Our son Greg is among the many missing from the

World Trade Center attack. Since we first heard

the news, we have shared moments of grief,

comfort, hope, despair, fond memories with his

wife, the two families, our friends and neighbors,

his loving colleagues at Cantor Fitzgerald /

Espeed, and all the grieving families that daily

meet at the Pierre Hotel. We see our hurt and

anger reflected among everybody we meet. We

cannot pay attention to the daily flow of news

about this disaster. But we read enough of the

news to sense that our government is heading in

the direction of violent revenge, with the prospect

of sons, daughters, parents, friends in distant

lands dying, suffering, and nursing further

grievances against us. It is not the way to go. It

will not avenge our son's death. Not in our son's

name. Our son died a victim of an inhuman

ideology. Our actions should not serve the same

purpose. Let us grieve. Let us reflect and pray. Let

us think about a rational response that brings real

peace and justice to our world. But let us not as a

nation add to the inhumanity of our times.

Copy of letter to White House:

Dear President Bush:

Our son is one of the victims of Tuesday's attack

on the World Trade Center. We read about your

response in the last few days and about the

resolutions from both Houses, giving you

undefined power to respond to the terror attacks.

Your response to this attach does not make us feel

better about our son's death. It makes us feel

worse. It makes us feel that our government is

using our son's memory as a justification to cause

suffering for other sons and parents in other

lands. It is not the first time that a person in your

position has been given unlimited power and came

to regret it. This is not the time for empty

gestures to make us feel better. It is not the time

to act like bullies. We urge you to think about how

our government can develop peaceful, rational

solutions to terrorism, solutions that do not sink

us to the inhuman level of terrorists. Sincerely,

Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez