On Saturday, March 5th, from 3 to 5 P.M. Representative James McGovern will be at First Parish in Concord to talk about his support for legislation to establish a Cabinet Level U.S. Department of Peace. As one of the 54 co-sponsors of H.R.1673, a bill submitted by Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich in 2001 and 2003, Representative McGovern will speak on the importance of this legislation.

The Department, with funding at 2% of the Department of Defense budget, would focus on nonmilitary peaceful conflict resolutions, prevent violence and promote justice and democratic principles to expand human rights. Domestically, the Department would be responsible for developing policies which address issues such as domestic violence, child abuse, mistreatment of the elderly, and other issues of cultural violence. Internationally, the Department would gather research, analyze foreign policy and make recommendations to the President on how to address the root causes of war and intervene before violence begins, while improving national security, including the protection of human rights and the prevention and de-escalation of unarmed and armed international conflict.

The presentation will be open to the public and will take place at the First Parish Church at 20 Lexington Road in Concord. After the presentation there will be further discussion regarding actions that can be taken to help further this important work. Additional endorsers of this event include First Parish Concord Social Action, Grass Roots Action for Peace, First Parish Denominational Affairs Committee, UU Women & Religion, Mass Bay District, and The Concord-Carlisle League of Women Voters.

Additional information about this legislation and ways that you can help can be found at www.dopcampaign.org. For further information on attending this event or other supporting activities surrounding this bill, please contact Dave Dunn at djkcdunn@earthlink.net, Carol Dwyer at dwyerjandc@aol.com, or Pat Simon at psimon@gis.net.