Forum to unite activists in search of peace

WALNUT CREEK: Congressman to speak at summit on nonviolence, where participants will discuss Peace Department

By Theresa Harrington CONTRA COSTA TIMES

As the military conflict in Iraq drags on and the U.S. defense budget swells, many Americans are questioning the wisdom of war.

In Contra Costa County and across the country, politicians and peace activists are joining together to push for nonviolent, peaceful solutions to problems at home and abroad.

Leading these efforts is Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who will speak at a forum Saturday sponsored by the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center in Walnut Creek and other local peace organizations. Kucinich and a handful of panelists will talk about the economics of peace versus the costs of war, as well as establishing a U.S. Dept. of Peace and Nonviolence proposed by Kucinich.

"People are starting to understand that the way we've been doing business is not working, and it's been too much of a financial drain on our economy," said panelist Matthew Albracht, managing director of the Peace Alliance, a nonprofit organization drumming up support for the Department of Peace. "When you look at the cost, it's a matter of what we're going to save in the long term, not to mention creating a much more thriving, healthy and happy society."

Kucinich has proposed legislation that would allocate $10 billion, or the equivalent of 2 percent of the national defense budget, to establish a Department of Peace. It would include a cabinet level adviser to the president and a Peace Academy similar to West Point, where students could learn conflict resolution techniques to deal with issues ranging from war to prison rehabilitation and bullying in schools.

The legislation, introduced in the House of Representatives in 2001 by Kucinich, now has 64 co-sponsors including Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez and Barbara Lee, D-Oakland. A similar bill with two co-sponsors was introduced in the Senate in September.

An international effort to establish departments of peace in other countries has caught on in Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and Costa Rica, Albracht said.

Locally, the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center, Lamorinda Peace and Justice Group and Grandparents for Peace are hoping to attract attention to the campaign and educate Contra Costa County residents about solving problems through dialogue and understanding, instead of through dominance.

"We're trying to let people know there are other ways to resolve conflict without a gun," said Ann Singer, a 78-year-old Rossmoor resident who volunteers at the peace center. "Let's get off this cycle of violence."

The center, which was formed in 1969 during the Vietnam War, helped draw 2,000 people to a recent rally in downtown Walnut Creek marking the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. It hosts quarterly forums to engage the public in conversations about peace and holds an annual art and writing contest that encourages students to draw or write about what peace means to them.

Recent middle school entrants drew pictures about bullying, showing that violence is learned at an early age and can continue into adulthood if children don't learn how to overcome it. With 632 members, Executive Director Mary Alice O'Connor said she hopes to expand the center's reach.

"Peace is not only possible, it's popular and it's practical," she said. "We know that peace is growing more possible every day because people are really tired of the deficit and the war."

The Department of Peace could help curb the $700 billion that is spent on war and the consequences of violence in the United States, Albracht said.

"We have a lot of Democrats and Republicans on this campaign," he said. "Many conservative-minded people are very interested in the fiscal numbers. So, a lot of our case is showing the economic impact of violence on our culture. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Theresa Harrington covers the Walnut Creek area. Reach her at 925-945-4764 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it