A Plea for Peace

Why would they dance in the streets while 5,000 Americans lie dead in the rubble of our buildings? We have been hurt. We are angry. We want to strike back. But, we need to understand, if we are to respond effectively.

Let's start with your anger and pain. Suppose that a close relative had died in the World Trade Center Tuesday. Think about your anger. Now suppose that they had targeted schools and neighborhoods, and your children had died. Maybe you are feeling even angrier? Now suppose they also targeted hospitals and medical clinics.

But lets suppose they didn't stop there; they also destroyed our water treatment and sewage treatment facilities and we had to dump our sewage in the rivers and then go to these same rivers for drinking water.

And suppose that for ten years, while our children died from drinking filthy water, the attacks continued, we were prevented from rebuilding, and our children kept dying by the thousands each month.

Think about this. Are you angry? Do you want to strike back? How would you feel if your tormenters suddenly suffered a great loss?

Maybe now you understand how an Iraqi might feel about last Tuesday's events. But, I could tell you similar stories about how a Palestinian, Nicaraguan, Vietnamese, Sudanese, Panamanian, Columbian, or Guatemalan might feel as well.

At this point, we do not even know who our attackers are, but lets think about how to respond effectively. Suppose we bombed Afghanistan, which would cause great suffering among the Afghans.

Would we feel any more secure for adding Afghans to the list above? Suppose we bombed somebody, anyone, just to show our resolve. We've bombed 26 countries since the end of World War II, and we are still not safe. Would bombing one more country make us secure?

Suppose we beefed up our military. If possessing a military that is already more powerful than the rest of the world's combined, couldn't stop Tuesday's attack, will an even stronger military stop the next one? I doubt it.

I have a novel solution to suggest. It's called PEACE. It's what Jesus preached 2,000 years ago.

I recently had the very good fortune to be one of 30 Americans who went to Iraq to rebuild water treatment plants with Veterans for Peace. Perhaps, if we had been 30,000, working all over the world, including at home, Tuesday's attack would have never happened.

Tom Sager is a veteran of the Gulf War against Iraq and has been actively working to enlighten the public on the plight of the Iraqi people.