Following the terrible loss of life on 9-ll — and expecting a knee-jerk reaction that would call for revenge even before we learned who was allegedly behind the attacks — we chose "RESTRAINT … NOT VENGEANCE" as our vigil theme.  We were mindful of Gandhi’s admonition that "an eye-for-an-eye will only make the whole world blind."  The past 400 weeks of escalating war in Afghanistan, Iraq — and now Pakistan — have resulted in a nation and world gone blind with violent retaliation.
 
     The fallout from our blindness has been staggering: thousands of Americans killed, tens of thousands wounded, far more killed and injured than the casualties of 9-ll. Millions of people in Afghanistan and Iraq have been killed, wounded and/or displaced from their homes.  In addition to the shattered lives in a growing number of countries, billions of dollars that might have been used for peaceful purposes have been squandered in pursuit of conquest and destruction.

     When will the escalating violence and killing stop?  Help us end the wars and occupations and the reasons for this vigil.  Almost eight years of continuous war should be more than enough time to teach us that war is not a solution to anything.  Let us today rededicate our lives toward building a world of lasting peace on a foundation of justice among all nations and peoples.