JUSTICE, NOT VENGEANCE PROJECT

Good people of Tampa. Friends and neighbors in our global village. Sisters and brothers across America. We come together at this time of national sorrow and unity to pledge our commitment to the values and principles set forth in the Earth Charter, a document that begins with these words:

"We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history ... when humanity must choose its future."

"The future at once holds great peril and great promise."

"We must recognize that .... we are one human family, and one Earth community with a common destiny."

"We must bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace."

"It is imperative that we declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations."

For all the risks of this historical moment, the fact of the choice before us makes this an unusually exciting time to be alive, because we face both the opportunity and the necessity to take the step to a new level of human consciousness and function that requires that we rethink and recreate ourselves and our institutions to create a world that works for the whole of life