---

Following the terrible events of September 11 , the members of the Rotary Club of Brest Pointe D' Armorique make a point of announcing their deep emotion to you and giving their support to you, with you and your family, the members rotarians, like all the American people .
Pierre Jourdren, Club President

---

Through the ashes.....

Thru the darkness and the ash, I feel their spirits soar.
Hundreds by hundreds coming, followed by even more.
Open up the gates Lord. Open them up wide.
The Americans are coming, Lord, marching side by side.
There are mothers and fathers. There are daughters and there's sons.
They had so much left to do Lord. Before their lives were done.
Open up the gates, Lord Open them up wide.
The Americans are coming, Lord, marching side by side.
Oh Lord, there are so many that are coming thru the gate.
It was not their time, Lord. They're here because of hate.
Open up the gates Lord Open them up wide.
The Americans are coming, Lord, marching side by side.
They come from out of the fire and the ashes and the dark.
They're marching to the Light, Lord On the earth they've made their mark.
So, Open up the gates Lord Open them up wide.
The Americans are coming, Lord, marching side by side.

---

Tony Blair, Prime Minister of England, speech about September Eleventh:
"In retrospect the Millennium marked only a moment in time. It was the events of 11 September that marked a turning point in history, where we confront the dangers of the future and assess the choices facing humankind.
Round the world, 11 September is bringing Governments and people to reflect, consider and change. And in this process, amidst all the talk of war and action, there is another dimension appearing.
There is a coming together. The power of community is asserting itself. We are realising how fragile are our frontiers in the face of the world's new challenges.
Today the threat is chaos; because for people with work to do, family life to balance, mortgages to pay, creers to further, pensions to provide, the yearning is for order and stability and if it doesn't exist elsewhere, it is unlikely to exist here.
We could defeat climate change if we chose to. Kyoto is right. We will implement it and call upon all other nations to do so. But it's only a start. With imagination, we could use or find the technologies that create energy without destroying our planet; we could provide work and trade without deforestation.
If humankind was able, finally, to make industrial progress without the factory conditions of the 19th Century; surely we have the wit and will to develop economically without despoiling the very environment we depend upon. The world community must show as much its capacity for compassion as for force
Globalisation is a fact and, by and large, it is driven by people. The issue is not how to stop globalisation. The issue is how we use the power of community to combine it with justice. This is an extraordinary moment for progressive politics.
Our values are the right ones for this age: the power of community, solidarity, the collective ability to further the individual's interests.
This is a moment to seize. The Kaleidoscope has been shaken. The pieces are in flux. Soon they will settle again. Before they do, let us re-order this world around us.
Today, humankind has the science and technology to destroy itself or to provide prosperity to all. Yet science can't make that choice for us. Only the moral power of a world acting as a community, can. By the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more together than we can alone".
For those people who lost their lives on 11 September and those that mourn them; now is the time for the strength to build that community. Let that be their memorial."

---

An Open Letter to Americans by Dr. Tony Kern, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Recently, I was asked to look at the recent events through the lens of military history. I have joined the cast of thousands who have written.

