4005 Plenary IV Sunday
Planning Committee Sponsored
Legislation to Create a Department of Peace - Introduction Speech
Drafted by
Pat Simon of First Parish in Waltham, MA and
Dave Dunn of First Parish in Concord, MA
The legislation is in place to create a cabinet level Department of Peace.
A department whose mission is to hold peace as an organizing principle, to strengthen non-military means of peace making and to develop new structures and technology for non-violent dispute resolution.
The anniversary of the first filing of this bill, by Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, is July 11, 2002 and we need to raise awareness and let our voices be heard. Especially Unitarian Universalists.
We need to develop Power for Peace!
We need to change our focus to bring more attention to nonviolent on conflict resolution. This Bill begins to do that by appropriating 1% of the Department of Defense Budget to fund this new department.
What can we do?
- Ask the groups in your church to call their congressmen and urge support of the Bill H.R. 2459.
- Involve your youth groups in education around this bill.
- Write an editorial for your local paper expressing the need for this Bill.
What an amazing thing it would be to have the United States lead the world in the promotion of non-violent conflict resolution!
While many of you may believe this will never happen.
I can assure you that if we take no action, it will not.
Therefore I ask you to vote for this Action of Immediate Witness and to begin the development of Power for Peace.
Web Designer, Julie Albanese