Marching for peace
Posted: Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006
By MIKE RICHESON
Bigfork Eagle

Mike Richeson/Bigfork Eagle

About 25 people turned out to march for peace and to advocate the creation of a United States Department of Peace on Saturday.In spite of the damp and chilly morning, about 25 people showed up in the Bigfork High School parking Saturday lot for a three-mile peace march through Bigfork. The march was not to protest anything, but to promote the creation of a Department of Peace within the United States government.
All told, people donated about $820 as well.

"I'm really proud of our town," Debi Strong, event organizer said.

The idea was first proposed in 2001 by Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich. A bill now before both houses of Congress (House Resolution 3760 and Senate 1756) would expand current problem-solving techniques and provide nonviolent solutions to domestic and international discord.

The DoP would also create a Peace Academy and a Secretary of Peace, a cabinet-level position to advise the president.

Strong, a local artist whose work has always embodied the ideals of peace, organized the local march on a day when marches occurred in 81 cities around the world. She got involved in the campaign when she saw a button a friend of hers was wearing that said "Peace is patriotic."

The merging of peace and patriotism was a quick draw for Strong, who said that people for peace shouldn't immediately be labelled as anti-war or anti-military.

As she researched the plan to create a DoP (the Web site is www.dopcampaign.org), Strong saw that there were no representatives for Montana.

"Well, somebody has to do this," Strong said. "I feel really strongly about ending violence. I was in law enforcement for 10 years, and I saw a lot of the terrible things people do to each other."

The DoP would be active in domestic affairs, trying to reduce gang violence and domestic violence by teaching mediation techniques and educating people about nonviolent resolution.

Local reaction during the march was positive. People honked their horns and waved, and some merchants and rainy-day shoppers spoke encouraging words as they walked down Electric Ave.

Strong said she defines peace as a lack of violence and a culture of compassion, and although some see her plan as idealistic "pie-in-the-sky" daydreaming, she will press on.

"You have to at least try," she said. "If you don't you'll just go around being depressed by the state of affairs. It's important to keep trying and keep hoping. We have to live peaceful lives as individuals first, and that's why this is a grassroots campaign."

She also quoted Edmund Burk, who once said, "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little."

Strong encourages those interested in helping create a Department of Peace to visit the Web site or contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it She is also still accepting donations for another week.