As a new great-grandmother I have many years to reflect on the changes which have occurred in our country’s history. There have been peaceful times and challenging times. We seem to have a problem with keeping the peace.
Marianne Williamson released a plan for a Department of Peace, which includes a Peace Academy proposal.
Gage Miskimen, Des Moines Register published the following report on her plan:
“Presidential candidate and author Marianne Williamson announced her plan to create a cabinet-level Department of Peace, if elected to the White House.
“The proposed department, which would have to be created by an act of Congress, would ‘work actively and interactively with every branch of government on policy matters related to both international and domestic peace issues.’
“‘It’s ironic to me that George Bush’s secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, said, ‘We must learn to wage peace,’ Williamson said in an interview with the Register at her Des Moines residence.
“‘Expertise in peace-building is just as sophisticated and important as expertise in military action,’ Williamson said. ‘I have great respect for the military. My father fought in World War II. I see the military much like one would look at a surgeon. Obviously, the United States needs to have the best surgeons in the world, but everyone knows you only have surgery if you absolutely must.’
“Author and (former) 2020 Democratic candidate Marianne Williamson spoke with the Register on her Department of Peace proposal August 19. ‘Desperate people do desperate things. Large groups of desperate people become more vulnerable to ideological capture by genuinely psychotic forces,’ Williamson said. ‘Policy should be guided by a core value of helping people thrive.’
“Williamson’s Department of Peace would establish a ‘Peace Academy,’ which she would model after military academies.
“The academy would provide a four-year concentration in ‘peace education.’ Graduates would be required to serve for five years in public service programs dedicated to domestic or international nonviolent conflict resolution, according to her plan.
“Split between domestic and international duties, the department would be overseen by the secretary of peace, who would serve as a member of the National Security Council and coordinate with other members of the cabinet.
‘“Right now,’ Williamson said, ‘our national security agenda could be likened to someone who doesn’t take care of their diet, doesn’t take that much care of exercise, doesn’t take much care of lifestyle, in terms of health, and just waits for when the inevitable sickness arises and hopes that a doctor can eradicate or suppress the symptoms of their sickness.’
“Domestically, the department’s roles would include children’s educational programs on violence prevention and conflict resolution, refocusing the U.S. criminal justice system on ‘healing-oriented approaches’ and addressing racial inequalities in prisons while reducing the so-called school-to-prison pipeline. Department staff members would work with local and state governments to change police culture and improve community relations, lessen gun violence in communities, and address drug and alcohol abuse.
“On the international side, the department would lend peace-building support to help other governments end conflicts, and assist in areas that include food security, health care, and education. It would help communities to create a ‘more sustainable, peaceful culture that will help to prevent future conflicts,’ according to the proposal.
“The plan says a Department of Peace could save taxpayers money by preventing ‘costly wars abroad’ and reducing violence in the United States. The Department would reallocate existing budgets ‘in more appropriate and coordinated ways to keep, maintain and create sustainable peace.’
“When asked how she would pay for the department, Williamson said some money could come from the current defense budget.
‘“I could see us taking two percent of the national defense budget at any moment,’ Williamson said. ‘It’s a lot of money, it would certainly get things started.’
“The idea of a U.S. Department of Peace has been around since the 1700s. Benjamin Rush, a founding father and physician, called for a peace office that would be equal to the Department of War.
“In 1935, U.S. Sen. Matthew Neely of West Virginia introduced the first bill for the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace.”