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Dear Friend of the Natural Law Party,
On Monday, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is reintroducing his groundbreaking legislation to establish a U.S. Department of Peace—a Cabinet-level agency dedicated to the prevention of war and the promotion of peace, both internationally and domestically.
Funded at 1% of the DoD, the Department of Peace would focus on the peaceful resolution of conflict and on the prevention of violence at home and abroad. A U.S. Peace Academy would be created where peacemakers would be trained and dispatched to trouble spots across the globe to prevent violent confrontation. (For a summary of the Department of Peace legislation, visit
http://www.house.gov/kucinich/
action/peace_legis_summary.htm.)
Dr. John Hagelin worked closely with Rep. Kucinich in drafting the Department of Peace legislation. Dr. Hagelin said today, “Clearly, the Department of Peace has become an urgent national priority today. I urge all Natural Law Party supporters to do everything in their power to support this bill. Let us join forces with peace-loving citizens across the country to flood the offices of Congress with grassroots support for this vital legislation.”
The original version (H.R. 2459) of Rep. Kucinich's bill had 44 congressional cosponsors (see below). We'd like to see many more sign on to support the new bill.
What You Can Do
- Please contact your Representative and urge him or her to support Rep. Kucinich's Department of Peace legislation. You can obtain the phone number, email address, and mailing address for your Representative at http://www.congress.org; just enter your zip code at the top of the page and click “GO.” (See also sample emails below.)
- If your Representative sponsored the original Department of Peace legislation (H.R. 2459), please offer your thanks and urge him or her to sponsor the new legislation. (For a list of cosponsors, see below.)
- Please don't stop with just one contact (unless your Representative has committed to supporting the bill). Follow up and ask your Representative how he or she will be supporting the Department of Peace. In coordination with other peace activist groups across the country, we especially encourage you to make contact with your Representative this coming Tuesday, April 8.
- Please contact your family, friends, and business associates and ask them to help increase support for the Department of Peace by following these simple steps.
Together, we can build support in Congress for the passage of this bill. Your participation is vital. We thank you in advance for your timely action to support the U.S. Department of Peace.
Former Cosponsors of the Department of Peace Legislation: Rep Abercrombie, Neil - 9/5/2001 [HI-1]
Rep Baird, Brian - 7/11/2001 [WA-3]
Rep Baldwin, Tammy - 10/9/2001 [WI-2]
Rep Bonior, David E. - 7/8/2002 [MI-10]
Rep Brown, Sherrod - 7/11/2001 [OH-13]
Rep Carson, Julia - 7/11/2001 [IN-10]
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy - 7/11/2001 [MO-1]
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. - 7/11/2001 [MI-14]
Rep Davis, Danny K. - 7/11/2001 [IL-7]
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. - 7/11/2001 [OR-4]
Rep Evans, Lane - 7/11/2001 [IL-17]
Rep Farr, Sam - 7/11/2001 [CA-17]
Rep Filner, Bob - 7/11/2001 [CA-50]
Rep Gutierrez, Luis V. - 7/11/2001 [IL-4]
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. - 7/11/2001 [NY-26]
Rep Holt, Rush D. - 7/11/2001 [NJ-12]
Rep Honda, Michael M. - 7/11/2001 [CA-15]
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. - 7/11/2001 [IL-2]
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila - 7/11/2001 [TX-18]
Rep Jones, Stephanie Tubbs - 7/11/2001 [OH-11]
Rep Lee, Barbara - 7/11/2001 [CA-9]
Rep Lewis, John - 7/11/2001 [GA-5]
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. - 7/11/2001 [NY-14]
Rep McGovern, James P. - 7/11/2001 [MA-3]
Rep McKinney, Cynthia A. - 7/11/2001 [GA-4]
Rep Miller, George - 11/13/2001 [CA-7]
Rep Mink, Patsy T. - 9/5/2001 [HI-2]
Rep Nadler, Jerrold - 7/17/2001 [NY-8]
Rep Olver, John W. - 11/29/2001 [MA-1]
Rep Owens, Major R. - 7/11/2001 [NY-11]
Rep Payne, Donald M. - 7/11/2001 [NJ-10]
Rep Rahall, Nick J., II - 7/11/2001 [WV-3]
Rep Sanders, Bernard - 7/11/2001 [VT]
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. - 7/11/2001 [IL-9]
Rep Scott, Robert C. - 7/11/2001 [VA-3]
Rep Serrano, Jose E. - 7/11/2001 [NY-16]
Rep Solis, Hilda L. - 7/11/2001 [CA-31]
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete - 7/11/2001 [CA-13]
Rep Towns, Edolphus - 7/11/2001 [NY-10]
Rep Udall, Mark - 7/11/2001 [CO-2]
Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. - 7/11/2001 [NY-12]
Rep Waters, Maxine - 7/11/2001 [CA-35]
Rep Watson, Diane E. - 7/11/2001 [CA-32]
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. - 7/11/2001 [CA-6]
Sample Emails For Representatives who have not previously supported this legislation:
I urge you to support Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s legislation to create a Cabinet-level U.S. Department of Peace. This new department is vitally important today. It would focus on nonmilitary peaceful conflict resolutions, the prevention of violence, and the promotion of justice and democratic principles to expand human rights. A Peace Academy, similar to the five military service academies, would also be created, its graduates dispatched to troubled areas around the globe to promote nonviolent dispute resolutions.
As the war with Iraq intensifies, the need for peaceful alternatives has become more crucial than ever. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this important bill.
For previous supporters of this legislation:
I urge you to support Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s legislation to create a Cabinet-level U.S. Department of Peace. This new department is vitally important today. It would focus on nonmilitary peaceful conflict resolutions, the prevention of violence, and the promotion of justice and democratic principles to expand human rights. A Peace Academy, similar to the five military service academies, would also be created, its graduates dispatched to troubled areas around the globe to promote nonviolent dispute resolutions.
I know you were a cosponsor of this legislation when it was first introduced, and I thank you for your vision and urge you to support the new legislation as well. As the war with Iraq intensifies, the need for peaceful alternatives has become more crucial than ever. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this important bill.
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