Dear friends and fellow Americans 14 September, 2001
Like everyone else in this great country, I am reeling from last week's attack on our sovereignty. But unlike some, I am not reeling from surprise. As a career soldier and a student and teacher of military history, I have a different perspective and I think you should hear it. This war will be won or lost by the American citizens, not diplomats, politicians or soldiers. Let me briefly explain.
In spite of what the media, and even our own government is telling us, this act was not committed by a group of mentally deranged fanatics. To dismiss them as such would be among the gravest of mistakes. This attack was committed by a ferocious, intelligent and dedicated adversary. Don't take this the wrong way. I don't admire these men and I deplore their tactics, but I respect their capabilities. The many parallels that have been made with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are apropos. Not only because it was a brilliant sneak attack against a complacent America, but also because we may well be pulling our new adversaries out of caves 30 years after we think this war is over, just like my father's generation had to do with the formidable Japanese in the years following WW II.
These men hate the United States with all of their being, and we must not underestimate the power of their moral commitment. Napoleon, perhaps the world's greatest combination of soldier and statesman, stated "the moral is to the physical as three is to one." Patton thought the Frenchman underestimated its importance and said moral conviction was five times more important in battle than physical strength. Our enemies are willing better said anxious -- to give their lives for their cause.
How committed are we America? And for how long? In addition to demonstrating great moral conviction, the recent attack demonstrated a mastery of some of the basic fundamentals of warfare taught to most military officers worldwide, namely simplicity,
security and surprise. When I first heard rumors that some of these men may have been trained at our own Air War College, it made perfect sense to me. This was not a random act of violence, and we can expect the same sort of military competence to be displayed in the battle to come.
This war will escalate, with a good portion of it happening right here in the good ol' U.S. of A. These men will not go easily into the night. They do not fear us. We must not fear them. In spite of our overwhelming conventional strength as the world's only "superpower" (a truly silly term), we are the underdog in this fight. As you listen to the carefully scripted rhetoric designed to prepare us for the march for war, please realize that America is not equipped or seriously trained for the battle ahead. To be certain, our soldiers are much better than the enemy, and we have some excellent "counter terrorist" organizations, but they are mostly trained for hostage rescues, airfield seizures, or the occasional "body snatch," (which may come in handy).
We will be fighting a war of annihilation, because if their early efforts are any indication, our enemy is ready and willing to die to the last man. Eradicating the enemy will be costly and time consuming. They have already deployed their forces in as many as 20 countries, and are likely living the lives of everyday citizens. Simply put, our soldiers will be tasked with a search and destroy mission on multiple foreign landscapes, and the public must be patient and supportive until the strategy and tactics can be worked out.
For the most part, our military is still in the process of redefining itself and presided over by men and women who grew up with - and were promoted because they excelled in - Cold War doctrine, strategy and tactics. This will not be linear warfare, there will be no clear "centers of gravity" to strike with high technology weapons. Our vast technological edge will certainly be helpful, but it will not be decisive. Perhaps the perfect metaphor for the coming battle was introduced by the terrorists themselves aboard the hijacked aircraft -- this will be a knife fight, and it will be won or lost by the ingenuity and will of citizens and soldiers, not by software or smart bombs. We must also be patient with our military leaders.
Unlike Americans who are eager to put this messy time behind us, our adversaries have time on their side, and they will use it. They plan to fight a battle of attrition, hoping to drag the battle out until the American public loses its will to fight. This might be difficult to believe in this euphoric time of flag waving and patriotism, but it is generally acknowledged that America lacks the stomach for a long fight. We need only look as far back as Vietnam, when North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap (also a military history teacher) defeated the United States of America without ever winning a major tactical battle. American soldiers who marched to war cheered on by flag waving Americans in 1965 were reviled and spat upon less than three years later when they returned. Although we hope that Usama Bin Laden is no Giap, he is certain to understand and employ the concept.
We can expect not only large doses of pain like the recent attacks, but also less audacious "sand in the gears" tactics, ranging from livestock infestations to attacks at water supplies and power distribution facilities. These attacks are designed to hit us in our "comfort zone" forcing the average American to "pay more and play less" and eventually eroding our resolve. But it can only work if we let it. It is clear to me that the will of the American citizenry - you and I - is the center of gravity the enemy has targeted. It will be the fulcrum upon which victory or defeat will turn. He believes us to be soft, impatient, and self-centered. He may be right, but if so, we must change. The Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, (the most often quoted and least read military theorist in history), says that there is a "remarkable trinity of war" that is composed of the (1) will of the people, (2) the political leadership of the government, and (3) the chance and probability that plays out on the field of battle, in that order.
Every American citizen was in the cross hairs of last Tuesday's attack, not just those that were unfortunate enough to be in the World Trade Center or Pentagon. The will of the American people will decide this war. If we are to win, it will be because we have what it takes to persevere through a few more hits, learn from our mistakes, improvise, and adapt. If we can do that, we will eventually prevail.
Everyone I've talked to in the past few days has shared a common frustration, saying in one form or another "I just wish I could do something!" You are already doing it. Just keep faith in America, and continue to support your President and military, and the outcome is certain.
If we fail to do so, the outcome is equally certain. God Bless America

