Program for Remembrance and Reflection: Joe Elder’s Address

Last Tuesday, September 11, 2001, those of us watching television saw something we had never seen before — the deaths of thousands of our fellow human beings trapped inside the World Trade Center in Manhattan as the towers crumbled to the ground.

We are here today to reflect upon, and remember, those who died in that tragedy and the parallel tragedies in Washington, D.C. and the countryside near Pittsburgh. The violent death of a single innocent person is a tragedy. The violent death of thousands of innocent people strains the human heart. Today we join with millions of others gathered throughout the land — and overseas — to share our grief and to extend our sympathy and support to the families and friends of those who died.

This is the third time in three years that I have participated in a memorial service for the victims of terrorism. Three years ago in a village in Chiapas, Mexico I stood with the relatives and friends of dozens of women and children who had been killed by para-military forces while they were worshipping in a nearby chapel.There were flowers, and pictures of the dead.

Six months ago, halfway around the world, I stood with the relatives and friends of hundreds of fellow human beings whose lives had been snuffed out in a single morning of horrible violence. There too there were flowers, and pictures of the dead.

Each of these three memorial services has been different. In terms of loss of life, the earlier two memorial services pale — but not into insignificance. In each case the lives of innocent people ended cruelly and permanently. In each case the perpetrators of the killing have remained at large. In each case the call for justice has gone unanswered.

Today we are remembering those who died last Tuesday. We pray that they did not die entirely in vain. Perhaps from this tragedy we — with other nations of the world — can build a web of information-sharing that will make it impossible for terrorists to perpetrate similar tragedies in the future. Perhaps, despite the pain of this tragedy, we can abide by our national principles that individuals are innocent until they are proved guilty — that those who are guilty are to be punished — not their relatives, not those who speak the same language, not those who share the same religious affiliation, or live within the same national boundaries — wherever those boundaries might be.

As our national leaders have repeated during the past several days, each of us has an obligation to protect from harassment — or worse — those among us here in Madison and elsewhere in the United States whose language, ethnic background, or religion make them targets of abuse by our fellow Americans looking for someone or some group to blame and punish. We can understand the desire to blame and punish. We must protect the innocent from being blamed or punished.

We can understand that some among us are calling for war, in the belief that a war of retribution will bring us comfort. At times like this we must remember that nothing kills innocent civilians like wars. Let us not kill innocent civilians in an effort to punish those who kill innocent civilians.

Perhaps from this tragedy we — with other nations — can build institutions that will prevent future acts of terrorism, and will apprehend and bring to justice those involved in acts of terrorism. Perhaps from this tragedy we can develop effective means of discovering the root causes of terrorism and address those root causes. Perhaps, as an outcome of this tragedy, with the application of reason, patience, wisdom, and compassion, we can — with other nations of the world — build cultures and institutions that will prevent a recurrence — not only in the United States — but anywhere in the world — of what happened Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Perhaps we can work together to build a world where there will be justice.

And now I would like to ask each of us to observe a “moment of silent reflection” during which we remember, and extend our love and thoughts to, the families and friends of those who died in last Tuesday’s tragedy.