While it is hoped that our national leaders and security personnel do the right thing as they search for the perpetrators of this most recent act of terrorism, many Americans are wondering what they can do during this perilous time.
Please, as a peace-loving American, I urge you to take the initiative NOW to begin a call-in, letter-writing, and email campaign to our elected officials:
1. Urging that official measures be taken to diminish racism and intolerance in our communities during this critical time
2. Urging temperance in our 'retaliatory measures' following this recent tragedy.
3. Reminding them that a war inevitably means that more Americans will be maimed and killed. And, once we enter into a war, there is no telling how long it will last or how great it will escalate!
4. If they are set on 'rooting out terrorism,' urge them to at least have a clear set of criteria that will let them and the country know when we have accomplished our mission, so that this does not become yet another endless campaign
5. Begging them not to take any measures to rollback our civil liberties at home
Thank you. I do not have the resources to accomplish this important task myself. Maybe with the collective resources of the various groups we are involved with we can make a difference, now, before it is too late.
Also, you can
1. Donate blood or funds to the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other institutions lending aid to the injured and the families of those hurt or killed in this attack on the American people.
2. Write letters-to-the-editor and op-ed pieces for your local paper, promoting peace, temperance, non-violence, and tolerance of differences of opinion.
3. Print flyers with information like this on them, and post them and hand them out wherever you can.
4. Organize peace vigils in local parks, and peace marches through your neighborhood.
5. Call local Arab-American groups and Muslim organizations to ask them what support they need during this time of heightened racial tension and social intolerance.
6. Promote and host screenings of films, such as "All Quiet on the Western Front", and other forms of entertainment that illuminate the terror of war, and the innevitable civilian casualties that result from any armed conflict.
7. Work to discourage violence, aggression, verbal abuse, and discrimination wherever you encounter it in your daily life. And above all, work for patience, thoughtfulness, and peace in all of your affairs.
Original: What You Can Do