folks, this is a plea for calm and moderation sent out by a group within
the national organization to which our church belongs. i'm sure other
churches and organizations are sending out similar messages. many, like ours, have held candlelight vigils tonight for the victims and their
families.
it's very hard to remain calm and reasonable in times like this, but i
keep thinking of the type of behavior i want to model for my children.
giving comfort and seeking peace should still be our primary goals.
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We at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee share a deep sense
of grief and loss with citizens throughout our nation and world in the wake of the tragic series of attacks that have caused untold suffering and loss of life in New York City, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere in our nation.
The first reaction for many of us hearing about these cruel and violent acts is to focus on who is behind them - and to quickly react in kind.
However, we must remain true to the principles and values upon which our nation was founded. We must react in a careful, measured way and not allow ourselves and our country to rush to judgment about who committed these acts of violence.
Similarly, we must take care not to allow today's events to affect the freedoms and rights which protect all of our citizens. As the facts surrounding these attacks begin to unfold over the next few days and weeks, we must be diligent and urge our nation's leaders not to seek retribution against individuals, groups or nations for the sake of proving our might.
Instead, we must focus first on caring for those who have been hurt in the attack and on providing support to family members who have lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy.
Lessons learned from our nation's past During recent acts of terror such as the bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995, or at the World Trade Center in 1993, early reports jumped to conclusions regarding the perpetrators of these attacks, leading to random acts of retaliation. In the wake of the Oklahoma bombing, early suggestions that Arab groups were responsible led to innocent Arab-Americans becoming the targets of harassment, hate crimes and discrimination.
Today, we at UUSC join with people across the country who are devastated by grief at the horror visited upon thousands of innocent people in the United States. However, we urge strongly that the investigators and responsible agencies be allowed to do their work in uncovering who was responsible, and we deplore any random acts of revenge and retaliation that may threaten the lives of any more innocent people.
Lessons learned from UUSC's past:
As an organization, the Service Committee traces its origins to helping the victims of terrorism.
At this time of national tragedy, we need to reach out to those who are suffering and grieving, rather than on placing immediate blame or vilifying entire nations.
Our major focus should be on protecting the human rights of all of our citizens, especially those whose families have been shattered by these senseless acts.
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