US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation's Open Letter to the Peoples of Lebanon
August 8th, 2006August 2006
Open Letter
To the People of Lebanon, of
From People in the United States Who Believe that Only
Justice Will Bring Peace
Dear Sisters and Brothers Living With War,
We write to you in anguish, to express what cannot possibly be contained
in words. We need a new language to speak about what humanity means and
still can mean, what our humanity must create in this danger.
We send our solidarity, our commitment, our love. We write to let you
know that there are many in this country who are organizing, educating,
protesting, and engaging in civil disobedience, working night and day to call
for an end to this horror, to change
We are filled with anger at the
We are women and men of all ages, from all parts of the country, all
professions, all faiths, all races, all national backgrounds. We are not
reflected in the mainstream media because of the stronghold of fear and lack of
information strangling the imagination and collective public voice of this
country. But we are here and we want you to know you are not alone. We work in
small community groups, in nationwide coalitions, in places of worship and as
artists, writers, teachers -- from all walks of life. We want you to know that
when we see and hear the news we are imagining your families, your homes, your
hearts, your hopes, your terror. We want you to know.
We grieve for all lives lost in the
* We are putting pressure on our elected representatives to
support an immediate ceasefire and then negotiate a just peace. Although
the war on
* We are educating
* We seek to give voice to the suffering and the steadfastness of the
people of
* We seek as well to expose and redeem the damage to our own country. We
know that militarism destroys our economy, our communities and our humanity. We
know that many who fight our government's wars are the young and poor who feel
they have no other options. We know that our schools, our jobs, our
democracy, and our civil rights are held hostage to the military economy that
currently drives our government. Our struggle is thus one of solidarity, not of
charity.
* We take our protests to the streets in demonstrations and vigils -
outside Israeli Consulates, US Federal Buildings, and in all public spaces.
We cannot remain silent and simply let our countrymen and women watch
other countries and other peoples burn.
We will work until our country stands for peace and justice in yours and
throughout the world.
Signed by the following organizations
The
United for Peace and Justice, a nationwide coalition of 1,400 organizations
Signed by the following artists, writers, and public figures