Rolla Peace News
December 15, 2009

Dear Friends:

          In this newsletter is:

1. THURSDAY NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE
2. BALD EAGLE VISITS ROLLA PEACE VIGIL
3. LEGISLATOR OPPOSES PENTAGON APPROPRIATIONS BILL
4. RETHINKING AFGHANISTAN
5. FEDERAL JUDGE UPHOLDS CONSTITUTION

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1. THURSDAY NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE

Our weekly noon vigils are on Thursdays. We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office THIS THURSDAY, December 17, (and all subsequent Thursdays until peace is established) from Noon to 1:00 PM. Please try to join us. The temperature is predicted to be in the low to mid 40s under mostly sunny skies. 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. BALD EAGLE VISITS ROLLA PEACE VIGIL

At last week's vigil we received a visit from a bald eagle which flew low, looked us over, and then flew off to the West.

3. LEGISLATOR OPPOSES PENTAGON APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Rep. Alan Grayson calls our Afghan War "an 18th century strategy being employed against a 14th century enemy" and vows to oppose this "futile" war in the only effective way remaining to Congress, cutting off funding for it, (click here).

4. RETHINKING AFGHANISTAN

Check out the Rethinking Afghanistan website, and watch the six part documentary video online. Mark Haim, director of Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, has offered to come to Rolla to show this video and lead a discussion of our Afghan War. If you are interested in helping with this program, please contact me, tom (at) tomsager.org.

5. FEDERAL JUDGE UPHOLDS CONSTITUTION

Judge Nina Gershon ruled that the congressional "witchhunt" against ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is unconstitutional, violating the constitutional ban on Bills of Attainder. Judge Gershon ordered that funding be restored to ACORN.

A Bill of Attainder is legislation that singles out an individual or a group of individuals for punishment, and amounts to a legislature setting itself up as prosecutor, judge and jury. As Lewis Carroll put it, "'I'll be judge, I'll be jury,' Said cunning old fury; 'I'll try the whole cause, and condemn you to death'"

Glenn Greenwald, (click here), argues: "There is an endless list of radical flaws in our political system, including our judicial branch. But in those rare cases when things actually work the way they're designed to, it's worth reminding ourselves of why the Constitution is such a vital document and why it's so crucial that it be adhered to and defended."

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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 (links below my photo on upper left of home page).

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,

Yusha
tom (at) tomsager.org

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