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A 12-year old's powerful statementThank you Tom for sending that =
message, a real breath of sanity in a crazy world. I really, really hope =
someone listens to her. I really do, but ...
Lorne
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Deaver Tom=20
To: 12 year old=20
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 1:56 AM
Subject: A 12-year old's powerful statement
You probably won't hear this on CNN or any other network news. When I =
read it to my 17-year-old son, Isaki, last evening we both just sat and =
cried. Tom=20
Charlotte has been a busy girl since September 11. A
search of her name will bring up other speeches and
papers she has written for class.
Tanya Barber
International Outreach Coordinator
Global Village School
http://www.globalvillageschool.org
12 Year Old speaker
Presque Isle, Maine Peace Rally Speech
Before 150 Aroostook county residents from around the County
February 15, 2003 - St. Mary's Church
by Charlotte Aldebron
When people think about bombing Iraq, they see a
picture in their heads of Saddam Hussein in a military
uniform, or maybe soldiers with big black mustaches
carrying guns, or the mosaic of George Bush Sr. on the
lobby floor of the Al-Rashid Hotel with the word
criminal. But guess what? More than half of Iraq's 24
million people are children under the age of 15. That's
12 million kids. Kids like me. Well, I'm almost 13, so
some are a little older, and some a lot younger, some
boys instead of girls, some with brown hair, not red.
But kids who are pretty much like me just the same. So
take a look at me, a good long look. Because I am what
you should see in your head when you think about
bombing Iraq. I am what you are going to destroy.
=20
If I am lucky, I will be killed instantly, like the
three hundred children murdered by your smart bombs in
a Baghdad bomb shelter on February 16, 1991. The blast
caused a fire so intense that it flash-burned outlines
of those children and their mothers on the walls; you
can still peel strips of blackened skin souvenirs of
your victory from the stones.
=20
But maybe I won't be lucky and I'll die slowly, like
14-year-old Ali Faisal, who right now is on the death
ward of the Baghdad children's hospital. He has
malignant lymphoma cancer caused by the depleted
uranium in your Gulf War missiles. Or maybe I will die
painfully and needlessly like 18-month-old Mustafa,
whose vital organs are being devoured by sand fly
parasites. I know it's hard to believe, but Mustafa
could be totally cured with just $25 worth of medicine,
but there is none of this medicine because of your
sanctions.
=20
Or maybe I won't die at all but will live for years
with the psychological damage that you can't see from
the outside, like Salman Mohammed, who even now can't
forget the terror he lived through with his little
sisters when you bombed Iraq in 1991. Salman's father
made the whole family sleep in the same room so that
they would all survive together, or die together. He
still has nightmares about the air raid sirens.
=20
Or maybe I will be orphaned like Ali, who was three
when you killed his father in the Gulf War. Ali scraped
at the dirt covering his fathers grave every day for
three years calling out to him, It's all right Daddy,
you can come out now, the men who put you here have
gone away. Well, Ali, you're wrong. It looks like those
men are coming back.
=20
Or I maybe I will make it in one piece, like Luay
Majed, who remembers that the Gulf War meant he didn't
have to go to school and could stay up as late as he
wanted. But today, with no education, he tries to live
by selling newspapers on the street.
=20
Imagine that these are your children or nieces or
nephews or neighbors. Imagine your son screaming from
the agony of a severed limb, but you can't do anything
to ease the pain or comfort him. Imagine your daughter
crying out from under the rubble of a collapsed
building, but you can't get to her. Imagine your
children wandering the streets, hungry and alone, after
having watched you die before their eyes.
=20
This is not an adventure movie or a fantasy or a video
game. This is reality for children in Iraq. Recently,
an international group of researchers went to Iraq to
find out how children there are being affected by the
possibility of war. Half the children they talked to
said they saw no point in living any more. Even really
young kids knew about war and worried about it. One
5-year-old, Assem, described it as guns and bombs and
the air will be cold and hot and we will burn very
much. Ten-year-old Aesar had a message for President
Bush: he wanted him to know that a lot of Iraqi
children will die. You will see it on TV and then you
will regret.
