Letter to the President

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

5 May 2011

Dear President Obama,

I am pretty certain that you will never see this letter but feel compelled to write to you never the less. On Monday morning I woke to the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by a small Navy SEAL team. I find the jubilant response to this event disheartening.

Ten years ago a terrible act devastated our country, killed three thousand and cause unimaginable suffering for the families and friends of the innocent dead. Like so many traumatized Americans, I still feel the reverberations from that sad day. In response, the United States met this tragedy by mirroring the violence and causing similar human suffering – multiplying the destruction thousands-fold. The death of our service men and women alone doubles the death toll of 9/11/2001. The terror of that day pales in relation to the hundreds of thousands of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To my own surprise, my strongest impulse after the September 11 attacks was the sense that all concerned, including the highjackers, were victims and that as a nation we missed an opportunity for peace and reconciliation. What could provoke such a violent act? Where does the hatred really stem from? And how are we responsible for generating the ill will towards us?

The ongoing wars seem to, on some levels, validate the rhetoric against the United States. A powerful tyrant with superior military force and endless resources, we have the potential to destroy on an epic scale. Just as we see the “enemy” in those who intend harm, how can we not expect to be seen in that very same light by those we harm? I continue to believe that our lust for oil is at the center of this conflict and that decisions made and actions taken way before September 11, 2001 have fueled this hatred.

Osama Bin laden was simply a figurehead for an energy that still exists. I am far from naïve and realize that no matter what your personal thoughts are Mr. President, politically you could only proceed as you have. The leader of this nation must stand mighty and bold. But I did have hope for change when I voted for you. In fact I made a portrait of you for my Peacemaker series (now hanging in the Martin Luther King Room at Boston University) because I saw the potential for peace in you. Bin Laden’s murder – as necessary as it seemed to many – is not a victory. Any violent loss of human life is tragic and has negative impact on the human spirit. For me, this is not an opportunity to cheer, rather another sorrowful wound in the heart of someone longing for a peaceful planet. Is it impossible to think that the United States can, by example, lead the world to another way of existence, one where all beings can be safe, happy and live without fear?

All my Best,