In Defense of the Beautiful City of Berkeley!

[Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1@xxxxxxx>]

9 November 2001

The Honorable Mayor & Members of City Council
City of Berkeley
2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704

The Student International Forum and the Columbus Campaign for Arms
Control (of Columbus, Ohio) wish to thank you for the resolution to
ask your representatives "to help break the cycle of violence,
bringing the bombing to a conclusion as soon as possible, avoiding
actions that can endanger the lives of innocent people in
Afghanistan, and minimizing the risk to American military personnel";
"to devote our government's best efforts in collaboration with
governments throughout the world, to addressing and overcoming those
conditions such as poverty, malnutrition, disease, oppression, and
subjugation that tend to drive some people to acts of terrorism"; and
to "engage in a national campaign to lessen our dependence on oil
from the Middle East and to commit to a nationwide conversion to
renewable energy sources such as solar and fuel cells, within five
years" (as described in the summary of the Berkeley City Council
meeting, 16 October 2001, at
<http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/2001citycouncil/summary/101601s.html>).

We hope you will stand firm and overcome such ill-tempered and
ill-informed calls for boycotts of Berkeley as reported by BBC (at
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/world/americas/newsid_1634000/1634103.stm>).
As the unjust, unlawful, and unproductive war on Afghanistan drags
on, with the deaths and injuries of more civilians and combatants,
without leading to increased safety of Americans here and abroad at
all, more and more people will see the wisdom of the city of
Berkeley.  It is only a matter of time.

We urge all lovers of freedom, all defenders of human rights, as
individuals and organizations to visit the beautiful city of
Berkeley; hold conventions in Berkeley; support Berkeley businesses;
and bring much-needed tax dollars to Berkeley so you may continue
your good work.

all the best,

Yoshie Furuhashi
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH 43210
<furuhashi.1@xxxxxxx>
Homepage of the Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/>
Calendar of Anti-War Events in Columbus:
<http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html>