"Hi Everybody!
I just read a letter from a friend of mine who bicycled roughly 500 miles in six days to raise money to help find a vaccine for AIDS. He and about 1100 other people came together to stop the deaths of innocent Americans, and no was harmed in the process.
This past summer a hundred thousand or so people participated in San Francisco's AIDS Walk to raise money to find a cure/vaccine for AIDS. We collected money and joined forces to try to save innocent Americans and no one was harmed in the process.
A month ago, a hospice called Maitri put together an art sale. Half of all the proceeds went to help research fatal diseases. People came together to sell and buy art so that American lives could be saved, and no one was harmed in the process.
Tonight, a Spiral Dance is happening in Orinda. 10% of all proceeds are going to RAWA so that they can continue to educate women in Afghanistan - so that they can continue to survive. Hundreds or thousands of women are coming together to dance, socialize, pray, and focus, so that women in Afghanistan can learn...and no one is going to be harmed in the process.
There are peaceful ways to save lives. They might not be immediately gratifying or quick solutions, but at least no further loss of life is incurred - "innocent", civillian, or military.
I've been receiving a lot of email talking about how this "War on Terrorism" - the dropping of bombs on Afghanistan - is acceptable, and even good. War is not acceptable. War is not good. War is hell.
Most of these emails have had a decidedly Christian voice, and have praised god. the Christianity that i respect is not one of war. It is the one that says love thy neighbor, thou shalt not kill, do unto others as you would have done unto you, turn the other cheek. It is a philosophy of forgiveness and even tolerance. It is a philosophy of peace."-Sarah Soward, October 30, 2001