NARRATOR
Immediately after the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush proclaimed a “war on terrorism” and soon after began the bombardment of Afghanistan. But some of the families who had lost loved ones in the attack refused to support what the government was doing and formed a group called Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. The family of Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez, whose son Greg was among the many missing from the World Trade Center, wrote to the New York Times: “We…sense that our government is heading in the direction of violent revenge…. It is not the way to go. It will not avenge our son’s death…. Not in our son’s name.”
A woman named Amber Amundson sent a statement to the Chicago Tribune.
AMBER AMUNDSON
My husband, Craig Scott Amundson, of the U.S. Army, lost his life in the line of duty at the Pentagon on September 11th, as the world looked on in horror and disbelief….
Losing my 28-year-old husband and father of our two young children is a terrible and painful experience….
I have heard angry rhetoric by some Americans, including many of our nation’s leaders, who advise a heavy dose of revenge and punishment. To those leaders, I would like to make clear that my family and I take no comfort in your words of rage. If you choose to respond to this incomprehensible brutality by perpetuating violence against other innocent human beings, you may not do so in the name of justice for my husband….
Craig would not have wanted a violent response to avenge his death. And I cannot see how good can come out of it. We cannot solve violence with violence. Mohandas Gandhi said: “An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind.”
I call on our national leaders to find the courage to respond to this incomprehensible tragedy by breaking the cycle of violence. I call on them to marshal this great nation’s skills and resources to lead a worldwide dialogue on freedom from terror and hate.