home archives last week feedback

Rolla Peace News

September 21, 2021
Dear Friends:
Editor's note: Please consider writing for our newsletter. It's always very exciting to be able to publish submissions from our readers.

Webperson's note: If you are having trouble reading this, it is posted at
http://tomsager.org/Peaceletters/peaceletter092121.html

In this newsletter is:

1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org)
          a) From Our Readers: Cuba and Vaccines
          b) From Our Readers: Vaccines and Profit
          c) Climate: Records Falling Like the Autumn Leaves

==================

1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office, THIS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, FROM NOON TO 1:00 PM (and most subsequent Thursdays until Peace is established). Please join us this Thursday in saying NO MORE WAR AGAINST AFGHANISTAN or any other country. The temperature is predicted to be around 70. 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.

Note 1: Since there are so few of us, generally 2 or 3, no need to cancel; but let's maintain social distancing.

Note 2: In case of inclement weather, vigils may be canceled or terminated early.

2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org)
          a) From Our Readers: Cuba and Vaccines
          b) From Our Readers: Vaccines and Profit
          c) Climate: Records Falling Like the Autumn Leaves

From Our Readers: Cuba and Vaccines

A reader writes:
“I wonder if Cuba will be willing to accept foreigners for vaccination. They have in the past taken non-Cubans for other treatments. It is not free, and the price charged helps support the Cuban medical system. People from wealthier countries of course will not do this, as there is not an availability problem, but a few might do it just for the political message.”
My response: I had thought about this, but decided that Cubans and folks in the countries to which they will be exporting vaccines need the vaccines a whole lot more than I do. However, maybe they would give me a virtual jab of Abdala.

Incidentally, Cuba has begun the vaccination process on 72% of its population, while the United States has begun vaccinating about 65% of its population. While the United States has fully vaccinated a greater percentage of its population, Cuba is quite likely to surpass the United States in this regard within a month or two, as those already in the pipeline reach fully vaccinated status.

Cuba not only accepts foreigners for medical treatment, they train foreign doctors too, including medical students from the United States.

From Our Readers: Vaccines and Profit

A reader writes:
“Always an interesting read. Pfizer and Moderna have been enjoying all the good news of them as saviors, but as you point out, it's more complicated (and profit driven) than that.”
My response: If the purpose of developing vaccines was global health; the world would be close to fully vaccinated by now; and we might never have seen a delta variant. But, as you point out, “its more complicated (and profit driven) than that.” Here in wealthy countries, we let our unused vaccines spoil rather than give them away to poor countries that need them.

It's all part of the profit motive. Let the virus run wild and mutate in poor countries, and then spread to wealthy countries. Then develop vaccines for the mutations and sell at a profit to wealthy countries.

Well, what would you expect from a socio-economic system (capitalism) that elevates greed (second of the seven deadly sins) to the highest good.

Incidentally, “pump-priming” of this kind is second nature to the military. Atrocities, like the August 29 US bombing in Afghanistan that killed civilians as young as two, are meant to illicit a violent response, which is then used as an excuse for more war, more bombs and more profits for the military-industrial complex.

I commend the Taliban for not responding violently to this atrocity, and thereby denying the Pentagon an excuse to commit further atrocities.

I do a lot of reading: left, right, center and unclassifiable. I can't recall seeing a single article in the US media commending the Taliban for anything: Not for ending the war, not for driving out foreign invaders, not for uniting the country, not for being patient, and definitely, not for responding non-violently to provocations like the August 29 bombing. I can't be the only one; or can I?

Climate: Records Falling Like the Autumn Leaves

Here's a compendium of recent climate-change-induced catastrophic events that have never-before happened. In 2021, records have fallen like the autumn leaves from the Pacific Northwest heat dome to the California Dixie Fire to Hurricane Ida.

This article, with two exceptions, covers only the United States, and therefore, misses record floods in Germany and Zhengzhou, China and the summer ring of fire around the Mediterranean, not to mention a deadly drought in Madagascar that has led to severe famine.

So, tell me again how climate change is a Chinese hoax.

=================
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 Rollaites for Peace: 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,
Tom
yushasager (at) yahoo.com 

###