A statement by the group September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows on this week's commemoration of the warship the USS New York.
Huffington Post missed an important point in today's story:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
The following statement will be read at a protest of this warship by the NYC War Resisters League.
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Dear NYC War Resisters League,
We, the members of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, support your peaceful demonstration at the commissioning of the warship the USS New York. We oppose all violence, and want no one else killed in retaliation for the murders of our family members.
For us, the use of the scrap metal from the towers to build a warship is less a patriotic gesture than a sign of our nation's desire for retribution and more violence. We don't see a warship as something that keeps us safe from terrorists, we see it as an instrument of death.
While some may see this vessel as a symbol of American resilience, it also undeniably promotes revenge and aggression. This warship is clearly presented not as a defensive tool, but as a destructive one. We decry this approach.
Why couldn't the scrap metal have been used to build embassies, or homeless shelters, or schools in foreign countries, rather than a machine for delivering combat-ready troops and assault craft to those places?
Eliminating people is not the answer; eliminating fear and hatred is. War and violence and aggression beget more war and violence and aggression. We are responsible for breaking the cycle, not perpetuating it.
While we know that others see this ship as a patriotic, heartwarming and proud symbol of our country's strength, we want people to be reminded that there is another perspective. For those of us who lost family on September 11th, 2001, basing our nation's strength on constructive approaches to foreign nations is the only rational way to build a more peaceful world.
Nancy Meyer
Project Director
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows