The SAND PAPER – page two ESTIMATE OF 20th CENTURY HUMANS RELIEVED OF LIFE: WAR 190 MILLION - GENOCIDE: 155 MILLION That’s just one century! – Are you proud, or what? Wars range from 66 million in World War II – real big numbers! - to just 907 people in the Falklands – disappointing if you consider that respected Doctor, Harold Shipman, managed hundreds all on his own. Of course Mao Zedong in China managed 50 million, putting even Hitler to shame. On the other hand, my neighbour just had a heart attack and it’s really upset me. Also, I still mourn the deaths of my grandparents, nearly half a century ago. Mustn’t be sentimental though. The combined wars and genocides come to 345 million, which is piffling compared to the present world population of over 7 billion. Were I a truly loyal member of the human race, I’d be grateful to the warriors and genociders for relieving the impending squash! Humans are often criticised for killing their own species. I don’t know about that. Baby owls eat their own brothers and sisters (I’ve seen it on TV – great viewing!). In truth we should be praised for our effective culling. After all, there are no longer any other creatures able to do this for us. Except God, and - with earthquakes and tsunamis, etc. - He does his bit. We’re just helping him. Another way in which we serve... ...So, never mind the meat. - Here’s to God and Heroism!
WHO CAN DOUBT THIS HEROISM: Alive by 'the grace of God' by Caspar Weinberger and Wynton Hall (from USA Today) Meet Master Sgt. William Calvin Markham, a combat controller from Waukesha, Wis., whom history will record as the first member of the Air Force to set foot on Afghan soil in the war on terror. Just one month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Markham, 37, part of a 12-member military team, was among the first U.S. special operations forces to enter Afghanistan. "The Taliban would unleash everything at us," Markham recalls. "We took enormous amounts of fire: small arms fire, tank rounds, you name it. They also had ZSU 23s, an anti-aircraft weapon, and turned them on us, sending what looked like large, flaming footballs at our position." Asked how he and his team survived the enemy's wall of fire, the 6'1", 250-pound Markham replies, "It was the grace of God. It was like we had a bubble over us." When the smoke cleared, Markham's Silver Star citation credited him with directing 175 sorties that resulted in the elimination of 450 enemy vehicles and the killing of more than 3,500 Taliban fighters in a little more than a month. Caspar Weinberger is a former secretary of Defence and the chairman of Forbes. Wynton C. Hall, an author and speechwriter, is writing with Weinberger, Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror.	“I have learned from an early age to abjure the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.” Leonardo da Vinci BASIC BUDDHIST PRINCIPLES Buddhism affirms the unity of all living beings, all equally posses the potential to become fully and perfectly enlightened. Among the sentient, there are no second-class citizens. Human beings do not have a privileged, special place above and beyond that of the rest of life. The world is not a creation specifically for the benefit and pleasure of human beings. In Buddhism the most fundamental guideline for conduct is ahimsa-the prohibition against the bringing of harm and/or death to any living being. Why should one refrain from killing? All beings have lives; they love their lives and do not wish to die. Since we wish to live, we should not kill any other living being. The karma of killing is understood as the root of all suffering and the fundamental cause of sickness and war, and the forces of killing are explicitly identified with the demonic. The highest and most universal ideal of Buddhism is to work unceasingly for permanent end to the suffering of all living beings, not just humans.
YET TO COME: THE MARCH OF SCIENCE!

The SAND PAPER – page three
Are we individuals or sheep? – If we’re sheep, we can eat each other
OUR REPORTER VISITS THE HOME OF A KIND, BUT INEFFECTIVE CITIZEN Are individuals, living in a democracy, responsible for the actions of their government? Yes. So if their government declares war and starts killing people, at home or abroad, the voters are responsible for the deaths. Are they? I hope you’re not inferring that I’m responsible for those dying in Iraq. Aren’t you? I don’t agree with the war. That’s very noble. What are you doing to change your government’s policy? What can I do? I’m just one individual. True. But if all the millions of individuals who say they disagree with the war surrounded parliament, the government would change it’s policy. And very quickly, don’t you think? Yes. And if all those millions did it, I’d join them. But not on your own? Perhaps you’re not an individual. Listen, I’ve got a job. Well done. You value your job more than other people’s lives. I have a wife and children. So you’re happy with the ½-million deaths then...? I’ve told you my opinions! But your opinions are worth nothing. Basically you do what you’re told. You say you’re responsible but you’re not responsible. You are a sheep. How dare you! Please leave or I shall call the police.  OUR REPORTER VISITS THE HOME OF A CLEAR-MINDED CITIZEN Are individuals, living in a democracy, responsible for the actions of their government? Yes. So if their government declares war and starts killing people, at home or abroad, the voters are responsible for the deaths. Are they? Yes. So you’re happy with the ½-million deaths in Iraq? Yes. It’ll bring wealth and raise my standard of living. If we kill all those who disagree with us, the world will be a safer place. There’s nothing wrong with killing people unless it’s unlawful. What? Now get out, or I’ll set the dogs on you!	I’m sorry for murdering your mum,                  dad tells daughters          (NZPA | Tuesday, 29 May 2007) The father of two young girls hugged them in court today moments before he began a life sentence for murdering their mother.                                        (heart-wrenching, eh?) SCIENCE ON THE MARCH! FEEDING THE HUNGRY British Animals Killed Per Annum chickens  turkeys ducks sheep pigs cattle horses deer birds fish 600 million  35 million 10 million 32 million 14 million 7 million 0.05 million 0.03 million 5 million 650,000 tons “Researchers have discovered a way to use enzymes produced by microbes to kill other microbes.”    (neat trick, huh?) SILVER KILLS VIRUSES STUDY FINDS Tuesday, Oct 18, 2005 / FreeMarketNews.com In a groundbreaking study, the Journal of Nanotechnology has published a study that found silver nanoparticles kills HIV-1 and is likely to kill virtually any other virus.             Why Not Kill Dogs? Lawrence A. Hansen, M.D. (Associate Professor of Pathology & Neuroscience, UCSD School of Medicine) As a physician, neuroscientist, and associate professor at UCSD School of Medicine, my opposition to dog vivisection is perceived by some of my colleagues as eccentric. Why oppose killing dogs for education? Well ...dogs are special animals.  ?CONFUSED “Is soy killing the rainforest? “The people I work with are always saying that I am killing animals by eating soy because the rain forest is being cut down and I'm better off eating meat because I'm killing animals anyways.” – a confused vegetarian “Is killing vegetables wrong? If all living entities are spiritually equal, then why is it acceptable to eat vegetables? Aren't vegetarians guilty of killing vegetables?” – a confused philosopher
CONCLUSION: If in doubt, don’t leave prints! NEXT ISSUE: Maiming – Is It Wrong?