Tehran, Iran
To Whom It May Concern:
Happy New Year! I have recently heard some about your organization, nevertheless I believe that I do not know enough. I should be grateful if you would kindly let me know the terms and conditions for obtaining a WSA passport. As a matter of fact, I want to know where should I go to apply for this passport and what documents will be needed....
By the way, I am a prisoner of war and had been staying in Iraqi jails for three years. So I tried my chance to contact the Red Cross office in some European countries, but I received no reply from them.
Hoping to receive your kind reply, and thank you for it.
Truly yours,
Name Withheld
Serving Humankind
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dear Sir,
With due respect, I would like to inform you that I am a Bangladeshi, living more than 15 years in Dubai, U.A.E.
I am also a businessman, so I understand from a reliable source you will give a World Passport, for mankind. In the meantime, I have had a radical change of mind for humanity. Now I voluntarily desire to sacrifice my life in the services of mankind activities as a World Citizen and hence I need a W.S.A. Passport and other certificate.
So I hereby request you to assist me to obtain the above Passport as soon as possible.
Awaiting your early and prompt response.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Best regards,
Mohammed Hashim
The Human Rights Passport
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Dear Sir,
Thank you very much for your elaborate working activities in world human rights.... I have been working with human rights in Bangladesh for about seven years. In the meantime, I got a scholarship from Human Rights Norway. However, I think my acquired knowledge on human rights is not sufficient....
I desire to do something for world human rights. For that purpose, I require a world passport. I kindly request the World [Service] Authority to make necessary arrangements so that I may have a World Passport at an early date.
Thanking you.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Abdul Halim Siddiqui,
General Secretary,
Human Rights Journalist Group, Bangladesh
Convincing Reading
Dear Sirs,
Reading the book Passport to Freedom--A Guide for World Citizens convinced me of your idea.
Please send me an application form for the World Passport and all other documents you issue such as the international residence permit.
Best regards,
Name Withheld
Will World Government Be a Just Government?
Cheshire, Connecticut, U.S.A.
To the Editor:
Thank you for the current edition of World Citizen News.
While I find that the ideas of your group are very interesting, I have some questions and concerns.
I agree with your aims, but not the means for getting there. I suppose I have a basic mistrust of all governments, even a world one. How does one know that the same repression faced by nation-state citizens will not just be transferred to a world government? At least now, if one is repressed by one nation and can manage to leave, he can hope for a better life elsewhere. What assurances does one have that a world politician would be any more trustworthy than a national politician? Wouldn't world anarchism be a better solution?
There is a danger of majoritarian oppression of minorities. And what is to stop a power-hungry megalomaniac from gaining control and leading us down a road to world fascism?
The Syntegrity reports contain some very intolerant stances. Actually, it is not said anywhere that the world government would be a democracy. Just how would it work? This needs to be explained more.
David Gallup and Marcia Mason write of moving away from patriarchy and of the women's movement as being homogenous, when actually there is a large gap between gender and equity feminists on everything from pornography to abortion to economics.
I think I mostly agree but need more clarification. I'll probably take out a WSA passport in the new year.
Have a global one!
Rick De Masi
(Publisher's response: De Masi puts together a typical plethora of straw men to be knocked down. Let's take "world anarchism" first. That's precisely the condition we have today. Exclusive nationalism is world anarchy, the very breeding ground of world war. Nations arm and fight because there is no law to stop them. Then there is the personal fear: if repressed by one nation, he writes, one can "manage to leave" (a big maybe) and find "a better life elsewhere." But we are trying to outlaw war itself, the total breakdown of society, not for one individual, but for all humanity. His only concern seems to be for the single "repressed" human. This viewpoint is popular but excessively thoughtless. What if humanity itself is threatened, Mr. De Masi? Since 1945, war has become total. Where then is "elsewhere"? While agreeing with our aims, De Masi disagrees with our means. But what are his? He doesn't say. It is like a man with cancer who protests against being cured because then he might catch pneumonia. Then enter the "Big Brother" syndrome. Forget democratic principles, human rights, justice under law, morality, and indeed the human family itself. Forget the 6000 years of gurus, masters, sages and saviors who have taught us about universal principles. Forget the myriad global systems already in place: the Universal Postal Union, the International Civil Aviation Organization, WHO, FAO, etc. Finally, if we can't reason our way out of the nationalistic jungle world of total annihilation, then in any case, we don't deserve further abode on planet Earth...and will prove it.)