OMNI
9-11, SEPTEMBER 11 FAMILIES FOR PEACEFUL TOMORROWS DAY, NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE NEWSLETTER #7, September 11, 2014 (alternative to Patriot Day).
COMPILED BY Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace.
What’s at stake: Peace starts in our communities with our rejection of the beliefs and structures of our society that cause fear, hatred, and revenge. As we approach the 13th Commemoration of 9/11, we seek to honor all of the victims of the plane bombs, not by upping the violence ante, but by fostering peaceful communities—local, national, and global-- that embrace caring service rather than violence. We would serve as practical ambassadors of peace.
PEACEFUl TOMORROWS Day/National Day of Service is part of OMNI’s National Days Project. See Newsletters 4 and 5 for extensive explanation of Peaceful Tomorrows.
Here is the link to all OMNI newsletters: http://www.omnicenter.org/newsletter-archive/ Here is the link to the Index: http://www.omnicenter.org/omni-newsletter-general-index/
See Dissent, Flag Day, Independence Day, Sept. 12 Interdependence Day, OMNI Patriotism Newsletter, Support the Troops/Service Newsletter, UN Day, and more.
Contents 4-6 at end
Contents 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows Day, National Day of Service Newsletter #7
9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows Day
National Day of Service
OMNI Service Newsletters
Humanitarian Service
United Nations Service
Dick, Lawless Response to the 9/11 Attacks
Chomsky, Contexts and Alternatives to the Attacks
Martin Espada, “Alabanza”
Patriotic Songs
“America the Beautiful”
Review of Chomsky’s book 9-11.
Earlier 9/11 Tomorrows/Service Newsletters
September Eleven Families for Peaceful Tomorrows Day
[See Potorti’s Book: September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows]
About Us
Membership
Press Room
Speaker’s Bureau
Resources
Campaigns
Contact Us
Go
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Islamophobia
In response to the rise in hate crimes, including recently deadly attacks against innocent Sikh men in the tri-state area, families of those killed in the 9/11 attacks have developed a new bus ad calling for unity and interfaith tolerance that will be posted on New York City public transit. Please join us by helping fundraise and contributing yourself to the campaign.
Support our Ad Campaign
Everyone Please Share
Click here to download "Islamophobia" PDF document.
Since 9/11 our families have despaired as hate crimes have been perpetrated against Muslims as well as Sikhs and others appearing to be of Middle Eastern descent. Intolerant advertisements on public transit have also emerged casting fear against all who practice the Islamic faith (1/5 of the world's population). We stand united to firmly assert that this must end. This outreach campaign honors those who lost their lives on 9/11 by helping prevent more innocent civilians of any faith or background from dying needlessly. Support of our 9/11 families is not to give way to fear, revenge, and hate, it lies in interfaith understanding, unity, and hope.
We hope that many will join us in helping raise money and otherwise support this effort.
PLEASE JOIN US!
Carving Out Peaceful Tomorrows: Healing Conversations To End A Culture of Violence and Intolerance
Peace starts in our communities. As we approach the 13th Commemoration of 9/11, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows seeks to honor our loved ones who perished on 9/11 by fostering peaceful communities that embrace alternatives to hatred and violence. Toward that end, we held a symposium September 6th in an effort to impact and empower communities to serve as ambassadors of peace. Panelists included Lisa Bloom, civil rights attorney and legal analyst for major news stations. Raising the consciousness of the public to the threats of guns in our society and promoting cultural awareness through discussion of Islamophobia will be the topics discussed.
Below is the full program:
Click here to download "A Healing Conversation" PDF http://peacefultomorrows.org/
Campaigns and Projects
Rule of Law Iraq Afghanistan Other
Rule of Law
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows Rule of Law campaign mobilizes and amplifies the voices of 9/11 family members who support closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, restoring the rule of law, and ending indefinite detention and other violations of human rights that have become an enduring legacy of the U.S. “War on Terror.” Our goal for this initiative has been to strengthen the reasonable voices of 9/11 family members who support the rule of law in all aspects of dealing with the perpetrators and accused perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks. This includes the decision to conduct federal versus military trials, to close Guantanamo, to end indefinite detention, to end the military commissions, and related issues.
When the U.S. Kills an American Citizen
(This letter was published in the New York Times)
To the Editor:
Re “A U.S. Citizen, in America’s Cross Hairs” (front page, March 10), about the targeted killing of Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen:
I am a United States citizen; I was born here and have lived here all of my 81 years. If I were a threat to this country’s safety, I would expect to be caught and brought to justice.
