From: 9:30 PM Subject: Creative responses to "The 911 Crisis"To: cii@igc.org (undisclosed list) Dear friends: In more than 40 years of "movement" activity, I've never seen anything like the creativity that seems to be bubbling up -- in just ten days -- on ways to deal with this problem we've dubbed "terrorism." Not all the ideas are "feasible" (probably), but they are all very provocative and/or inspiring. Many are very insightful. Some are local, some are national or international. Some are personal or interpersonal. Yesterday I started compiling the collection in this email, pulling them out of the many emails I receive. Today I got a whole 'nother list -- with little duplication -- from my friend David Sunfellow. His compilation contains the following: WE ARE ALL NEW YORKERS By Jean Houston PAY IT FORWARD By Bob Stilger I BOUGHT A BOUQUET OF FLOWERS By Ross Blaufarb BOMB THEM WITH BUTTER By Kent Madin HEALNG THE TERRORIST WITHIN By Dottie Titus MAY WE HEED THE HEART By Bobbie Rose NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION By Pennie Stasik O'Grady ACTION STEPS WE CAN TAKE THAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE By Joseph Dillard THE HOPPING STONE VISION By David Sunfellow Rather than overwhelm you with both lengthy emails, I'll send this one, and refer you to David's with his URL http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/1908, which I urge you to check out. Feel free to compile your own list of favorites from these, and pass them on. My own list below is not nearly as well organized as David's, but I want to get back to work on a article I'm writing about a co-intelligent response to this crisis -- A CALL TO MOVE FROM PUBLIC OPINION TO PUBLIC JUDGMENT -- which I hope to have done and sent off to you tomorrow. I hope you're holding up well under the heavy flow of messages and energies. My own email traffic is now well over 100 messages a day, so if I'm not responding well to your communications, you'll know why. I'm only human and this work is testing my limits. May we all make it through these times to a better world. Coheartedly, Tom PS ON THE NIMDA WORM: There's much talk going around about the new Nimda worm/virus. Here's one authoritative source (which is updated regularly: http://www.helpdesk.umd.edu/alerts/virus/nimda.shtml "This worm, which attacks Windows computers, has spread rapidly across the Internet all over the globe. It arrives in an email message as an attachment called readme.exe. If you are using Outlook Express without a MIME security patch, the attachment will activate AUTOMATICALLY if you read or preview the message. If you use a different email client and receive such an attachment in an email, even if it seems to be from someone you know, DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACHMENT until you verify that it is a legitimate email message. This worm infects multiple executable files on your machine and also attacks Windows NT and 2000 web servers in a manner similar to CodeRed. Infected web servers will have their web pages altered with Javascript so that visitors using Internet Explorer 5.0 or 5.5 to view the website will also be infected (unless IE Service Pack 2 has been installed)." _ _ _ _ America is no longer insulated from the pathos of other nations. Christopher Fry writes, "Thank God, our time is now, when wrong comes up to meet us everywhere, never to leave us till we take the longest stride of soul men ever took." -- Jean Houston _ _ _ _ _ Thanks to Norie Huddle for this anonymous poem One... As the soot and dirt and ash rained down, We became one color. As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building We became one class. As we lit candles of waiting and hope We became one generation. As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno We became one gender. As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength, We became one faith. As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement, We spoke one language. As we gave our blood in lines a mile long, We became one body. As we mourned together the great loss We became one family. As we cried tears of grief and loss We became one soul. As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heroes We become one people. _ _ _ _ _ from "MR. BUSH'S WIN-WIN OPTION" By HAZEL HENDERSON Many policy pitfalls have been pointed out to President Bush as his team crafts a response to the terrible attacks of September 11, 2001. They include the need to avoid any rapid retaliation with the use of force, which might kill more civilians. Afghanistan is already a wasteland of poverty, drought and suffering - while Osama bin Laden's camps are mobile and hard to detect. Recruiting allies and NATO could lead to another set of "us versus them" divisions that could further alienate many other countries - and risk further terrorist acts. President Bush can learn from his father and avoid such traps by uniting the whole world to participate in curbing terrorism. President Bush now has $40 billion of discretionary funds granted by Congress. He could take $1 billion of this and pay the USA's arrears owed to the United Nations and to our allies for past UN