=20
Back in elementary school I was taught to solve
problems with other kids not by hitting or
name-calling, but by talking and using I messages. The
idea of an I message was to make the other person
understand how bad his or her actions made you feel, so
that the person would sympathize with you and stop it.
Now I am going to give you an "I message." Only it's
going to be a We message. We as in all the children in
Iraq who are waiting helplessly for something bad to
happen. We as in the children of the world who don't
make any of the decisions but have to suffer all the
consequences. We as in those whose voices are too small
and too far away to be heard.
=20
We feel scared when we don't know if we'll live another
day. We feel angry when people want to kill us or
injure us or steal our future. We feel sad because all
we want is a mom and a dad who we know will be there
the next day. And, finally, we feel confused because
we don't even know what we did wrong.
=20
Charlotte Aldebron, 12, attends Cunningham Middle
School in Presque Isle, Maine. Comments may be sent to
her mom, Jillian Aldebron: aldebron@ainop.com
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24<BR> million people are children under the age of 15.=20
your<BR> sanctions.<BR> <BR> Or maybe =
Mohammed, who even now can't<BR> forget the terror he lived =
remembers that the Gulf War meant he didn't<BR> have to go =
you<BR> will regret.<BR> <BR> Back in =
elementary school I was taught to solve<BR> problems with =
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<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>A 12-year old's powerful statement</TITLE>
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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Thank you Tom for sending that message, =
a real=20
breath of sanity in a crazy world. I really, really hope someone listens =
to her.=20
I really do, but ...</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Lorne</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Dtom-tom@gaea.ocn.ne.jp =
href=3D"mailto:tom-tom@gaea.ocn.ne.jp">Deaver=20
Tom</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dtom-tom@gaea.ocn.ne.jp=20
href=3D"mailto:tom-tom@gaea.ocn.ne.jp">12 year old</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, February 26, =
2003 1:56=20
AM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> A 12-year old's =
powerful=20
statement</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT color=3D#800000><FONT face=3DVerdana>You probably =
won=92t hear=20
this on CNN or any other network news. When I read it to my =
17-year-old=20
son, Isaki, last evening we both just sat and cried. Tom=20
<BR></FONT></FONT><FONT face=3DVerdana><BR>Charlotte has been a busy =
girl since=20
September 11. A<BR>search of her name will bring up other =
speeches=20
and<BR>papers she has written for class.<BR><BR>Tanya =
Barber<BR>International=20
Outreach Coordinator<BR>Global Village=20
School<BR>http://www.globalvillageschool.org
Year=20
Old speaker<BR> Presque Isle, Maine Peace Rally=20
Speech<BR> Before 150 Aroostook county residents from =
around the=20
County<BR> February 15, 2003 - St. Mary's=20
Church<BR><BR> by Charlotte =
Aldebron<BR><BR> When people=20
think about bombing Iraq, they see a<BR> picture in their =
heads of=20
Saddam Hussein in a military<BR> uniform, or maybe soldiers =
with=20
big black mustaches<BR> carrying guns, or the mosaic of =
George Bush=20
Sr. on the<BR> lobby floor of the Al-Rashid Hotel with the=20
word<BR> criminal. But guess what? More than half of Iraq's =
That's<BR> 12 million kids. Kids like me. Well, I'm almost =
13,=20
so<BR> some are a little older, and some a lot younger,=20
some<BR> boys instead of girls, some with brown hair, not=20
red.<BR> But kids who are pretty much like me just the =
same.=20
So<BR> take a look at me, a good long look. Because I am=20
what<BR> you should see in your head when you think=20
about<BR> bombing Iraq. I am what you are going to=20
destroy.<BR> <BR> If I am lucky, I will be =
killed=20
instantly, like the<BR> three hundred children murdered by =
your=20
smart bombs in<BR> a Baghdad bomb shelter on February 16, =
1991. The=20
blast<BR> caused a fire so intense that it flash-burned=20
outlines<BR> of those children and their mothers on the =
