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Rolla Peace News December 15, 2023 |
Dear Friends:Editor's notes:In this newsletter is: 1. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Hostage Dilemma Moot b) Gaza: The World's Very Worst Humanitarian Catastrophe c) Global Warming Surpasses 1.5°C. for Three Months in a Row d) Palestine/Israel: The No State Solution Hostage Dilemma Moot I never heard from Hamas on my offer to become a hostage. I guess the whole idea is moot now. It appears that Israel prefers killing its own to negotiating for their release. Gaza: The World's Very Worst Humanitarian Catastrophe write the heads of CARE USA, Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam America, Refugees International, and Save the Children U.S. in a New York Times op-ed. But,“We are no strangers to human suffering—to conflict, to natural disasters, to some of the world's largest and gravest catastrophes,” Meanwhile, the US casts a lone dissenting vote in the UN Security Council, vetoing a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and bypasses congress to rush more deadly weapons to Israel.“We have seen nothing like the siege of Gaza. Most of our organizations have been operating in Gaza for decades. But we can do nothing remotely adequate to address the level of suffering there without an immediate and complete cease-fire and an end to the siege. The aerial bombardments have rendered our jobs impossible. The withholding of water, fuel, food, and other basic goods has created an enormous scale of need that aid alone cannot offset.” Over 18,000, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israeli munitions, many supplied by the United States. The latest reported atrocity is the execution of a woman and a room full of children, including newborns, sheltering in a school. According to an eye-witness, they were all shot point blank by IDF troops. There will be pay-backs for this. Make no mistake about it. There will be pay-backs. Henceforth, Israel will be known as the Butcher of Gaza and the United States will be known as the enabler of atrocities. Global Warming Surpasses 1.5°C. for Three Months in a Row This was not supposed to happen for many years. Still, here we are. Each of the last six months has been the warmest month on record with that same name and the last three all surpassed the 1.5°C. barrier. The last 12 months have been the warmest 12-month period on record, averaging 1.29°C. above the 1850-1900 average. While some might claim it's only temporary, that misses the point. If the heat dissipates, and there is no assurance that it will, the heat will be back. Count on it. Meanwhile extreme weather events like the recent Hurricane Otis will continue. And the response from global leaders at COP28, like their responses at the previous 27 COPs: Woefully inadequate. Climate Catastrophe has been updated to include November 2023 data. Check out the Autumn highlights. Palestine/Israel: The No State Solution We've heard about two-state solutions and one-state solutions, but the solution we are headed for is a no-state solution. According to Bill McKibben, Palestine/Israel is warming at a rate twice the global average. Rainfall is down and projected to fall further. Sea-level has risen, and is expected to rise further. To make matters worse, Israel is flooding the tunnels under Gaza with sea-water, thereby creating an environmental catastrophe of lasting proportions. There is no guarantee that the sea-water flooding the tunnels under Gaza will not migrate and pollute aquifers throughout the region. As McKibben points out: “The land here, theoretically so sacred to all sides, is in danger of turning into an uninhabitable desert.” Rolla Peace News is distributed by email once a week on Tuesdays (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).Wage peace, Tom yushasager (at) yahoo.com |