A Letter
by David McReynolds
I'm writing this from home - the WRL office email is down, but I was present when
this statement was drafted and said I'd take the text home to transmit at once. David
McReynolds
As we write, Manhattan feels under seige, with all bridges, tunnels, and subways
closed, and tens of thousands of people walking slowly north from Lower Manhattan.
As we sit in our offices here at War Resisters League, our most immediate thoughts
are of the hundreds, if not thousands, of New Yorkers who have lost their lives in
the collapse of the World Trade Center. The day is clear, the sky is blue, but vast
clouds billow over the ruins where so many have died, including a great many rescue
workers who were there when the final collapse occurred.
Of course we know our friends and co-workers in Washington D.C. have similar thoughts
about the ordinary people who have been trapped in the parts of the Pentagon which
were also struck by a jet. And we think of the innocent passengers on the hi-jacked
jets who were carried to their doom on this day.
We do not know at this time from what source the attack came. We do know that Yasser
Arafat has condemned the bombing. We hesitate to make an extended analysis until
more information is available but some things are clear. For the Bush Administration
to talk of spending hundreds of billions on Star Wars is clearly the sham it was
from the beginning, when terrorism can so easily strike through more routine means.
We urge Congress and George Bush that whatever response or policy the U.S. develops
it will be clear that this nation will no longer target civilians, or accept any
policy by any nation which targets civilians. This would mean an end to the sanctions
against Iraq, which have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians.
It would mean not only a condemnation of terrorism by Palestinians but also the policy
of assassination against the Palestinian leadership by Israel, and the ruthless repression
of the Palestinian population and the continuing occupation by Israel of the West
Bank and Gaza.
The policies of militarism pursued by the United States have resulted in millions
of deaths, from the historic tragedy of the Indochina war, through the funding of
death squads in Central America and Colombia, to the sanctions and air strikes against
Iraq. This nation is the largest supplier of "conventional weapons" in
the world - and those weapons fuel the starkest kind of terrorism from Indonesia
to Africa. The early policy of support for armed resistance in Afghanistan resulted
in the victory of the Taliban - and the creation of Osama Bin Laden.
Other nations have also engaged in these policies. We have, in years past, condemned
the actions of the Russian government in areas such as Chechnya, the violence on
both sides in the Middle East, and in the Balkans. But our nation must take responsibility
for its own actions. Up until now we have felt safe within our borders. To wake on
a clear cool day to find our largest city under seige reminds us that in a violent
world, none are safe.
Let us seek an end of the militarism which has characterized this nation for decades.
Let us seek a world in which security is gained through disarmament, international
cooperation, and social justice - not through escalation and retaliation. We condemn
without reservation attacks such as those which occured today, which strike at thousands
of civilians - may these profound tragedies remind us of the impact U.S. policies
have had on other civilians in other lands. We are particularly aware of the fear
which many people of Middle Eastern descent, living in this country, may feel at
this time and urge special consideration for this community.
We are one world. We shall live in a state of fear and terror or we shall move toward
a future in which we seek peaceful alternatives to conflict and a more just distribution
of the world's resources. As we mourn the many lives lost, our hearts call out for
reconciliation, not revenge.
This is not an official statement of the War Resisters League but was drafted immediately
after the tragic events occured. Signed and issued by the staff and Executive Committee
of War Resisters Leauge in the national office, September 11, 2001.
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