September Eleventh Families For Peaceful Tomorrows
Statement on the Second Anniversary of 9/11
Two years ago today our loved ones were tragically murdered in an act of
terror that shook the United States and the world. In the time since
their deaths, as we continue our personal paths of grieving, we are
comforted by the thoughtful and compassionate response of people all
over the world who have offered sympathy and support to the victims of
these terrible attacks. But much about the US government's approach to
responding to our loved ones' deaths stands in stark contrast to the
common sense words and comforting
actions of ordinary people. On this two-year anniversary, we stop to
reflect on the dangerous course of current policies and to call for a
new approach to 9/11 that is focused on bringing about true security and
justice.
Our loved ones' deaths prompted the US government to attack Afghanistan
and
overthrow the repressive Taliban government with the objective of
catching Osama Bin Laden and other members of Al Queda thought to be
responsible for the attack. While military efforts to overthrow the
Taliban were initially successful, Bin Laden is still unaccounted for,
and recent reports indicate that the Taliban and Al Queda are resurging
in Afghanistan even as the central government pleads for more funds for
stabilization and rebuilding.
Our military campaign in Afghanistan did one thing for certain: it
created more bereaved families just like ours. Ordinary Afghans were
killed by US bombs, injured by cluster bombs, and displaced by fighting,
adding to the suffering of 23 previous years of wars. On our travels to
Afghanistan we have met some of these families and hold them in our
hearts today as another set of victims created by the tragedy of 9/11.
Shortly after 9/11/01, the US congress passed the USA Patriot act,
ostensibly to improve security in the United States, with little time
for examination of its consequences. In this climate of fear and panic,
the Patriot Act and other measures have eroded basic American civil
liberties
and threatened our immigrant populations in particular. Today, unnamed
people languish in unidentified locations on unknown charges under the
guise of American justice. Yet there is no evidence that these measures
have made us any safer. At the same time, the administration stalls on
efforts to provide an open and honest investigation of the events of
9/11.
Last year at this time, President Bush used the occasion of the one year
commemoration of our loved ones' deaths to begin a marketing campaign to
sell the war against Iraq. Despite the lack of a link between Saddam
Hussein and the events of 9/11, the Bush Administration's insinuations
of a connection played upon the public's fears of 9/11 and led the
country into an unnecessary war in Iraq, invoking our loved ones' deaths
as justification. While the deceptions behind the stated reasons for
going to war are coming to light, ordinary Iraqis and US soldiers in
Iraq continue to suffer, with the death toll mounting every day. Today
we pause to mourn the Iraqi dead and all the casualties of the war, and
to call upon our leaders to bring our troops, who have put their lives
on the line, safely home from this misguided mission and to turn control
of Iraq's rebuilding to the authority of the United Nations.
One of our members wrote to the New York Times on Sept 14, 2001 "I
pray that this country which has been so deeply hurt not unleash forces
that it does not have the power to call back." Have we unleashed
these terrible forces? After 9/11 America had the sympathy of the entire
world. Since war with Iraq, international sympathy and support has
turned to hatred and despair. Anti-American sentiment is on the
rise all around the world - what better recruiting tool for terrorist
can we provide?
As grieving family members, we know that feelings of fear and anger are
a natural part of the healing process. But we have learned that it is
not healthy or constructive to act on these emotions. The government's
response to 9/11 has kept us stuck in the fear and panic that we all
shared from the shocking events of 9/11. Rather than basing our policies
on fear and anger, we call upon the government to act in the best
interest of the American public by rejoining the community of nations to
work together constructively in solving the issues of worldwide
terrorism and war.
While September 11 stands as a unique tragedy in the American
experience, the sad reality is that people in other countries have been
experiencing their own September 11ths with much less fanfare all the
time. Peaceful Tomorrows members have met with other victims of violence
around the world who are a guiding light in our efforts to put our grief
to work as action for peace. From Israeli and Palestinian parents who
lost children to
violence, to victims of the US Embassy bombing in Kenya to the mothers
of the disappeared in Central and South America to the survivors of the
ultimate violence -the atomic weapons dropped by the US on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, Peaceful Tomorrows members have found ourselves to be part of
a worldwide family of those who have known terror and who have responded
with peace. September 11 taught us that human beings have the capacity
to commit terrible violence against each other. But it also taught us
that the human heart is capable of overcoming fear and hatred to build a
world in which there are no more September 11ths anywhere in the world.
It is this hope is that we must build upon as individuals and as
nations.
On February 15, 2003 a great worldwide shift was made apparent-so
obvious in fact that the New York Times reported it on the front page.
The millions of people in the streets around the world marching against
war in Iraq demonstrated that there are now two superpowers in the
world: the Bush
Administration and global public opinion. We are honored to stand with
our brothers and sisters around the world who know that we the people
must find another way to live together on this planet.
So today as we mourn, reflect and remember, we ask that you join with us
in pursuit of true peace, security, and justice. We owe it to the dead,
we need it for the living and we must do it for the generations to
follow. Let us move forward together to build a future of peaceful
tomorrows.
Sep 09, 2003
