[Open Letter]
Dear Friends,
This past week editorials in the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the San Francisco Chronicle have focused on Peaceful Tomorrows' recent press statements in opposition to the Bush re-election campaign's use of 9/11 imagery. Peaceful Tomorrows was part of a broad-based response (including other family groups and fire fighters) opposing the appropriation of these images by any political ad campaign. We repeatedly stated that we thought NO candidate or party should use the images in ads. We also stressed that we welcomed discussion and debate about the events and issues of 9/11 by ALL candidates.
Unfortunately, the editorials have chosen to focus on Peaceful Tomorrows' funding not our message. The editorials state that Peaceful Tomorrows received funding from the Tides Foundation, and that Teresa Heinz Kerry, John Kerry's wife, made large contributions to the Tides Foundation in the past. The insinuation, therefore, is that Peaceful Tomorrows is funded by Teresa Heinz Kerry through the Tides Foundation.
There is absolutely NO truth to these allegations. Here are the facts:
Tides Foundation made four grants to Peaceful Tomorrows in 2002 and 2003 which together totaled $34,665. None of these grants came from the Howard Heinz Endowment, the Vira I. Heinz Endowment, Teresa Heinz Kerry or John Kerry.
The Heinz Endowments granted Tides Foundation a total of $230,000 which was dispensed between 1994 and 1998, all for projects in western Pennsylvania.
We have asked ALL candidates for any political office to avoid 9/11 imagery in their ad campaigns.
We encourage and support the discussion and debate of ALL issues regarding September 11th, including national security, foreign policy, fear, terrorism, and civil liberties by ALL candidates. Your support has been invaluable to us throughout the past two years. Right now, we need your help again. Please send letters to the editor, make phone calls to talk radio, and discuss these issues with friends and colleagues. Let us know, any time you hear misinformation about our funding.
Our website,
Please make a donation to Peaceful Tomorrows if you can. We need to redouble our efforts to spread our message of non-violence and hope for breaking the cycles of violence that claimed our loved ones' lives. We cannot let the false information that has been spread about Peaceful Tomorrows by some members of the press deter us from our central mission of turning our grief into action for peace.
Our heartfelt thanks for your encouragement; we truly could not do our work without friends.
In Peace,
September 11th Families For Peaceful Tomorrows