peacekeeping actions, which were fully approved by the USA. Mr. Bush can properly bypass the Congress and cite our national security in an Executive Order to pay the UN what we owe. Why is this so necessary? Because, like his father during the Gulf War in 1991, President Bush needs to create the very broadest coalition of support for the US in dealing with terrorism. Only the UN can deliver this: the support of every country in the world via a UN Resolution. Even our approaches to Pakistan will need to be strengthened by support of all countries - through a UN Resolution. Such UN action will be swift and supportive of the US - since it can invoke the power of international law and precedent. Then a UN Summit on Terrorism can be quickly convened - with the willing help of our European and NATO partners and include every country wishing to be free of the scourge of terrorism.... ...[T]oday, many [international agreements] need to be ratified by the USA, from the Kyoto protocols on global climate change to the International Criminal Court. We need INTERPOL and many other international agencies to help catch Osama bin Laden and his accomplices. Then these criminals can be tried before the International Court in the Hague - along with Slobodan Milosovic and others who commit crimes against all humanity. President Bush's first months of unilateralism, during which he abrogated no less than six international treaties, including his missile defense threat to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, caused deep anger, even amongst the USA's closest allies. Mr. Bush needs them now - as well as all other countries fighting terrorism. Only the United Nations has a big enough tent to bring all countries to a Summit on Terrorism, where all - including many sympathetic Muslim countries - can shape a worldwide strategy to combat terrorists wherever they are in our wired, global village. Such win-win strategies will become more prevalent as we all learn the lessons of global interdependence. (John Atlee writes: "The problem is that there is not yet any credible international criminal court -- and war crimes court -- because the US is afraid that setting up such a court will put Americans at risk for things that we have done. If people's current anger and fear could be focused on changing this aspect of US policy it would be a huge step forward.") - - - --- Judy Eda wrotes: Is it a foregone conclusion that all business and investment interests favor military action? Haven't the changes in the global economy made U.S. business interests in some ways more vulnerable, not less? If September 11's attacks really were "an act of war," no one injured could collect a nickel of insurance: acts of war are expressly not covered.... People who disagree with our moral or political stance may yet choose peace because it's more practical.... ALSO SHE WRITES: In signing the petition located at this URL: http://home.uchicago.edu/~dhpicker/petition I noticed that it is now translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and German. A message at the end of the petition requests e-mails from translaters who could render it into other languages as well. Can your network find more translators? _ _ _ _ _ David Noller writes: Within a block and a half of my own house are (a) a Muslim-owned pizzeria (1st generation); (b) a Muslim-owned corner market (1st); (c) a Muslim-owned Middle Eastern restaurant (also 1st); and (d) a small mosque. Tonight after hours I left the following letter [with these businesses and the mosque]: = = = = Dear Friends & Neighbors; We know that during this horrible time of terror you may be suffering wrongly from the ignorant fear and anger of others. We are sorry. We hurt with you. We apologize for any hurtful comments which may be directly or indirectly made against you; they come only from scared but spiritually poor people. We hope that you are well in body and soul. We deplore all violent language and violent action--by and against any and all people. We know that many of our own immigrant ancestors--including but not limited to German, Italian, and Japanese-Americans during the equally difficult times of the World Wars-unfairly suffered from the same fear and bigotry. We want you to know how glad we are that you bring your strength and your traditions to our country of immigrants. We are proud of your hard work. We are proud of your courage. We are Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, atheist and agnostic. We are all colors. We are all national and ethnic backgrounds. We welcome you. We support you. We are Americans. We are your friends and neighbors. = = = = P.S. Earlier tonight I bought a pizza. I expressed concern by asking "Ali" how he was doing under the current circumstances. He shrugged it off. "Okay, fine; no problem" he said, turning away. It was obvious he was embarrassed by the question. Then he turned back around a moment later. And with great sincerity he said, "Thank you. Thank you for asking." _ _ _ _ _ CINDIPACHA@aol.com writes: I think it would be helpful to go out of our way to patronize obviously Arab owned businesses. I suspect such establishments will experience seriously