Be aware that in District 7250, and all over NY, candles are burning
around the clock, everywhere. There are thousands at prayer Holding the candles. There are thousands of candles, in front of pictures, at streetside memorials throughout. Come out, and hold your candles, but also... Pray with us for those lost, for those hurt, for those we have hopes for, and for peace in the hearts and souls that live with horrid memories!
Peter Oleschuk
District 7250, New York USA

---

Dear PDG Ward, The David Rotary Club (District 4240) wishes to convey to you our deepest sorrow and sincere sympathy for your beloved missing in the tragic events of Tuesday 11. You will always be in our hearts and prayers.
Abdiel Samudio C.
President, David Rotary Club, District 4240, Panama

My deepest sympathy goes out to the friends and families of those lost
Thank you will never be enough for the heroes working now. My heart goes out to you all. "Imagine all the people living life in peace." - John Lennon
Sent by Rotarian Jon Hachey

---

Nuestras mas sentidas condolencias a todas las familias que han perdido a sus seres queridos por estos actos cobartes y a todos los ciudadanos de Estados Unidos, les acompañamos en su dolor.
Claudia Ruiz,
D-4690, San Felipe de Austria

The events of the last several days have shown us that the Rotary principles of world peace and good will are still elusive goals. Despite this, our resolve and determination will not be shaken. I have been in contact with Andrew Cheng, governor of the district in New York City, and I have pledged our help to his district. You can help by making a tax-deductible donation to our newly created District 7150 Benevolent Fund. You can access more information at this special website. In advance, I thank you for your assistance and generosity.
District Governor Bruce Frassinelli
District 7150, Upstate Central New York, USA

It is my sense that this senselessness can only be dealt with by making Rotary stronger. So, many Americans and unbelieving eyes around the world watched in horror today. My way of making sense of the senseless was to further the cause of Rotary with the Rotary First 100 website.
Jack Selway
Pueblo, Colorado, USA

---

Statement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Tuesday,
September 11, 2001: Secretary-General Kofi Annan today condemned the terrorist attacks on key targets in the United States, and stressed that no just cause could be advanced by terror.
"There can be no doubt that these attacks are deliberate acts of terrorism,
carefully planned and coordinated - and as such I condemn them utterly,"
the Secretary-General said in a statement issued at United Nations
Headquarters in New York.
Calling for terrorism to be fought "wherever it appears," the UN chief said
that, in such moments, "cool and reasoned judgement" was more essential
than ever. "We do not know yet who is behind these acts, or what objective
they hope to achieve," he said.
Expressing condolences to the victims and their families, Mr. Annan said
"our first thoughts and prayers must be for them." He also expressed
condolences to "the whole people and Government of the United States."

---

America: The Good Neighbor
Widespread coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the text of his remarks as printed in the Congressional Record (sent to us by several Rotarians):

"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated on all the earth. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain ands Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the united states.

When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it. When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the united states that hurries into help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened my tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans.

I'd like to see just one of these countries that is gloating over the erosion of the united States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't fly them. Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American planes?

Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or a woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technology, and you get radios. You talk about German technology, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technology, and you find men on the moon-not once, but several times-and safely home again. You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everyone to look at.

When the railways of France, Germany, and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them and old caboose. Both are still broke.

I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was even outside help during the San Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those." Stand proud America!

---

Essay by Charles Brennan
Well, you hit the World Trade Center, but you missed America. You hit the Pentagon, but you missed America. You used helpless American bodies, to take out other American bodies, but like a poor marksman, you STILL missed America.

Why? Because of something you guys will never understand. America isn't about a building or two, not about financial centers, not about military centers, America isn't about a place, America isn't even about a bunch of bodies. America is about an IDEA. An idea, that you can go someplace where you can earn as much as you can figure out how to, live for the most part, like you envisioned living, and pursue Happiness. (No guarantees that you'll reach it, but you can sure try!) Go ahead and whine your terrorist whine, and chant your terrorist litany: "If you can not see my point, then feel my pain." This concept is alien to Americans. We live in a country where we don't have to see your point. But you're free to have one. We don't have to listen to your speech. But you're free to say one. Don't know where you got the strange idea that everyone has to agree with you. We don't agree with each other in this country, almost as a matter of pride. We're a collection of guys that don't agree, called States. We united our individual states to protect ourselves from tyranny in the world. Another idea, we made up on the spot. You CAN make it up as you go, when it's your country.

