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September 23, 2005
Senator Dayton introduces Department of Peace legislation in the Senate!
Take Action
On September 22nd, 2005, Senator Mark Dayton (D-MN) introduced the Department of Peace legislation into the U.S. Senate (S. 1756), calling for an elevation of the Reagan-established "Institute of Peace" to a Cabinet-level position.
This is a huge moment for our campaign, and for the future of the Department of Peace! Senator Dayton's leadership and enthusiastic support will take us to the next level in our work as we continue to advocate for this historic legislation.
Speaking from the Senate floor, Dayton said, "If we are to remain the world's leader, and if we are to lead the world into a more secure and more prosperous future, we must become better known and more respected for our peacemaking successes than for our military forces. Peace, to have any lasting value, must be advanced, expanded and strengthened continuously. Doing so requires skill, dedication, persistence, resources, and, most importantly, people."
Appropriately, Dayton's legislation coincides with the 44th anniversary of the nation's oldest federal agency dedicated to peace. On September 22nd, in 1961, President Kennedy signed legislation that created the Peace Corps, an idea originally proposed by Senator Hubert Humphrey in 1957.
Many thanks to our Department of Peace activists from Minnesota who met with Senator Dayton this past week at our conference and encouraged him to take this on. In particular we thank three of our youth leaders: Chelsea Skog, Eric Skog and Raven Kinnell who also met with the Senator. Senator Dayton said he was doing it for them, and for all our youth.
TAKE ACTION:
*** CALL YOUR SENATORS ***
We ask that each of you help continue this momentum by calling your own Senators today and urging them to support (bill # is S. 1756). Contact your Senator at the U.S. capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121. To find your Representative, visit http://www.vote-smart.org Tell the staffer who answers your call that you want your Senator to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Department of Peace legislation. Request a written response explaining your Senator's position and the reasoning behind it. It's most effective if you call first, then follow-up with a fax or email.
*** WRITE YOUR SENATORS *** To write your Representative, click below to get started. This will allow you to send an email or a fax to your congressperson.
http://www.thepeacealliance.org/action
Join us now. Create a Department of Peace. Help make history. Together, we can do this.
Posted by mwblog at September 23, 2005 02:10 PM
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