Department of Peace

Guest author: Judy T.

Tom and I talk about peace a lot. We have great admiration for the peacemakers of the world. One of our favorite Congresspersons ever is Dennis Kucinich, America's most courageous politician. I like him for his brave stand on many issues--ending the war in Iraq, protecting the environment, being aggressive in pursuing renewable energy technology, and fighting for workers' rights.

Many people think he is a wack job because this plucky little man is gutsy enough and honorable enough to create and fight for idealistic legislation so visionary that it seems beyond hopeless to dream that it could ever become law. He doesn't seem to care about what it does to his reputation as long as he stays true to himself and his ideals, does what he thinks is best for his country, and gets the opportunity to raise the public consciousness about the issues. He is also the most liberal member of Congress, another reason why I like him of course, and why many do not!

The primary piece of legislation he is known for, the one that I most admire, is his Bill H.R. 808 to establish a cabinet-level Department of Peace. He originally introduced it in 2001, and then in every session of Congress thereafter.

Most people don't realize that his is not the first such legislation. The idea of a Department of Peace was first written about by Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and in 1935 the first Department of Peace bill was introduced, followed by some 85 others over the years since.

One of the basic provisions of his bill is the creation of a Peace Academy, modeled after the military academies except the 4 year course of study is in peace education, after which graduates will be required to serve 5 years in public service in programs dedicated to domestic or international nonviolent conflict resolution; and it also provides grants for peace studies departments in colleges and universities throughout the United States.

There is a lot more to the bill, much of it having to do with reducing violence here at home and international peacebuilding. Read about it on the The Peace Alliance website and just imagine if it became law what a different world this would be.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judy writes that David Cook is also a peace maker who teaches a course in Peace Studies. His absorbing and illuminating story is here. If you don't have time to read it now, at least link to it and bookmark it for an excellent read a little later. You won't regret it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judy T. and her husband Tom T. are owners of Two Seeds on a Blog. Some of their articles include: Killing for Fun - Military Madness; Ragheads, Rednecks and Green Machines; and most recently, Secrecy Sucks: Spooky, Snoopy Spies Run Amuck. Judy and Tom live in S.C. where he practices law.