From Feb. 2 to 6, people from 45 out of 50 states attended the Department of Peace Conference in Washington, D.C. I was there representing Western North Carolina on behalf of the WNC Department of Peace and Nonviolence Campaign.
Congressional committees have been reviewing the Department of Peace and Nonviolence Legislation (H.R. 808) since June 11, 2001. Introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, the legislation will create a cabinet-level Department of Peace, bringing peace-making programs under one easily recognizable roof, administering programs proven to effectively deal with gang and domestic violence, and acting as an alternative choice to the military. A campaign to educate the citizens of the United States of America about this historical bill has been formed, and the conference was organized to help people learn about the bill and to create peace in their lives.
The conference began with talks about the bill and about peace in general, and the fact that peace isn’t just the absence of war, but a higher thought process of humankind. Domestic violence was also heavily discussed. Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md., also delivered a quick speech on the bill. The audience gave him a standing ovation when he admitted he made a mistake on the war in Iraq. Deepak Chopra, Denise Brown and Rev. Michael Beckwith were just some of the many speakers throughout the conference.
The following night, we began practicing for one of the conference goals—to educate people on the aspects of lobbying. The conference attendees separated by state to work on what they were going to say while meeting with their respective legislators. Other people from North Carolina joined the WNC group, and many ideas of what to say were very creative.
It was 24 degrees when we set off to downtown D.C. A freezing wind was blowing, and it didn’t help that my dress pants weren’t thick. Outside Rep. Heath Shuler’s office, a sign displayed the national debt ($8,689,000,000,000) and the amount of the debt shared per person ($29,000). Before we entered, we took a moment to focus some energy. I think it did us some good. Shuler’s office was pleasant and homelike, so we felt right at home. Sean O’Connor, Shuler’s legislative director, seemed very impressed.
My experience in Washington was one I will always remember. I enjoyed the presence of many [other] students, and even made some friends amongst them. Lobbying Congress should be an experience everyone has. Please don’t fall asleep! Do something! [Some] corporations have [several] highly paid lobbyists per every member of Congress. By talking to your members of Congress, the world will become a better place for our grandchildren’s grandchildren’s grandchildren. Parents, tell your children—they are the changers of tomorrow and will take over from where you leave off. Students of all ages, the Student Peace Alliance is alive and kicking. For more information, visit www.thepeacealliance.org.
As we contemplate another anniversary of the invasion of Iraq I am sure there will be many news articles written about the death tolls in Iraq. However, I would like to write about the death toll that is climbing in our nation.
We have often heard the phrase (or something like it) that the administration “Is doing a good job because there have been no more new attacks in the US”. I am grateful that we have had no more attacks on our soil by Al Quadia . Yet, I do not think we have gained “security” at home.
As an advocate for founding a Cabinet level Department of Peace and Non Violence (via House Bill H.R. 808), I could not let this opportunity go by without pointing out a recent report in the New York Times. Here are a few recent excerpts from a prominent national law enforcement association called the Police Executive Research Forum. Over all, from 2004 to 2006, homicides increased 10 percent and robberies 12 percent. To blame are the spread of methamphetamine use in some Midwestern and Western cities, gangs, etc,… But the biggest theme, they say, is easy access to guns and a willingness, even an eagerness, to settle disputes with them, particularly among young people.
I saw a man named Assim Khamisa speak at a National DoP conference on September 10, 2005. He spoke of his son who had been murdered by a point blank gun shot to the head by a gang member. He went to the trail of the shooter and in his grief and torment could only connect with one other man in that room and that was the grandfather of the boy who had murdered his son, Mr. Felix. They reached out to one another in forgiveness and vowed they would stop this from happening to any more children in their San Diego community. Both men have developed a very effective program of gang demystification and teach social problem solving skills to children, they begin at the 4th grade level. Mr. Khamisa has over a decade of statistics that prove violence has dropped in his school system. . For more information about the San Diego school program go to http://www.tkf.org.
When I got home from the conference and caught up on my reading, I found out that religious broadcaster Pat Robertson had called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on September 7, 2005. “We don’t need another $200 billion war to get rid of one you know, strong-arm dictator,” he was quoted as saying . I remember thinking, “How are we going to stop kids from shooting one another when adults speak of it so casually on the international stage”.
In February of 2007, I went to another DoP conference and lobbied for the bill in Washington. While at Senator Elizabeth Dole’s office we were told that a DoP would be a duplication of other branches of government. When I got home from lobbying this year, I read a press release stating that Senator Dole had just joined Senators Feinstein and Hatch to introduce comprehensive anti-gang legislation. The Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2007, which sets tougher federal penalties for those who commit gang-related and other violent acts and directly criminalizes and penalizes gang crime. She was prompted to propose the bill in response to the growing level of Gang Violence in North Carolina. While I applaud her efforts my concern is that we are working on the wrong end of the equation. This is Bill does not aim at prevention.
We say that prevention would cost too much ( the DoP wants a 2% ratio of the military budget), yet we pay for lifetime incarcerations. For years I have been going to these conferences and meeting people who know how to create peace. I am often told that it is just in man’s nature to be violent and these problems cannot be prevented. If this is so, why are there people in small pockets through out the U.S. who can do the seemingly impossible? Do any of the Senators sponsoring the current “Gang” bill know about existing programs that are working to prevent kids from becoming criminals? Read about many such programs at http://www.thepeacealliance.org
One of the ways that a DoP would work is by functioning as sort of a “clearing house” for programs that are already effectively working to solve these problems in other states. With each state working independently we may be constantly re-inventing the wheel. We are wasting time and money. Add this to the billion a month that is being spent to finance the Iraq war. With these statistics on hand do you feel safer than when this war began? If you want to see working programs that create and maintain peace implemented nationally, please contact your representatives and ask them to support Bill H.R. 808.
Respectfully,
Deborah Rhinehart