Department of Peace...

[KissMyAsscroft]

As in the one Kucinich wanted to create...

How would this work? Who would fund it? What would it's purpose be?

I'm not looking for broad, feel-good explanations but real nuts and bolts of how it would work.

To be honest, it sounds completely insane to me and illustrates why I believe Kucinich lives in a fantasy world where there aren't people trying to kill us.

[no name no slogan]

1. Funded by Pentagon cuts

DK wants to cut 15% of the Pentagon budget, which is still enough money to keep it running. There are a number of weapons programs that the military DOES NOT WANT, and $1 TRILLION in funds that the Pentagon cannot even account for.

Here's the full details on his plan. I would recommend reading it, as it can tell the story much better than I can.

Here's an excerpt:

Citizens across the United States are now uniting in a great cause to establish a Department of Peace, seeking nothing less than the transformation of our society, to make non-violence an organizing principle, to make war archaic through creating a paradigm shift in our culture for human development for economic and political justice and for violence control. Its work in violence control will be to support disarmament, treaties, peaceful coexistence and peaceful consensus building. Its focus on economic and political justice will examine and enhance resource distribution, human and economic rights and strengthen democratic values.

Domestically, the Department of Peace would address violence in the home, spousal abuse, child abuse, gangs, police-community relations conflicts and work with individuals and groups to achieve changes in attitudes that examine the mythologies of cherished world views, such as 'violence is inevitable' or 'war is inevitable'. Thus it will help with the discovery of new selves and new paths toward peaceful consensus.

The Department of Peace will also address human development and the unique concerns of women and children. It will envision and seek to implement plans for peace education, not simply as a course of study, but as a template for all pursuits of knowledge within formal educational settings.

[tmwat]

6. I've read about $3.3T in "undocumented adjustments"

by the DoD from FY99 and FY00. After that, they just stopped providing audited financial statements.

[Desertrose]

2. I just posted in another thread about the Navajo & their Peace Courts

...similar to what DK proposes....to help with domestic issues....

"Department of Peace would address violence in the home, spousal abuse, child abuse, gangs, police-community relations conflicts..."

"Its work in violence control will be to support disarmament, treaties, peaceful coexistence and peaceful consensus building. Its focus on economic and political justice will examine and enhance resource distribution, human and economic rights and strengthen democratic values."


This sounds pretty worthwhile and sorely need IMHO

Peace
DR

[salinen]

3. A Department of War (former name)

sounds completely insane to me.

[goodhue]

8. no

You misunderstand completely. Nothing to do with the Department of Defense. Rather its promotes domestically and internationally through community-based education something called nonviolence that some guys named Ghandi and Martin Luther King used to talk about.

http://www.kucinich.us/issues/departmentpeace.php

Citizens across the United States are now uniting in a great cause to establish a Department of Peace, seeking nothing less than the transformation of our society, to make non-violence an organizing principle, to make war archaic through creating a paradigm shift in our culture for human development for economic and political justice and for violence control. Its work in violence control will be to support disarmament, treaties, peaceful coexistence and peaceful consensus building. Its focus on economic and political justice will examine and enhance resource distribution, human and economic rights and strengthen democratic values.

Domestically, the Department of Peace would address violence in the home, spousal abuse, child abuse, gangs, police-community relations conflicts and work with individuals and groups to achieve changes in attitudes that examine the mythologies of cherished world views, such as 'violence is inevitable' or 'war is inevitable'. Thus it will help with the discovery of new selves and new paths toward peaceful consensus.

The Department of Peace will also address human development and the unique concerns of women and children. It will envision and seek to implement plans for peace education, not simply as a course of study, but as a template for all pursuits of knowledge within formal educational settings.

Violence is not inevitable. War is not inevitable. Nonviolence and peace are inevitable. We can make of this world a gift of peace which will confirm the presence of universal spirit in our lives. We can send into the future the gift which will protect our children from fear, from harm, from destruction.

Congressman Kucinich is the 2003 recipient of the International Gandhi Peace Prize. Former recipients include Eleanor Roosevelt, Cesar Chavez, A.J. Muste, Dr. Linus Pauling, Dorothy Day, Sen. Wayne Morse and Marian Wright Edelman. See website: http://www.pepeace.org/tmpl/gandhi.html

[einniv]

4. Are you under the mistaken impression that the Dept of Defense

would be eliminated?