walls;=20
you<BR> can still peel strips of blackened skin souvenirs=20
of<BR> your victory from the=20
stones.<BR> <BR> But maybe I won't be lucky and =
I'll die=20
slowly, like<BR> 14-year-old Ali Faisal, who right now is =
on the=20
death<BR> ward of the Baghdad children's hospital. He=20
has<BR> malignant lymphoma cancer caused by the=20
depleted<BR> uranium in your Gulf War missiles. Or maybe I =
will=20
die<BR> painfully and needlessly like 18-month-old=20
Mustafa,<BR> whose vital organs are being devoured by sand=20
fly<BR> parasites. I know it's hard to believe, but=20
Mustafa<BR> could be totally cured with just $25 worth of=20
medicine,<BR> but there is none of this medicine because of =
I won't=20
die at all but will live for years<BR> with the =
psychological=20
damage that you can't see from<BR> the outside, like Salman =
through=20
with his little<BR> sisters when you bombed Iraq in 1991. =
Salman's=20
father<BR> made the whole family sleep in the same room so=20
that<BR> they would all survive together, or die together.=20
He<BR> still has nightmares about the air raid=20
sirens.<BR> <BR> Or maybe I will be orphaned =
like Ali,=20
who was three<BR> when you killed his father in the Gulf =
War. Ali=20
scraped<BR> at the dirt covering his fathers grave every =
day=20
for<BR> three years calling out to him, It's all right=20
Daddy,<BR> you can come out now, the men who put you here=20
have<BR> gone away. Well, Ali, you're wrong. It looks like=20
those<BR> men are coming =
back.<BR> <BR> Or I=20
maybe I will make it in one piece, like Luay<BR> Majed, who =
to=20
school and could stay up as late as he<BR> wanted. But =
today, with=20
no education, he tries to live<BR> by selling newspapers on =
the=20
street.<BR> <BR> Imagine that these are your =
children or=20
nieces or<BR> nephews or neighbors. Imagine your son =
screaming=20
from<BR> the agony of a severed limb, but you can't do=20
anything<BR> to ease the pain or comfort him. Imagine your=20
daughter<BR> crying out from under the rubble of a=20
collapsed<BR> building, but you can't get to her. Imagine=20
your<BR> children wandering the streets, hungry and alone,=20
after<BR> having watched you die before their=20
eyes.<BR> <BR> This is not an adventure movie or =
a=20
fantasy or a video<BR> game. This is reality for children =
in Iraq.=20
Recently,<BR> an international group of researchers went to =
Iraq=20
to<BR> find out how children there are being affected by=20
the<BR> possibility of war. Half the children they talked=20
to<BR> said they saw no point in living any more. Even=20
really<BR> young kids knew about war and worried about it.=20
One<BR> 5-year-old, Assem, described it as guns and bombs=20
and<BR> the air will be cold and hot and we will burn=20
very<BR> much. Ten-year-old Aesar had a message for=20
President<BR> Bush: he wanted him to know that a lot of=20
Iraqi<BR> children will die. You will see it on TV and then =
other=20
kids not by hitting or<BR> name-calling, but by talking and =
using I=20
messages. The<BR> idea of an I message was to make the =
other=20
person<BR> understand how bad his or her actions made you =
feel,=20
so<BR> that the person would sympathize with you and stop=20
it.<BR> Now I am going to give you an "I message." Only=20
it's<BR> going to be a We message. We as in all the =
children=20
in<BR> Iraq who are waiting helplessly for something bad=20
to<BR> happen. We as in the children of the world who=20
don't<BR> make any of the decisions but have to suffer all=20
the<BR> consequences. We as in those whose voices are too=20
small<BR> and too far away to be=20
heard.<BR> <BR> We feel scared when we don't =
know if=20
we'll live another<BR> day. We feel angry when people want =
to kill=20
us or<BR> injure us or steal our future. We feel sad =
because=20
all<BR> we want is a mom and a dad who we know will be=20
there<BR> the next day. And, finally, we feel confused=20
because<BR> we don't even know what we did=20
wrong.<BR> <BR> Charlotte Aldebron, 12, attends=20
Cunningham Middle<BR> School in Presque Isle, Maine. =
Comments may=20
be sent to<BR> her mom, Jillian Aldebron:=20
aldebron@ainop.com<BR><BR>------ End of Forwarded=20
Message<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>