The newscasters are saying that there is no reason for panic, and that San Diego is safe. Safe?!! I thought New York was safe. I don't want to foster paranoia in anyway, but come on. There are only degrees of safety. Really, there is no such thing as absolute safety. I want to post this message I found on a discussion forum at www.signonsandiego.com:

On Activism and Terrorism

Social devastation, social chaos and social change.

There are those who will want to paint activists and terrorist with the same brush. Perhaps both have identified similar injustices, identified similar culprits and both set out to make social change. From that point on the similarities begin to dissolve.

Left-progressives begin with assumption about the inherent value of all life. We begin with the assumption, that the vast majority of humanity yearns to live in peace, full equality and dignity... and we wholeheartedly believe that better societies create better human beings. Just and cooperative societies with relative social equality produce cooperative citizens striving for common the good. We invest our lives in the quest for a new social order based on the human dignity for all. Our methods are education, persuasion and social activism. While never passive in the face of repression, we seek to build participatory, democratic organizations, which reflect the very ideals we seek in a new society. As Che said “true revolutionaries are guided by great feelings of love.”

Terrorism is born of hopelessness. It is an unnatural state of affairs. A social order that has closed the doors on dignity and the possibility of democratic participation is a breeding ground for individualistic and suicidal desperation. A society full of cruelty will produce cruel offspring. A society based on class hierarchies, racial divisions, religious discrimination and national oppression will have no peace. There is peace born of justice and equality. There is also the peace of repression and dictatorship, but this is always a temporary peace.

Social justice activists make no apologies for terrorism, but we do understand it roots causes. The irony is that the results of terrorism will mean greater repression on all forms of democratic participation and increased military retaliation – retaliation by those who never wanted social equality in the first place. We will have either greater global equity or greater global atrocity. This as true as any mathematical formula.

Rather than despair over the devastation, let us redouble our efforts to create a world of peace with justice, equality and self-determination. After all is said and done it is social justice, which will end to both repression and its terrorist stepchild. May we stand united for social justice worldwide."

Martin Eder for Activist San Diego

www.ActivistSanDiego.org

Thank you Martin! You can email Martin at activist@home.com.

[17-10-2001] Looking back on this post...I mailed this post to two NYC bloggers the day of the terrorist actions, and I'm not sure why. It was a bit insensitive of me to do so, especially for two reasons. One: I don't know either of the two people I sent this to, having never corresponded nor chatted. Two: I didn't elaborate on why I did send the message, and in retrospect, without an explanation, it looks like I was supporting the terrorist actions. I never received any response from the two people, and really it's no wonder why. I don't know why I even sent this!! I don't identify as a "social justice activist." Maybe in a moment of extreme emotion I tried to make a compassionate gesture by sending these "words of comfort." Actually, I found these words comforting, but it wasn't something people, as close to ground zero as these two are, were in need of being acknowledged/reminded.