Think about the Department of Defense and its job. Its job is to figure out how to solve problems with violence. That is their job. No one would expect otherwise.
So why should we not have a counter balancing influence on the president to make sure peace is pursued with as much vigor as war is now. We are fools not to.

[tmwat]

5. Funded by allocating 1% of the DoD's budget

The 15% cut would go straight to universal pre-K education for children 3, 4, and 5.

[Mairead]

7. There are people doing experimental research all over the world

right now on how to negotiate, what causes cooperation vs competition, what causes individuals and groups to go or refrain from going off the deep end, etc. All this social-psych stuff is vitally important and they're making very good progress. But funds are limited. The Dept of Peace would be an umbrella organisation that funds and coordinates that work in the same way that the Dept of 'Defense' funds and coordinates the design of weapons systems, the organisation of US military forces, and the social psychology of warfare and structured killing.

If anything's crazy, it's NOT funding a Dept of Peace!

[goodhue]

9. yes

Its crazy not to pursue peace through nonviolence. Thats insane!

[corporatewhore]

10. it purpose is to help prevent domestic violence and hate crimes

and other problems that occur from urban war

[goodhue]

11. kick for the insanity

of nonviolence as an organizing principle for society. The horrors!

[genius]

12. The Orange County Democratic Party voted to endorse it. last October.

Their resolution called for all members of Congress to support the Department of Peace but the county party's secretary is opposed to the Department of Peace and no one in Congress is reporting getting the faxes the secretary was asked to send out about the resolution to all members of Congress.

[no name no slogan]

13. kick for peace (nt)

[everythingsxen]

14. I hate it...

"Department of Peace" sounds a little too Orwellian to me.

Department of War is at least honest.

[Paulie]

16. Department of DEFENSE

is a big lie too. Department of PreEmptive ATTACK would be honest. :mad:

[goodhue]

17. you misunderstand

The proposed department of peace does not supplant the department of defense but rather institutionalizes nonviolence as an organizing priciple. If you hate nonviolence, then so be it.

[everythingsxen]

18. No, I understood the name perfectly..

and I do not hate peace. I do however hate the idea of having a Department of Peace. It simply terrifies me. It would be like a Department of Love or Department of Truth.

While these are all lovely ideals, I would rather not have them as official Government bodies. There is something inherantly creepy about it.

[goodhue]

19. my fault

I assumed you misunderstood the concept. I disagree nonetheless. I think the government promoting peace through propaganda would be a good thing; in contrast, to promoting war through propaganda.

[everythingsxen]

20. I am generally opposed to Propaganda

I understand where you are coming from, however I am looking at twenty years down the road, when someone from the Department of Peace is wearing jackboots and a little armband, informing me that I have violated the great laws of peace and I am under arrest..

I guess I am a little too paranoid..

It reminds me of Babylon 5. When Earth falls under fascist control, they form a Ministry of Truth. I think they had a Ministry of Peace too.

I feel that sort of thing should be left to private citizens.

Not an official Gov't office. It's not now, it's after he is out of office. Who is to say how something like that could be corrupted.

[goodhue]

22. Babylon 5?

Never heard of it. We are talking about institutionalizing the efforts of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Certainly there are concerns of authoriantatism, but frankly educating Americans with the belief that war is not inevitable would be most welcome.

On edit: replaced term indoctrinating with educating.
PS You will be controlled! Your thoughts are not your own. War is not the answer. May peace prevail on earth. Bwahahaha!

[everythingsxen]

24. See.. I guess I am opposed to "indoctrination" at all by the Gov't

I feel the Gov't should be totally hands off; no laws regarding how I am supposed to feel etc.

That is messed up. I don't care how good the intent, telling people how they should think is wrong. It turns into something totally different in the end.

[goodhue]

25. yes, well

indoctrination is perhaps not the best word choice for education. But that is what is going on in any event.

[LWolf]

21. What is Orwellian

about encouraging respect, cooperation, and diplomacy?

:shrug:

[everythingsxen]

23. As I said above..

It is not now.. but later that I fear.

I can all to easily envision the Dep't of Peace turned into something utterly unholy.

[LWolf]

26. That's what separates

Dennis and his supporters from the rest; the focus on hope, the letting go of fear.

The path of hope is less traveled.

[found object]

15. http://www.kucinich.us/issues/departmentpeace.php

:smoke: http://www.kucinich.us/issues/departmentpeace.php