dwindled patronage over at least the next few days. I fear that such, perhaps unintentional, shunning would be the first lapping of dangerous waters. But, by going to such places, we would visibly display that neighbors should be treated as such, that people who have conducted themselves as responsible community members have every right to be regarded as such. It is no longer enough to feel in our hearts that Arabs in our midst are part of our community, we must demonstrate this belief. The public at large must know that Arabs do not stand alone, so that those who might be harboring other ideas will think before acting, knowing that they would be acting out against only one portion of our larger community. And that that community will not tolerate hostile actions against its members. In Billings, Montana, when a rock was tossed through a window at a Hannukah menorah, the whole community rallied. People all over Billings put xeroxes of menorahs in their front windows, letting the perpetrators know that being Jewish in Billings was totally acceptable. If we act now, we can avoid the rocks. _ _ _ _ _ From: "Fred V. Cook" Subject: Accompaniment Project/SF Hate Free Zone Dear Friends, I'm writing to share a bit of good news. A spirit of caring and helpfulness arising in the midst of the horror and gloom. After a tragedy like 9/11 the prospect of a long-term, world-wide "crusade against terrorism" and curtailment of civil liberties at home are not exactly the encouragement I think we need. BUT, almost unnoticed by the media, good things are happening. We had a meeting this afternoon at Global Exchange to informally kick off organizing for an "accompaniment project" in response to the rising tide of hate, precipitated by the 9/11 attacks and fanned by the racist and xenophobic statements of media and political leaders as they beat the drums for war. We had people from a whole range of organizations with relevant experience - including Peace Brigades International, Witness for Peace, Clinic Defense, JustAct, American Friends Service Committee, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Collaborative on Loss & Grief, 911 Solidarity Committee, and of course, Global Exhange. PBI and other organizations have pioneered the practice of 'nonviolent accompaniment' to protect the lives of human rights workers in countries dominated by death squads, thereby opening up a space in which democracy can begin to work. It has made a constructive difference in Guatemala, El Salvador, Sri Lanka, Colombia, and many other places. Global Exchange pulled together a concert in Precita Park this past weekend on just 2 days notice and filled the park with a thousand or so people with the theme of making San Francisco a hate-free zone. The multi-lingual poster which they produced is being put up on shop windows all over town to show solidarity. We handed out a lot of them at the amazing Day of Remembrance at San Francisco Civic Center. Suprisingly enough, I didn't get a single negative comment from the more than a thousand people who streamed by. Based on the news coverage, including news of a murder and widespread harrassment in the last couple of days, I was prepared for much tougher sledding. I've put up a bulletin board to facilitate the sharing of documents - as we create them. you can find it at: http://pub92.ezboard.com/baccompaniment There's not much there now, but in time I hope there will be information which can help people in other cities to set up accompaniment projects of their own to protect and empower people who might otherwise be targetted for racist, anti-muslim, or anti-semitic attacks. Shalom/Salaam/Aloha, Fred Fred V. Cook 915 Cole Street #250 San Francisco, CA 94117 U.S. America (415) 861-1711 _ _ _ _ _ _ (from Asha Parker via JPFALCHI@aol.com) My daughter Aine and I were walking in the woods today playing a game. She was pretending that there were monsters in the forest and that they were coming to eat us. We had to be vigilant. We had to defend ourselves. I asked her "What is the plan? What are we going to do if we see one of the monsters?" She replied, "Feed them." "Feed them?" I said. "Yes," she said. "If we feed them they won't want to eat us." I think she has the answer there. Imagine if George Bush took that $40 billion that Congress gave him and used it to feed people. Heck, take $20 billion to fix up US security and clean up New York and use the other half to feed people. And not just feed them with food. What if we decided that people's spirits needing feeding too? What if we chose to take $1 billion and build the biggest, most beautiful mosque in the world, right in the heart of Kabul. And what if we gave it as a gift, no quid pro quo, as a place for people to feed their spirits? What would the reaction be? What do we want the reaction to be? We have choices Seems we could bomb innocent people to death and celebrate, mirroring the images of this week, and thereby satisfy our thirst for vengence. But what would that get us? A world that so admired the West that it wanted to emulate it in every way and celebrates it;s way of life? Or would a large part of the 5 billion people that don't live in the west