- Fri Sep 09, 2005 12:42 pm
#110
For all you Peace mongers out there, please check out this message and the accompanying website. It is reputable and they are very serious about lobbying for a Department of Peace within the US government.
Love and peace,
Gillian
Friends,
I am writing to ask for your support for a bill that will be reintroduced into the United States House of Representatives on September 14, 2005 to establish a cabinet level Department of Peace. The scope of the bill is very broad, going well beyond conflicts between nation states. The Department of Peace will address virtually all forms of violence, domestic and international, and the underlying causes, and the bill establishes a number of offices within the Department to develop specific approaches to these issues. The plan is to make increased resources available to programs with proven track records of reducing violence and improving communication among all peoples, and to develop new programs where none exist.
I urge you to read the proposed legislation. You can go to and click on the Department of Peace. Once on the DOP website, click on the "Background" hyperlink at the top of the page on "Read the Bill". (You also may find other items of interest to you on the website.) You will see that in addition to international conflicts, the Department will focus on domestic violence (and alcohol and drug abuse which often underlies such violence); animal abuse; crime, punishment and rehabilitation; and many other areas in need of examination and fresh approaches.
The bill consolidates into one place a number of issues that many of us have been concerned with for some time. The DOP bill is a positive, concrete proposal for beginning the transition to a more peaceful society and world, and is a beautiful vehicle for advancing the discussion of these critical issues. The campaign strategy is based on dismantling hostility and bridging the gap between diverse viewpoints, entirely consistent with the Nonviolent Communication principles of Marshall Rosenberg and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. If we can at least start a dialogue instead of a debate, we will be a long way towards the overall goal. (The old bill number was H.R.1673, that can be used to identify it in your contacts.)
What I am asking of you:
1. Call the Washington, DC office of your Representative in the House. (To find out how to contact your Representative, go to www.congress.org and enter your zip code. Their photo will appear, and you can click on "info" under the picture. This will take you to the website, which gives the telephone number of the Washington office, along with a wealth of other information.) When you reach the office of your Representative, state your name and residence address, and ask that he or she support the bill authorizing the Department of Peace, H.R. 1673.
2. Also ask for a written response from your Representative stating his/her position on the bill and the reasons for the position. This will require the office to at least become familiar with the proposed legislation, and to give some thought to the merits of the proposal. Be respectful of your Representative and his/her position in future communications. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "You have no moral persuasive influence over someone who can sense your underlying contempt."
3. Ask at least 10 other people who you believe to be supportive of the principles of the legislation (whether or not they agree with the specific structure of the Department or details of the legislation) to also call the Washington office of their Representative on September 14.
4.As your schedule permits, begin attending the monthly meetings of the local supporters of the DOP. In Austin, the meetings are held on the last Monday of each month, beginning at 7:30 pm, at 22 Pillow Road, in Sunset Valley ( a small town surrounded by Austin, near West Gate Blvd. and Jones Road). The next meeting will be September 26th. (For info: phone: 892-0788)
As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
In Peace and with Appreciation for your help,
Peggy Kelsey
Love and peace,
Gillian
Friends,
I am writing to ask for your support for a bill that will be reintroduced into the United States House of Representatives on September 14, 2005 to establish a cabinet level Department of Peace. The scope of the bill is very broad, going well beyond conflicts between nation states. The Department of Peace will address virtually all forms of violence, domestic and international, and the underlying causes, and the bill establishes a number of offices within the Department to develop specific approaches to these issues. The plan is to make increased resources available to programs with proven track records of reducing violence and improving communication among all peoples, and to develop new programs where none exist.
I urge you to read the proposed legislation. You can go to and click on the Department of Peace. Once on the DOP website, click on the "Background" hyperlink at the top of the page on "Read the Bill". (You also may find other items of interest to you on the website.) You will see that in addition to international conflicts, the Department will focus on domestic violence (and alcohol and drug abuse which often underlies such violence); animal abuse; crime, punishment and rehabilitation; and many other areas in need of examination and fresh approaches.
The bill consolidates into one place a number of issues that many of us have been concerned with for some time. The DOP bill is a positive, concrete proposal for beginning the transition to a more peaceful society and world, and is a beautiful vehicle for advancing the discussion of these critical issues. The campaign strategy is based on dismantling hostility and bridging the gap between diverse viewpoints, entirely consistent with the Nonviolent Communication principles of Marshall Rosenberg and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. If we can at least start a dialogue instead of a debate, we will be a long way towards the overall goal. (The old bill number was H.R.1673, that can be used to identify it in your contacts.)
What I am asking of you:
1. Call the Washington, DC office of your Representative in the House. (To find out how to contact your Representative, go to www.congress.org and enter your zip code. Their photo will appear, and you can click on "info" under the picture. This will take you to the website, which gives the telephone number of the Washington office, along with a wealth of other information.) When you reach the office of your Representative, state your name and residence address, and ask that he or she support the bill authorizing the Department of Peace, H.R. 1673.
2. Also ask for a written response from your Representative stating his/her position on the bill and the reasons for the position. This will require the office to at least become familiar with the proposed legislation, and to give some thought to the merits of the proposal. Be respectful of your Representative and his/her position in future communications. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "You have no moral persuasive influence over someone who can sense your underlying contempt."
3. Ask at least 10 other people who you believe to be supportive of the principles of the legislation (whether or not they agree with the specific structure of the Department or details of the legislation) to also call the Washington office of their Representative on September 14.
4.As your schedule permits, begin attending the monthly meetings of the local supporters of the DOP. In Austin, the meetings are held on the last Monday of each month, beginning at 7:30 pm, at 22 Pillow Road, in Sunset Valley ( a small town surrounded by Austin, near West Gate Blvd. and Jones Road). The next meeting will be September 26th. (For info: phone: 892-0788)
As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
In Peace and with Appreciation for your help,
Peggy Kelsey