If you're free enough. Yeah, we're fat, sloppy, easy-going goofs most of the time. That's an unfortunate image to project to the world, but it comes of feeling free and easy about the world you live in. It's unfortunate too, because people start to forget that when you attack Americans, they tend to fight like a cornered badger. The first we knew of the War of 1812, was when England burned Washington D.C. to the ground. Didn't turn out like England thought it was going to, and it's not going to turn out like you think, either. Sorry, but you're not the first bully on our shores, just the most recent.

No Marquis of Queensbury rules for Americans, either. We were the FIRST and so far, only country in the world to use nuclear weapons in anger. Horrific idea, nowadays? News for you bucko, it was back then too, but we used it anyway. Only had two of them in the whole world and we used 'em both. Grandpa Jones worked on the Manhattan Project. Told me once, that right up until they threw the switch, the physicists were still arguing over whether the Uranium alone would fission, or whether it would start a fissioning chain reaction that would eat everything. But they threw the switch anyway, because we had a War to win. Does that tell you something about American Resolve?

So who just declared War on us? It would be nice to point to some real estate, like the good old days. Unfortunately, we're probably at war with random camps, in far-flung places. Who think they're safe. Just like the Barbary Pirates did, IIRC. Better start sleeping with one eye open.
There's a spirit that tends to take over people who come to this country, looking for opportunity, looking for liberty, looking for freedom. Even if they misuse it. The Marielistas that Castro emptied out of his prisons, were overjoyed to find out how much freedom there was. First thing they did when they hit our shores, was run out and buy guns. The ones that didn't end up dead, ended up in prisons. It was a big PITA then (especially in south Florida), but you're only the newest PITA, not the first.

You guys seem to be incapable of understanding that we don't live in America, America lives in US! American Spirit is what it's called. And killing a few thousand of us, or a few million of us, won't change it. Most of the time, it's a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of Spirit. Until we're crossed in a cowardly manner, then it becomes an entirely different kind of Spirit.
Wait until you see what we do with that Spirit, this time.
Sleep tight, if you can. We're coming.

Editorial by Leonard Pitts, Jr. a columnist with the Miami Herald

It's my job to have something to say. They pay me to provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American soul. But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seem to fit, must be
addressed to the unknown author of this suffering. You monster. You
beast. You unspeakable bastard.

What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed. Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause. Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve. Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together. Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae -- a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement.

We are fundamentally decent, though -- peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God. Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals. Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and,
probably, the history of the world. You've bloodied us as we have never
been bloodied before. But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its
bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time
anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain.

When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice. I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future. In the days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined.

You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that we cherish. So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're capable of. You don't know what you just started. But you're about to learn.

(The following excerpt -- "For perspective, here is a view from a different angle" -- was sent in by Rotarian Philip Merritt).

Black Tuesday and Beyond: The View from Pakistan (Pervez Hoodbhoy is professor of physics at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan.)

The crack that divided Muslims everywhere from the rest of the world is no
longer a crack. It is a gulf that if not bridged, will surely destroy both. For much of the world, it was the indescribable savagery of seeing jet-loads of innocent human beings piloted into buildings filled with other innocent human beings. It was the sheer horror of watching people jump from the 80th floor of the collapsing World Trade Centre rather than be consumed by the inferno inside. Yes, it is true that many Muslims also saw it exactly this way, and felt the searing agony no less sharply. The heads of states of Muslim countries, Saddam Hussein excepted, condemned the attacks. Leaders of Muslim communities in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Europe, and Australia have made impassioned denunciations and pleaded for the need to distinguish between ordinary Muslims and extremists.

Today the U.S. is the victim, but a carpet-bombing of Afghanistan will
squander the huge swell of sympathy in its favour the world over. A bizarre new world awaits us, where old rules of social and political behavior have broken down and new ones are yet to be defined. Catapulted into a situation of darkness and horror by the extraordinary force of events, as rational human beings we must urgently formulate a response that
is moral, and not based upon considerations of power and practicality. This
requires beginning with a clearly defined moral supposition -- the
fundamental equality of all human beings. It also requires that we must
proceed according to a definite sequence of steps, the order of which is
not interchangeable.