see things differently? Would more people feel as if vengence was the only possible response, and figure out more simple and effective ways to terrorize? We can have that kind of world if we choose it. Or we can take Aine's advice and feed people. And what would that get us? There is no better way to rob the world of it's anger and bitterness, jealousy and hate, than to feed people unconditionally...feed their bodies, minds and spirits. Build places of learning, places of spirit, places for healing and nourishment, places of community. Take that $40 billion dollars and spend it in every neighborhood in the world. Put the world to work growing food, healing people, restoring land and water, building communities, creating the thin fibres of connection between peoples, families, communties, cities, nations.... "If we feed them they won't want to eat us." Can you think of a better form of security? _ _ _ _ _ _ Thanks to Doug Carmichael for this one, excerpted from Alex Levine's RETALIATION--A MODEST PROPOSAL : Like other solutions now being contemplated, this proposal will be massive, expensive, and dangerous for the service personnel whose task it will be to implement it. It will involve harnessing the full resources of our military, and the vast riches of our civilian economy. It will take some time to prepare. Once preparations are complete, here is how I envision it working: our bombers fly low over Kabul, Qandahar, Gaza, Aman, Khartoum, Bagdad, Beirut, over all the surrounding countryside, over villages and refugee camps. They will be in harm's way, but we will not ask them to linger. Their bomb bays open, jettisoning their cargo, and our planes return swiftly to base for reloading. Below their fading contrails, parachutes appear, each supporting a crate. When these touch ground, there will perhaps be some panic. But when the crates fail to explode, the daring and curious approach, ready to prize them open. Here is what they will find: water purifiers, iodine tablets, baby formula, portable generators, machine tools, farm implements, olives, salt, shoes, cloth, school books, copies of the Koran, antibiotics, antimalarials, antiseptics, rice, radios, kerosene heaters, power cable, sewing machines, calculators, batteries, solar panels, diapers, safety pins, hair pins, bicycles, candy, toothbrushes, sunscreen, saffron, dried apricots, notebooks, ledgers, ball-point pens, refrigerators, baby bottles, stoves, art supplies, soccer balls, tents, telescopes, and blankets. There will be some who, in anger or disdain, incite their neighbors to gather our gifts and burn them. In the end, though, as wave after wave of cargo arrives, more practical voices will prevail. Consumables will not, of course, last forever. But the other things may make a difference for years to come, especially if, like the Berlin Airlift, they are followed with a Marshall Plan. In recent years, in our strategic bombardments of Iraq or Serbia, we have talked about "sending a message," to Saddam Hussein, or to Milosevic. The truth is, a bomb casing is a poor housing for any message worth listening to. We must tell those who despise us more than merely, if they cross us, we will destroy them. We must tell them that, if the world order from which we profit is oppressive to them, that was never our intention, that what we desire for them is nothing less than the liberty and prosperity we ourselves enjoy. _ _ _ ___ _ Stephan Dinan has fielded an idea designed to appeal to four radically different types of people (based on the model called Spiral Dynamics): a) Those who want revenge b) Those motivated by righteousness and order c) Those who want to further economic development and stabilize business-as-usual and d) Those who want a more just, sustainable and peaceful world A philanthropic bounty on the heads of terrorists, especially bin Laden. A big one. By this I mean that when someone kills bin Laden and/or various allies known to engage in terrorist acts, they get not just a personal reward ($5 million bounty, which currently exists) but the U.S. and other countries will put money towards a Better World Fund or something like that ($275 million perhaps, a $1 for everyone in the U.S.), which would go towards a variety of defined philanthropic efforts: 1) Economic and infrastructure development in third-world countries (perhaps the bounty-hunters could designate the country for a portion of it). 2) Social, environmental, and peace development projects Killing the terrorists appeases those in (a) Re-asserting our moral superiority in the context of eradicating evil appeases those in (b) Doing this in the service of creating a more cohesive, developed, and safe environment for business in the world without needlessly wasting resources, human life, and money to do so appeases those in (c). Using this as an opportunity to redress past wrongs and move towards peace appeases those in (d) ....