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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, DECEMBER 23, 2021 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org)           a) From Our Readers: Abu Zubaydah           b) From Our Readers: Hamid Karzai and The Taliban           c) 2021: A Year of Extreme Weather in the United States (and Everywhere Else) 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021 We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office, THIS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, FROM NOON TO 1:00 PM (and most subsequent Thursdays until Peace is established). Please join us this Thursday in saying NO MORE WARS — LET PEACE PREVAIL. The temperature is predicted to be in the 50s. If you do not feel comfortable joining 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: Abu Zubaydah           b) From Our Readers: Hamid Karzai and The Taliban           c) 2021: A Year of Extreme Weather in the United States (and Everywhere Else) From our Readers: Abu Zubaydah A reader writes in reference to last week's snippet on the torture of Abu Zubaydah: And here is the letter:“In the matter of Abu Zubayda, you might be interested in the enclosure, dated November 2010. It is a letter from my vfp [Veterans for Peace] chapter to the Ohio Psychology Board recommending an investigation of Dr Larry C James, one of the Army psychologists who devised and instituted so-called ‘enhanced interrogation’ at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. A group of [law professionals] approached me about this matter and this letter is the result. Predictably, there was no answer.” November 3, 2010 From our Readers: Hamid Karzai and The Taliban A reader sends in this interview with 13-year president of Afghanistan (2001-2014), Hamid Karzai, who claims he had worked out a power-sharing “deal” with the Taliban but his successor, Ashraf Ghani, blew it by fleeing the country. My response: I wouldn't believe a word of it. Hamid Karzai was selected as president by occupation forces in Dec. 2001 and remained President of the occupation government for 13 years during which time: opium production soared. insurgency grew stronger and corruption grew. Had he so desired, he had plenty of time to work out a power-sharing “deal” with the Taliban. In the waning days of the occupation, the Taliban was offered a power-sharing “deal” in a “coalition government.” They weren't interested. Their victory was already 99.9% assured. The Taliban offered amnesty to all who would surrender. In general, unlike most Western politicians, they seem to be men of their word. Karzai continues to live in his “tree-lined compound” in the center of Kabul with his children. I think Karzai is trying to position himself as THE politician who can deal with both the Taliban and the former occupying powers. In that regard, he may be successful. 2021: A Year of Extreme Weather in the United States and Everywhere Else While deadly, destructive extreme weather-related events struck everywhere, 2021 has been a particularly devastating year in the United States. Here are some monthly highlights of extreme weather in the United States in 2021. Maybe next week we'll do extreme weather from other continents. Jan: California fire season extends into January. Indeed, one might now say that the California fire season is 12 months long. Feb: Midwest Deep Freeze extends as far south as Texas which was totally unprepared. This extreme weather event caused 215 deaths and $23 Billion in monetary damages. Mar: Severe weather stretching from the plains to the southeast US killed14 and caused $3.4 Billion of damage. Apr: Texas, still recovering from the February deep freeze, hit by high winds, hail and tornadoes. May: An atmospheric river floods the lower Mississippi Valley from Mississippi to Texas. June: A heat dome over the Pacific northwest United States and Southwestern Canada sets record for most extreme heat event anywhere in the world since record-keeping began. July: Hurricane Elsa hits West Coast of Florida, crosses to Atlantic seaboard and causes catastrophic damage as it moves up the Atlantic coast. Aug: The Caldor Fire crosses the divide from California to the Nevada side of the Sierras, threatening Lake Tahoe and causing over $1 Billion damage. 2021 was a long devastating fire season in California and much of the North American West. Aug-Sept: Hurricane Ida makes landfall in Louisiana crosses to mid-Atlantic states where it meets with a frontal system causing extreme flooding, The death toll from Ida stands at 77. Ida caused $65 Billion of damage. Oct: An atmospheric river hits drought parched and fire scarred California causing floods and landslides. Nov: An atmospheric river hits British Columbia flooding the Pacific Northwest and cutting Vancouver off from the rest of Canada. Dec: A rare December tornadic outbreak in the Midwest was responsible for at least seventy deaths, mostly in Kentucky and Illinois. Plus: the multi-year drought in western North America (Mexico, United States and Canada) continues throughout the year. And much, much more! Due to so much extreme weather around the globe, global food prices have hit a high not seen since the great Russian drought of 1972. Anyone out there in readerland care to write in and tell me how it's all a Chinese hoax? Meanwhile, lots of folks seem to have nothing better to do then to threaten each other with nuclear weapons. Other articles about nuclear threats here and here. 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  |