Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- We in...are people sending letters to this butcher, as if it will have a smidgen of impact on American policy? On 16 Sep 01, at 13:20, Maria Dim wrote: > ============================================================ > Get your FREE online credit report from ConsumerInfo.Com! > ConsumerInfo.Com makes staying on top of your credit history > fast and easy. Gain peace of mind and take control of the > accuracy of your credit report today! > http://click.topica.com/caaacSPa84z08a9yJmAa/ConsumerInfo > ============================================================ > > ---------- > From: Nancy Hey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: letters to President Bush > Date: Sat, Sep 15, 2001, 2:39 am > > > > > Dear friends, > > > > In these troubling times, I hope we can all remember that the true > path to > > peace lies in forgiveness and reconcilliation, not in revenge. The > tragedy > > of 9/11 can bring out the best in people by encouraging us to reach > out to > > those in need. At the same time, we should resist our President's > misguided > > calls for war, retaliation and revenge as a response to this tragedy. > We > > must let our leaders know that causing more killing is not the way to > honor > > the memory of the people who died in Tuesday's attack. > > > > To that end I've drafted the following letter to Pres. Bush. I hope > you'll > > consider writing him one of your own - as John Jay has (see * below) > > > > Peacefully yours, > > Nancy Hey > > > > September 15, 2001 > > > > President George W. Bush > > The White House > > 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. > > Washington, DC 20500 > > > > Dear President Bush: > > > > In your efforts to comfort the families of the innocent > victims of the > > tragic events of September 11th, I beg you to please let mercy, and > not > > vengeance be your guide. I am very concerned by your constant use of > the > > term "declaration of war" to describe the attacks, and your calls for > > retaliatory military action against the perpetrators of these attacks. > > > Vengeance will not heal the pain of the victims of this > attack. It will > > only perpetuate the cycle of violence. You should have learned from > the > > mistakes of your predecessor, William J. Clinton, that such > retaliatory > > strikes only cause more civilian deaths, and increase resentment of > the US > > in the world, increasing the risk of more terrorist attacks. This was > the > > case when your predecessor attacked the Al Shifa pharmaceutical plant > in > > Sudan in 1998. This attack destroyed life-saving medicine for people > in > > this famine-struck country, thus causing suffering and death to > innocent > > people, and did not result in the capture of Osama bin Laden. Now is > the > > time to heed the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who said, "an eye for an eye > makes > > the whole world go blind". > > Rather than rallying the nation to war, this latest attack > should be seen > > as a call for the United States to reflect upon our policy which has > caused > > so much resentment against us in the Arab world. Over one million > people, > > most of them children have died in Iraq as a result of the crippling > > economic sanctions by the US and the UN. US warplanes continue to > drop > > bombs on Iraq almost daily, and the Palestinian people have suffered > under > > 50 years of repression under Israeli occupation, an occupation which > entails > > Israeli assassination of Palestinian leaders, home demolitions, and > > destruction of the Palestinians' olive groves and other means of > livelihood. > > Mr. President, I think this is also a time for you to remember > your own > > promises to the American people. You campaigned on a promise of > restoring > > integrity to the White House after the scandals of the Clinton > > Administration. Yet, you have continued Clinton's policy of bombing > Iraq > > several times a week in the "no-fly" zones, which have no legitimacy > under > > International Law, and are a clear violation of Iraq's national > sovereignty. > > You have offered the Iraqi people no relief from the devastating > effects > > of the sanctions, as your so-called "smart" sanctions policy would > have done > > nothing to solve the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. > > Mr. President, what do you hope to achieve by continuing the > failed > > policies of your father and your predecessor toward Iraq, when > worldwide the > > sentiment is in favor of abandoning the bombings and sanctions? > > Furthermore, in your campaign, you specifically promised the > American > > people that you would withdraw troops form the Balkans, and that you > would > > not have the United States be "the world's 911" over there anymore. > Yet, > > since being in