Next Step: The Department of Peace

"On Wednesday, Dennis Kucinich and 57 (now 59) cosponsors introduced H.R. 3760, a bill to establish a Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

"Among its many domestic and educational responsibilities, the department will develop policies and create programs that promote peace in America by implementing field-tested strategies that reduce and prevent violent crime, and teach tolerance and peacemaking skills. The department will serve as an ethical guide and checkpoint for Federal law and national domestic programs administered by all agencies of the Federal Government. Some areas of domestic and educational focus include:

* Peace in our homes: prevention of spousal abuse, child abuse, and mistreatment of the elderly;
* Peace in our schools: prevention of youth and gang violence;
* Peace in our streets: prevention of racial and ethnic violence and violence against gays and lesbians, reducing the causes of violent responses by police, and work on criminal justice reform;
* Peace in the media: studying the role of the media in the escalation and de-escalation of domestic and international conflict; and
* Peace in our hearts: fostering a culture of peace by actively injecting consideration of peace and nonviolence into civic life."--www.kucinich.us

I don't suppose it'll do a whole lot of good to ask Bonilla, Cornyn or Hutchison to support this legislation, but I'm going to try anyway. Who knows? Hutchison actually voted in favor of Ensign-Byrd...