Before all else, Black Tuesday's mass murder must be condemned in the
harshest possible terms without qualification or condition, without seeking
causes or reasons that may even remotely be used to justify it, and without
regard for the national identity of the victims or the perpetrators. The
demented, suicidal fury of the attackers led to heinous acts of
indiscriminate and wholesale murder that have changed the world for the
worse. A moral position must begin with unequivocal condemnation, the
absence of which could eliminate even the language by which people can
communicate.

Analysis comes second, but it is just as essential. No "terrorist" gene is
known to exist or is likely to be found. Therefore, surely the attackers,
and their supporters, who were all presumably born normal, were afflicted
by something that caused their metamorphosis from normal human beings
capable of gentleness and affection into desperate, maddened fiends with
nothing but murder in their hearts and minds. What was that? Tragically, CNN and the U.S. media have so far made little attempt to understand this affliction. The cost for this omission, if it is to stay this way, cannot be anything but terrible.

What we have seen is probably the first of similar tragedies that may come
to define the 21st century as the Century of Terror. There is much claptrap
about "fighting terrorism" and billions are likely to be poured into
surveillance, fortifications, and emergency plans, not to mention the
ridiculous idea of missile defense systems. But, as a handful of suicide
bombers armed with no more than knives and box-cutters have shown with such devastating effectiveness, all this means precisely nothing. Modern nations are far too vulnerable to be protected -- a suitcase nuclear device could flatten not just a building or two, but all of Manhattan. Therefore, the
simple logic of survival says that the chances of survival are best if one
goes to the roots of terror.

Only a fool can believe that the services of a suicidal terrorist can be
purchased, or that they can be bred at will anywhere. Instead, their breeding grounds are in refugee camps and in other rubbish dumps of
humanity, abandoned by civilization and left to rot. A global superpower,
indifferent to their plight, and manifestly on the side of their tormentors, has bred boundless hatred for its policies. In supreme arrogance, indifferent to world opinion, the U.S. openly sanctions daily dispossession and torture of the Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces. The deafening silence over the massacres in Qana, Sabra, and Shatila refugee camps, and the video-gamed slaughter by the Pentagon of 70,000 people in Iraq, has brought out the worst that humans are capable of. In the words of Robert Fisk, "those who claim to represent a crushed, humiliated population struck back with the wickedness and awesome cruelty of a doomed people." It is stupid and cruel to derive satisfaction from such revenge, or from the indisputable fact that Osama bin Laden and his kind are the blowback of the CIA's misadventures in Afghanistan.

Instead, the real questions are: Where do we, the inhabitants of this planet, go from here? What is the lesson to be learnt from the still smoldering ruins of the World Trade Centre? If the only lesson is that America needs to assert its military might, then the future will be as grim as can be. Indeed, Secretary of State Colin Powell has promised "more than a single reprisal raid." But against whom? And to what end? No one doubts that it is ridiculously easy for the U.S. to unleash carnage. But the bodies of a few thousand dead Afghans will not bring peace, or reduce by one bit the chances of a still worse terrorist attack.

The security of the United States lies in its re-engaging with the people of the world, especially with those that it has grievously harmed. This not an argument for inaction: Osama and his gang, as well as other such gangs, if they can be found, must be brought to justice. But indiscriminate slaughter can do nothing except add fuel to existing hatreds. Today, the U.S. is the victim, but a carpet-bombing of Afghanistan will cause it to squander the huge swell of sympathy in its favour the world over. Instead, it will create nothing but revulsion and promote never-ending tit-for-tat killings.
Ultimately, the security of the United States lies in its re-engaging with
the people of the world, especially with those that it has grievously
harmed. As a great country, possessing an admirable constitution that
protects the life and liberty of its citizens, it must extend its definition of humanity to cover all peoples of the world. It must respect international treaties such as those on greenhouse gases and biological weapons, stop trying to force a new Cold War by pushing through national missile defense, pay its UN dues, and cease the aggrandizement of wealth.

