Students ask city to support peace
By Kara Hansen
The West Linn Tidings , Nov 13, 2008

The West Linn City Council pitched its support toward the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence Monday, becoming the fourth city in Oregon to join a national grassroots political movement.

West Linn High School seniors Lucas Pinelli, Kirk Larson and Chelsea Callas presented the idea to city councilors at a regular meeting Monday. The three 17-year-olds had already briefed the council on their proposed resolution at a work session in October.

"With your vote in favor of this resolution, West Linn can set an example and join Portland, Corvallis and Lincoln City in this grassroots movement that will effectively diagnose and treat domestic violence in this country," Pinelli said, standing before the city council.

Teacher-librarian Stacy Erickson said the students' initiative represents a surge in youths advocating peace and taking an interest in civic participation at West Linn High School.

Erickson advises a student club called Young Advocates for Peace. While 10 to 15 students participated in the past two years the club has existed, membership swelled to more than 100 this year.

She said these students are "actively engaged in seeking out ways to increase the peaceful nature of not only our high school but the world around them," through sports projects, work at home and other efforts. "There's something afoot as far as the amount of concern and the grassroots excitement around developing a more peaceful community and world."

French teacher Rhonda Case agreed.

A teacher the past 20 years, Case said she recently recognized a "groundswell at our school interested in improving this world."

She said the three students standing before the council "give us reason to hope for the future with their vision."

Speaking on the peace plan's "domestic potential," Pinelli told the council that the Department of Peace would trim many of the costs of domestic violence across the United States.

"The financial cost of domestic violence alone is staggering," he said, citing a World Health Organization report showing the country spends $300 billion each year "because of interpersonal violence."

The department would meet such goals through a "proactive solution, rather than a reactive solution," he said. "Instead of responding to symptoms, it would address the root causes" of gang mentality and other violent mindsets.

Proponents of the plan, which is before the U.S. House of Representatives, also hope to establish a "peace academy," where students could pursue "peace-related subject matter." Pinelli said programs would be available for primary schools as well.

Callas spoke to the international efforts the department could undertake.

"As of now we've spent over $570 billion on the war in Iraq and counting," she said. "The benefits of a Department of Peace are vast, and the costs as compared to (the alternative) are miniscule."

In addition to training personnel "for post-conflict reconstruction and demobilization," she said, agencies within the department would address root causes of conflict on the global level. Peace experts would also advise officials "before any violent action is taken." "Civilian peacekeepers" would participate in nonviolent, multinational police forces.

"With a Department of Peace to advise to the president, the secretary of defense and the secretary of state, it will be possible to prevent further armed conflict and replace it with peaceful means, while at the same time saving this country an enormous sum of money," Callas said.

"With your vote in favor of this resolution, West Linn could support a movement that will vastly improve the country's image on a global scale and provide a more peaceful international community."

Testifying on behalf of the resolution was Harvey Thorstad, a U.S. Navy commander, retired Vietnam veteran and president of Veterans for Peace Chapter 72 in Fairview, which supports West Linn, Portland, Vancouver and outlying areas.

He spoke against the current federal administration's aggressive tactics in the Middle East, which he said represents a violation of longstanding treaties and extension of authority "beyond the Constitution."

Consequences of the ongoing wars include an estimated third of those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan returning home with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems, he said.

"That's our kids," Thorstad said. "That's these students."

Mayor Norm King voiced enthusiastic support for the group's efforts.

"I can't tell you how pleased I am that this student group has brought this forward," he said before the council's unanimous vote.

Councilor Mike Jones, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who served on submarines in the Cold War, also gave students' his approval.

He urged them to remember their initiative isn't just another extra-curricular activity.

"What you've started and are working on here should guide you through your lives," he said.