On April 8th Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced a bill H.R. 1673 which calls for the establishment of the Department of Peace. This Bill is co-sponsored by 46 other Representatives. In this time of unilateral, pre-emptive wars abroad and the unprecedented elimination of civil liberties here at home such an idea deserves our attention now more than ever. All things are possible to those who believe in creating alternatives to violence.

The Department of Peace would include some of the following:

Establish a cabinet-level department in the executive branch of the Federal Government dedicated to peacemaking and the study of conditions that are conducive to both domestic and international peace.

Headed by a Secretary of Peace, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The mission of the Department shall hold: peace as an organizing principle; endeavor to promote justice and democratic principles to expand the human rights; strengthen nonmilitary means of peacemaking; promote the development of human potential; work to create peace with justice, prevent violence, divert from armed conflict and develop new structures in nonviolent dispute resolution; and take a proactive, strategic approach in the development of policies that promote national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful
resolution of conflict and structured mediation of conflict.

The Department will create and establish a Peace Academy, modeled after the military service academies, which will provide a 4 year concentration in peace education. Graduates will be required to serve 5 years in public service in programs dedicated to domestic or international nonviolent conflict  resolution.

The principal officers of the Department, in addition to the Secretary of Peace will include... the Undersecretary of Peace; the Assistant Secretary for Peace Education and Training; the Assistant Secretary for Domestic Peace Activities, the Assistant Secretary for Technology for Peace; the Assistant  Secretary For Arms Control and Disarmament; the Assistant Secretary for Peaceful Coexistence and Nonviolent Conflict Resolution; the Assistant Secretary For Human and Economic rights...

ACTION

Please contact your House Representative and either thank them for sponsoring this bill or ask them to support it.

Either contact the U.S. Capitol Switchboard to contact your representatives at 202-224-3121 or visit www.congress.org and type in your zip code to write or e-mail your congressperson.