The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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I'm forwarding this message because, although its point has already been made in more detail by Abi, hearing it from the mouths of parents who lost a son in Tuesday's attack adds a certain weight to it, in my opinion. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 11:54:14 -0400 From: Bill Thomson <wthomson@umich.edu> Subject: Fwd: Not in Our Son's Name >> > << Date: 9/15/01 11:52:51 PM Eastern Daylight Time >> > From: jschaffner@igc.org (JSchaffner) >> > To: portside@egroups.com (Portside) >> > > Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez's son Greg is one of the Trade Center victims. > > Copy of letter sent to NY Times: > > Not in Our Son's Name > > Our son Greg is among the many missing from the World Trade Center attack. > Since we first heard the news, we have shared moments of grief, comfort, > hope, despair, fond memories with his wife, the two families, our friends > and neighbors, his loving colleagues at Cantor Fitzgerald / Espeed, and all > the grieving families that daily meet at the Pierre Hotel. > > We see our hurt and anger reflected among everybody we meet. We cannot pay > attention to the daily flow of news about this disaster. But we read enough > of the news to sense that our government is heading in the direction of > violent revenge, with the prospect of sons, daughters, parents, friends in > distant lands dying, suffering, and nursing further grievances against us. > It is not the way to go. It will not avenge our son's death. Not in our > son's name. > > Our son died a victim of an inhuman ideology. Our actions should not serve > the same purpose. Let us grieve. Let us reflect and pray. Let us think > about a rational response that brings real peace and justice to our world. > But let us not as a nation add to the inhumanity of our times. > > > Copy of letter to White House: > > Dear President Bush: > > Our son is one of the victims of Tuesday's attack on the World Trade > Center. We read about your response in the last few days and about the > resolutions from both Houses, giving you undefined power to respond to > the terror attacks. > > Your response to this attach does not make us feel better about our son's > death. It makes us feel worse. It makes us feel that our government is > using our son's memory as a justification to cause suffering for other sons > and parents in other lands. > > It is not the first time that a person in your position has been given > unlimited power and came to regret it. This is not the time for empty > gestures to make us feel better. It is not the time to act like bullies. > We urge you to think about how our governement can develop peaceful, > rational solutions to terrorism, solutions that do not sink us to the inhuman > level of terrorists. > > Sincerely, > > Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez > -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq For removal from list, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk CASI's website - www.casi.org.uk - includes an archive of all postings.