But it is not only the US that needs to learn new modes of behavior. There
are important lessons for Muslims, too, particularly those living in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Last year I heard the arch-conservative head of Pakistan's Jamat-i-Islami, Qazi Husain Ahmad, begin his lecture before an American audience in Washington with high praise for a "pluralist society where I can wear the clothes I like, pray at a mosque, and preach my religion." Certainly such freedoms do not exist for religious minorities in Pakistan or in most Muslim countries. One hopes that the misplaced anger against innocent Muslims dissipates soon and such freedoms are not curtailed significantly. Nevertheless, there is a serious question as to whether this pluralism can persist forever, and if it does not, who will be responsible for its demise.

The problem is that immigrant Muslim communities have, by and large, chosen isolation over integration. In the long run, this is a fundamentally
unhealthy situation because it creates suspicion and friction, and makes
living together ever so much harder. It also raises serious ethical questions about drawing upon the resources of what is perceived to be another society, for which one has hostile feelings. This is not an argument for doing away with one's Muslim identity. But without closer interaction with the mainstream, pluralism will be threatened. Above all, survival of the community depends upon strongly emphasizing the difference between extremists and ordinary Muslims, and on purging from within any
jihadist elements committed to violence. Any member of the Muslim community who thinks that ordinary people in the U.S. are fair game because of bad U.S. government policies has no business being there.
To echo George W. Bush, "let there be no mistake." But here the mistake
will be to let the heart rule the head in the aftermath of utter horror, to
bomb a helpless Afghan people into an even earlier period of the Stone Age,
or to take similar actions that originate from the spine. Instead, in deference to a billion years of patient evolution, we need to hand over charge to the cerebellum. Otherwise, survival of this particular species is far from guaranteed.

---

Taliban restrictions and mistreatment of women include:
1- Complete ban on women's work outside the home, which also applies to female teachers, engineers and most professionals. Only a few female doctors and nurses are allowed to work in some hospitals in Kabul.
2- Complete ban on women's activity outside the home unless accompanied by a mahram (close male relative such as a father, brother or husband).
3- Ban on women dealing with male shopkeepers.
4- Ban on women being treated by male doctors.
5- Ban on women studying at schools, universities or any other educational institution. (Taliban have converted girls' schools into religious seminaries.)
6- Requirement that women wear a long veil (Burqa), which covers
them from head to toe.
7- Whipping, beating and verbal abuse of women not clothed in accordance with Taliban rules, or of women unaccompanied by a mahram.
8- Whipping of women in public for having non-covered ankles.
9- Public stoning of women accused of having sex outside marriage.
10- Ban on the use of cosmetics. (Many women with painted nails have had fingers cut off).
11- Ban on women talking or shaking hands with non-mahram males.
12- Ban on women laughing loudly. (No stranger should hear a woman's voice).
13- Ban on women wearing high heel shoes, which would produce sound while walking. (A man must not hear a woman's footsteps.)
14- Ban on women riding in a taxi without a mahram.
15- Ban on women's presence in radio, television or public gatherings of any kind.
16- Ban on women playing sports or entering a sport center or club.
17- Ban on women riding bicycles or motorcycles, even with their mahrams.
18- Ban on women's wearing brightly colored clothes. In Taliban terms, these are "sexually attracting colors."
19- Ban on women gathering for festive occasions such as the Eids, or for any recreational purpose.
20- Ban on women washing clothes next to rivers or in a public place.
21- Modification of all place names including the word "women." For example, "women's garden" has been renamed "spring garden".
22- Ban on women appearing on the balconies of their apartments or houses.
23- Compulsory painting of all windows, so women can not be seen from outside their homes.
24- Ban on male tailors taking women's measurements or sewing women's clothes.
25- Ban on female public baths.
26- Ban on males and females traveling on the same bus. Public buses have now been designated "males only" (or "females only").
27- Ban on flared (wide) pant-legs, even under a burqa.
28- Ban on the photographing or filming of women.
29- Ban on women's pictures printed in newspapers and books, or hung on the walls of houses and shops.

