives b) The Zika Cometh I OFFER THEE THREE ALTERNATIVES “Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.” —1 Chronicles 21:10 (KJV)And what were the alternatives that God almighty offered to David? “Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land”And what was David's great sin? “And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.” [Mathematicians take note]It appears that David was interested only in men who “drew sword.” “And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.”So, David's great sin was not simply counting, it was placing the entire Kingdom on a total military footing (and presumably, if I may read between the verses of this chapter, ignoring health, welfare, agriculture and infrastructure). God's judgment was not a punishment; but a blessing. For indeed, a nation that places military matters above all others deserves all three consequences. David chose disease; “So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.”And hearing these words, “the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.”I think there is great lesson for all of us in 1 Chronicles 21. Can you imagine Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump praying: “let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued?” Here, my imagination fails me. THE ZIKA COMETH The zika virus has arrived on our shores. No barrier, wall or fence exists, strong enough to hold back the zika. For indeed, zika is carried from place to place by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which in the wake of global warming is spreading its range northward. It may not be long before it arrives in Rolla. Zika is thought to be responsible for a sharp uptick in microcephaly and other fetal abnormalities, and well it might be; although microcephaly could have multiple causes. Perhaps all the toxics and pesticides we are exposed to play a role too. Some also think that zika can cause brain-damage in adults. Indeed, Florida has begun spraying with naled, a known teratogen, carcinogen and mutagen. Naled is an organophosphate, somewhat akin to sarin . Another proposal is to release genetically modified, male mosquitoes on the aedes aegypti population. Presumably, they will mate with the females but produce non-viable offspring, thus controlling the mosquito population. It may help; but there could also be serious long-term unintended consequences. Sadly, few appear to suggest shutting down the war industry and the fossil-fuel industry and working to reduce global warming, which would at least inhibit the spread of aedes mosquitoes northward. In combating emergent diseases, it is crucial that the people and government health authorities have a relationship of trust. Unfortunately, that is sadly lacking. But one thing is for sure. Until we stop fighting wars and bring rogue industries under control, we will be plagued by one emergent disease after another. ================== 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 ### |