AP Photo
What Is An Appropriate Response?
The September 11 a ttacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon mark a turning point for the United States, a terrible tragedy, a crime against innocent human beings but also an opportunity to reflect deeply on our role in the world, and how it is some people have come to hate us so deeply.
On the personal level, most Americans feel immensely saddened by the loss of life in the attacks. Many feel vulnerable and angry. After all, the United States has never, for many generations, experienced war at home. In their anger, some are quick to assign blame, and to scapegoat and lash out against "foreigners", especially if those foreigners are from the Middle East, the origin, it seems increasingly likely, of the attackers, and their base of support.
According to our national leaders, we must enter into a "war against terrorism". Many are concerned at the warlike rhetoric we are hearing, fearing that, should our response be too hurried, many more innocent lives will be lost...that we will only provoke further terrorist acts against us...that, as history has shown us again and again, violence can never ultimately suppress or eliminate violence.
I am posting this page as a resource for our friends from every country, students at the English Language Program, faculty and staff, in the hope that as we inform ourselves, we may find some common ground as human beings. Truly, ignorance is our greatest enemy. Ignorance perpetuates the myth that we are somehow separate, that what I do to you does not, in the end, affect me as well. May the immense suffering we are experiencing due to the attacks on September 11 open our eyes and hearts to the suffering of many people around the world.
In hopes of peace...
New Sources and Commentary
E-mail me and I'll subscribe you to the mailing list for future updates.
Online Newspapers.com
CNN
Thank You Image Gallery
The Boondocks
Alternet
Alternative Weekly News
Common Dreams
Emergency, Terrorism and War
The Public i
Working For Change
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it... Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate.... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Retaliation Will Not Bring Lasting Safety and Peace
Enormous Compassion
The Cyclops Has Lost Its Eye
A Spiritual Perspective
A World Out of Touch With Itself
Please Call Me By My True Names
The War Prayer
September 1, 1939
The Darkness Around Us Is Deep
When Death Comes
"Our enemies are not man. They are intolerance, fanaticism, dictatorship, cupidity, hatred, and discrimination which lie within the heart of man. These are real enemies of humans, not humans themselves. In our unfortunate fatherland we are trying to plead desperately: do not kill man, even in man's name. Please kill the real enemies of man which are present everywhere in our very hearts and minds..."Thich Nhat Hanh, in a letter to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dated June 1, 1965
What is Terrorism?
The Terrorism Research Center
Terrorist Group Profiles
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden and his Group
Osama bin Laden: How the US Helped Midwife a Terrorist
Mother Jones
American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee
Hate Watch
Teaching Tolerance
Hollywood Now Plays Cowboys and Arabs
Global Exchange
SF Chronicle
FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
Middle East Research and Information Project
ZNet Mideast Watch
The Center for Middle Eastern Studies
Islam
A Volatile Region
The US as "Cultural Bully"
"Every person I have known who has been truly happy, has learned how to serve others" Albert Schweitzer
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Move On
911 Peace
Think Again
Anti-War Posters
E-Mail Links
Congress.Org
This link will take you to a list of new sources and commentary which I've sent out on the Appropriate Response mailing list. Good reading!
News From Around the World
Easy to search by region. Read what newspapers from around the world are saying about the current world situation.
Continuing coverage of the aftermath of the attacks, US political news, photos, videos, etc.
A deeply moving collection of photo images from around the world, of memorials to the victims of the September 11 attacks.
Voices From Outside the Mainstream
Comic relief! An outsider perspective on mainstream media, terrorism and US militarization.
AlterNet is a project of the Independent Media Institute, a nonprofit organization "dedicated to strengthening and supporting independent and alternative journalism." Offers coverage of the terrorist attacks and breaking news.
Read what columnists from alternative newsweeklies have to say about September 11 - "Anger Tempered by Tolerance".
"News and Views for the Progressive Community". A useful website, with access to opinions you won't find in the mainstream press.
Response and commentary from left-wing and progressive thinkers. Scroll down to the section entitled "If You Are Short On Time...The most direct route to comprehension..." for shorter articles.
An investigative report of the Center for Public Integrity, which provides an ethical perspective on the news and government.
Another great source of alternative comment, as well as ways that you can get involved through activism or volunteering.
Alternatives to Violence
A New Reason for Gratitude
From Brother David Steindl-Rast: "Strange though it is, many of us were able to ignore the vicious circle of violence against violence - our own and that of others - as long as it was happening far away. We were asleep. This was a rough awakening. What now? We can show ourselves grateful for the Wake-up Call by staying awake, by acting wakefully. "
Excerpted from a statement by Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D, International mediator and founder of the Center for Nonviolent Communication.