The idea that any president can kill an American citizen without a trial is abhorrent and frankly scares me more than any act of any “terrorist.”
Senator Rand Paul’s politics are not mine by any stretch of the imagination, but I applaud him for trying to make the American public aware of what those we elected are doing.
It is a disgrace.
RITA LASAR
New York, March 10, 2013
The writer, whose brother died in the World Trade Center, is a co-founder of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.
9/11 Stories: Our Voices, Our Choices http://peacefultomorrows.org/
Derrill Bodley
DerrillBodleyhead
Derrill Bodley, a founding member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, was killed in a motorcycle accident on his 60th birthday, September 21, 2005. We remember Derrill’s boundless energy,… Read more » http://peacefultomorrows.org/
Jessica Murrow
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows member Jessica Murrow recalls the events of 9/11 which took the life of her husband Stephen Adams at Windows on World in the North… Read more » http://peacefultomorrows.org/
NEWSPress ReleasesVOICESMEDIA
Attack Syria? Not in Our Son’s Name!
Military Justice: Secrecy Shrouds Guantanamo Hearings
I Am Haunted By the Other Gitmo. The One I Did Not See.
What Happens to Justice in a Perpetual War?
“…these five men in spite of who they are deserve the fairest, most transparent and honest trial…”
Letter to the Editor at The Boston Globe
Jo Berry Speaks at TEDxExeter
Move to Shutter Guantanamo Now
see more...
Calendar of Events
Sep 2014 View all » http://peacefultomorrows.org/
Galleries
International - The Peoples UN Assembly 2007 - ItalyInternational - PT Member, Rita Lasar in Japan July-Aug 2002International - PT Member, Jack Hallock\'s Trip to Palestine & IsraelInternational - Nonviolent Peace Force - Meeting, Nairobi, 2007Iraq January 2003 - Visit with family of bombing victimInternational - Iraq January 2003 - Visit to a schoolInternational - Iraq January 2003 - Images of IraqInternational - Iraq January 2003 - Basra, IraqInternational - Iraq January 2003
Educational Resources
About Us
Membership
Press Room
Speaker's Bureau
Campaigns
Contact Us http://peacefultomorrows.org/
• History
• Mission & Goals
• Awards & Recognition
• Governing Documents
• Our Founding
• Our Steering Committee
• Program Partners
• Stories that Shaped the Past
• Map
• Timeline
• Membership Application
• Member Stories
- Overview
- Article
- Video
• Press Releases
• News
• e-newsletter
• Media Coverage
• Voices
• Photo Archive
• Overview
• How to Organize an Event
• Speaker Request Form
• 9/11 10th Anniversary
• Rule of Law
• Afghanistan
• Gitmo/Military Commissions
• Immigration & Civil Liberties
• Int'l Network for Peace
• Iraq
• Islamophobia
• Member Projects • Address/Map
• Join Us
• Donate
• Support Us http://peacefultomorrows.org/
Peaceful Tomorrows receives no money from 9/11 charities or disbursements. We depend entirely on individual and foundation grants to continue our work. More...
Editorial Policy: This website contains information related to the mission and goals of Peaceful Tomorrows and is intended for educational, non-commercial use. We highlight the projects undertaken by our organization, print essays and speeches made by 9/11 family members of our group, and post photo galleries which reflect the activities of our members around the world.
September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is a project of Tides Center.
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About 9/11 Day
About 9/11 Day
9/11 Day is the nation’s largest annual day of charitable engagement. In 2013, more than 47 million people from through the U.S. and in 150 countries observed September 11 by performing good deeds that help others. The goal of 9/11 Day is to provide a positive way for all people to forever remember and pay tribute to the 9/11 victims, honor those that rose in service in response to the attacks, and remind people of the importance of working more closely together in peace to improve our world. Please feel free to read some of the recent media coverage about us, listed under News. Also visit and “like” our 9/11 Day Facebook page, and follow-us on Twitter.
Click here to view the many leading nonprofit groups that have joined as strategic program partners this year.
Click here to view our list of Honorary Founders and friends who have generously contributed to making 9/11 Day possible this year.
