[antiwar-van] September 11th Family Members to Visit Iraq

[Carole Karkhairan]

Thanks to Cathy Woods for forwarding this - www.creativeresistance.ca.

September 11th Family Members to Visit Iraq
Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
January 2, 2003
http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/

People-to-People Delegation Will Highlight the Human Face of War

Bolstered by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assertion that "wars are 
poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows," family members of 
September 11 victims will travel to Iraq from January 5-14, 2003, to 
make public their conviction that war will not bring peaceful 
tomorrows to that nation, to the Middle East region, or to the United 
States. The four-member delegation represents September 11 Families 
for Peaceful Tomorrows, an advocacy group seeking effective, 
non-violent alternatives to war and terrorism.

Recognizing that innocent civilians are often the ones most deeply 
affected by military action, the family members will bear witness to 
the conditions of Iraqi civilians while also acknowledging the price 
American civilians will pay. Increasing anti-U.S. sentiment, the 
possibility of future terrorist attacks, injury and death to U.S. 
military personnel and the harsh economic consequences of spending 
billions on military intervention are all deemed likely consequences 
of this war.

"It has struck me how many people in this country were so very moved 
by the New York Times ‘Portraits of Grief,’” said Peaceful Tomorrows’ 
Colleen Kelly, who lost her brother, Bill Kelly, Jr., at the World 
Trade Center on September 11. “We all got to see the faces and learn 
about the lives of those lost on September 11th. I'm going to Iraq 
for this very same reason. I want to see the faces of the Iraqi 
people. I want to learn about their lives. I want to understand that 
Iraq is not just one man, Saddam Hussein, but many, many people, with 
hopes and dreams and families, just like my brother.”

While in Iraq, the delegation plans to visit service and humanitarian 
aid projects, including hospitals and clinics, schools and 
orphanages, and water treatment facilities. They will also talk to 
civilians, share their stories of losing loved ones on September 11, 
2001, and explain why they united to turn their grief into action for 
peace.

Upon returning to the United States on January 14, the group will 
commemorate Rev. King's birthday by speaking out as widely as 
possible about the need to avoid war in order to spare additional 
innocent families, be they Iraqi civilians or the families of U.S. 
military personnel, the suffering experienced by September 11 
families.

"Rev. King recognized the connections between war and poverty, 
between war and the diminishing of human rights," said Terry Kay 
Rockefeller, who lost her sister, Laura Rockefeller, at the World 
Trade Center. "We hope our search for non-violent alternatives to war 
in Iraq will help to build trust within the global community so that 
it becomes possible to truly end terrorism and war, in all of their 
manifestations."

Kristina Olsen, who lost her sister, Laurie Neira, on Flight 11, 
said, "I am traveling to Iraq as a witness for peace. I feel a deep 
sense of moral responsibility, both as a citizen of the global 
community, and as a person who lost a loved one on September 11, to 
promote the message of peace--by bearing witness to the suffering of 
innocent people, as well as by working toward creating an opening for 
constructive, non-violent approaches to dealing with conflict in our 
world. This I feel is the most meaningful way I can honor the memory 
of my sister."

“My hope is that all people will come to realize that loss of more 
human life will not solve the problems of the world,” added Kathleen 
Tinley, who lost her uncle, Michael Tinley, at the World Trade Center.

September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows was launched on February 
14, 2002, and today includes 50 family members directly affected by 
September 11, as well as 2,000 supporters. Its mission is to seek 
effective nonviolent solutions to terrorism, and to acknowledge the 
shared experience of September 11 families with all people similarly 
affected by violence throughout the world. By conscientiously 
exploring peaceful options in their search for justice, the group’s 
members choose to spare additional innocent families the suffering 
that they have already experienced, as well as to break the endless 
cycle of violence and retaliation engendered by war. In doing so, 
they hope to create a safer world for themselves and for their 
children.

Information: East Coast, David Potorti,
919-608-7322, 919-466-9355
West Coast, Kelly Campbell, 415-518-1991

For more information: www.peacefultomorrows.org.
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