Wayne Gilcrest (R-MD) First Republican to sign onto Department of Peace Bill
REALTIME NEWS
Department of Peace Bill Has Bipartisan Support in Congress
Maryland’s Representative Wayne Gilchrest is First Republican to Support the Bill
HR 808, the proposed legislation to create a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence, now has bipartisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives. Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland joined 69 Democrats to support HR 808. He is currently the second Maryland Congressman cosponsoring the legislation, joining Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings.
“We applaud Congressman Gilchrest for reminding everyone that peace is not a partisan issue,” said Wendy Greene, Managing Director of The Peace Alliance, the national, nonpartisan organization active in all 50 states that leads the growing grassroots movement to enact HR 808. “Local Maryland Department of Peace supporters made their voices known to Congressman Gilchrest, who then showed courage and vision with his decision to support this legislation.”
Gilchrest, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, is regarded as a centrist Republican and recently urged the White House to re-engage diplomatic talks to resolve the Middle East crisis. “We are grateful for the leadership Representative Gilchrest has shown,” Greene said. “And we are saddened to learn he will not be returning to Congress next year. We need more leaders like him.”
If created, the Department will be headed by a Cabinet-level Secretary of Peace appointed by the President (with the advice and consent of the Senate), and will focus on expanding the nation’s capacity to resolve conflict nonviolently, prevent violence by addressing its root causes, and promote justice and democratic principles to expand human rights.
Domestically, the Department will research, propose and facilitate practical, field-tested solutions to reduce and prevent violence. It will provide additional financial and institutional heft to strengthen and complement our current approach to violence, focusing on prevention through multi-layered strategies. These strategies include increased funding for local programs already proven effective at reducing and preventing violence. A Peace Academy, on par with the military service academies, will provide a four-year course of instruction in peace education after which graduates will be required to serve five years in public service in programs dedicated to domestic or international nonviolent conflict resolution.
Internationally, the Department will research and analyze foreign policy and recommend to the President ways to address the root causes of war. The Department will also provide expert advice to the President on nonviolent means of diffusing or dealing with international crises.
About The Peace Alliance:
The Peace Alliance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization leading a growing grassroots movement active in all 50 states to pass legislation to create a U.S. Department of Peace. The bill, HR 808, is currently co-sponsored by 70 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including the original sponsor.
For more information on HR 808 and the campaign to create a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence, please visit www.thepeacealliance.org.
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Where’s the Department of Silly Walks?
Why it’s just down the hall from the Department of Arguments and across the hall from the Department of Insults. If you’re looking for the Department of Peace, Professor Peachie is out on the ledge, holding a seminar on the finer points of “attention getting” protest.
A Peace Academy, on par with the military service academies, will provide a four-year course of instruction in peace education after which graduates will be required to serve five years in public service in programs dedicated to domestic or international nonviolent conflict resolution.
Each cadet will be issued a bong after receiving their congressional appointment and the traditional uniform will consist of tye-dyed Grateful Dead T-Shirts, jeans, and Birkenstocks. The cirriculum will include such diverse courses as “How to Roll a Phattie 101″, “The Influence of Nitrous Oxide on Western Thought” and “XTC and the Cultural Revolution of Clinton Years”. Physical requirements include the ability to play Ultimate Frisbee and skateboarding. Everybody will be a valedictorian and there will be no grading or exams.
Comment by Chubby Huggs — August 1, 2008 @ 6:01 am
I like the concept. But I like to think of myself as a pragmatist, and as such I do not see a Department of Peace becoming a reality. To the mainstream electorate, most of whom fall into the category of being politically moderate (some a little to the left, some a little to the right), will perceive this as silly and will laugh at it. The keyword here is “perceive”. As a political consultant working with the DNC, this would be something I would advise them to stay quiet on. The extreme right-wing nuts could make a lot of noise about a bill proposing to create a Department of Peace as evidence of more “liberal moonbat-ism”.
In order to win the general election this November, the DNC must work to achieve a public perception of taking a moderate platform. It troubles me when I see things like this bill during a Presidential election year because it could jeopardize the efforts we have been undertaking to create that perception of having a moderate platform. The important thing for us it to get Obama elected, first and foremost. Then, later, we can dismantle such illusions of moderation and work toward making America more inline most modern Western Socialist democracies. Unfortunately, capitalism will continue to be apart of the American social landscape. In order to fund a Socialist agenda, we will need the revenue that capitalism and increased taxes will provide us. It is unsettling when one thinks about how ironic that it. But as recent history has shown one of Socialism’s biggest challenges is what I call “economic entropy”.
–
John Spargo
Comment by John Spargo — August 1, 2008 @ 4:03 pm
The trolls slither back onto the ImpeachforPeace scene. “Bad cop/Good cop”… a variation on a theme. Another “coincidence” that they both happen to “wander” onto the same dated IFP website entry after so many months in absentia.
How much do they pay you to fill the web with b.s. anyway?
This “far less than dynamic” duo could take a few lessons in BEING LESS F***ING OBVIOUS.
Comment by Mikael — August 1, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
Spargo, I agree with you. This “Peace Academy” thing will be hurt our efforts to build a socialist utopia. It’s as slapstick as demanding that the “Star Spangled Banner” be replaced with “Kumbaya”. That’s why I was mocking it.
That’s the problem with these Young Pioneers, always rushing ahead of our Five Year Plans.
Once President Obama wins in a landslide, carrying all 57 states, and is inaugurated, then we should openly discuss these issues.
Patience should be the watchword.
Comment by Chubby Huggs — August 2, 2008 @ 10:18 am
Chubby Huggs,
This “Peace Academy” thing will be hurt our efforts to build a socialist utopia.