---

---

A long dignified life: A ninety-one year old woman died after living a long dignified life. When she met God she asked him something that had long bothered her. If Man was created in God's image, and if all men are created equal, why do people treat each other so badly? God replied that each person who enters our life has a unique lesson to teach us. And it is only through these lessons that we learn about life, people, relationships and God. This confused the woman, so God began to explain.

When someone lies to you it teaches you that things are not always as they
seem. The truth is often far beneath the surface. Look beyond the masks
people wear if you want to know their heart. And remove your own masks to let people know yours. When someone steals from you it teaches you that nothing is forever. Always appreciate what you have, for you never know when you might lose it. And never, ever take your friends and family for granted because today is the only guarantee you have.

When someone inflicts an injury upon you it teaches you that the human
state is a fragile one. Protect and take care of your body as best you can,
it's the only thing you are sure to have forever. When someone mocks youit teaches you that no two people are alike. When you encounter people who are different from you, don't judge them by how they look or act; instead base your opinion on the contents of their heart. When someone breaks your heart it teaches you that loving someone does not always mean that person will love you back. But don't turn your back on love because when you find the right person, the joy that one person brings will make up for all the past hurts put together. Times ten! .

When someone holds a grudge against you it teaches you that everyone makes mistakes. When you are wronged, the most virtuous thing you can
do is forgive the offender without pretense. Forgiving those who have hurt us is the most difficult and courageous thing Man can do. When a loved one is unfaithful to you it teaches you that resisting temptation is Man's greatest challenge. Be vigilant in your resistance against all temptation. By doing so you will be rewarded with an enduring sense of satisfaction far greater than the temporary pleasure by which you were tempted. When someone cheats on you, it teaches you that greed is the root of all evil.

Aspire to make your dreams come true, no matter how lofty they may be. Do not feel guilty about our success, but never let an obsession with achieving your goals lead you to engage in malevolent activities. When someone ridicules you it teaches you that nobody is perfect. Accept people for their merits and be tolerant of their flaws. Do not ever reject someone for imperfections over which they have no control.

Upon hearing the Lord's wisdom, the old woman became concerned that there were no lessons to be learned from Man's good deeds. God replied that Man's capacity to love is the greatest gift he has. At the root of all kindness is love, and each act of love also teaches us a lesson. The woman's curiosity deepening, God once again began to explain. When someone loves us it teaches us that love, kindness, charity, honesty, humility, forgiveness and acceptance can counteract all the evil in the world. For every good deed, there is one less evil deed. Man alone has the power to control the balance between good and evil, but because the lessons of love are not taught often enough, the power is too often abused.

When you enter someone's life, whether by plan, chance or coincidence, consider what your lesson will be. Will you teach love or a harsh lesson of reality? When you die will your life have resulted in more loving or hurting? More comfort or pain? More joy or sadness? Each one of us has power over the balance of love in the world. Use it wisely. Don't miss an opportunity to nudge the world's scale in the right direction.

---

TO MY CHILD:
Just for this morning, I am going to smile when I see your face and laugh when I feel like crying.
Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear, and smile and say how perfect it is.
Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.
Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.
Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.
Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck, and I will buy you one if he comes by.
Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.
Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.
Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.
Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.
Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.
Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.
Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favourite TV shows.
Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that the Goddess has given me the greatest gift ever given.
I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.
And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask him for nothing, except one more day.............

 

---

An Open Letter from God:

My dear children -- and believe Me, that is all of you -- I consider Myself   a pretty patient God.  I mean, look at the Grand Canyon.  It took millions of years to get it right.  And about evolution?  Boy, nothing is slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing to take place cell by cell and gene by gene.  And I have been patient through your fashions, your civilizations, wars and schemes, and the countless ways that you take Me for granted until you get yourselves into big trouble again and again.  I want to let you know about some of the things that started ticking Me off.

First of all, your religious rivalries are driving Me up a wall.  Enough already!  Let's get one thing straight.  These are your religions, not Mine.   I'm the whole enchilada.  I'm beyond 'em all.  Every one of your religions claims that there's only one of Me, which, by the way, is absolutely true, but in the very next breath each religion claims that it's My favorite one.   And each claims its bible was written personally by Me, and that all of the other bibles are man-made.  Oh, Me.  How do I ever begin to put a stop to such complicated nonsense?

