Warriors for peace

Oregonians keep hope alive to create U.S. Department of Peace

By Faye Powell
The Portland Upside
May 2009

Local peace advocates demonstrate their support for a U.S. Department of Peace. (Photo by Danial Dancer)

If you could design a culture of peace, what would it look like? Imagine, if you can, a world in which principles of peacemaking are the norm for resolving disputes in the home, school and community; where domestic and child abuse rarely occur; where gang members and prison inmates resolve feuds with words instead of weapons; where tolerance and respect for differences replace religious and sectarian enmity; and where war is the last resort for settling international conflicts.

But in a world where violence in every sphere of life is endemic, is a culture of peace only a wildly utopian ideal? Is it only the audacious, naïve fantasy of a few John Lennonesque-dreamers? Or is it an idea whose time has come? Robert Kennedy once said, “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

In July, 2001 – two months before 9/11 – U.S. Rep Dennis Kucinich of Ohio introduced legislation to establish a U.S. Department of Peace that would create a structure and programs to promote solutions that prevent and reduce violence, both domestically and abroad. As a Cabinet-level position, it would have equal standing with the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense and others that advise and consult with the president. A U.S. Department of Peace would be pro-peace, not anti-military nor necessarily anti-war.

To date, the bill lacks enough support to receive serious debate in Congress; nevertheless, Rep. Kucinich has continued to introduce it in each session of Congress since 2001, most recently as HR Bill 808. Currently, 66 members of the House of Representatives are co-sponsors, including Oregon Reps. David Wu and Peter DeFazio.

With the nation deep in an economic recession, passage of the U.S. Department of Peace legislation is unlikely to occur in the near future. But alongside this current crisis and daily media blitz of violent news, a grassroots movement that believes in the possibility of a culture of peace and the eventual establishment of a U.S. Department of Peace is quietly growing. This movement, organized along congressional district lines, is active in all 50 states, coordinated nationally by the non-profit Peace Alliance.

What motivates and challenges individuals to commit themselves to such an ambitious, long-term and open-ended campaign? What sustains them year in and year out?

“I am not drawn to do this work,” says Oregon State Coordinator of the Peace Alliance Campaign David Hazen, 65, of Salem. “I am compelled to do it from the deepest stirrings of my heart and soul. I have survived many forms of personal and systemic violence. Because my heart is broken open, I must bring the world with me.”

Through this work, Hazen foresees the healthy growth and development of children, prosperity and safety for adults, as well as cooperative learning and problem-solving.

Ken Bryan, 49, is the leader of the Congressional District No. 3 campaign that includes most of Multnomah and part of Clackamas County and is represented by Earl Blumenauer.

For Bryan, a primary motivation is the commitment to leave a better, less violent world for his 12-year-old son. Especially rewarding to Bryan is his work with high school students and the Student Peace Alliance. In the Portland area he consults with students who have initiated their own projects. West Linn students, for example, developed and presented a resolution of support for a U.S. Department of Peace to the West Linn City Council that passed in November 2008. Lincoln High School students are working on a similar resolution to present to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.

Under Bryan’s leadership and sponsored by Commissioner Dan Saltzman, the Portland City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of a U.S. Department of Peace in August 2007. With the support of state Senate leaders, Bryan hopes to present a resolution to the Oregon Legislature later this year. Though a U.S. Department of Peace may not become law in the near future, Oregon is moving forward to build relationships for its eventual passage.

Larry McAllister, 58, is another founding member of the Portland area campaign. For years he has been concerned about the amount of unnecessary violence in this country. He views the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace as a good milestone for turning our culture around.Burnout and frustration are not issues for him.

“I stay motivated because I believe the goal is solid. I believe we will eventually have a U.S. Department of Peace, and I can then look back with a sense of satisfaction of having been involved from the beginning,” he says.

“Each of us does what he or she can,” McAllister adds. “Every conversation people have about the U.S. Department of Peace is part of the campaign, of weaving a piece of the fabric of a culture of peace.”

The Portland Area Department of Peace group meets the second Thursday of each month.
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For information about upcoming events and opportunities to become involved, contact Ken Bryan at kendbryan@yahoo.com or at 503-236-0499. Also see www.ThePeaceAlliance.org for information about the national organization and www.nwdepartmentofpeace.org for information about the Northwest Regional Campaign.

Faye Powell is a retired librarian who wants to channel Lois Lane without the complications of Clark Kent.