Our Story
9/11 Day was originally created in 2002 by two friends, David Paine and Jay Winuk, who together wanted to create a way to annually honor all of the victims and heroes of 9/11, including Jay’s younger brother Glenn, who died in the attacks. At the time, Glenn was a partner at the national law firm Holland & Knight LLP in downtown New York City. For almost 20 years Glenn also was a volunteer firefighter and EMT, specially trained and certified in building collapse rescue operations, working out of the Jericho Volunteer Fire Department on Long Island. When the World Trade Center was attacked, Glenn helped to evacuate his law offices, then raced into the WTC’s South Tower to participate in the rescue efforts. Sadly Glenn died in the line of duty along with many others when the tower collapsed. His partial remains were found in March 2002, a borrowed first response medical kit by his side. In 2004, David and Jay formed the nonprofit MyGoodDeed, which today is responsible for overseeing and organizing 9/11 Day each year in collaboration with many leading partners and the federal agency the Corporation for National and Community Service. MyGoodDeed’s Advisory Board includes leaders of many prominent organizations representing 9/11 families, first responders, volunteers, and other impacted by the 9/11 attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In 2009, MyGoodDeed successfully helped to secure passage of bipartisan federal legislation, as well as a Presidential Proclamation, that officially established 9/11 a National Day of Service and Remembrance. In 2011, for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, MyGoodDeed partnered with HandsOn Network, the volunteer activation arm of the Points of Light Institute, to organize the single largest day of charitable service in United States history, with a record 33 million people participants. Since then, participation in 9/11 Day has grown every year.
SEE OMNI’S SERVICE NEWSLETTERS http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2014/09/police-newsletter-2-toward-service.html
HUMANITARIAN SERVICE
www.globalhumanitarianassistance.org/data.../defining-humanitarian-aid
Humanitarian assistance is generally accepted to mean the aid and action designed to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain and protect human dignity ...
Searches related to Humanitarian Service
1. United Nations: Humanitarian Affairs Google Search, Sept. 11, 2014
www.un.org/en/humanitarian/
United Nations
This is the United Nations portal on Humanitarian Affairs. ... Humanitarian Affairs ... Financial Tracking Service (FTS) · United Nations Disaster Assessment and ...
UN News Centre - 1 day ago
... approved an emergency allocation of nearly $4 million for the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to support operations in West Africa.
UN News Centre - 5 hours ago
en.wikipedia.org/.../United_Nations_Humanitarian_Air_Servic...Wikipedia
The United Nations Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS) is a UN common servicemanaged by the World Food Programme (WFP). UNHAS provides safe and ...
en.wikipedia.org/.../United_Nations_Office_for_the_Coordina...Wikipedia
Jump to Services - OCHA has built up a range of services in the execution of its ... civilian humanitarian actors, especially UN humanitarian agencies, and ...
www.wfp.org/logistics/aviation
World Food Programme
United Nations Humanitarian Air Service in West African Countries (UNHAS WAC). For information and bookings please contact unhas.wac@wfp.org.
www.unv.org/...un.../humanitarian-assistance....
United Nations Volunteers
Qualifications and conditions of service · Development assistance · Humanitarian and ... In the past five years, UN Volunteers have supported humanitarian activities in war-torn and post-conflict countries such as Afghanistan, Burundi, ..
See all of the branches of the UN: WHO, UNICEF, etc.
Martin Espada, “Alabanza”
“Martin Espada, one of our most important living activist poets. For me, his poem ‘Alabanza” in his collection Alabanza: New & Selected Poems, 1982-2002 is the best poem to come out of 9/11. With its comprehensive vision and compassion, this poem should have been piped through every intercom system in the United States to offset the jingoism and bellicose chauvinism in the aftermath of what was already a tragic enough event in our human-family history.” Julia Alvarez
Alabanza: In Praise of Local 100 | |
for the 43 members of Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 100, working at the Windows on the World restaurant, who lost their lives in the attack on the Alabanza. Praise the cook with the shaven head and a tattoo on his shoulder that said Oye, a blue-eyed Puerto Rican with people from Fajardo, the harbor of pirates centuries ago. Praise the lighthouse in Fajardo, candle glimmering white to worship the dark saint of the sea. Alabanza. Praise the cook's yellow Pirates cap worn in the name of Roberto Clemente, his plane that flamed into the ocean loaded with cans for for all the mouths chewing the ash of earthquakes. Alabanza. Praise the kitchen radio, dial clicked even before the dial on the oven, so that music and Spanish rose before bread. Praise the bread. Alabanza. Praise like Atlantis glimpsed through the windows of an ancient