Message-ID: <6423854.1075858976711.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 17:53:39 -0700 (PDT) From: sandyteb@aol.com To: tlokey@enron.com Subject: Fwd: Letter from Ghana Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-From: Sandyteb@aol.com X-To: tlokey@enron.com X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \TLOKEY (Non-Privileged)\sandy X-Origin: Lokey-T X-FileName: TLOKEY (Non-Privileged).pst 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 repr?sente tr?s >>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 ? se battre... Qu'est >>ce que >>vous en pensez? Je crois que si l'on s?me le bien, on r?colte 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. >> >