Could the Proposed Department of Peace Have Intercepted the Tucson Gunshots?

" The science of peacebuilding deserves a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions about foreign and domestic policy. The use of violence to resolve personal and international conflicts needs to be a last resort. The Department of Peace could build the institutional structures needed to help put peaceful means at the forefront."

7,875 ideas were submitted and 675,943 votes were cast to determine the winners. According to the wiki, the Top 10 ideas, including the idea to establish a Department of Peace, were delivered to President Obama's Transition team on January 16, 2009.

The establishment of a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence could position America as a proactive leader in a new global direction, enabling the U.S. to lead the way toward the elimination of the root causes of violence.

Kucinich says, "The Department of Peace will facilitate the dream and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King "to teach peace, to teach conflict resolution, to free our homes and our global community of violence."

• Domestically, the Dept. of Peace and Nonviolence would be involved in prevention of spousal abuse, child abuse, drug and alcohol-related violence, gang violence, and mistreatment of the elderly. An Office of Peace Education would work with America's teachers in the development and implementation of curricula designed to provide students of all ages with mediation and conflict resolution skills.
• On international levels, the Dept. of Peace and Nonviolence would provide the President with research-based recommendations for nonviolent ways to heighten national security.
• The Department of Peace would implement programs to assist in the resolution of regional conflicts while respecting the cultural and ethnic traditions of adversarial factions.
• It would work in partnership with the Dept. of State and the Dept. of Defense and would support the military with complementary approaches to dismantling violence.
• A Peace Academy, modeled after the military service academies, would be established to provide instruction in peace proficiency and will offer opportunities for graduates to serve in international and domestic conflict resolution programs.

The Department of Peace has been endorsed by dozens of organizations including: Amnesty International, Tikkun, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Veterans for Peace, and the National Organization for Women.

The Peace Alliance, The Student Peace Alliance, The National Peace Academy and Americans for the Department of Peace all provide excellent resources. (See links below.) They hold gatherings around the country so that citizens can get involved.

Dennis Kucinich, the author of the legislation, says, "This is the time to conceive of peace as not simply being the absence of violence, but the active presence of the capacity for a higher evolution of human awareness. War is not inevitable, peace is inevitable!"

Hotline message to Congress:

Maybe taking a week off isn't such great timing if you are wanting to honor those who were killed, shot, or otherwise affected by the gunshots in Tucson. As your employer, I'd like to see you get to work on the Department of Peace. Now.

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