[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10463-10464]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             NOT IN MY NAME

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CYNTHIA A. McKINNEY

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2002

  Ms. McKINNEY. Mr. Speaker, Rita Lazar is a remarkable woman. She lost 
a child, a son, in the horrible attacks on the World Trade Center on 
September 11, 2001. But Rita Lazar remains a pacifist, dedicating her 
life to eradicating war all over the world. And she is brave. She wrote 
a letter to the New York Times, that in essence said that although she 
knew this country's response to 911 would be war, she and many others 
feel that the answer is peace. She asked, as many have asked, that this 
country not go to war, not in the name of her son. Not in the name of 
her child.
  All over the world, there is a movement afloat. People are coming 
together to say please, please, please, do not go to war--not in my 
name, and not in the name of my child.
  Not in My Name. Not in the Name of My Child. People are saying to 
governments . . . War? No, not in my name. Destruction? . . . No, not 
in my name. Weapons of Mass Destruction? No, not in my name. Pollution? 
No, not in my name.
  People from every walk of life--young and old, rich and poor, gay and 
straight, are saying: Not In My Name.
  There is an entire coalition of people who, though horribly saddened 
by the events at the World Trade Center, send out a mighty call for 
peace. The September 11 Families for A Peaceful Tomorrow have given us 
a powerful message--they want a world in which no one, no child, no 
son, no father, no husband, no wife, no mother, no loved one has to 
suffer the horror of losing a family member in the name of war. Their 
bravery is a reminder of our duty towards making the world in which we 
live one of peace. If you go to their website at peacefultomorrows.org, 
you will see a quote from Martin Luther King Jr., that says, ``Wars are 
poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.'' These people, these 
brave and suffering souls, have lost sons and daughters and husbands 
and fathers and wives and mothers to the 911 attack, and yet, 
miraculously, they are saying, don't go to war, not in the name of our 
loved ones, Not in the Name of My Child.
  Among them are Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez, who lost their only son 
Greg at the World Trade Center. The Rodriguez' also sent a letter to 
the media with the headline, ``Not in Our Son's Name.'' They pleaded 
for a peaceful solution to this conflict, and they are joined by 
thousands upon thousands of people all over the world, as witnessed by 
the huge rally in Washington, DC on April 20 2002, where an estimated 
two hundred thousand people called out for an end to war.
  And this cry is deepening, from a cry against war to a cry against 
injustice everywhere.
  People all over America are saying that they don't want American 
corporations stealing the resources of other countries and destroying 
the forested lands and waters of this country--not in their name.
  Israeli settlers have a peace group called Not in My Name. They are 
saying to the Israeli government, yes, we want a home, yes, we want a 
safe place to be, but not through violence and destruction and terror. 
They are saying to the Israeli government--don't take land from 
Palestinians, don't destroy their infrastructure, don't take their 
homes, don't destroy their family structures and their communities and 
their neighborhoods. Not in My Name, Not in the Name of My Child.
  Why is this Not in My Name movement growing? Because when all is said 
and done, people all over the world, rich and poor, old and young, want 
to do what is right. Americans want to do what is right. People know it 
is wrong for destruction to occur in their name. Not in My Name. Not in 
the name of my child. It's like saying to a murderer--``Don't kill for 
me,'' It's saying to those who pollute our waters, Not in my Name. It's 
saying to those who destroy the economy of other countries--Not in my 
name, not in the name of my child.
  Americans are gathering the courage to just say no. We are saying no 
to addictive lifestyles, addictive consumerism. We are saying no to 
wars and corporate takeover and the IMF loans that gobble up people and 
their resources.
  And all over the world, people are saying, if you are committing 
these acts in my name, then don't. If you are committing these acts--
waging war on the innocent, destroying the environment, buying bombs 
when babies need bottles . . . then don't do it for me. Not in My Name, 
Not in the Name of My Child.
  Americans want peace, and justice and to live up to the conscience of 
its forbears. So we are joining people of good will around the world 
who say, Not in My Name, Not in the Name of My Child. Not in My Name, 
Not in the Name of My Child. Not in My Name, Not in the Name of My 
Child. Not in My Name, Not in the Name of My Child. Not in My Name, Not 
in the Name of My Child. Not in My Name, Not in the Name of My Child. 
Not in My Name, Not in the Name of My Child.

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