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Rolla Peace News November 13, 2018 |
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Dear Friends: http://tomsager.org/Peaceletters/peaceletter111318.html In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2018 2. FREEDOM AND THE PRESS 3. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Should Europe Have A Military? b) A New Look For The U.S. House Of Representatives c) Still Tickets Available For “All Is Calm” d) My Website 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2018 We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office THIS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 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 close to 40. 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. FREEDOM AND THE PRESS How many people even remember that Julian Assange has been imprisoned in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for over 6 years? Once regarded as a hero by media giants like the New York Times and the Guardian, he is now ignored and/or reviled by the same entities. They used the material he provided and made their profit from it; now they are covering their butts by distancing from him.“I have been to the darkest corners of government, and what they fear is light.” —Edward Snowden Assange's “crime” was to publish truths that our government and certain politicians did not want the people to know. Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden were well-known sources of some of this information. Manning went to prison and served 7 years of a 35-year sentence before being pardoned by President Obama at the end of his term. Snowden sought asylum in Moscow, and probably will never be able to come back safely. The revelations that came from these two whistleblowers, as well as the Democratic party emails that showed the corruption of that party and its favored candidates, were all things that the people should know, and should be outraged at. What happened to that outrage? All those things are still going on, but apparently the people, as well as the press, were entertained by them for a while, then turned to other things less uncomfortable to contemplate. Meanwhile, Assange is held in solitary confinement in the Ecuadorian embassy, and is denied health care or communication with his family and supporters. Pressure is being brought to bear on Ecuador by the United States to turn him over to “justice,” but the Ecuadorans apparently prefer to make him so miserable that he will come out on his own, so they can't be accused of going back on their word. It's apparent that our noble free press is willing to stand by and see Assange sacrificed to the revenge of those powers that have had their dirty secrets revealed, rather than stand with him and risk being the next target. Because it can happen here — just ask Jim Acosta! As Chris Hedges says, 3. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org)“What is happening to Assange should terrify the press. And yet his plight is met with indifference and sneering contempt. Once he is pushed out of the embassy, he will be put on trial in the United States for what he published. This will set a new and dangerous legal precedent that the Trump administration and future administrations will employ against other publishers, including those who are part of the mob trying to lynch Assange. The silence about the treatment of Assange is not only a betrayal of him but a betrayal of the freedom of the press itself. We will pay dearly for this complicity.” a) Should Europe Have A Military? b) A New Look For The U.S. House Of Representatives c) Still Tickets Available For “All Is Calm” d) My Website SHOULD EUROPE HAVE A MILITARY? In his Armistice Day speech, French President, Emmanuel Macron, called for a European military. Macron claimed, “We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America.”“France got the bomb; but don't you grieve, Armistice Day, which marked the end of World War I which was supposed to be “The War to End All Wars,” seems like an incongruous time to talk about building a military; but we're used to that here in the United States, where Armistice Day has been renamed Veterans Day and has become a celebration of all things military. Further, a European military to protect Europe against Russia (which is also part of Europe) seems incongruous. France invaded Russia under Napoleon. Much of Europe and parts of the rest of the world invaded Russia following the First World War. Germany invaded Russia under the Third Reich. If Russia ever invaded France, I am not aware of it. I suspect a European military would be offensive in nature, rather than defensive as Macron suggests, particularly toward Russia. Europeans are known for fighting nasty brutal wars against each other. Wikipedia gives us a long list of European wars — more than I can count. Think not only of the two world wars but wars like the Napoleonic Wars and the 30 Years War. (30 years, my God!, we've only been in Afghanistan 17.) The 30 Years War was a religious war — Christians against Christians — eight million died. Actually the United States and the Soviet Union performed a super-human feat together for 45 years after World War II — they kept Europeans from killing each other in huge numbers. (There were a few notable exceptions such as Northern Ireland.) Sadly the US and the USSR did not do the same for the rest of the world which experienced terrible massacres and human Rights abuses — think Korea, Vietnam and Palestine for examples. As soon as one pole, the Soviet Union, fell, Europeans quickly returned to their old habits of killing each other en masse. The Soviet Union was barely laid to rest before another nasty brutal European war broke out in the Balkans. So I am wondering: what would a European military look like? Who would it side with in the inevitable European conflicts to come? Would a European military be another giant step toward World War III? A NEW LOOK FOR THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Newly elected congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib lent support to climate activists occupying Nancy Pelosi's office. Ocasio told the protesters: No more business as usual Pelosi. We want to see some action.“I just want to let you all know how proud I am of each and every single one of you for putting yourselves and your bodies and everything on the line to make sure that we save our planet, our generation, and our future. It's so incredibly important.” STILL TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR “ALL IS CALM” Don't miss this very powerful play about the 1914 Christmas Truce on the western front. Fine Linen Theatre presents “All Is Calm” at Cedar Street Playhouse, Nov. 27-Dec. 1. Tickets still available. MY WEBSITE It has a new look. Check it out. I've posted my talk at the Lewis C. Green Awards Party. 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, Helen helenm (at) fidnet.com |