[Peace-discuss] Fwd: 9-11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows

Fri Sep 6 12:18:09 CDT 2002

>Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 12:21:45 -0400
>From: matejka53 at cs.com
>
>Here are some "peaceful" alternatives to 9/11 commemoration, currently 
>circulating....
>
>Dear sisters and brothers:
>     This is especially to those of you in and near NYC
>on 9/11, but I thought you might all be interested to
>see this if you haven't come across these folks,
>families who lost members 9/11 who are calling
>for "...an end to war and the beginning of peaceful
>tomorrows."
>     They have been speaking out and traveling with this
>message, and, in addition to Pat Humphries, Sandy
>Opatow, and other musicians, they will be joined by
>Martin Luther King III, Amy Goodman, Vandava Shiva,
>Manning Marable, Michael Ratner (Center for
>Constitutional Rights and an attorney for Guantanamo
>detainees), Debbie Almontaser (Muslim American Society),
>Masuda Sultan (an Afghan-American who lost 19 relatives
>in the U.S.-led bombing), Father Daniel Berrigan, S.J.;
>Luong Ung (Cambodian refugee and author), satirist
>Reverend Billy and others.
>     Peace, Jackie Fralley
>
>
>----------------------  Forwarded Message:  -------------
>
>From:    Peaceful Tomorrrows News
><news at peacefultomorrows.org>
>To:      news at peacefultomorrows.org
>Subject: Peaceful Tomorrows Newsletter*September 2002
>Date:    Thu, 05 Sep 2002 09:11:54 -0700
>
>********************************************************
>September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
>
>Email Newsletter * September 2002 * Volume 2
>*********************************************************
>
>Dear Friends,
>
>As the anniversary of the death of our loved ones
>approaches, we ask for your help in making September 11
>2002 a time for peace and healing. Given the talk of war
>in Iraq, it is more important than ever that we all join
>together in calling for an end to war and the beginning
>of peaceful tomorrows.
>
>*********************************************************
>
>IN THIS ISSUE:
>
>* 9/11/02 COMMEMORATIONS FOR PEACE
>    * NYC Vigil for Peaceful Tomorrows
>    * Peaceful Tomorrows Honored at UN Interfaith
>Opening Ceremony on 9/11
>    * No More Victims Tour
>    * Join 9/11 Peace Events Around the World
>    * One Year Later: September Eleventh 2002 Statement
>
>* NEW "STEPS TO PEACE" VIDEO AVAILABLE
>
>* AFGHAN SISTER FAMILIES CAMPAIGN
>    * Rev. Myrna Bethke Reflects on her Trip to
>Afghanistan
>    * Photos of June Afghanistan Trip
>    * Afghan Victims Fund Alert
>
>* PEACEFUL TOMORROWS MEMBER VISITS JAPAN FOR HIROSHIMA
>DAY
>    * Rita Lasar's Recent Trip to Japan. By Ryan Amundson
>    * Photos of Rita's Visit to Japan
>
>* PT MEMBER STARTS CENTER FOR UNDERSTANDING
>    by Wright Salisbury
>
>* PHOTO OF THE PEACEFUL TOMORROW RETREAT
>
>* SUPPORT PEACEFUL TOMORROWS
>
>*********************************************************
>
>9/11/02 COMMEMORATIONS FOR PEACE
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>NYC VIGIL FOR PEACEFUL TOMORROWS
>
>September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows will host a
>dusk to dawn vigil at Washington Square Park in
>Manhattan in commemoration of the terrorist attacks that
>took the lives of their lost loved ones, as well as all
>who have lost their lives to violence. Peaceful
>Tomorrows members Colleen Kelly, Talat Hamdani, David
>Potorti, and Andrew Rice will be present at the
>gathering, along with family members of those affected
>by violence in
>other countries.
>
>Scheduled to appear are: Martin Luther King III
>(President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference);
>Amy Goodman, (host of Pacifica Radio¹s ³Democracy Now²);
>Kathy Kelly (Voices in the Wilderness); Vandava Shiva
>(Indian Ecologist, Anti-globalization activist);
>(Manning Marable (Director of the Institute for Research
>in African-American studies at Columbia University);
>Michael Ratner (Center for Constitutional Rights and an
>attorney for Guantanamo detainees); Debbie Almontaser
>(Muslim American Society); Masuda Sultan, an Afghan-
>American who lost 19 relatives in the U.S.-led bombing;
>Father Daniel Berrigan, S.J.; Luong Ung, Cambodian
>refugee and author; satirist Reverend Billy; and
>musicians including Pat Humphries, Sandy Opatow, the
>LaGuardia High School Chorale, and others.
