 I recently surfed the web for sites under Violence begets Violence. I found 75 pages, which means over 600 sites. A few random samples of content: A CBS/AP study concluded that "Watching violence on television can encourage a child to act more aggressively even 15 years later." Time Magazine reported that "In the deadliest attacks in recent memory, Hamas suicide bombers take the lives of 26 Israelis, prompting retaliatory air strikes from Israeli military helicopters." From another news site called Here and Now: "About 130 people, mostly Sunni Arabs, have been killed in retaliation for Wednesday's bombing of one of the most sacred sites for Shiite Moslems." Way over on one of the last pages, I found Maharishi Open University asking: "If violence begets violence, can peace beget peace?"
This is the hope of many groups -- locally, nationally, and internationally -- who meet violence with nonviolence. We remember the recent stories of the Christian Peacemakers in Iraq, who refused to invoke violence to rescue their members who had been captured. And they continued their non-violent stance even when faced with the execution of one of the captured men. There have been stories of Israeli and Palestinian women together working for peace in their region. The Friends' African Great Lakes Initiative brings together Tutsis and Hutus in workshops that lead to reconciliation. On a more local level, more and more schools are incorporating conflict resolution of resolve disputes among students. And some local departments of correction are using the tools of restorative justice to reconcile the offender with the offender's victim. Do these peace efforts beget peace? Yes, they do. Does the world see these peace efforts begetting peace as it sees violence begetting violence? No it doesn't.
Government Peace Efforts?
Why not? How are peace efforts supported and funded? By religious entities, by non-governmental organizations, by foundations. What if our government balanced its military efforts with peace efforts? The whole world feels the effects of our military. What if the whole world felt the effects of our peace work? What if our government funded official U.S. peace work with 5% of the military budget? 2%?
There is a bill right now languishing in various committees in the House of Representatives: The Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act, introduced by Representative Dennis Kucinich, and, as of June 29, co-sponsored by 73 other Representatives. This bill creates a Cabinet-level position -- the Secretary of Peace and Nonviolence -- whose position is to, among other things
- hold peace as an organizing principle, coordinating service to every level of American society. Imagine what this would mean -- to have peace as the coordinating principle of U.S. politics, economics and social programs.
- strengthen nonmilitary means of peacemaking.
- Work to create peace, prevent violence, divert from armed conflict, use field-tested programs, and develop new structures in nonviolent dispute resolution
- encourage the development of initiatives from local communities, religious groups, and nongovernmental organizations.
Secretary of Peace and Nonviolence
As a member of the President's Cabinet, the Secretary of Peace and Nonviolence will work proactively and interactively with each branch of the government, and will serve as a delegate to the National Security Council. This person will work with government agencies; for example, with the Department of Education to develop, implement and fund peace curricula and programs to eliminate school violence. She or he will administer the training of civilian peacekeepers to assist in international peace-keeping deployments. The bill list many possibilities for this Office of Peacekeeping and Nonviolence, and the suggested cost is just 2% of the military budget. 2%!
In the preamble to this bill, the writers say: It is the sacred duty of the people of the United States to receive the living truths of our founding documents and to think anew to develop institutions that permit the unfolding of the highest moral principles in this Nation and around the world.
We hear every day how the United States is losing the moral authority it once had. Now is the time to counter this regrettable erosion of moral authority. HR 3760 -- The Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act -- would at least slow the pace of this loss. HR3760 -- The Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act. I encourage you to urge your representative to co-sponsor this bill.
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