Dear friend and colleague,

I am asking for a few minutes of your time and consideration.  But first I
pray that you did not have any loved ones who were victims of the Sept. 11th
tragedy.   I, like you, have been absorbing all of the discussions
surrounding the terrorist attacks.  I have never seen our country so
thoughtful, so questioning and so united.

But I must admit I am very concerned for the future and for the choices we
make as we move ahead.  While I fully understand and support the need for a
military response, I believe that the United States needs to take measures
to bring more stability, economic balance and good will to the world
community.

I am a businessman in Washington State.  In trade-reliant states such as
ours, we are increasingly aware of our interdependence with the rest of the
global economy, and the continuing need to nurture and grow emerging
markets.  It is good business and in our economic self-interest to help
reduce the disparity between wealthy and poor nations.

For the past 10 years I have worked on business solutions to poverty
alleviation in Central America. I have become increasingly aware of the
immense capacity of the US to share our knowledge, business know-how,
entrepreneurial skill and financial resources with poorer countries. My
involvement has convinced me that people who have hope for the future and an
economic stake in their community share our desire for economic stability
and productive societies.  Conversely, conditions of poverty and despair
breed hopelessness, violence and extremism.

Two unfortunate realities haunt me.  One is that fully half the people on
our planet are barely surviving on an income of $2 per day, and their
prospects for the future are dark indeed.  The second is that the United
States gives less per capita to international development efforts than any
other   industrialized nation.  At the same time, our defense budget is one
hundred and fifty times larger than our development assistance budget.

Of course, we need a strong and vigorous defense capability, but I believe
we also need to balance our response to the global economy by investing in
measures that will help close the growing gap between the haves and
have-nots.  Not only is it the humanitarian thing to do, it is also a way to
invest in preventative actions that will move us in the direction of
balanced growth, rather than violence, terrorism and global economic
instability.

Out of this crisis, I believe there is an opportunity to build truly
collaborative partnerships with other countries. Alongside our multilateral
military response to the events of September 11th, we should seek
multilateral efforts for increased political and economic support to poor
countries.

I hope that you will consider joining me in sending the following message to
your elected leaders
and decision makers, and to your friends and colleagues.

Sincerely,

Bill Clapp

				MESSAGE

The September 11th attack on the United States represents an assault not
only on the American people but also on the fundamental freedoms of our
democratic society.  In response, the United States government must weigh
all the necessary military options to protect its interests and defend our
citizens and territory.  I am writing this letter to you, our elected and
appointed officials, to express my encouragement and support for the
difficult decisions you must make in the months ahead.

As part of our national security and military response, I encourage you to
pay equal attention to the following longer-term strategies:

?	INCREASE U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SUPPORT FOR POOR COUNTRIES:

As the leader of the free world, the United States should use the
opportunity created by this terrorist crisis to increase our commitment to
poor countries.  An enhanced effort to bridge the social and economic
inequities in the world will reap significant benefits in the form of
increased global stability and economic equity, and will help eliminate
conditions of despair and hopelessness that breed violence and extremism.

?	BUILD COALITIONS FOR GLOBAL STABILITY AND ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL EQUITY

There is strength in numbers.  The United States should build on the
emerging anti-terrorist coalition to address the longer-term challenges that
we must face together. Multilateral cooperation will add value and
credibility to any efforts we undertake by demonstrating our commitment to
shared values.


Write your Representative:

<http://www.house.gov/>

Write your Senator:

<http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm>

Write to Secretary of State Colin Powell:

<mailto:Secretary@state.gov>

Write the White House:
<mailto:president@whitehouse.gov>
mailto:vice.president@whitehouse.gov

Note: If you are interested in being a part of additional efforts to
articulate the point of view expressed here, please send e-mail to
<mailto:globalvoice@globalpartnerships.org>.