office, you have not only failed to withdraw the troops > from > > Bosnia and Kosovo, but you have sent troops into yet another Balkan > nation, > > Macedonia. How can you justify such an abandonment of your promise? > What > > do you hope to gain by keeping American and NATO troops in the > Balkans, when > > our past record of intervention over there has been such a dismal > failure, > > leading to more ethnic conflict, encouraging the violence of the KLA > and NLA > > against Slavs and other non-Albanians? What do you hope to gain by > > supporting these groups in their aim to carve up Slavic countries into > a > > "greater Albania"? > > Please take this time to correct the past mistakes of US > foreign policy, > > not to make new ones. The last thing this country needs is another > war. > > Please use these troubling times for healing and reconciliation, not > for > > retaliation. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > Nancy A. Hey > > > CC: Secretary of State Collin Powell > > Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld > > Senator Paul Sarbanes > > Senator Barbara Mikulski > > Congresswoman Constance Morella > > > ________________________________ > > * > > President George W. Bush > The White House > 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. > Washington, DC 20500 > > Dear President Bush: > > The wilful destruction and heartrending loss of innocent lives in New > York > and Washington last Tuesday was wicked, depraved, and utterly > unjustifiable. > Sadly, however - contrary to the consternation you pretend - such tragic > > events are by no means inexplicable... Nor - except perhaps, in their > awesomely fearful scale, dramatic visual symbolism and almost surreal TV > > presentation - were they even unpredictable. > > You, above all, should have known it was only a matter of time before > the > sheer determination of desperate people with a message that successive > American administrations simply wouldn't listen to and have steadfastly > refused to address finally worked out some fiendish way to deliver it. > > Washington's transparent double-standards, terrorist alliances, illicit > intervention in far off lands and ruthless manipulation of other > peoples' > human rights, solely to suit US political and commercial interests, are > palpable injustices. Keeping the lid on seething discontent by bombing > and the eternal threat of America's sophisticated military might to > enforce > its own lucrative and self-serving World Order at their expense was > always > a recipe for certain disaster. And now, as a result, disaster is > precisely > what has been brought down upon the innocent criminally misinformed > heads > of your own American people at home. > > Yet, even in the midst of this latest appalling testimony to mankind's > seemingly endless capacity to inflict pain and suffering upon itself, > you, > as President of the United States and self-proclaimed "leader of the > world" > appear singularly bent only on tossing still greater quantities of fuel > on > the world's raging fires of hate - presumably, to render them > unquenchable... > > You stride to the podium and stand at the head of a great and > magnificently > appointed Christian church to address its weeping congregation of > pityably > grieving fellow Americans with exhortations to wage a retaliatory war! A > war > against an already pityably suffering people in a crumbling, far off > land > about which most of the assembled know little and few even pretend to > care. > > Well, in His church or not, Jesus Christ - in whose name you all, > ostensibly, > were gathered - would have no part in such evildoing. > > "America's adversaries," you snarled, "wage war by stealth and > deception"... > clearly oblivious of the fact that the USA itself operates a much > vaunted > warplane, the "Stealth Bomber" - a dealer in death by deception - that > goes > under that very name... And in which a fair proportion of that > congregation, > America's leaders and their military chiefs take inordinate, misguided, > pride. > > A 'New War Order', Mr President, is the last thing the world needs right > now... > Least of all, America. > > John Jay > London > > CC: Secretary of State Collin Powell > Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld > Senator Paul Sarbanes > Senator Barbara Mikulski > Congresswoman Constance Morella > > ============================================================ > TopOffers. Hot. Cool. And FREE. > Get outrageously awesome offers on the stuff you want. > Click now for a SPECIAL BONUS from TopOffers! > http://click.topica.com/caaadfya84z08a9yJmAf/Topica > ============================================================ > > Search for truth. When you find it, don't forget it. Respect those who don't know it. > > ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
