To The People of Iraq:
Notes from Our Hearts

Dear People of Iraq,

I am heartily sorry for the pain you are suffering. I have heard how the lack of medications and sanitation as a result of sanctions has caused its own form of biological and chemical warfare against you. Now, many, many of us are calling, writing and demonstrating in an effort to stop the military action in your land which seems so imminent. We are trying to get our government to listen.

Dear People, please know that most of the citizens in my country are peace-loving. We trace our lives to ancestors who came here to flee oppression and hardship and have no desire to inflict it on others. We have been taught in schools, churches, mosques and synagogues, and in our homes, to love one another and to do no harm to another. Our common enemy is really greed and the abuse of power which seems to enter into every soul unwilling to fight against it. I believe that enemy is defeated on all fronts, not with military strength, but as a result of constant prayer and good works.

Please know that many of my co-workers, friends, family and I are putting in our best efforts to stop the injustices that abound in our world, which seem to cause people to hate or fear one another. Please know, too, that we pray that we will grow in the ability to address these issues with non-violence and peace.

The older I grow, the more I realize how connected we are to one another. I have heard it said that we are all made of the same "stardust"; we exchange the same air; the same raindrops fall on us all; we are equally loved by our Creator. I do not want you or any other living thing to suffer. Please accept my apology for the suffering you have spent and my sincere prayer and constant effort to help to end it and bring justice and peace to our world.

Eileen Grimaldi

"The virtue of patriotism means that as citizens we respect and honor our country, but our very love and loyalty make us examine carefully and regularly its role in world affairs, asking that it live up to its full potential as an agent of peace with justice for all people."
                                   US Catholic Bishop's Pastoral, The Challenge of Peace (1983)

To my sisters and brothers in Iraq, please know that there are millions
of us in America who are desperately trying to prevent U.S. bombs and
guns from coming into your country.  You and I share the same earth, the
same God who loves us all equally, the same love for our children, the
same need to live in peace.  I am praying and fasting that George Bush
will not do this evil thing.  I pray he comes to understand you have
suffered enough and his war will only add to your suffering.   I pray
for you and your children.  Joan Malone, Buffalo, New York, USA.
 

I want to let the Iraqi people know that I don't want the U.S. to send troops to
your country.  There must be a lot of pain that you feel towards us for the atrocities
we have already created.  I may not know a lot about your culture but I do know that I
don't want to see anyone get hurt.

Sincerely,
Mark Steinberg
 

To the Children, Mothers, Fathers, and Citizens of Iraq,

Bill Marx and others go to you as fellow human beings to convey messages
of peace and goodwill.  They speak on behalf of millions of citizens of
the United States who are praying and marching for peace and for an end
to sanctions and hostilities towards Iraq and its people that have been
imposed and supported by the leaders in the United States.  We also pray
and march for justice and for humane, caring leaders both in the United
States and in Iraq, so that our peoples may live loving, peaceful lives.

We know that all life is interconnected, regardless of what countries we
live in; that all peoples are brothers and sisters; and that we are all
children of the supreme creator of all life and all living things, each
equal in the sight of God.

I hold a vision of love in my heart and mind for the people of Iraq in
these times of war and threat of war, and will strive here in the United
States for more caring, just, and peaceful policies.

May God be with and comfort you in these times and always,

Bill
 

Hello. Peace be with you. We live near farms with cows and horses and I work in
a city. I am 54 years old. Wherever I have lived it has been peaceful all these
years. We hear news about people being robbed and murdered, but very few of the
people I know have had that kind of sorrow hit their families. Most Americans
are peaceful and would never physically hurt another person. Americans would
not sleep tonight if they understood what you are experiencing. War is coming
over you like a thunder cloud. I don't know anyone who wants you to be hurt,
but we all are responsible in America for the governments we elect, and our
government is purposely choosing to bring this cloud of destruction into your
lives. It is so hard to stop a man who has the heat of war in his blood. I am
crying in my heart for all of this.

The best of the American way is to work for peace, as empty as that might sound
to you. Yet, I dare to say it is even true for the mothers and fathers who
voted for Mr. Bush who now have sons and daughters with guns on their backs
practicing in the desert outside your borders. Deep in our hearts, we do
believe that this is not God's way. It is not the way of great Americans
throughout history. A few of our best people, like Bill Marx, have the courage
to put the love of peace ahead of their fears and go to you say it in person.
Please look in his eyes and feel my love for you.

Ted Phelps

Main Street
Valatie, New York, USA