“build a socialist utopia”? You? A right-wingnut Nazi, GWB worshiper at the altar of Exxon-Mobil, Republican automaton? 0_o I think I have just entered the Twilight Zone! What’s next? Planning to ask Mikael out for dinner and a movie? Oh Dearest Lenin!!! Picturing that in my mind is making me ill.
Mikael,
I do not have a lot of free time for “entertainment”. I’m a bit busy this year. Am I “troll”? Well… I guess I am in a way. I troll around looking for Chubby Huggs. Since I have limited time, I choose to do battle with him. Why? Because it’s fun! I can’t respond to everything on here. So I choose my battles carefully. So cut me some slack, my fellow traveler. I am not in the most cheerful of moods and I am tired as hell! Have you seen the latest polls where McCain is gaining on Obama?
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John Spargo
Comment by John Spargo — August 4, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
Enjoy the “fight”.
TROLLS EXPOSED RIGHT HERE ON IMPEACHFORPEACE!!!
Comment by Mikael — August 4, 2008 @ 11:41 pm
And here I thought you were a fellow traveler. Your making me want to hang out over at the DailyKos. At least there I would find some like minded company that still believes that Socialism is the remedy America desperately needs.
Comment by John Spargo — August 6, 2008 @ 2:59 pm
Nice acting, Spargo, but you are so obvious you might as well just change your monicker on here to “The New COINTELPRO”.
Comment by Mikael — August 6, 2008 @ 7:23 pm
I am going to be visiting DC sometime soon. How far away is Fairfax Station, Virginia from there, anyone know? Isn’t that pretty close to Reston? Just trying to figure out my travel plans. I might be sprinting around the area – dropping in to do some event management perhaps. I am doing this investigative work (undercover, of course. I always adopt a ‘personae’ to gain covert credibility, I am an actor after all) on Bushie/NeoCon/Corporafascist trolls who are hired to slither around the internet and push disinformation in order to mislead the American people and pave the path for the ugliest of sinister agendas.
Disgusting as it is, there are (former) ‘Americans’ who have sold their souls for ’13 pieces of silver’ to physical entities who are truly without country or loyalty to anything other than power and profit. In the process these wrecked wraiths have unwittingly sold their souls to spiritual entities who are possessing them ever so gradually – darkening their eyes from truth, hardening their hearts from the fresh freedom of integrity or to evermore know a true relationship to the Truth and the Light through all eternity.
I might even try to take in a cubist exhibit at a museum in the area.
Any help the people can give me?
Comment by Mikael the Troll Hunter — August 7, 2008 @ 1:27 am
Sometime I wonder why I bother with this site.
Stop by for tea, Mikael.
11807 Oakwood Drive
Lake Ridge, VA 22192
Comment by John Spargo — August 10, 2008 @ 8:32 pm
John,
Sometimes I wonder why you bother either.
I already knew your address. It is public information, as is mine.
Who do you work for? (As if I expect the truth).
Comment by Mikael — August 11, 2008 @ 11:05 am
Verizon Business, Dulles VA.
Comment by John Spargo — August 12, 2008 @ 5:12 pm
You do realize that I knew that. Your service traced back to that from your email posts here. I even got the business address and saw a satellite photograph of the Verizon offices from Google Earth. They did list a different town, however.
Interesting that you are doing all of your posting from a company server rather than personal one.
That should serve as a pretty good cover for your real work. Well done!
Comment by Mikael — August 12, 2008 @ 5:35 pm
Yeah, the mailing address for our Dulles Network Operations Center is Ashburn, VA. Which is odd, because we are closer to Dulles than to Ashburn.
Verizon Business is my full time job. Sadly we live in a capitalist country. Therefore, even a socialist has to eat and pay rent. For the DNC, I am a volunteer. At times, I put in longer hours downtown at the DNC HQ than I do for Verizon. However, I always put in at least 8 hours at the job that pays. I will continue to use the company’s Internet access (since that’s what my business unit does, Internet network operations) until told not to. Personally, I think it is pretty ironic that I am using a huge, money whore corporation’s circuits to promote a political ideology that would tax most, if not all, of their profits and put that money towards feeding the hungry and housing the poor.
Comment by John Spargo — August 20, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
Some serve thier own greed and fan fear into flame.
They do so to maintain a distracting ruse that they may get away with shameful deeds.
While the desperate or the exceedingly evil tear down and destroy there are those that sit and spew source grapes.
There are those that do, in all good conscience work hard, in earnest, tirelessly to make the world a better place.
Wayne Gilcrest is of the strength and character to do this in the face of blatant hate and evil.
He will continue to do so in the face of cowards like you guys. He doesn’t even hear you fools.
He is too busy doing something positive and he will do so good it even if no one were to notice.
When is the last time you did any good for anyone other than for your selves?
Good men, like Wayne Gilcreast, walk by you, busy with helping and blessing others.
Good men, like Wayne Gilcreast, will even help YOU while you cause him harm.
Even so, YOU will be too selfish, too foolish, to be ashamed.
The only thing that silences your pitiful bitterness is when the good people you slay turn around and safe your sorry, dis-figured stinking carcases. Cross word puzzles would be above you so why don’t you worthless fools go bowling or watch “profesional wresting” or something…. Get lost…
Comment by AJHiker — May 10, 2009 @ 12:03 am
AJHiker,
We actually posted representative Gilcrest’s actions in praise and thanks for him doing the right thing.
You are swinging at a straw man.
How is that fight going?
Comment by Mikael — May 11, 2009 @ 10:16 am
Join with us in western Maryland and vote for change this November, Vote for the person who has never been in the office they are running for, and please do not vote for anyone who says they will do the will of the people
Comment by David Cowan — December 30, 2009 @ 8:32 am