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Subject: [AntiWarCoalitions] To Oprah: Anti-war & pro-war are not morally equivalent. PLEASE TAKE A STAND
>Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 01:14:16 -0800 (PST)
>
>February 5, 2003
>
>Dear all,
>
>Please redistribute this to every listserve, friend,
>and associate you can think of!!
>
>I implore you to all go to Oprah's website,
>www.oprah.com and fill out a short survey on how you
>feel about the war. It is already overwhelmingly
>against it--but we ought to swamp the site with
>emails, and really make this point, where it might
>make an impact at this 11th hour. You can also type a
>letter into the site--which I hope everyone will do.
>
>Here's what I wrote:
>
>February 5, 2003
>
>Dear Oprah,
>
>I will get right to the point.
>
>When you do your two shows pro and against the war, I
>beg you to TAKE A STAND–AGAINST THE DEVASTATION OF
>WAR.
>
>This is not a time to neutrally present both “sides”
>of a simple “dialogue”, as if they both have equal
>validity. Imagine presenting both sides, pro and
>against nazi-ism. The sides were not moral
>equivalents. And, although this is an extreme
>example, it is not too extreme, because war is
>genocide and terror and untold suffering. The Iraqi
>people are not collateral damage; they are
>full-fledged human beings. And this is by no means a
>“just” war.
>
>This is a moment to acknowledge that you have spent
>your professional life creating a platform of
>influence. Only a miracle can probably save us from
>going to war, now. Perhaps you are that sole miracle.
>
>
>This is NOT a moment to think about your sponsors,
>your popularity, the network, or even your future
>career. It is quite possible that we are starting a
>spiral of such massive proportion that no one’s career
>will mean anything, because we are at the brink of
>actually starting the spiral of destruction of the
>world and the entire planet.
>
>Furthermore, while you may be thinking about your
>career, millions of Iraqis are wondering if they have
>any hope of life; if their children have hope of ever
>growing beyond childhood, of ever having babies of
>their own.
>
>PLEASE weigh any personal interests you may have
>against the enormity of the good you might do, with
>your vast influence. (This is also true of any Oprah
>producer, wondering whether to risk handing this to
>Ms. Winfrey.)
>
>You have been readying yourself for this moment your
>entire life. You have done all the groundwork to be
>in this position, at this time.
>
>The people who sheltered Anne Frank risked everything
>to do so. A few righteous individuals have always
>come forward when vast multitudes of others would not
>consider doing so.
>
>You have the opportunity to be Anne Frank’s savior–for
>you know there are Iraqi girls with the same sort of
>aspirations you and Anne Frank had–to be writers, to
>be film stars, to make their place in the world, to be
>an influence for great good--to be, themselves, great.
>
>What are those girls writing in their diaries tonight,
>if they have the luxury of journals in the country we
>have impoverished with killing sanctions? What hope
>can they hold in the shadow of such looming fear?
>
>I am praying that whatever words I am writing will
>sway you.
>
>Last night I was at O’Hare airport, saying goodbye to
>6 righteous U.S. civilians departing FOR IRAQ, on the
>eve of imminent war. Your producers, Suzanne Hayward
>and Josie Viviano were there, filming for Friday’s
>show. They spent a long time filming my friends, new
>parents, Sarah and Zach, and their tiny baby, Micky.
>Micky had a t-shirt that said BABIES FOR PEACE. Sarah
>says, “Don’t kill babies for oil.” (You can see the
>tape, in your editing room.)
>
>Today I thought about what it might be like if anyone
>put babies in t-shirts that said, BABIES FOR WAR. I
>thought to myself, no one could do such a thing. Even
>Bush, or Powell, or Rumsfeld could not put their baby
>grandchildren in such t-shirts, I thought–because the
>absurdity would be instantaneously apparent.
>
>So I envisioned huge billboards of many babies wearing
>BABIES FOR WAR t-shirts. And a huge slogan, “WHAT’S
>WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?” If I could do this, I would
>put this ad, full page, in every major U.S. paper, for
>people to wake up to, tomorrow. (Or host a “neutral”
>debate, with both sets of babies. Which side would
>win is obvious.)
>
>I, like all of my friends are currently living like
>this. We are spending every waking hour working for,
>organizing for, protesting for, scheming for, dreaming
>for, praying for peace.
>
>Don’t give “equal time” and weight to both “sides”.
>If you had shows for the next month all about peace,
>it would not equal the amount of pro-war propaganda
>that has been pumped into our country. The midwest
>bureau chief of USA Today told me that she cannot get
>her editors to even cover the peace movement–as if it
>does not exist, as if it is not news that millions of
>people are against the war.