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a Tibetan lama in the Bon tradition, provides another perspective on the appropriate response to the terrorist attacks in this interview.
"Many do not know that we are here in this world to live in harmony..." A transcription of a talk given by Zen Buddhist priest Fu Schroeder.
Deepak Chopra's essay, called "The Deeper Wound: Can We Find More Than Revenge After the Attacks?"
Subtitled "Where the Violence Comes From", this essay is by Rabbi Michael Lerner, the editor of Tikkun magazine.
Poetic Insights
A poem by
Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, written during the time of the Boat People in 1978. Links to Thich Nhat Hanh resources.
Mark Twain's best-known anti-imperialist writing, never published during his lifetime.
Written on the eve of World War II, this poem by WH Auden tells us that "no one exists alone...we must love one another or die."
In this poem, entitled "A Ritual to Read to Each Other," William Stafford counsels that "it is important for awake people to be awake."
A poem by Mary Oliver: "When it's over, I want to say: all my life/I was a bride married to amazement/I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms."
Who Are the Terrorists?
FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the government organization responsible for coordinating rescue efforts after disasters. This page contains their definition of what terrorism is.
This site is "dedicated to informing the public of the phenomena of terrorism and information warfare (and) features essays...on current issues (and) links to other terrorism documents, research and resources."
This site is maintained by the US Naval Postgraduate Library, and lists all groups the US government considers terrorist.
A CNN profile of the man many US intelligence experts consider to be the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks. Also, read a PBS Frontline biography of Osama bin Laden.
A short, informative Washington Post article.
An excerpt from a book by Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, entitled "Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism." Excellent deep background on how we helped create the current situation in Afghanistan.
Concerns About Civil Rights of Arab Americans
An article from Mother Jones magazine cautions that "The civil rights of Arab and Muslim Americans may become another casualty of the Sept. 11 terror attacks."
This mission of this civil rights organization is to "defend the rights of people of Arab descent and (promote) their rich cultural heritage." Learn what American Arabs are doing in response to the attacks.
Hate Watch is a group dedicated to monitoring online bigotry. Their website contains articles relevant to the Sept. 11 attacks, and subsequent backlash against Arabs.
Ten ways you can help to fight hate.
How do media portrayals of ethnic and religious groups shape our perceptions of them?
Offers resources to "help protect civil rights and combat racism in your community."
How Open Is American Society?
In an article entitled "Schools Fear Foreign Students May Be Turned Away; Tougher Scrutiny After Attacks", the writer describes fears among educators that proposed changes to the student visa program may result in a dramatic decrease in foreign students studying in the US.
A "national media watch group (which) has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986."
Background: The Middle East and Islam
"MERIP...addressing a broad range of social, political and cultural issues...by soliciting writings and views from authors from the Middle East not often read in the West."
Articles and analysis of the region from prominent left/progressive thinkers. Lots of useful links.
The University of Texas at Austin publishes this website, with links to many, many resources on the area, by category and by country.
Origin and history of Islam, and many links to Islam-related resources on the web.
This Washington Post article focuses on the Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden has been living, and the countries surrounding it. Good map of the region.
This article, by a former US Foreign Service Officer and Mideast scholar, suggests that the US government needs to consider the legacy of Western colonialism to understand Islamic fundamentalism in the mideast.
Why Bombings and Warnings Are Not Working
An opinion piece from the SF Chronicle, which gives some very useful background on the Pashtun people of Afghanistan (most Taliban are Pashtun), and explains cultural factors contributing to the diehard resistance in that country.
What Can We Do?
An organization whose goal is "bringing together Buddhism and progressive social action. Links to Buddhist resources in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.
A website created to be "a catalyst for a new kind of grassroots
involvement, supporting busy but concerned citizens in finding their political voice." You can add your name to an e-mail petition urging restraint in our response to the attacks, rather than escalation of violence.
The authors of this site intend it to be "a supportive environment for members of the global village to discover how we can each play a role in healing the wounds that were inflicted upon us."
Express Yourself!
Think Again is "an artist-activist collaborative that talks back to mainstream
ideas that perpetuate injustice." Download high-quality anti-war graphics from this website.
Another artist/activist collective offering free, downloadable graphics.
Avoid javascript mail forms which load slowly and freeze your screen! This page provides quick mail links to the White House, Congress, California Senators, and some SF Bay Area Representatives!
Use this site to find your elected officials, or just enter your zip code in the boxes below.
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