You may wish to let the peace committee know that I have decided to try and
 establish a community/food bank garden on a piece of my property as my way of
 doing some practical thing towards a more
 peaceful world.   With the threat of violence
 swirling around us we must take strength
 from the things we can do... and I can think
 of nothing better than to promote peace by
 example, addressing real needs of real
 people in the here and now.   If anyone wishes
 to help me in this I would be grateful for
 assistance in planning over this winter.  The
 scope of this plan will depend on how much
 help I am able to generate.

 I intend to dedicate this garden to the Amundsen family and  I shall "visualize
 world peace".
 

 -------Original Message-------

 From: Lagassé
 Date: Wednesday, September 26, 2001 06:32:09 PM
 To: John Reynolds, MP
 Cc: Reynolds, John - Assistant 1
 Subject: Pentagon widow's plea for non-violence

 Dear John:

 I would appreciate your thoughtful response to the following:

 A widow's plea for non-violence

 By Amber Amundson. Amber Amundson is the wife of the late Craig Scott
 Amundson, an enlisted specialist in the Army
 Published September 25, 2001

 My husband, Craig Scott Amundson, of the U.S. Army lost his life in the
 line of duty at the Pentagon on Sept. 11 as the world looked on in
 horror and disbelief.

 Losing my 28-year-old husband and father of our two young children is a
 terrible and painful experience.
 His death is also part of an immense national loss and I am comforted by
 knowing so many share my grief.
 But because I have lost Craig as part of this historic tragedy, my
 anguish is compounded exponentially by fear that his death will be used
 to justify new violence against other innocent victims.

 I have heard angry rhetoric by some Americans, including many of our
 nation's leaders, who advise a heavy dose of revenge and punishment. To
 those leaders, I would like to make clear that my family and I take no
 comfort in your words of rage. If you choose to respond to this
 incomprehensible brutality by perpetuating violence against other
 innocent human beings, you may not do so in the name of justice for my
 husband. Your words and imminent acts of revenge only amplify our
 family's suffering, deny us the dignity of remembering our loved one in
 a way that would have made him proud, and mock his vision of America as
 a peacemaker in the world community.

 Craig enlisted in the Army and was proud to serve his county. He was a
 patriotic American and a citizen of the world. Craig believed that by
 working from within the military system he could help to maintain the
 military focus on peacekeeping and strategic planning--to prevent
 violence and war. For the last two years Craig drove to his job at the
 Pentagon with a "visualize world peace" bumper sticker on his car. This
 was not empty rhetoric or contradictory to him, but part of his dream.
 He believed his role in the Army could further the cause of peace
 throughout the world.

 Craig would not have wanted a violent response to avenge his death. And
 I cannot see how good can come out of it. We cannot solve violence with
 violence. Mohandas Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye only makes the whole
 world blind." We will no longer be able to see that we hold the light of
 liberty if we are blinded by vengeance, anger and fear. I ask our
 nation's leaders not to take the path that leads to more widespread
 hatreds--that make my husband's death just one more in an unending
 spiral of killing.

 I call on our national leaders to find the courage to respond to this
 incomprehensible tragedy by breaking the cycle of violence. I call on
 them to marshal this great nation's skills and resources to lead a
 worldwide dialogue on freedom from terror and hate.

 I do not know how to begin making a better world: I do believe it must
 be done, and I believe it is our leaders' responsibility to find a way.
 I urge them to take up this challenge and respond to our nation's and my
 personal tragedy with a new beginning that gives us hope for a peaceful
 global community.

 Copyright © 2001, Chicago Tribune

 Roger Lagassé
 8146 Redrooffs Rd.
 Halfmoon Bay, B.C.
 V0N 1Y1
 Rés: 604-885-4353
 

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