>
>Please do not do these two shows and then revert to
>shows on nesting-at-home, or hosting parties, or
>makeovers, or getting fit, or even the shuttle
>disaster, or anything–as if war is simply another
>“topic” du jour. This issue needs to possess
>us–because we are about to commit mass murder in its
>name, in our names–and life is not ‘normal’ anymore.
>
>We are about to reap the whirlwind, creating a spiral
>of devastation such as the world has never known.
>This is not merely “another war”. Today we have
>untold capacity to destroy the entire planet, and an
>international climate in which it is truly possible,
>even highly likely.
>
>PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER.
>DO NOT THINK OF YOURSELF, BUT ABOUT EVERYONE.
>
>“EVERYONE HAS A STORY” you have said. That is true of
>everyone in the world. We are about to carpet bomb
>Baghdad–and how many stories will be destroyed, and in
>the midst of what suffering? And what tidal waves of
>backlash will flow, back and forth, across the planet?
>
>Think of your heroes. Martin Luther King. Nelson
>Mandela. Oscar Schindler. Harriet Tubman. Those who
>sheltered Anne Frank.
>
>Listen to their voices. Listen to the voices of the
>mothers, the fathers, the children, and the
>babies–crying out to you from faraway Iraq. Don’t
>turn from them. Don’t moderate a “neutral” discussion
>about their terror and their imminent destruction!
>
>CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY. YOU CAN DO THIS.
>
>The pro-war side argues “U.S. security”. Our security
>is not more precious than everyone else’s. Osama bin
>Laden thought he had a “larger cause” that justified
>crashing planes into the trade towers and Pentagon.
>Did his larger cause and ulterior motives justify the
>terror and destruction? Such arguments are amoral.
>We are like a bully who, in response to being kicked
>in the leg by a nasty child, responds by pulling out a
>machine gun and firing endless rounds. We will wreck
>far more misery than bin Laden and Saddam Hussein,
>combined.
>
>Last week, in the midst of endless activism, I created
>a small sculpture about war, and incorporated a tiny
>image of Charlie Brown, hugging Snoopy–a silly icon of
>the pure love of a child and a pet. The antithesis of
>war.
>
>If you saw someone about to hurt a single dog–I am
>sure you would run to stop them. (For I have seen you
>with your dogs.) You would not patiently listen to
>the pro and anti dog-torture “sides”.
>
>We are talking about people here. Millions of people.
> Sentient human beings who live and love and hope and
>wake up every morning trying to get through one more
>day.
>
>Oprah, take your stand. Say what YOU believe.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Anya Cordell
>Founder, The Campaign for Collateral Compassion
>[email protected]
>Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 01:14:16 -0800 (PST)
>
>February 5, 2003
>
>Dear all,
>
>Please redistribute this to every listserve, friend,
>and associate you can think of!!
>
>I implore you to all go to Oprah's website,
>www.oprah.com and fill out a short survey on how you
>feel about the war. It is already overwhelmingly
>against it--but we ought to swamp the site with
>emails, and really make this point, where it might
>make an impact at this 11th hour. You can also type a
>letter into the site--which I hope everyone will do.
>
>Here's what I wrote:
>
>February 5, 2003
>
>Dear Oprah,
>
>I will get right to the point.
>
>When you do your two shows pro and against the war, I
>beg you to TAKE A STAND–AGAINST THE DEVASTATION OF
>WAR.
>
>This is not a time to neutrally present both “sides”
>of a simple “dialogue”, as if they both have equal
>validity. Imagine presenting both sides, pro and
>against nazi-ism. The sides were not moral
>equivalents. And, although this is an extreme
>example, it is not too extreme, because war is
>genocide and terror and untold suffering. The Iraqi
>people are not collateral damage; they are
>full-fledged human beings. And this is by no means a
>“just” war.
>
>This is a moment to acknowledge that you have spent
>your professional life creating a platform of
>influence. Only a miracle can probably save us from
>going to war, now. Perhaps you are that sole miracle.
>
>
>This is NOT a moment to think about your sponsors,
>your popularity, the network, or even your future
>career. It is quite possible that we are starting a
>spiral of such massive proportion that no one’s career
>will mean anything, because we are at the brink of
>actually starting the spiral of destruction of the
>world and the entire planet.
>
>Furthermore, while you may be thinking about your
>career, millions of Iraqis are wondering if they have
>any hope of life; if their children have hope of ever
>growing beyond childhood, of ever having babies of
>their own.
>
>PLEASE weigh any personal interests you may have
>against the enormity of the good you might do, with
>your vast influence. (This is also true of any Oprah
>producer, wondering whether to risk handing this to
>Ms. Winfrey.)
>
>You have been readying yourself for this moment your
>entire life. You have done all the groundwork to be
>in this position, at this time.
>
>The people who sheltered Anne Frank risked everything
>to do so. A few righteous individuals have always
>come forward when vast multitudes of others would not
>consider doing so.