aquarium. Praise the great windows where immigrants from the kitchen could squint and almost see their world, hear the chant of nations: Alabanza. Praise the kitchen in the morning, where the gas burned blue on every stove and exhaust fans fired their diminutive propellers, hands cracked eggs with quick thumbs or sliced open cartons to build an altar of cans. Alabanza. Praise the busboy's music, the chime-chime of his dishes and silverware in the tub. Alabanza. Praise the dish-dog, the dishwasher who worked that morning because another dishwasher could not stop coughing, or because he needed overtime to pile the sacks of rice and beans for a family floating away on some Alabanza. Praise the waitress who heard the radio in the kitchen and sang to herself about a man gone. Alabanza. After the thunder wilder than thunder, after the booming ice storm of glass from the great windows, after the radio stopped singing like a tree full of terrified frogs, after night burst the dam of day and flooded the kitchen, for a time the stoves glowed in darkness like the lighthouse in Fajardo, like a cook's soul. Soul I say, even if the dead cannot tell us about the bristles of God's beard because God has no face, soul I say, to name the smoke-beings flung in constellations across the night sky of this city and cities to come. Alabanza I say, even if God has no face. Alabanza. When the war began, from two constellations of smoke rose and drifted to each other, mingling in icy air, and one said with an Afghan tongue: Teach me to dance. We have no music here. And the other said with a Spanish tongue: I will teach you. Music is all we have. | |
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
Transformative Video Project
I saw a well-crafted short promotion of “America the Beautiful,” made by the Better World Foundation, beginning and ending with the song, and ending too with the Statue of Liberty. “From Sea to Shining Sea” the film glorified the US as the exceptional nation, the only nation, for no other is mentioned. Even the usurped title of the song insults the entire hemisphere of Americas: we’re the United States of America (of the Americas).
From that delusion of exceptionalist nationalism has come manufactured fear after fear, invasion after invasion, war after war, and now a thousand military bases around the world, and more manufactured enemy nations encircled by those bases, Russia and China nuclear armed. From Sea to Shining Sea of arrogance and threatened violence.
If we seek peace for the world, together we must shame America the Beautiful films and make World Is Beautiful films. Let’s all make that film in one way or the other, in some degree or another. See the America Is Beautiful film as a starter, or any nationalist self-promotion. Write an outline or summary of it. Make a list of images. Choose the best song. Write a new song. The best opening and closing images. Contact the United Nations for such films. Raise money. Get a camera. Read about how to make a film. . GET STARTED.
Coca-Cola got started. Coca-Cola debuted a new ‘America the Beautiful’ commercial during Super Bowl 48 . The song was sung in several different languages and showed people of all nationalities. Coke said “the only thing more beautiful than this country are the people who live here.” That’s a start, but it’s still USA from the Atlantic to the Pacific. US citizens, not citizens of the world. This good film leads us to diversity within the US, but still is US-centered: some of those singing in different languages fought and killed in the unjust wars initiated by the US. Expose the America the Beautiful film for the harms of Me Me Nationalism. Transform the Coca-Cola film into World Nations Are Beautiful in their many beautiful languages. GET STARTED. Dick
Review of Chomsky’s 9/11: Was There an Alternative?
By Christopher Bartlo, October 7, 2011
“9-11 is a crash course in America
Contents of #4 2011
Collapse Conspiracy?
CONSEQUENCES of Bombings: Fear
Book by Engelhardt: Foreign and Domestic McCarthyism
Film by Pena: Unconstitutional Attacks on Civil Liberties
9-11 Commission: 2 Books
John Farmer
Philip Shenon
ALTERNATIVES to Retaliation, Invasion, and Occupation:
September 12: Interdependence Day
Potorti’s Book: September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
International Police: Ali Soufan’s Book
Peace Rallies 2010 from NYC to Fayetteville , AR
9-11 1973: Chile
Contents for #5 2012
Peaceful Tomorrows 9-11-2012 Statement
Peaceful Tomorrows Actions
Nonviolence National Dialog
Dick, Consequences of War on Terror
Chomsky, The Alternatives
Democratic Senators vs. Patriot Act
Susan Herman, Taking Liberties
9/11 the Whole Story
Contents for 9/11: Peaceful Tomorrows Day, National Day of Service #6 2013
Governor Beebe’s Proclamation
Emily Dickinson: Assent and you are sane
9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows 2013
Dick: Patriot Act, Patriotism, Liberties, and Shocks
Nathanson: Extreme vs. Moderate Patriotism
Lindorff: Petraeus, Patriot Act, Bill of Rights, Spy Agencies
Video: US the Best Country in the World?
Dick: Respect the Flag, Fight and Die for Freedom?
Majid: Importance of Dissent to US and Islam
END PEACEFUL TOMORROWS, NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE 9/11 NEWSLETTER #7, 2014