Open Letter to G. W. Bush (an excerpt)
by Rigoberta Menchu Tum
September 23, 2001

.... Mr. President, upon listening to the message you gave to
the Congress of your country, I have been unable to overcome a
sensation of fear for what may come of your words. You call upon your
people to prepare for "a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have
ever seen" and for your soldiers to save their honour by marching to a
war in which you intend to involve all of us, the peoples of the
world.

In the name of progress, pluralism, tolerance and liberty, you leave
no choice for those of us who are not fortunate enough to share this
sensation of liberty and the benefits of the civilization you wish to
defend for your people, we who never had sympathy for terrorism since
we were its victims. We, who are proud expressions of other
civilizations; who live day to day with the hope of turning
discrimination and plunder into recognition and respect; who carry in
our souls the pain of the genocide perpetrated against our peoples;
finally, we who are fed up with providing the dead for wars that are
not ours: we cannot share the arrogance of your infallibility nor the
single road onto which you want to push us when you declare that
"Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either you
are with us or you are with the terrorists."....

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Rigoberta Menchu Tum received the Nobel Peace Prize, and is Goodwill
Ambassador for the Culture of Peace