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To my friends and fellow abolitionists who will be in terre Haute for the state sanctioned killing of Timothy McVeigh, or at other protests around the country, I want you to know that my prayers are with you. I believe that a statement should be made. I ask you to be my voice on May 15 and 16, 2001. I urge you to send a clear message to our Government - and to the people of this nation - that what we are embarking on on May 16 is just plain wrong. Our society should not tolerate a government with the power to kill its own citizens. Send that message in whatever way you feel is approproate, with compassion, with nonviolence, and in peace. When my daughter, Julie, was killed, I joined a "club" that I wish had no members: The price of admission is too high. I know the pain of losing a loved on because of a senseless act of violence. On May 16, 2001, I will stand with the other families who have lost loved ones to unnecessary violence, and I will be with Tim McVeigh's family as they prepare to be victimized in a political event, staged by the Government of these United States. Americans must be made to understand that in Tim McVeigh's mind, he was engaging in an act of revenge when he bombed a United States installation. In his mind he was at war, and much the same as when we bomb Iraq or send more than a billion dollars in weapons to Colombia, innocent citizens die and countless lives are changed forever. The "collateral damage" from McVeigh's "war" or any other is the same: Innocent people die. Of course McVeigh's thinking was horrifically wrong. I am simply saying that we must attempt to understand his mind set, and recognize that WE must choose to stop the cycle of violence! Killing Tim McVeigh only continues the violence. And, killing McVeigh makes him a martyr in the eyes of those who supported him and share his beliefs. We should not be surprised if one or more of his supporters tries to avenge our killing McVeigh. We should ask ourselves: How much killing and how much revenge are we prepared to live through? I fear for our country. We need social change on the death penalty - just as we needed social change in the 1800's with slavery. We moved from abolishing slavery, to granting women the right to vote, to passing civil rights laws. We finally made these necessary social changes and we must take the next step with the death penalty. Do not allow fundamentalist religious groups to control our social agenda. To the media, I implore you: Respect everyone who is suffering through this ordeal. Please be fair and accurate in your reporting. And please, respect me, the other victims families, the survivors, and Tim's family. Bud Welch March 8, 2001
Permission is granted for publication and other dissemination of this statement as long as it is reproduced in its entirety and unedited.