>
>You have the opportunity to be Anne Frank’s savior–for
>you know there are Iraqi girls with the same sort of
>aspirations you and Anne Frank had–to be writers, to
>be film stars, to make their place in the world, to be
>an influence for great good--to be, themselves, great.
>
>What are those girls writing in their diaries tonight,
>if they have the luxury of journals in the country we
>have impoverished with killing sanctions? What hope
>can they hold in the shadow of such looming fear?
>
>I am praying that whatever words I am writing will
>sway you.
>
>Last night I was at O’Hare airport, saying goodbye to
>6 righteous U.S. civilians departing FOR IRAQ, on the
>eve of imminent war. Your producers, Suzanne Hayward
>and Josie Viviano were there, filming for Friday’s
>show. They spent a long time filming my friends, new
>parents, Sarah and Zach, and their tiny baby, Micky.
>Micky had a t-shirt that said BABIES FOR PEACE. Sarah
>says, “Don’t kill babies for oil.” (You can see the
>tape, in your editing room.)
>
>Today I thought about what it might be like if anyone
>put babies in t-shirts that said, BABIES FOR WAR. I
>thought to myself, no one could do such a thing. Even
>Bush, or Powell, or Rumsfeld could not put their baby
>grandchildren in such t-shirts, I thought–because the
>absurdity would be instantaneously apparent.
>
>So I envisioned huge billboards of many babies wearing
>BABIES FOR WAR t-shirts. And a huge slogan, “WHAT’S
>WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?” If I could do this, I would
>put this ad, full page, in every major U.S. paper, for
>people to wake up to, tomorrow. (Or host a “neutral”
>debate, with both sets of babies. Which side would
>win is obvious.)
>
>I, like all of my friends are currently living like
>this. We are spending every waking hour working for,
>organizing for, protesting for, scheming for, dreaming
>for, praying for peace.
>
>Don’t give “equal time” and weight to both “sides”.
>If you had shows for the next month all about peace,
>it would not equal the amount of pro-war propaganda
>that has been pumped into our country. The midwest
>bureau chief of USA Today told me that she cannot get
>her editors to even cover the peace movement–as if it
>does not exist, as if it is not news that millions of
>people are against the war.
>
>Please do not do these two shows and then revert to
>shows on nesting-at-home, or hosting parties, or
>makeovers, or getting fit, or even the shuttle
>disaster, or anything–as if war is simply another
>“topic” du jour. This issue needs to possess
>us–because we are about to commit mass murder in its
>name, in our names–and life is not ‘normal’ anymore.
>
>We are about to reap the whirlwind, creating a spiral
>of devastation such as the world has never known.
>This is not merely “another war”. Today we have
>untold capacity to destroy the entire planet, and an
>international climate in which it is truly possible,
>even highly likely.
>
>PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER.
>DO NOT THINK OF YOURSELF, BUT ABOUT EVERYONE.
>
>“EVERYONE HAS A STORY” you have said. That is true of
>everyone in the world. We are about to carpet bomb
>Baghdad–and how many stories will be destroyed, and in
>the midst of what suffering? And what tidal waves of
>backlash will flow, back and forth, across the planet?
>
>Think of your heroes. Martin Luther King. Nelson
>Mandela. Oscar Schindler. Harriet Tubman. Those who
>sheltered Anne Frank.
>
>Listen to their voices. Listen to the voices of the
>mothers, the fathers, the children, and the
>babies–crying out to you from faraway Iraq. Don’t
>turn from them. Don’t moderate a “neutral” discussion
>about their terror and their imminent destruction!
>
>CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY. YOU CAN DO THIS.
>
>The pro-war side argues “U.S. security”. Our security
>is not more precious than everyone else’s. Osama bin
>Laden thought he had a “larger cause” that justified
>crashing planes into the trade towers and Pentagon.
>Did his larger cause and ulterior motives justify the
>terror and destruction? Such arguments are amoral.
>We are like a bully who, in response to being kicked
>in the leg by a nasty child, responds by pulling out a
>machine gun and firing endless rounds. We will wreck
>far more misery than bin Laden and Saddam Hussein,
>combined.
>
>Last week, in the midst of endless activism, I created
>a small sculpture about war, and incorporated a tiny
>image of Charlie Brown, hugging Snoopy–a silly icon of
>the pure love of a child and a pet. The antithesis of
>war.
>
>If you saw someone about to hurt a single dog–I am
>sure you would run to stop them. (For I have seen you
>with your dogs.) You would not patiently listen to
>the pro and anti dog-torture “sides”.
>
>We are talking about people here. Millions of people.
> Sentient human beings who live and love and hope and
>wake up every morning trying to get through one more
>day.
>
>Oprah, take your stand. Say what YOU believe.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Anya Cordell
>Founder, The Campaign for Collateral Compassion
>[email protected]
