ot-terry

[Guest guest]

http://www.thecommunity.com/

The New Solidarity

Today, the rules of engagement have changed. War is no longer a matter of

one nation's army against another's. Today's war encompasses civilian life - our

workplaces and homes, and the workplaces and homes of others across the world.

In each of these countries, there are people of goodwill, and people of

violence. In the coming year, the actions of each of these groups will play the

major part in the outcome.

The statements of the Nobel Laureates call for action by people of

goodwill everywhere. And we are asking you to join us in supporting the

organizations who are working to create a better world, across the world, and

across boundaries. For while military action may bring a cessation of

aggression, or a weakened enemy, that is the best it can do. In most cases, it

is a temporary cessation at that. Real peace can only be created if we also

address some of the underlying reasons behind the conflicts, and the reasons

that motivate people to join the aggression - poverty, illiteracy, lack of

access to information.

The victims of extremism and terrorism do not all live in New York and

Washington. They include widows in Afghanistan who are forbidden to leave their

homes and work, so have no sustenance. They include people forced to flee their

countries, girls who don't have access to education, and more. The organizations

working to help these people, and others like them, have in many cases been in

these countries for years, working quietly. You don't see them on the nightly

news - in some instances, because if their work was widely known, lives could be

endangered.

And while they will be there today in the refugee camps, they are not

going home tomorrow. They will be there, working to make a better world for all

of us. Join us, in extending our hands in assistance.