All right, listen up now.  I don't play favorites among My children.  Also, I hate to break it to you, but I don't write.  My longhand is awful, and I've always been more of a doer anyway. So ALL of your books, including those bibles, were written by men and women.   They were inspired men and women, they were remarkable people, but they also made mistakes here and there.  And I made sure of that, so that you would never trust a written word rather than your own living heart.

You see, one human being to Me -- even a bum on the street -- is worth more than all of the holy books in the world.  That's just the kind of a guy-and-gal I am.  My spirit is not an historical thing.  It's alive right now, right now, as fresh as your next breath.  Holy books and religious rites are sacred and powerful, but they are not more so than the least of you.  They were only meant to steer you in the right direction, not to keep you arguing with each other, and certainly not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection with Me.

Which brings Me to My next point about your nonsense.  You act like I need you and your religions to stick up for Me or win souls for My sake. Please, don't do Me any favors.  I can stand quite well on My own, thank you.  I don't need you to defend Me.  I don't need constant credit.  I just want you to be good to each other.   I want you to stop thinking of religion as some sort of a loyalty pledge to Me.  The true purpose of religion is so that YOU can become more aware of ME, not the other way around.  Believe Me, I know you already.   I know what's in each of your hearts, and I love you anyway with no strings attached.  So, lighten up and enjoy Me.  That's what religion's best for. What you seem to forget is how mysterious I am.  You look at the petty differences in your scriptures and you say, "Well, if this is the truth, then that can't be." 

Instead of trying to figure out My paradoxes and unfathomable nature -- which, by the way, you never will -- why not open your hearts to the simple, common threads of every religion? You know what I'm talking about.  Play nice with each other.  Love and respect everyone.  Be kind.  Even when life is scary or confusing, take courage and be of good cheer, for I'm always with you.  And learn how to be quiet, so that you can hear My still, small voice.  I don't like to shout. Leave the world a better place by living your life with dignity and gracefulness, for you are My own child.  Hold back nothing from life, for the parts of you that can die surely will, and the parts that can't, won't.  So don't worry, be happy.  

Simple stuff now.  Why do you keep making it so complicated?  It's like you're always looking for an excuse to be upset.  And I am very tired of being your main excuse.  Do you think I care whether you call Me God, or Yahweh, or Jehovah, Allah, Wakatonka, Brahma, Father, Mother, even the Void of Nirvana?  Do you think I care which of My Special Children you feel closest to -- Moses, Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed or any of the others? You can call Me and My Special Ones any names you choose, if only you will go about My business of loving one another as I love you.  How can you keep neglecting something so simple?

No, I am not telling you to abandon your religions.  Enjoy your religions and traditions, honor them, learn from them, just as you should enjoy, honor, and learn from your parents.  But do you walk around telling everyone that your parents are better than theirs?  Your religion, like your parents, may always have the most special place in your heart.  I don't mind that at all.   And I don't want you to combine all of the great traditions into One Big Mess. Each religion is unique for a reason.  Each has a unique
style so that people can find the best path for themselves.  But My Special Children -- the ones that your religions revolve around -- all live in the same place in My heart, and they get along perfectly, I assure you.  The clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there is none.  

My blessed children of Earth, the world has grown too small for your pervasive religious bigotries and confusion.  The whole planet is now connected by air travel, satellite dishes, telephones, fax machines, rock concerts, diseases and mutual needs and concerns. Get with the program! If you really want to help Me, then commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed your hungry and clothe your naked, and protect your abused and shelter your poor.  And just as important, make your own everyday life a shining example of kindness and good humor.  I've given you all the resources you need, if only you abandon your fear of each other and begin living and loving and laughing together.

Now, I am not really ticked off.  Not really.  I just wanted to grab your   attention because I hate to see you suffer.  But I gave you free will, so what can I do now other than try to influence you through reason and persuasion, and a little old-fashioned guilt and manipulation?  I just want you to be happy, and I'll sit in the dark.  I really am with you always.  I promise. Always.  Trust in Me. Your One and Only, God