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Rolla Peace News Sept. 18, 2018 |
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Dear Friends: http://tomsager.org/Peaceletters/peaceletter091818.html In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, SEPT. 20, 2018 2. WHY WE HAVE PERPETUAL WAR 3. BERNIE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS 4. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Who'll Stop The Rain b) Five Years Of Intense Heat c) Brett Kavanaugh d) Israel: Boycott, Divest And Sanction Movement 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, SEPT. 20, 2018 We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office THIS THURSDAY, SEPT. 20, 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 90. 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. WHY WE HAVE PERPETUAL WAR This article was written 15 years ago, right after we invaded Iraq in 2003. It's still just as relevant today. Dr. Pauwels makes it very clear why, since World War II, we have had an almost-unbroken chain of undeclared wars. None of these wars have been fought for the reasons stated by our government — they have been solely for profit. I don't think anyone will find that hard to believe after reading Dr. Pauwels' well-researched article. Since this was written, our country has initiated, participated in, or supported wars in Libya, Syria and Yemen, in addition to supporting Israel's one-sided war against the people of Palestine. We have so far narrowly avoided war with North Korea and Iran, but those are only being held off until needed by the power-hungry forces that rule the United States. Just this year, a record-busting (and budget-busting) military appropriation of over $700 billion was approved by Congress — obviously not intending peace any time soon. 3. BERNIE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS Bernie Sanders seems to be one of the few American politicians who actually understands what's going on. In this, his latest article, he talks about the global assault on human rights, not only in third world countries, but right here in the U.S., and the greed for power and wealth that is driving it (see also the article above). Sanders, unlike the establishment Democrats, sees that preserving the status quo is not going to solve anything. The status quo has already failed, for everyone except the relatively few super-rich, and certainly it has failed for the planet. His proposals will sound radical to many, but he is pointing the way to our only path out of the destruction that looms in the very near future. 4. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Who'll Stop The Rain b) Five Years Of Intense Heat c) Brett Kavanaugh d) Israel: Boycott, Divest And Sanction Movement WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN This weekend the world was hit by two unusually powerful cyclones: Hurricane Florence in the western Atlantic and Typhoon Mangkhut in the western Pacific.“Five year plans and new deals, Mangkhut, a category five cyclone (the highest) slammed into the Philippines killing at least 65 and probably hundreds. Mangkhut then went on to devastate Hong Kong from miles out to sea and cause millions in South China to evacuate from their homes. Florence, a huge monster of a storm, stalled over the Carolina coast bringing six foot storm surges and intense flooding. Yesterday, a weakened Florence continued to drop prodigious amounts of rain in the Appalachians which will flow down to the already flooded Carolina coastal plain. However, its most lasting effect may well be from all the pollution that it likely stirred up. The Carolinas are home to several nuclear power plants and superfund sites plus many other toxic waste sites. As is typical of such disasters, it is the poor who pay the highest price. Wealthier people can often rebuild at taxpayer expence through federal flood insurance. North Carolina governor, Roy Cooper, likened Florence to “an uninvited brute who doesn't want to leave.” Sorry Governor, but Florence was invited by every climate change denier in the state. Maybe now you will get serious about trying to control climate change. Interestingly, in 2012 the North Carolina legislature passed a law that for planning purposes, only linear extrapolations from historic sea-level data will be allowed. The law remains on the books. Well folks, complex systems are rarely if ever linear. In the case of sea-level rise its a no-brainer. A warming climate melts glaciers and ice caps that drive sea-level rise. Warmer water is less dense than cold and has a greater volume. As sea-level rise continues to accelerate, it leaves the North Carolina coast open to increased devastation from storms like Florence. Now I feel punishment should fit the crime; so here is my suggestion: Every North Carolina legislator who voted for this bill should be staked out on the beach with a pencil and a notebook as the tide rolls in. In order to earn his release, he must write a 1,000 word essay on the non-linearity of climate change. The essays should then be published and submitted to their constituents for grading. And here's another suggestion: The United States and China, both hard hit by Florence and Mangkhut, are the two largest emitters of Greenhouse Gases (The US is number one historically although recently overtaken on an annual basis by China.) Instead of economic rivalry and a continued arms race leading to a likely military confrontation, they should be made to pool their resources to fight climate change and global warming, which are responsible for feeding monster cyclones like Mangkhut and Florence. Meanwhile, driven by climate change, the Middle East, Australia, the western United States, and other locations remain in serious drought. 98% or more of seven western US states are in some stage of drought. FIVE YEARS OF INTENSE HEAT If there is any doubt in your mind that the Earth is warming and that climate change is causing extreme weather events like Mangkhut and Florence, consider the following: The latest five (September through August) 12 month periods have been the five warmest on record (see table below). The sixth and seventh warmest were both during El Niño years which tend to superheat the climate. 
But what I find most interesting is that these five years when graphed resemble a hand with the middle finger extended. (See graph below.) I think Nature is saying something to us. Too bad so few are listening. 
BRETT KAVANAUGH I can think of lots of reasons why Brett Kavanaugh is unfit to serve on the Supreme Court. First and foremost he is a close-minded ideologue. A judge, and in particular a Supreme Court justice, should be capable of considering all sides of an issue fairly, a quality that Kavanaugh clearly lacks. And what about this accusation that at age 17, over 30 years ago, he got stinking drunk at a party and tried unsuccessfully to rape a young lady? Hey, I did lots of things when I was a teenager that I'm not exactly proud of. (No, I won't tell you; ask Helen.) Let's just say that I've been in remission for a number of years. But I think we are missing the most important aspect of the Ford accusation — that the rape attempt ended in failure. From the 1857 Dred Scott decision to the recent Citizens United decision, the Supreme Court has been successfully raping us all. Adam Serwer, writing in The Atlantic, has compiled a long list of such cases. So maybe we would be better off with a failed rapist on the Supreme Court than with another more successful rapist. ISRAEL: BOYCOTT, DIVEST AND SANCTION MOVEMENT It appears that the movement to boycott Israel for unspeakable crimes against humanity is having its effect. In this world, filled with injustice, there are still crimes that do not go unnoticed. Apparently, blockading almost 2 million people, half of them children, in an open air prison without sufficient food, water and medicines is still beyond the pale. 20 international acts, including superstar singer Lana Del Rey, cancelled their appearance at Israel's Meteor Music Festival. Paraguay decided to move its embassy back to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem. Netanyahu threw a hissy fit and closed the Israeli embassy in Paraguay. That leaves only the United States and Guatemala with embassies in Jerusalem. 17-year-old Palestinian rights activist, Ahed Tamimi, who at 16 was jailed for slapping an Israeli soldier who invaded her house, is now speaking in France, in spite of Israeli attempts to prevent her from traveling. She intends to do more speaking in Europe. Ships from Europe continue to attempt to break the illegal Israeli blockade and bring humanitarian relief to Gaza. Israeli pirates continue to capture these humanitarian vessels; but still they keep coming. Poet-activist Dareen Tatour is serving a jail term in Israel for — you guessed it — writing poetry. Here is a sample of her poetry: Detaining a Poem 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: near 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 |