[Alternatively, we might] realistically align with their one Truth in some way. As soon as we start bombing them and producing innocent corpses, it's pretty clear (in their minds) that we are indeed the source of Evil. [So, we might]: Woo the factions that harbor terrorists by taking a strong military posture but offering avenues that can create victories for their one Truth and thus undermine motives to align with the terrorists. We need to really get the governments on our side, which effectively means getting the clerics on our side. When the fundamentalist Islamic clerics take a stand that Osama and other terrorists are enemies to true Islam and should be turned over, then things can happen quickly. But this won't happen until we bring together more of a global coalition rather than something unilateral done by the U.S. or the West. The more Islamic nations in the coalition, the better. _ _ _ _ _ _ Thanks to Jay Earley for this reference: from "How to defeat bin Laden" By Michael T. Klare http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2001/09/13/justice/index.html As an alternative to military action..., I propose a strategy that combines global law enforcement collaboration plus moral and religious combat. It would compel the Bush administration to drop its war rhetoric and instead treat its hunt for bin Laden as a criminal investigation. It will not be possible to put bin Laden's networks out of operation without the cooperation of police and intelligence personnel all over the globe -- including the Islamic world. The best way to do this is to brand bin Laden and his associates as mass murderers who are sought for trial and punishment under U.S. law -- as has been done with other suspected terrorists. Then, the United States should order a massive global manhunt to capture bin Laden and all of his associates, wherever they dwell. It will be much harder for an Islamic government to refuse our requests for assistance in tracking down and arresting bin Laden's associates if we indict them for multiple murders and portray this as a criminal matter. The deliberate murder of innocents is a crime and an abomination in all societies -- Islamic ones no less than any others. Furthermore, to prevent the recruitment of additional volunteers into bin Laden's networks (or others of their type), we have to successfully portray him as an enemy of authentic Islam. Bin Laden has succeeded in recruiting followers up until now -- volunteers who are willing to sacrifice their lives -- because he has been able to portray himself as the true defender of Islam. Now, we must seek out and ally ourselves with the vast number of Muslims who are repelled and horrified by the death of so many innocent people in New York and Washington. We must encourage influential Muslim clerics to condemn bin Laden as an enemy of true Islamic belief. Only in this way can we silence him (and his kind) forever. To win over peace-minded Muslims to our side in this struggle, we will, of course, have to show greater sympathy for their concerns. This includes, for example, the plight of ordinary Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, and the suffering of the Iraqi civilians who are denied basic goods and medicine due to the U.S.-backed economic sanctions. This need not entail a sudden about-face in U.S. policy, but would require greater public recognition of others' pain and suffering. After all, we are now victims too -- and this gives us a common basis upon which to ask for their assistance in a common struggle against violence and terrorism. Michael T. Klare is a professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., and the author of "Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict" _ _ _ _ __ Frank Poletti offers the following: The UN security council does not have a single member from the middle East. Offer to add a position for the Middle East country that is most cooperative towards counter-acting terrorism. Have a fund for environmental restoration of Yugoslavia, Afgan, and Iraq if former war zones/military dictators/and terrorist leaders surrender their power and submit to planetary authority. Afgan has been utterly devastated by years of war. They desperately need enviro restoration. Have a new "peace core" that teaches organic and permaculture farming to Afgan rebels. Also,strive for corporate sponsorship to bring computers/internet to Mid East countries. Challenge Bill Gates to do this. Mandatory travel abroad for at least 1 year in a Third World country for all Americans before they can receive their college diplomas. Tie this in with peace core/permaculture idea. _ _ _ _ _ _ Jay Earley relates a story: I got a call from my bother-in-law.... We got into a long discussion about the issues, and I found myself bringing up points about our strategy in going into the Middle East militarily. I didn't argue for compassion and understanding, peace, justice, or caring for innocent people in the Middle East. I argued that there was a great danger that we would destabilize Pakistan and possibly other moderate Arab countries, engender a great deal more hatred of us and Islamic fundamentalism, and even risk getting into a polarized war of Islam vs. the West, which is probably just what Bin Ladin wants. In short, I argued that Bush may put us in greater danger of terrorism than we are now. It was a very good conversation. He really heard me and said he hadn't considered some of those