>
>Read more at:
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/pressreleases/index.shtm
>l
>(scroll down)
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>PEACEFUL TOMORROWS HONORED AT 9/11 INTERFAITH SERVICE
>MARKING THE OPENING OF THE UN
>
>September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows will
>be among the honorees at an interfaith service marking
>the opening of the 57th Session of the United Nations
>General Assembly. Other honorees include U.N. General
>Assembly President Mr. Jan Kavan, U.N. Secretary-General
>Kofi Annan and Mrs. Nane Annan.
>
>The Annual Interfaith Service of Commitment to the Work
>of the United Nations, which has been held since 1997,
>is entitled, 'A Celebration of Remembrance and Hope,
>Dedicated to Victims of Violence Everywhere.' The
>invitation-only service will be held at St.
>Bartholomew's Church, Park Avenue and 51st Street in
>Manhattan, starting at 8:30am on September 11, 2002.
>
>Colleen Kelly, Peaceful Tomorrows' New York Regional
>Coordinator, will make brief remarks at the ceremony.
>Kelly lost her brother, William, at the World Trade
>Center a year earlier, on September 11, 2001. "This
>service signifies exactly the way I plan to spend my
>day," says Kelly. "it In prayerful remembrance of my
>brother, and hoping for a more peaceful solution to
>violence around the globe."
>
>Read more at:
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/pressreleases/index.shtm
>l
>(scroll down)
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>NO MORE VICITIMS TOUR CO-SPONOSRED BY PEACEFUL TOMORROWS
>
>Victims of terrorism and war from Afghanistan, Iraq,
>Israel and the Palestinian territories, the Philippines,
>and Japan will join family members of September 11
>victims for a joint speaking tour in the days
>immediately before and after September 11, 2002.
>
>The ³No More Victims² tour, co-sponsored by September
>Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows and the
>American Friends Service Committee, will place the human
>dimension and experience of the 9-11 attacks and of war
>at the center of the national debate over the "war
>against terrorism." In doing so, the participants hope
>to educate and to raise public consciousness about the
>meanings and consequences of the war by providing a
>thought-provoking dialogue in counterpoint to other,
>more ceremonial, remembrances of September 11.
>
>Read more at
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/pressreleases/index.shtm
>l
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>JOIN 9/11 PEACE EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD
>
>In July, Peaceful Tomorrows issued a call asking our
>friends to help us commemorate the loss of our loved
>ones by creating peaceful and healing events around the
>anniversary of September 11. We asked that events be
>listed at www.unitedforpeace.org. So far more than 200
>events in 7 countries have been registered! Thank you
>for helping us to show that September 11 is a time for
>peace and healing, not war and violence.
>
>In addition to the events discussed above, Peaceful
>Tomorrows members will be speaking at 9/11 peace events
>in Boston Massachusetts; Los Angeles, San Francisco and
>Oakland California. To find out more about these and
>other peace events in your area visit
>http://www.unitedforpeace.org.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>ONE YEAR LATER: SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH 2002 STATEMENT
>
>For the members of Peaceful Tomorrows, September 11,
>2001 was a day of unimaginable personal loss. Each of us
>lost a family member at the World Trade Center, at the
>Pentagon, or in the crash of Flight 93 near Shanksville,
>Pennsylvania. Losing loved ones to these extreme acts of
>violence has affected us deeply.  It is something from
>which we will never recover, not in one year, not in a
>lifetime.
>
>But in the days, weeks and months following that
>terrible day of loss, we have also received incredible
>gifts. We gained each other‹because we spoke out
>publicly about our opposition to war and violence as a
>response to our personal and national tragedies. We
>gained the love and compassion of new friends all over
>the United States and all over the world. And we gained
>the knowledge that there are thousands of Americans and
>millions around the globe who share our view that war is
>not the answer to the crimes of September 11.
>
>Read more at:
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/writing/sept1102statemen
>t.html
>
>*********************************************************
>NEW "STEPS TO PEACE" VIDEO AVAILABLE
>
>Steps to Peace: The Journey of September Eleventh
>Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is now available. This
>15 minute video includes interviews with people who lost
>loved ones on 9/11, their decision to speak out as a
>voice for peace, the formation of the group Peaceful
>Tomorrows and highlights of major activities including
>the DC to NYC walk for healing and peace and the first
>trip to Afghanistan. The video serves as an introduction
>to the messages of Peaceful Tomorrows and as a starting
>point for local discussions about action for a peaceful
>world. A longer documentary based on this material will
>be available later this year.
>
>Read more and to order:
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/newsletters/8_13_video.h
>tml
>
>*********************************************************
>AFGHAN SISTER FAMILIES CAMPAIGN
>Peaceful Tomorrows afghan sister families campaign is
>designed to raise awareness about the Afghan victims of
>the US military action, to advocate for their needs, and
>to acknowledge our connection to them as our "sister
>families." Read on for news on this campaign.
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>PEACEFUL TOMORROWS SECOND TRIP TO AFGHANISTAN
>
>On June 13, two women who lost siblings on September 11
>traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan to offer their sympathy
>and support to Afghan families who lost loved ones
>during the US military campaign.
