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Rolla Peace News October 27, 2020 |
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.In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Two Excellent Articles on Joe Biden that Changed my Mind b) Bullying Gets You Nowhere: The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Garners 50 State Parties — Enters into Force in 90 Days 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020 We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office, THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, FROM NOON TO 1:00 PM (and most subsequent Thursdays until Peace is established). Please join us again this Thursday in saying NO WAR AGAINST IRAN or any other country. The temperature is predicted to be in the 40s. 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: Since there are so few of us, generally 2 or 3, no need to cancel; but let's maintain social distancing. 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Two Excellent Articles on Joe Biden that Changed my Mind b) Bullying Gets You Nowhere: The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Garners 50 State Parties — Enters into Force in 90 Days Two Excellent Articles on Joe Biden that Changed my Mind Up to this weekend, I was an undecided voter. For me, it was a toss-up between Joe Biden and Green Party candidate, Howie Hawkins. Now I intend to vote for Joe Biden next Tuesday. The first article is, Biden, Trump and Peace with the Taliban by L. Ali Khan. Khan is the founder of Legal Scholar Academy and emeritus professor of law at Washburn University. Writing in The Jurist, he explains that in 2009 when newly-elected President Obama was discussing the proposed surge of US troops into Afghanistan, Joe Biden was the lone voice of caution. Maybe we should think this out, he suggested. Just think: if Obama had listened to his Vice-President, maybe we could have been out of Afghanistan 11 years ago. The voice of caution: I like that. We could certainly benefit from more caution and less impulsiveness. Further, Khan opines about the recent agreement with the Taliban, “If Biden wins the presidency, he is most likely to endorse the Doha agreement and end a costly war imposed on one of the world’s poorest people.” The second article that helped change my mind is Tom Weis', Like Sanders and Warren, I'm Backing Biden. Tom Weis, who is president of Climate Crisis Solutions in Boulder, Colorado, relates two chance encounters with Joe Biden. He portrays Biden as a warm, caring person. In 2013, while fasting for immigration reform in a tent on the National Mall in Washington, Vice President Biden came to visit with the fasters. Weis writes, “Inside the fasting tent, egos and lofty titles melted away and it was just real people meeting heart to heart. Joe Biden was no exception. If anything, I remember his empathy and humanity shining especially bright in that tent.” Empathy and humanity: We need a lot more of that. If you are considering voting for a candidate other than Joe Biden, please read these two short articles. They changed my mind. They may change yours too. Bullying Gets You Nowhere: The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Garners 50 State Parties — Enters into Force in 90 Days In spite of a letter from the Trump Administration suggesting to countries that have ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that they have made a “strategic error” and should withdraw from the Treaty, the Treaty garnered three more State Parties over the last week to reach the 50 necessary for the Treaty to enter into force. Let's hear a loud Hip, Hip, Hooray for the three latest additions: Jamaica, Nauru and Honduras. All parties to the Treaty agree, among other things, to “never under any circumstances ... Develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices;” This treaty is a major cause for anxiety among the five original nuclear weapon states, US, Russia, Britain, France and China, which have long been in breach of their obligation under Article VI of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to “pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.” I suspect that having reached the critical 50 State Parties, other countries will soon be lining up to join the Treaty. And I suspect that allies of nuclear weapon states will soon be questioning their role in support of nuclear weapons. Indeed, NATO member, Belgium, has already begun this process. 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: at 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 |