issues before. _ _ _ _ __ I've got half an idea in my mind about what we might do --- and that is to get a global, moderated discussion going to develop some principles to guide the response to the attack - a sort of charter of response - based on a founding principle that I think could get fairly widespread support: "that the response, whatever it is, should make things better in the long term, not worse". What do you think of this idea?? To have any effect it would need to be actively developed in the US but would also need to be global as well I think - this is not just a US issue. To construct a global, urgent inclusive dialogue around this question would take great skill and the efforts of a great many people with facilitation and conflict resolution skills. But we have such people across the globe and we have the internet. Should we try to do this? How could we initiate it if it is a good idea? Philip Sutton _ __ _ __ _ Thanks to Caspar Davis and Jeffery Smith for relaying this CREATIVE RETALIATION Most Muslims -- law-abiding, peace-loving Muslims -- want the United States to get out of Saudi Arabia and lift the sanctions against Iraq. This is also what Osama bin Laden SAYS he wants. But it is not what he REALLY wants. What he really wants is World War III: Islam vs. the West. He won't get that if America does exactly what most Muslims want. So what I would say to President Bush (but cannot, unless other people multiply my message for me) is this: When your enemies make a premeditated strike against you, they have considered your likely response and have decided to accept it. They may or may not actually WANT it, but they have certainly decided to accept it. Therefore, if you respond as they expect, you will confirm them in their present behavior. If you want to change their behavior, you must do something that they NEITHER WANT NOR EXPECT. Bin Laden and his followers neither want you nor expect you to get out of Saudi Arabia or lift sanctions against Iraq. So, whatever else you do, make sure you first get out of Saudi Arabia and lift sanctions against Iraq! Bin Laden's war against America is not only a war of terror, but also a war of deceit. Don't fall for it. Gavin R. Putland. _ _ ___ _ Coleman McCarthy's suggestions, according to Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman What should Bush do? "He should say that the United States will no longer be the world's largest seller of weapons, that we will begin to decrease our extravagantly wasteful military budget, which runs now at about $9,000 a second." How to break the cycle of violence? The same way you break the cycle of ignorance -- educate people. "Kids walk in the school with no idea that two plus two equals four. They are ignorant. We repeat over and over -- Billy, two plus two equals four. And Billy leaves school knowing two plus two equals four. But he doesn't leave school knowing that an eye for an eye means we all go blind." Of the 3,100 colleges and universities in the country, only about 70 have degree programs in peace studies and most are underfunded. Instead of bombing, we should start teaching peace. "We are graduating students as peace illiterates who have only heard of the side of violence," McCarthy laments. "If we don't teach our children peace, somebody else will teach them violence." [The Center for Teaching Peace has produced two text books, Solutions to Violence and Strength Through Peace, both edited by Colman McCarthy. Each book contains 90 essays by the world's great theorists and practitioners of non-violence. ($25 each). To contact Colman McCarthy, write to: Center for Teaching Peace, 4501 Van Ness Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20016 Phone: (202) 537-1372] _ _ _ _ __ Petition for Peace http://home.uchicago.edu/~dhpicker/petition Petition for a Sane Response to Terrorism http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/224622495 Justice not Terror - letter to representatives http://www.moveon.org/justice/index.html email letter to President Bush http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/index.cfm Helping the victims http://www.helping.org/ _ _ _ _ _ Carol Brouillet writes: October 2nd is the anniversary of Gandhi's birth I was thinking of calling for a day of dramatic "nonviolence"- Nurturing Hope, Peace and "Satyaagraha"- "Pursuit of Truth" Let us gather, join hands, speak, and listen with open hearts and minds, remembering the essence of Gandhi's philosophy- We must always be guided by love, compassion, understanding and respect, allow everything we have to interact positively with the elements and help create a society of peace and harmony.... The more possessions we have, the more we have to secure them from those who covet it generating feelings of jealousy and the desire to take by force what the needy cannot get through compassion. Gandhi said being liberated politically or socially is not enough. Freeing yourself of attachments means one must be willing to stand up for truth and justice, and not be afraid of the consequences like losing your possessions, your job or even your life. It is only when we reach that level of spiritual power that nonviolence will become