>-----Original Message-----
>From: portsideMod [mailto:portsidemod at yahoo.com]
>Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2001 7:07 PM
>To: portside
>Subject: Not in our son's name
>
>
>Not in our son's name
>(letter of parents of son missing at World Trade Center)
>
>Saturday, Sep 15, 2001 8:35pm
>
>[Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez's son Greg is one of the
>Trade Center victims.They have asked that people share
>these letters this copy of letter sent to NY Times as
>widely as possible.]
>
>Not in Our Son's Name
>
>Our son Greg is among the many missing from the World
>Trade Center attack. Since we first heard the news, we
>have shared moments of grief, comfort, hope, despair,
>fond memories with his wife, the two families, our
>friends and neighbors, his loving colleagues at Cantor
>Fitzgerald / ESpeed, and all the grieving families that
>daily meet at the Pierre Hotel.
>
>We see our hurt and anger reflected among everybody we
>meet. We cannot pay attention to the daily flow of news
>about this disaster. But we read enough of the news to
>sense that our government is heading in the direction
>of violent revenge, with the prospect of sons,
>daughters, parents, friends in distant lands dying,
>suffering, and nursing further grievances against us.
>It is not the way to go. It will not avenge our son's
>death. Not in our son's name.
>
>Our son died a victim of an inhuman ideology. Our
>actions should not serve the same purpose. Let us
>grieve. Let us reflect and pray. Let us think about a
>rational response that brings real peace and justice to
>our world. But let us not as a nation add to the
>inhumanity of our times.
>
>Copy of letter to White House:
>
>Dear President Bush:
>
>Our son is one of the victims of Tuesday's attack on
>the World Trade Center. We read about your response in
>the last few days and about the resolutions from both
>Houses, giving you undefined power to respond to the
>terror attacks.
>
>Your response to this attack does not make us feel
>better about our son's death. It makes us feel worse.
>It makes us feel that our government is using our son's
>memory as a justification to cause suffering for other
>sons and parents in other lands.
>
>It is not the first time that a person in your position
>has been given unlimited power and came to regret it.
>This is not the time for empty gestures to make us feel
>better. It is not the time to act like bullies. We urge
>you to think about how our governement can develop
>peaceful, rational solutions to terrorism, solutions
>that do not sink us to the inhuman level of terrorists.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez
>
>