October 17, 2007
Honorable
Senator Russ
Feingold
U.S.
Senate
Washington,
D.C. 20515
On
October 15, 2007, I sent a request to Wisconsin’s Honorable
United States Senator Russ Feingold to draft a bill establishing a U.S.
Department of Peace or a U.S. Agency for Peace.
A
precedent for establishing
such a department or
agency is the Peace Corps, an agency of the US
established in 1961 to provide
volunteers skilled in teaching, construction, etc. to assist people of
undeveloped areas abroad.
These
constructive principled powers of righteousness and justice reveal
the authentic enemies to be
defeated, “enemies such as
injustice.”
The
creation of such a
righteously principled
government agency for peace provides the world with an opportunity to
save
millions of lives and to eliminate the
needless expenditures of trillions of dollars on waging self-defeating
wars.
In
2002 prior to the Iraq war, had there been
established a US department or agency for peace, working actively
toward the
establishment of peace relationships and mutual prosperity it is
probable that
the trillions of dollars of cost and needless loss of life and property
of the
self-defeating US invasion of Iraq would have been avoided.
In
America, we are supposed
to have a constitutional
government of, by and for the people
however, when
the peacemakers demonstrated for peace during the Vietnam War, college
students
were-called peace-niks and students’ were shot to death at Kent State.
When
peaceful citizens assembled against a needless preemptive military
invasion of Iraq,
they called them peace-niks and many of the peacemakers’ assemblies
were broke
up by the police using tear-gas and beating them with clubs, with some
imprisoned.
In
this era, premature preemptive military strikes
against the population centers of major cities represent the most
self-defeating foreign policy imaginable; it is a massive zero-sum
lose/lose
foreign policy equation.
The total
cost of the
preemptive military strike on Iraq's
capital Baghdad,
and other population centers is projected to cost the United States
in the mid and
long-term one to 6 trillion dollars.
These
powerful resource principles provide
effective Tools, Ways and Means to reduce the injustice
that produces the hatred that spawns the terrorist acts!
The use of inhuman unconscionable military strikes and needlessly
destructive
preemptive military invasions is a self-defeating perpetuation of injustice
that exponentially multiplies
hatred and more terrorism.
The definition of
peace is
freedom from war or
stopping of war. Add: the
elimination of injustice & the hatred it spawns.
Peacemaker: a
person who
makes peace, as by settling
disagreements or quarrels concerning issues of injustice,
etc.
Peace-Nik: a person actively
opposing, especially
demonstrating
against, war or a war: usually a hostile term. (As opposed to a
War-Nik.)
Peacetime: a
time of freedom
from war – of or
characteristic of
such a time: Peace offering: an offering made to maintain or bring
about peace.
Do you
prefer all the
needless, horrendous human costs of war; or do you like the security
and mutual
prosperity of peace?
Either
you are ACTIVELY for peace or you are
for war: if you are for war, you are against peace; there is NO
middle
ground! (Added: "Do not be guilty of the Cardinal Sin of
Omission.")
Here
is a
worldwide opportunity to contact the
antiwar, peace-making
candidates for the U.S.
presidency including Rep. Ron Paul, “to support the creation of a
government
Department for Peace or Agency for Peace.” Start a movement for
a
“government Department for peace or an Agency for Peace” in your
country.
If
you prefer this nearly cost free Wisdom Principled Resource path to
security,
peace and mutual prosperity (over the hell of war), then join this
movement and spread the
Word
Worldwide.
Sincerely,
Darrell
Udelhoven
P.S.: The
Beatitudes Matt 5: 6-10 ... thirst for Righteousness; Blessed are the
Merciful;
Blessed are the Peacemakers
THE
BEATITUDES
===================================================
Senator Feingold's Response
October 19, 2007
Mr. Darrell Udelhoven
8910 County Road U
Bloomington, WI 53804-9777
Dear Mr. Udelhoven,
Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts about the U.S.
government's role in helping prevent conflict worldwide and about
peaceful means for international conflict resolution. I appreciate
hearing from you, and I regret the delay in responding to your
concerns.
I have heard from many Wisconsinites about the importance of
peaceful, nonviolent means of settling international disputes. As a
member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I have the
opportunity to meet and have discussions with officials and
dignitaries from other governments, and perhaps more importantly,
with officials from our own government and individuals seeking
confirmation for ambassadorial posts or other critical positions. In
this capacity, I have the chance to encourage diplomatic and
responsible answers to such conflicts. While I believe there are
some cases where military action is justified, such as in response to
the September 11, 2001, attacks on our nation, I also believe that
such action should be properly authorized by Congress, and that
every effort should be made for the U.S. to follow the laws of war
and prevent civilian losses.
I believe we have a moral interest in reducing human suffering,
protecting human rights and preserving the environment. We have
a political interest in promoting democracy and stability. We have
an economic interest in encouraging development, trade and
investment opportunities for American business. For these
reasons, I have made it a priority in my work in the Senate to
promote human rights. We cannot protect and promote our
national interests by ignoring flagrant abuses of human rights; we
can only do so by remaining actively involved.
As you may know, on September 22, 2005, Senator Mark Dayton
(D-MN) introduced S. 1756, which would establish a Department
of Peace and Nonviolence headed by a Secretary of Peace and
Nonviolence, who would be appointed by the President and
confirmed by the United States Senate. The Department of Peace
would be dedicated to peacemaking and the study of conditions
that are conducive to peace. S. 1756 would also establish a Peace
Academy, which would be modeled after the American military
academies and would offer a four year concentration in peace
studies. Finally, the bill would designate a national Peace Day. S.
1756 was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs. I will keep your thoughts in mind should
the full Senate consider legislation related to this issue.
I wanted to make sure you knew about U.S. Department of State's
new office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization
to help prevent conflict and respond when conflict occurs. Please
feel free to visit its website at <http://www.state.gov/s/crs>. The
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has
developed an Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation
(CMM). This office is dedicated to integrating conflict
management into the many sectors of development initiatives
coordinated by USAID. Please also feel free to visit
<http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-
cutting_programs/conflict/> for more information. I hope you find
this information useful.
As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, I closely
monitor events around the world. I hope you feel free to continue
to contact me to express your concerns about U.S. foreign policy,
or any other matter of concern to you.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator
If you wish to contact me again, please visit
http://feingold.senate.gov/contact.html.
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