Appello al Congresso USA

The events of the past few days have made everyone understand how vulnerable
a free and open society is to mass destruction and terror. But this terrible
vulnerability is part of the strength of such a society, not a hallmark of
its weakness. It takes courage to allow the free movement of people and
ideas. That courage is predicated on voluntary acceptance of great risk, and
not upon ignorance of its likelihood.
The immediate response to such a catastrophe is anger and hatred. But the
system of laws that supports the US and its allies has been designed by
generations of great people to ensure that anger and hatred are never given
the final word. Justice, truth, and respect for individual differences are
principles whose power far outweighs the thoughtless desire for revenge.
More importantly, revenge breeds revenge. It seems terribly dangerous to
provide individuals motivated precisely by the desire to increase pain and
suffering the luxury of the war they so much desire. Such a war turns them
from rigid, totalitarian cowards to soldiers; from failures who are willing
to prey upon the innocent to heroic exemplars of the fight against
overwhelming external oppression.
The craven acts of terrorism perpetrated in New York and Washington are
dignified intolerably by their classification as acts of war. The
individuals who perpetrated these appalling events must be regarded and
treated as criminals, as international pariahs, who have committed crimes
against humanity, and who must be brought publicly and rationally to
justice.
Our great technological power makes us increasingly vulnerable to the rigid
madness of the ideologically committed and resentful. To turn against such
madness with indiscriminate revenge seeking is merely to react in the same
primitive and deadly manner. To risk the slaughter of innocent people in the
hunt for such revenge is to absolutely ensure that constant episodes of
international terror will come to be the hallmark of 21st century existence.
The entire world stands behind the US, in the hope that the commission of
crimes against civilization can be exterminated. Such solidarity was
absolutely unthinkable even fifteen years ago. The US therefore has an
unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate its unshakeable commitment to its
own principles, particularly under such conditions of extreme duress, and to
provide the world with the hope that democracy and freedom can truly rise
above the parochial ideological madness of the past. Such a demonstration
would truly lift the American state above all past national institutions,
and would continue the tradition of great spirit that allowed for the
rehabilitation of Germany and Japan after the Second World War.
Perhaps the events of September 11 might therefore be regarded as the last
war of the second Christian millennium, instead of the first war of the
third. In consequence, we implore you to react with discrimination, to
target only those truly responsible, and to avoid the cruel and thoughtless
errors characterizing humanity's blind and ethnocentric past.
Please punish only the guilty, and not the innocent. Otherwise the cycle of
terror that seems an ineradicable part of human existence will never come to
an end.
Sincerely,

