Posted on 08/30/2005 6:22:29 AM PDT by mvpel
It has only been five years since the dawn of the new Millennium. Ever since the end of the Cold War, people around the world have looked forward to this moment, hoping that the 21st century would bring peace, equality, and political progress. These hopes were nurtured by technological advances that united peoples, countries and communities to an unheard of extent.
But recent events have shown that our civilization has again been confronted with an enormous threat. Evil has intruded into our homes and taken up residence. An Evil that recognizes no state boundaries, violates the laws of morality and human rights, and even ignores the logic of natural human instinct. This Evil is terrorism.
On September 1, 2004, this Evil chose a new target – a school in Beslan, a small town in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, part of the Russian Federation.
For three days, terrorists held more than 1,400 hostages – teachers, children and parents who had come to celebrate “Knowledge Day”, the first day of school – in a gym without food or water. They wired the gym with explosives, and on the third day they detonated. 330 people were killed, 178 of them children. Some died in the explosion, and some were shot at point-blank range by the terrorists.
September 3, 2004 became a day of national mourning for Russia.
The Beslan tragedy showed us that terrorism can penetrate our safest refuges and strike our most innocent citizens – children, threatening not only our future, but our faith in Humanity.
We believe that this violence and hatred, brought into the world by adults, should not be an unceasing threat upon our children.
The Beslan crisis not only shocked the world, but also aroused enormous sympathy for the victims among millions of people of all nations who offered their overwhelming solidarity.
It was this support from people of good will that restored our faith in mankind's ability to endure misfortune, by rallying to protect the children, our common future, from the evil of terror.
Therefore, on the eve of Beslan’s first anniversary we, who not only suffered such great loss, but also felt at that difficult hour, the support of people around the world, call upon peoples and states, all men and women, regardless of racial, religious, political or other distinctions to unite their efforts for the sake of protecting the children of the planet from terrorism in the name of the future of all humanity.
We are duty-bound to jointly tip the balance in favor of a peaceful childhood for new generations, pushing for responsible actions by all political authorities, and relinquish any double standards now prevailing in the world community that, by disuniting people, provoke hatred, violence and destruction.
Let us protect the world's children and our future from terror!
Beslan, June 1, 2005
Please print this appeal, sign it, and mail it, then bump the thread with your messages to the people of Russia and of North Ossetia and Beslan. I plan to print the entire thread and deliver it to Ambassador Yuri Ushakov.
Beslan affected me even more than 9/11. It left a black hole in my heart. I had never felt such undiluted hatred in my life as I did that day. I still struggle with it this day. I cannot find forgiveness for people who hurt little children.
But, rather than look back, wouldn't it be much more appropriate to build a homeland security organization to ensure that this couldn't happen again and bring massive force against the evil-doers who launched the Beslan attack?
The filthy, pig-boinking Muslim terrorists who murderd these children are planning the next attack; they care nothing for hollow memorial petitions.
Hand that to lefties at anti- war protests.
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