Fwd: Letter from Ghana Here's one of the emails from Joan. Will send the other one next. Love, Sandy --------- Inline attachment follows --------- From:   To: sandy taylor  Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2001 9:08:06 GMT Subject:  Hi Sandy,     I'm sure you're as haunted and scared by what is going on as I am.  A friend sent the following message from someone in Ghana.  She found it quite moving and so do I.     I have a children's book agent.  Did I tell you?  I am very optimistic. Joan >PLEASE  >PLEASE  >PLEASE  >PLEASE  >  >READ THIS... IT MAY BE SHOCKING.... BUT IT IS THE SAD TRUTH... >  >  >  >>Bonjour tous le monde... Je crois que cet article reprï¿½sente trï¿½s >>bien ce  >>que je pense. Si vous avez une minute, prenez le temps de le >>lire...  >>La vie est trop courte pour perdre son temps ï¿½ se battre... Qu'est >>ce que  >>vous en pensez? Je crois que si l'on sï¿½me le bien, on rï¿½colte le >>bien...  >>  >>Hi everybody, this article is a little long, but exactly expresses >>what I  >>think and also what a lot of people think... Please don't take me >>wrong, I'm  >>not against America or American, I'm just against injustice... >>  >>enjoy!  >>  >>Josianne  >>  >>----------  >>From: "Herod, Chris" >>Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 10:58:10 -0500 >>Subject: FW: Statement from Ghana: "Injustice Anywhere.........." >>  >>  >> > Injustice anywhere . . . >> >  >> > Knowing the risk of fighting against the currents of seemingly >>popular  >> > sentiment, this is a suggestion that while we pray for the >>innocent  >> > victims of the events of last Tuesday, let us also think very >>seriously  >> > about where we are in history and what we should be doing with >>our lives.  >> >  >> > Here in Ghana, across Africa, and around the world, every day, >>mothers and  >> > fathers, sisters and brothers, and daughters and sons are dying >>as a  >> > direct result of American created, directed, and imposed >>policies and  >> > actions. Daily, American imperialism kills, maims, devastates >>and  >> > terrorizes the lives of normal, innocent, average people. We are >>killed by  >> > policies which require that we pay a manufactured debt to a Wall >>Street  >> > banker before we pay to provide immunizations for our children. >>We are  >> > killed by policies that require us to sell our businesses and >>resources to  >> > "investors" resulting in layoffs, slave wages, and our 10-year >>old  >> > children selling water and oranges on the street for pennies. We >>are  >> > killed by the dumping of American-made weapons into the hands of >> > American-trained soldiers gone crazy in the support of >>American-controlled >> > oil in Nigeria, sugar cane in Haiti, diamonds in Sierra Leone, >>and rubber  >> > in Liberia.  >> >  >> > In the very same way, on September 11, 2001, many normal, >>average,  >> > innocent people lost their lives as a direct result of American >> > imperialism. Although it can be shocking, it should not surprise >>us. As  >> > Malcolm X said on another occasion, "Chickens come home to >>roost."  >> >  >> > Perhaps, more and more of us will continue to see that the >>masses of  >> > people --- normal, average, everyday folk, all over the world >>--- are  >> > linked in our humanity. We are linked in our reaction to the >>tragedy of  >> > innocent lives lost. As a result of Tuesday's events, many of us >>may also  >> > begin to see ourselves becoming increasingly linked in our >>susceptibility  >> > and vulnerability. I also hope that we may also begin to see >>that wherever  >> > we may live in the world, whatever language we speak, whatever >>God we  >> > worship, our lives are shaped in the extreme by the inhumane >>policies of a  >> > system which tremendously benefits just a few while leaving most >>of us  >> > clinging desperately to the vestiges of our humanity. >> >  >> > This same despicable system now attempts to continue its massive >> > oppression of humanity by encouraging, fostering and maintaining >>our  >> > ignorance: keeping humanity divided and then distracted from the >>real  >> > cause of our suffering. After highlighting the justifiable and >> > understandable shock of average folk who have lost their >>innocence and  >> > their innocents, we will also be shown images of people who >>celebrate the  >> > events that occurred in the US on September 11, 2001. As usual, >>they will  >> > simply show crowds rejoicing and the burning of American flags. >>There will  >> > be no attempt to show or explain why so many in the world feel a >> > justifiable and understandable hatred of America and its >>policies. Many of >> > us have lost our innocence long ago. Many of us lost our land >>and control  >> > of our lives long ago. We are fighting against America to get it >>back,  >> > even within America. Many of us have lost and continue to lose >>our mothers  >> >  >> > and fathers, sisters and brothers, and daughters and sons every >>day.  >> > Whether we loose our neighbors or loved ones to malaria, a >>crack-overdose,  >> > AIDS, dysentery, zionist missiles or NATO bombers, we understand >>the role  >> > that America and American policies play in these tragedies. We >>have to  >> > understand why some people now celebrate when there is at least >>a sense  >> > that some consequence has fallen on America, that the Goliath of >>the world  >> > does not always have its way. This is not the first war of the >>21st  >> > Century but rather a continuation of a war that started long >>ago. Whether  >> > we know it or not, whether we accept it or not, we are in the >>midst of an  >> > ongoing war against injustice and oppression. >> >  >> > Despite imperialist attempts to portray everyone they kill as a >>crazed or  >> > fanatical demon, most people in America do not celebrate the >>fact that  >> > Palestinians are losing their loved ones on a daily basis at the >>hands of  >> > Israelis with American-made weapons and an American financed >>military.  >> > Most do not even know, much less celebrate, the fact that >>millions have  >> > been killed in the Congo and Central Africa as a direct result >>of first  >> > Europe's and now America's need to have unfettered access to its >> > invaluable minerals and labor. In the same way, those who are >>rejoicing  >> > around the world today, are not celebrating the death of >>innocent people  >> > in America. Some are celebrating the possibility that maybe our >>own daily  >> > suffering and loss of life will soon end because of the recent >>events in  >> > America. However, this will not likely happen unless we are able >>to see  >> > through the cloud of dust imperialist media will use to hide the >>real  >> > human tragedy of our suffering. The real commonality we all >>share as  >> > people, even more now than we did a week ago. >> >  >> > When America's imperialist leaders try to convince us to direct >>anger and  >> > vengeance toward this individual or that, this group or that, >>this nation  >> > or that one, let us try to look at the real cause of the >>tragedy. If we  >> > can get past the Voice of America, CNN, the New York Times, BBC, >>and all  >> > their satellite outlets, maybe we can look for the root of the >>problem. It  >> > is only then that we even have a chance of finding a cure. The >>challenges  >> > of humanity can never be solved by trying to bomb or kill people >>into  >> > submission. In the same way, attempts to use the United Nations, >>the  >> > International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization or >>other  >> > so-called world bodies to legislate the majority of the world >>into  >> > accepting injustice will never succeed. >> >  >> > Elimination of human suffering can only come about through >>legitimate and  >> > honest human-centered education. We have to seek an education >>that will  >> > enable us to truly understand our global interdependence: an >>education  >> > that will lead to a new level of human enlightenment. An >>enlightenment  >> > that enables us to see that when we lose loved ones to political >>violence  >> > in New York, it is no different than when we lose loved ones to >>political  >> > violence in Freetown, Belfast, Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Iraq, >> > Afghanistan, Panama, Grenada, and so many other places around >>the world  >> > where people have suffered at the hands of American-led >>imperialism.  >> >  >> > So, as we rightly pray for and console the families of those >>innocents who  >> > lost their lives in New York, let us also remember that as Dr. >>Martin  >> > Luther King so eloquently stated, "Injustice anywhere is a >>threat to  >> > justice everywhere." As long as there is injustice, no one is >>safe. We  >> > must fight to eliminate injustice, only then will the violence >>subside.  >> > When you kill someone's mother or father or child, is it not >>likely that  >> > some or one of the survivors may one day be bold enough to >>strike back at  >> > the one that they believe responsible? Even to the point of >>killing his or  >> > herself in the process. >> >  >> > When we are bombarded with images, rhetoric, newspapers and even >>E-mail  >> > messages that encourage us to raise American flags and sing the >>praises of  >> > America, we are witnessing and participating in a well >>orchestrated script >> > designed to prepare us to blindly support retaliation against >>someone,  >> > anyone. Let us remember that those who will be killed in >>America's next  >> > bombing exercise will be someone's child, someone's mother, >>someone's  >> > fiancee, someone's school teacher. Most people around the world >>would call  >> > it terrorism when bombs and missiles are mercilessly dropped on >>innocent  >> > people in Bagdad, Kabul, Tripoli, Khartoum, Hanoi or Hiroshima, >>not only  >> > when they fall on America. When we say terrorism must stop, let >>us remind  >> > the American government and the people of America that all lives >>are  >> > sacred. Please burn a candle for all of the victims of >>American-led  >> > imperialism, not just those killed in New York, Pennsylvania and >> > Washington, DC on September, 11, 2001. If we want peace, we must >>have  >> > justice. Work for justice. >> >