relevant.... "I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill," Gandhi said. Are we willing to move away from greed, selfishness and all the negative attributes that govern our lives to the more positive attributes of love, compassion, understanding and respect? For more information on Gandhi see http://www.cbu.edu/Gandhi/html/ar ticles1.html _ _ _ _ _ The Global Peace Campaign was launched on September 15th 2001, following the terrorist attack on the United States. The Global Peace Campaign calls upon the US, its allies and the world community to address the root causes of terrorism, to adopt a non-militarist response to the atrocity, and to respect international law in bringing the terrorists to justice. The Global Peace Campaign's initial objectives are: 1. To encourage people to talk with and write to friends, family, media, community and political leaders about the root causes of terrorism, and about appropriate, lawful and non-militarist responses to the attack. 2. To raise funds for a full page advertisement in the New York Times publicising a letter to President Bush from former US Marine Corps Sergeant Greg Nees, which concludes: "In this moment of deep crisis, is also a moment of immense opportunity. I urge you to take this opportunity to move our world away from violence and suffering and towards peace, freedom and abundance for all. Let these voices of desperation be heard and let the perpetrators have their day in court. Show them that we truly do believe in law and justice for all." Full text on the GPC website: http://www.coliving.org/letterToPresident.html You can donate to this advertisement online through PayPal at http://www.coliving.org The GPC supports the Petition for Peace: http://home.uchicago.edu/~dhpicker/petition the Petition for a Sane Response to Terrorism: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/224622495 & (for US citizens) the Petition for Justice, not Terror: http://www.moveon.org/justice/ The following poll has been created for you to VOTE ON THE WEB to show how you want this crisis handled. Terrorism will be defeated by addressing its root causes and using international law - not military retaliation - to bring perpetrators to justice. o Agree o Disagree To vote, please visit the following web page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/globalpeacecampaign/polls Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups web site listed above. _ _ _ _ _ From: action@dcaclu.og [SMTP:action@dcaclu.og] Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 9:06 AM Subject: 09-18-01 -- ACLU Action Update: Protecting America TO: ACLU Action Network Members FR: Jared Feuer, Internet Organizer DT: September 18, 2001 We join the nation in grieving over the devastating loss of life that occurred during last week's terrorist attacks. Everyone in America has been touched by this event, and the ACLU extends our deepest sympathies to those who are mourning immeasurable losses from this tragedy. In the hours and days after the tragic attacks, our national leaders have been nearly unanimous in their insistence that these acts of terrorism not be used to diminish liberty in the United States. But despite these statements, the Administration and Congress are now rushing to change our nation's laws. Attorney General Ashcroft, for example, has asked Congress to adopt far-reaching legislation that would include provisions to vastly expand federal law enforcement authority without offering public assurances about how such laws would make us safer. As a result, many are increasingly concerned that the guarantees of the Bill of Rights might become the next victim of terrorism. We must now urge our lawmakers to be extra thoughtful and thorough in their consideration of legislation designed to respond to and prevent terrorist attacks. Take Action! You can read more and send a FREE FAX to your Members of Congress from our action alert at: http://www.aclu.org/action/liberty107.html Thank you for your continued defense of civil liberties. Your voices and support are more crucial than ever. _ _ _ __ _ Subject: Support Barbara Lee CHAMPION FOR JUSTICE DEAR FOLKS: Senator Barbara Lee was the lone voice who stood up and said NO to the boys on their white horses charging into battle with the swords, actually missiles drawn, ready to annihilate the alleged enemy, former ally trained by the CIA. Yes, she said those responsible for this outrageous crime against all of humanity must be punished, but we must proceed with caution, thoughtfully, mindfully. As a result she has received death threats. Please send her your support for reminding us to think and ask ourselves some important question before we act. Also send letters to the local press, and to the white house letting the powers that be know what you think. This is still a democracy, and more than ever we need to let our voices and ideas be known. Email Addresses: Senator Barbara Lee - barbara.lee@mail.house.gov President Bush: president@whitehouse.gov Vice President Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov Laura Bush: first.lady@whitehouse.gov Lynne Cheney: mrs.cheney@whitehouse.gov In Peace, Opal Palmer Adisa, Writer