How to help peace

Friday, December 21, 2001 by Dave Winer.

Good morning! 

And happy holidays -- whatever holiday you celebrate, whether it be Ramadan, Christmas, or whatever.

A few days ago I ran a little story on Scripting News, which appears in the next section. It got unprecedented pushback, much like the anti-death-penalty pieces I wrote around the execution of Karla Faye Tucker in 1998. I like this kind of pushback because it tells me I'm helping people think about the world in a different way. And if the events of 2001 have taught us anything, we must think of the world in a different way.

Now it's time to run this idea through DaveNet, with my best wishes for a happy holiday for one and all.

How to help peace 

In the rush of emotion after Sept 11, I decided to do something different -- I gave $100 to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

It occurred to me that with the end-of-year gift-giving season in full swing, it might be a nice way for the people the US to do something nice for the people of the Middle East. I don't think the money flows to terrorists. It's just like the Red Cross in the west, they take care of people who need help.

The first step to respect is to realize that these are real people, with hearts and brains, and like all people, it's hard for them to hate people who care for them. So I highly recommend doing this. I feel really good about it.

I got my mom to give them $100 too. Now we joke about how the Bush Administration is going to round us up. I told her I thought it would be an honor to be rounded up for giving a small amount of money to help people who need help.

Open your hearts and open your wallets. Let's help the Palestinians and at the same time help ourselves.

Dave Winer