>1. Jordan B. Peterson, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of
Toronto, peterson@psych.utoronto.ca
>2. Daniel C. Dennett, University Professor, Director, Center for Cognitive
Studies, Tufts University, ddennett@tufts.edu
>3. Steven Pinker, Professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), spinker@mediaone.net
>4. Hilary Putnam, Professor Emeritus, Department of Philosophy, Harvard
University, Cambridge, MA, USA, hputnam@fas.harvard.edu
>5. Nicholas Humphrey, School Professor, Centre for Philosophy of Natural and
Social Science, London School of Economics, Houghton Street,
n.humphrey@lse.ac.uk
>6. Joan McCord, Professor, Criminal Justice Department, Temple University,
Philadelphia, PA, mccord@astro.temple.edu
>7. Endel Tulving, Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre, 3560
Bathurst Street, Toronto M6A 2E1, tulving@psych.utoronto.ca
>8. Paul R. Lawrence, Donham Professor, Emeritus, Organizational Behavior
Unit, Harvard Business School, plawrence@hbs.edu
>9. Arnold Modell, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School,
Amodell617@aol.com
>10. Janet Polivy, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of
Toronto, polivy@psych.utoronto.ca
>11. Charles Helwig, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of
Toronto, helwig@psych.utoronto.ca
>12. Chris Westbury, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of
Alberta, chrisw@ualberta.ca
>13. George Mandler, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University
of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Ca 92093
>14. Jean M. Mandler, Research Professor, Department of Cognitive Science,
University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
>15. David LeMarquand, Psychologist, North Bay Psychiatric Hospital, North
Bay, ON, CA, david.lemarquand@nbph.moh.gov.on.ca
>16. Corinne Santa, Principal, G. Theberge School, Temiscaming, Quebec, CA,
csanta@wqsb.qc.ca
>17. Jean R. S=E9guin, Department of Psychiatry, Universit=E9 de Montr=E9al,
Jean.Seguin@UMontreal.CA
>18. Myriam Mongrain, Professor, York University, Department of Psychology,
Toronto, Canada, mongrain@YorkU.CA
>19. Romin Tafarodi, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of
Toronto, tafarodi@psych.utoronto.ca
>20. Paul Wong, Professor, Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C., Canada,
wong@twu.ca
>21. R. Mara Brendgen, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec,
Montréal, CA, Brendgen.Mara@uqam.ca
>22. Jean Toupin, Department of Education, Université de Sherbrooke,
Québec, CA, jtoupin@courrier.usherb.ca
>23. Richard W. Price, M.D., and Mrs. Ellen Price, Neurology Service, Room
4M62, San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA
94110-3518, price@itsa.ucsf.edu
>24. Raymond H. Baillargeon, Ph.D., Chercheur, Centre de recherche de
l'Hòpital Sainte-Justine 3175, C=F4te Sainte-Catherine, Montr=E9al, Canada,
rbaillargeon@justine.umontreal.ca
>25. David Pincus, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Case
Western University, Cleveland, Ohio, dpincus216@aol.com
>26. Mihnea Moldoveanu, Professor, Rotman School of Management, University of
Toronto, Toronto, Canada, micamo@mgmt.utoronto.ca
>27. Gerald C. Cupchik, Professor, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada,
cupchik@utsc.utoronto.ca
>28. Bernie Schiff, Professor, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada,
schiff@psych.utoronto.ca
>29. Keith R. Happaney, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Canada, happaney@psych.utoronto.ca
>30. Paul A. Spiers, Ph.D., Clinical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology
>31. Kathleen O'Craven, fMRI Scientist, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest
Centre 3560 Bathurst St, Toronto, OntarioM6A 2E1 Canada,
ocraven@rotman-baycrest.on.ca
>32. Douglas F. Watt, Ph.D., Director of Neuropsychology, Quincy Medical
Center, Boston University School of Medicine, DrWatt@msn.com
>33. Jean Rife, Department of Music and Theatre Arts, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, MA, jeanrife@mit.edu
>34. Robert Soussignan, Laboratoire Vuln=E9rabilit=E9, Adaptation et
Psychopathologie CNRS UMR 7593, H=F4pital de la Salp=EAtri=E8re, Paris, France,
>soussign@ext.jussieu.fr
>35. Alison S. Fleming, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at
Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada, afleming@credit.erin.utoronto.ca
>36. Shitij Kapur, MD,FRCPC,PhD, Canada Research Chair in, Schizophrenia and
Therapeutic Neuroscience, Associate Prof. Psychiatry, Univ. Toronto,
Research Scientist, PET Centre, Section Head, Schizophrenia Research,
skapur@amhpet.on.ca
>37. Stephen K. Levine, Professor of Social Science and Social and Political
Thought, York University, slevine@yorku.ca
>38. James V. Wertsch, Professor and Co-chair, Program on International and
Area Studies, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
>39. Irving Zucker, Dept. of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley,
CA, USA, irvzuck@socrates.berkeley.edu
>40. Kay E. Holekamp, Professor, Department of Zoology, Michigan State
University, E. Lansing, MI, USA, holekamp@msu.edu
>41. Eilenna Denisoff, Lecturer, Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Canada, eilenna_denisoff@camh.net
>42. Benoist Schaal, Researcher, Centre national de la Recherche
Scientifique, Universit=E9 de Bourgogne, Dijon, France, schaal@cesg.cnrs.fr
>43. Rossella Lupacchini, Lecturer, Dept. of Philosophy, University of
Bologna, Bologna, Italy lupac@philo.unibo.it
>44. Mathieu Marion, Associate Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, University of
Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, mmarion@uottawa.ca
>45. Christine Tappolet, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, Universit=E9
de Montr=E9al, Montr=E9al, QC, Canada, christine.tappolet@umontreal.ca
>46. Richard Glauser, Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, University of
Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland, Richard.Glauser@unine.ch
>47. Nicla Vassallo, Researcher, Dept. of Philosophy, University of Genova,
Genova, Italy, nicla@nous.unige.it
48. Davide Sparti, Professor, University of Siena, Italy (Davide.Soarti@iue.it)

Per le adesioni inviare un'e-mail a:
davide.sparti@iue.it

Petizione

La presente è una petizione che sarà mandata al Presidente Bush, e ad altri leaders mondiali, sollecitando loro ad evitare una guerra come risposta all'attacco terroristico contro il World Trade Center e il Pentagono questa settimana. Per favore leggilo, firmalo e rinvia il link a più persone possibile, il più presto possibile. Dobbiamo far circolare questo documento rapidamente se vogliamo abbia un qualche effetto, visto che il Congresso degli Stati Uniti ha già approvato una risoluzione che supporta ogni azione militare che il Presidente Bush ritenga appropriata.

              Noi, i firmatari, cittadini, cittadine e residenti degli Stati Uniti d'America e di altri stati del mondo, chiediamo al Presidente degli Stati Uniti, George W. Bush; al Segretario Generale della NATO, Lord Robertson; al presidente dell'Unione Europea, Romano Prodi; e a tutti i leaders internazionali di usare moderazione e cautela nel rispondere ai recenti attacchi terroristici contro gli Stati Uniti. Imploriamo che il potere ricorra, dove possibile, alle istituzioni giudiziarie internazionali e alle leggi internazionali sui diritti umani, piuttosto che a strumenti di guerra, violenza e distruzione.
              Inoltre, affermiamo che il governo di una nazione vada supposto come distinto e diverso da ogni gruppo terroristico che può operare all'interno dei suoi confini, e dunque non possa essere irragionevolmente considerato responsabile di quest'ultimi. Ne consegue che il governo di una particolare nazione non dovrebbe essere condannato per i recenti attacchi senza una convincente evidenza di una sua cooperazione e complicità con quegli individui che hanno effettivamente commesso i crimini in questione.
              Civili innocenti di ogni nazione che potrebbero essere ritenuti responsabili, in parte o totalmente, dei crimini recentemente perpetrati contro gli Stati Uniti, non devono sostenere nessuna responsabilità per le azioni dei loro governi, e deve quindi essere garantita loro sicurezza e immunità da ogni azione militare o giudiziaria rivolta allo stato in cui risiedono.
              Da ultimo e con più enfasi, chiediamo che non venga fatto ricorso ad armi nucleari, chimiche o biologiche, e a nessun'arma che produca distruzione indiscriminata, e riteniamo che sia un nostro inalienabile diritto umano il vivere in un mondo privo di tali armi.

Per le adesioni collegarsi a :
http://www.9-11peace.org/petition.php3

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