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Rolla Peace News September 30, 2025 |
Dear Friends:Webperson's note:1. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) A Tale of Two Charlies b) Who Killed Charlie Kirk? c) Calls for Armed Intervention in Gaza d) Donald Trump Wants Bagram Air Force Base Back e) From the Folks Who Suggested Mainlining Bleach f) The Blob Is Back A Tale of Two Charlies I'm sure you've all guessed that one Charlie is Charlie Kirk. The other Charlie is Charlie Hebdo. Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical publication. Ten years ago they published some degrading images of the Prophet Muhammad. In response, two French Muslims, Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, shot up their offices killing nine, including editor Stéphane Charbonnier. This incident caused an international tempest with millions, including many heads of state, demonstrating under the rubric, “Je suis Charlie” and proclaiming not only Hebdo's right to free speech, but the necessity of embracing the publication itself. The Hebdo murders gave rise to an anti-Islamic backlash, particularly in France where, like the U.S., Muslims are an ostracized minority. The dead at Charlie Hebdo instantly became martyrs for free speech. Writing about this incident, Glenn Greenwald noted: I also wrote about the Hebdo incident and photocollaged a counter-cartoon here.“In all the many years I've worked in defense of free speech, I've never seen the principle so blatantly exploited for other ends by people who plainly don't believe in it as was true of the Hebdo killings.” If you are seeing parallels to the Charlie Kirk killing, you are not unique. Charlie Kirk made his living fomenting hatred. Christopher Cook gives some examples in this short article: About black women in high positions Kirk said: and“you do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken seriously.” “You had to steal a white person's slot.” And he characterized Islam as:“If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’” And referring to Zohran Mamdani, the likely next mayor of New York City, Kirk claims:“The sword the Left is using to slit the throat of America.” Like Charlie Hebdo, Charlie Kirk made his living denigrating certain groups of people: Leftists, Muslims, Blacks, Gays and others. And like Charlie Hebdo he has been proclaimed a martyr to free speech and his murder used as justification to deny free speech to those whom he attacked.“Twenty-four years ago a group of Muslims killed 2,753 people on 9/11 … Now a Muslim Socialist is on pace to run New York City.” So what are we to say about people who foment hatred and provoke a violent response? Certainly, the worst thing we can do is to call them martyrs to free speech. Calling them martyrs to hate speech would be far more accurate. And what are we to say about those who encourage this hateful behavior? Are they not equally responsible? Suppose people refused to listen to this drivel. Wouldn't it be a better world for all of us? For my own part, I had never heard of Charlie Kirk until he was dead; and I had never heard of Charlie Hebdo before the 2015 murders. Who Killed Charlie Kirk? So, who killed Charlie Kirk? The official story about Tyler Robinson is full of holes. The story is that Kirk was killed by a 30-06. Really?. According to stuff I've read, (I am not an expert on guns.) a 30-06 can bring down a moose. So where's the bullet? Where's the exit hole? According to early reports, he confessed to his father. That confession seems to have evaporated into thin air. He was billed as a leftist. Apparently, he comes from a Trump-supporting Mormon family. They say Robinson is not cooperating, rather than he is exercising his constitutional right to remain silent. Sounds like he has already been convicted. Personally, I favor the *CONJECTURE* (that's *CONJECTURE*, not conspiracy theory) that Israel was behind the murder. According to Max Blumenthal at the Grayzone, Kirk had a falling out with Netanyahu and the Israel lobby who had been bankrolling his organization, Turning Point USA. They were, apparently, very unhappy that Kirk started saying the obvious: that support for Israeli genocide is inconsistent with putting America first. According to Blumenthal, Kirk was afraid that they might kill him. This conjecture makes sense. Israel is a country prone to assassination. Here's a long list of Israeli assassinations. Most recently, in the midst of negotiations with Hamas, Israel attempted to assassinate the Hamas negotiating team in Qatar. And the United States has been providing Israel with cover for its atrocities for years, most recently the US vetoed the Sept. 2025 UN resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. Listen to this 45 minute video of Chris Hedges interviewing Max Blumenthal and let me know what you think. Calls for Armed Intervention in Gaza We may be approaching the point of armed intervention against the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Italy and Spain have sent warships to escort the Sumud flotilla, a non-violent international effort to break the blockade and bring much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, where children are starving under made-in-USA bombs supplied to the genocidal Israelis. Kudos to Spain and Italy. Maybe other countries will join the effort. President Gustavo Petro of Columbia has called for armed intervention against the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Unfortunately, since Israel seems to have no moral inhibitions concerning starving and murdering tens of thousands of children in Gaza, and no respect whatsoever for international law, armed intervention on behalf of Gaza may be required to save some of Gaza's two million Palestinians. In retaliation for Petro's call for armed intervention, The United States has canceled President Petro's visa to attend the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. I think many are fed up with this bullying, including the Palestinian Authority which was also denied visas to attend the UN General Assembly meeting. President Petro and others have suggested moving the UN to some other country. Hmmm... Suppose Israel attacks the Spanish/Italian escort for the Sumud Flotilla. Who you gonna back, Donald? Your NATO allies or your Israeli friends? (I think I know the answer to this question.) Recall that World War I began with an assassination amid shifting political alliances. With over 1,000 staff on the ground in Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) does phenomenal work providing humanitarian aid to Gaza's starving population. They have enough food to feed Gaza for months waiting at the border; but Israel will not let the trucks in. While the United States, in support of the Israeli genocide, has cut off all funding for UNRWA, individual Estadounidenses have stepped up to the plate and donated millions of dollars. Visit UNRWA-USA for more information. To give you some idea of the magnitude of what Israel and the United States have done to Gaza, read this article by George Monbiot. The destruction of Gaza goes way beyond genocide. This is ECOCIDE: rendering the land unfit for humans and other life forms. Donald Trump Wants Bagram Air Force Base Back Having been defeated in Afghanistan by the Taliban, Donald Trump now wants to return and retake control of Bagram Air Force Base. The Taliban has responded: NO !@#$#^& WAY! From the Folks Who Suggested Mainlining Bleach I'm sure you've all heard that according to the Trump administration's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, all that's required to avoid autism is giving up vaccinations and tylenol. (Never mind genetic factors or all the pollutants in our food, air and water.) As one who likely suffered from undiagnosed childhood autism, I strongly recommend this article by Roy Richard Grinker. The Blob Is Back! The blob is back! — the great northern Pacific marine heatwave that disrupts ecosystems and adds excess heat to adjacent land. This time the blob stretches all the way from Japan to California. But don't worry folks. Donald Trump assures us that global warming is nothing but a huge con-job. There are still lots of uncertainties about the blob; but some climate scientists fear that it is a natural adjustment to a warming climate and may soon become a permanent fixture. The name, The Blob, was likely inspired by the prophetic 1972 horror movie, Beware! the Blob, in which the petroleum industry inadvertently releases the blob from its icy mausoleum. The blob swallows everything in its path. The only way to stop it is to freeze it. Rolla Peace News is written occasionally (perhaps once a month) and distributed by email. It 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 |