Department
of Peace?
By
Monty Rainey
http://www.juntosociety.com
A Department of
Peace? Maybe you’ve heard about it, since the
bill [H.R. 2459] was first introduced by Dennis Kucinich in July,
2001. But now things are getting serious.
A quick Google search will show hundreds of websites and news
stories asking you to support this legislation. That
means it’s time to take a much closer look at just what this
Department of Peace would be.
Would there be
any reason to oppose a governmental department designed expressly
for the purpose of promoting a peaceful global society? You’d
better believe there is plenty of reason to oppose it.
The proposed
Department of Peace would be headed by the Secretary of Peace, a
member of the President's Cabinet. The wording of the bill questions
"whether the structure of thought, word, and deed which the
people of the United States have inherited are any longer
sufficient for the maintenance, growth, and survival of the
United States and the world." The bill
suggests as an alternative, that the United States follow the
proposals of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) that passed a resolution declaring an
International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the
Children 2001-2010.
This creation of
yet another federal government monstrosity comes at a proposed cost
of over $3 billion a year. The proposal includes positions for a
secretary of peace; an under secretary of peace; the assistant
secretary for domestic peace activities; the assistant secretary for
arms control and disarmament; the assistant secretary for
international peace activities; the assistant secretary for
technology for peace; the assistant secretary for peaceful
coexistence and nonviolent conflict resolution; the assistant
secretary for peace education and training; the assistant secretary
for human and economic rights; and a general counsel.
A program of these proportions will translate into millions of
dollars each year being sucked out of the pockets of working
Americans. Yet another important question is, "What will the
Department of Peace accomplish that other areas of government
(including the Departments of Education and Defense) cannot?"
An excerpt from
one of the many pro-Department of Peace websites states; The
crown jewel of DOP education would be the United States Peace
Academy. A Gender Equity provision added to the bill could mandate
each congressperson to appoint a man and a woman to the Peace
Academy. What the US doesn’t need is another patriarchic palace on
the Potomac. At 436 Congresspersons times two, there would be 870
freshmen per year. The Peace Academy would graduate some 800 peace
experts each year. Military academy graduates serve four years.
Peace Academy graduates would serve five years and then be hired
into top posts of government and business. There would be virtual
university peace courses and research centers here and abroad with
results made available to the world.
This seems as yet
another attempt to defer U.S sovereignty over to the United Nations.
A close reading of the legislation shows a strange definition of
peace. It seeks to address violence against animals but not unborn
children. It prioritizes protection of homosexuals but ignores
violence against Christians. Without striving for
all human rights, including justice and freedom, peace is a useless
concept. Otherwise, one could beat a society into submission and
produce something "peaceful."
The Bill also
attacks the 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights and our
right to keep and bear arms. An excerpt of the
Bill states:
SEC. 102.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS.
(b) Domestic
Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall--
(5) analyze
existing policies, employ successful, field-tested programs, and
develop new approaches for dealing with the implements of violence,
including gun-related violence and the overwhelming presence of
handguns; [emphasis added]
And while going
after the Second Amendment, this same lot of legislators offers the
following, further down in the bill:
(e) Media-Related
Responsibilities.--Respecting the first amendment of the
Constitution of the United States and the requirement for free and
independent media, the Secretary shall-- [emphasis added]
I just love the
selective support of our Constitution and Bill of Rights this Bill
chooses to either endorse or omit. Further erosion of the rights of
American citizens is not high on my agenda.
The reality is
that H.R. 2459 is void of any substantive role in government; it
cross-lists the responsibilities of other governmental bodies. For
example, promoting "justice" is the role of law
enforcement and the judicial system, not a Department of Peace.
Kucinich has the audacity to say, "Our founding fathers
recognized that peace was one of the highest duties of the newly
organized free and independent states." Our founding fathers
would have never legislated peace because the defense and protection
of our country is the only legitimate thing government can do to
maintain or attain peace.
The momentum is
building behind this audacity. If you haven’t already been asked
to give your support to this Bill, you soon will. Have
the courage to say “No.” Ask your Congressmen
and women to oppose H.R. 2459.
