Dear WAND Supporters... A Message from WAND President Rep. Kathryn Bowers It was indeed a pleasure to see so many of our members and new faces at the 2001 WiLL/WAND National Conference in Washington, D.C., in spite of the odds against us at the end of September. Our hearts go out to all the grieving families. I personally want to thank everyone who made the decision to come amid all the concerns of safety and security, as well as those of you who were not able to attend but gave us your moral support and prayers. In the wake of September 11th, it is imperative that members of WAND roll up our sleeves and push our gears into the highest position. We have the power to be a driving force for justice rather than revenge. We have the knowledge to be a watchdog against unnecessary spending of our tax dollars that will increase the military budget and decrease monies for human needs. WAND members can mobilize their communities by establishing “kitchen table talks” across the country to turn attention to the families and children of our great nation. It is time for all of us to seek knowledge to prepare ourselves to discuss the issues, reach out to new members to increase our ranks tenfold, and ground ourselves in love to overcome hate. I ask you to get a copy of WAND’s action plan today and make a commitment to add your time and talents to the groundswell of efforts to turn the world toward peace. This is our time because this is our issue. There is no organization that can match our knowledge about the military budget, relationships with policymakers on the state and federal levels, and core of activists across the country. We must rise to the top and become that national organization speak-ing for peace, justice, and family. Kathryn I. Bowers State Representative, Tennessee WAND president Return to index