>
>Myrna Bethke and Kristina Olsen, both members of
>September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows,
>joined a two-week delegation to Afghanistan organized by
>Global Exchange. Myrna, a Methodist minister, delivered
>the following reflection on her trip as a sermon in her
>church.
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>AFGHANISTAN REFLECTIONS
>By Myrna Bethke
>
>The first impression of my trip is of flying into
>Kabul¹s airport at an impossible steep angle to meet the
>ground.  And then taxiing down the runway of a heavily
>mined airport that is littered with the rusting hulks of
>tanks and trucks and bombed pieces of airplanes
>chronicling the decades of war in the country.  A litany
>of the many choices for death chosen both from within
>and without Afghanistan.
>
>Read more at:
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/writing/afghanistanrefle
>ctions.html
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>VIEW PHOTOS OF MYRNA AND KRISTINA'S TRIP TO AFGHANISTAN
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/pn/modules/gallery/Afgha
>nistan-June-2002
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>ALERT: SUPPORT AFGHAN VICTIMS FUND
>
>As the world attention moves away from Afghanistan
>toward the possibility of US military action in Iraq,
>thousands of innocent Afghans who were affected by our
>military campaign remain in desperate situations, their
>requests for assistance from our government unanswered.
>Please help Peaceful Tomorrows to help our Afghan Sister
>Families by calling on our government to create an
>Afghan Victims Fund.
>
>For more:
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/alerts/index.shtml
>***************************************************
>
>PEACEFUL TOMORROWS MEMBER VISITS JAPAN FOR HIROSHIMA DAY
>By Ryan Amundson
>
>"I came to Japan, having gone from one ground zero,
>Lower Manhattan in New York City, to a second ground
>zero, Afghanistan, and now being on the original Ground
>Zero, so I suppose you might say that my perspective
>changed in that I was adding atrocities to my
>consciousness, which in turn makes me more dedicated to
>pleading with my fellow humans to start thinking truly
>about non violent responses to provocations. We cannot
>expect to continue along a path that inevitably leads to
>self- annihilation."
>
>Rita Lasar, brother of 9/11 victim Abe Zelmanowitz
>
>Forging connections with other victims of mass violence
>throughout the world, Rita Lasar visited Afghanistan in
>January, and recently returned from a trip to Japan.
>Despite the apparent differences between Afghanistan,
>the United States, and Japan, Rita drew many
>similarities in terms of the suffering that took place
>in each nation.  Behind the new and beautiful buildings
>in Hiroshima, Rita recognized the destruction behind it
>all.  "It's newness and beauty is ugly really because
>the entire city was destroyed and had to be rebuilt."
>
>To read more visit
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/newsletters/rita_japan.h
>tml
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>VIEW PHOTOS OF RITA'S TRIP TO JAPAN
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/pn/modules/gallery/album
>07
>*********************************************************
>PEACEFUL TOMORROWS MEMBER FOUNDS CENTER FOR UNDERSTANDING
>By Wright Salisbury
>
>Shortly after my son-in-law, Ted Hennessy, Jr. of
>Belmont, MA was killed in AA Flight 11 at the World
>Trade Center, I suggested to Charlie Colwell, our rector
>at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Irvington, NY that
>we create a Center for Jewish-Christian-Muslim
>Understanding. We got a board together composed equally
>of Jews, Christians and Muslims and even found a lawyer
>willing to serve as Executive Director. We had a
>successful interfaith meeting on Feb. 10 and have a
>number of activities planned for the fall, including a
>service on Sept. 10 in a mosque and a Jewish youth group
>meeting later in the month.
>
>We moved to Lexington MA to be near our daughter and two
>small grandchildren in April and began to form The
>Lexington Center for Jewish-Christian-Muslim
>Understanding, which has an art and architecture exhibit
>planned for the fall and a concert planned for early
>winter.
>
>Web sites for the two centers can be seen at
>http://www.centerforunderstanding.org. We also publish a
>monthly e-mail newsletter that anyone who is interested
>can subscribe to. I joined Peaceful Tomorrows in time to
>attend the retreat in Sherborn, MA this August, and hope
>that many of the Peaceful Tomorrows supporters will join
>in the activities of the Centers as well.
>
>visit http://www.centerforunderstanding.org
>*******************************************
>
>PHOTO OF PEACEFUL TOMORROWS RETREAT
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/pn/modules/gallery/album
>06/aag
>*********************************************************
>
>SUPPORT PEACEFUL TOMORROWS
>
>The work of Peaceful Tomorrows depends on the financial
>contributions of our supporters. Please consider a
>donation to help us spread the message that violence
>will never be solved by more violence.
>
>To donate visit:
>http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/contribute.html
>************************************************
>
>Kelly Campbell
>September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
>5111 Telegraph Avenue, #185
>Oakland, CA 95609
>415-518-1991
>kelly at peacefultomorrows.org
>www.peacefultomorrows.org