Published in ATTAC Newsletter 96

Not in Our Son's Name

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　by Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez

Copy of letter sent to NY Times:

Not in Our Son's Name

Our son Greg is among the many missing from the World Trade Center

attack. Since we first heard the news, we have shared moments of

grief, comfort, hope, despair, fond memories with his wife, the two

families, our friends and neighbors, his loving colleagues at Cantor

Fitzgerald / Espeed, and all the grieving families that daily meet at

the Pierre Hotel. We see our hurt and anger reflected among everybody

we meet. We cannot pay attention to the daily flow of news about this

disaster. But we read enough of the news to sense that our government

is heading in the direction of violent revenge, with the prospect of

sons, daughters, parents, friends in distant lands dying, suffering,

and nursing further grievances against us. It is not the way to go. It

will not avenge our son's death. Not in our son's name. Our son died a

victim of an inhuman ideology. Our actions should not serve the same

purpose. Let us grieve. Let us reflect and pray. Let us think about a

rational response that brings real peace and justice to our world. But

let us not as a nation add to the inhumanity of our times.

Copy of letter to White House:

Dear President Bush:

Our son is one of the victims of Tuesday's attack on the World Trade

Center. We read about your response in the last few days and about the

resolutions from both Houses, giving you undefined power to respond to

the terror attacks. Your response to this attach does not make us feel

better about our son's death. It makes us feel worse. It makes us feel

that our government is using our son's memory as a justification to

cause suffering for other sons and parents in other lands. It is not

the first time that a person in your position has been given unlimited

power and came to regret it. This is not the time for empty gestures

to make us feel better. It is not the time to act like bullies. We

urge you to think about how our government can develop peaceful,

rational solutions to terrorism, solutions that do not sink us to the

inhuman level of terrorists. Sincerely,

Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez