All they are saying is, 'Give peace its own department'

For much of this nation's history we had a War Department, a secretary of war and actual wars. But war is such an ugly word. So, in the aftermath of World War II, we came up with another word: Defense.

In 1947, the War Department became the Department of Defense, the secretary of war became the secretary of defense, and actual wars became kinder, gentler things such as conflicts or even operations.

Then the names of operations became less warlike -- evolving from the 1983 "Operation Urgent Fury" invasion of Grenada to 1990's protective "Operation Desert Shield" to the current uplifting tag of "Operation Iraqi Freedom."

What we really need is a Department of Peace, say the more than 100 people who attended this weekend's conference in Schaumburg for the grassroots Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace.

"What appealed to me is just how logical it is," says Matt Van Slyke, 50, a Grayslake salesman who has become a leader in the effort to give peace a chance. "We have lots of programs that have proven to be effective out there … but they are just being applied scattershot, and they are under-funded."

The idea of a federal Department of Peace has been kicking around since 1792. Illinois Congressman Everett Dirksen introduced a bill in 1947 to carve out a Peace Division in the State Department. But all failed.

For most of this decade, Congressman Dennis Kucinich has been sponsoring the bill (H.R. 808) to create a cabinet-level secretary of peace and nonviolence. The bill also has the support of U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston and fellow Democratic Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr., Luis Gutierrez and Danny Davis of Chicago.

However, for some, "peace" is synonymous with unrealistic dreams and weakness -- a leftover perhaps from the 1960s peace movement where participants often resembled the late George Carlin's "hippy-dippy weatherman."

"That impression still lingers," Van Slyke says.

How do you fight that?

"We don't fight it, because part of what we do in the campaign is being the change we wish to see in the world," tweaks Karen Johnson, 49, a suburban legal assistant who volunteered as chair for the conference in Schaumburg.

"It can be a roadblock for some people; just educating people about peace," Johnson says. "This is not a pie-in-the-sky. We're very practical."

While the prevention of war and the handling of the aftermath would be part of any Peace Department, most of the work and funding would be directed to local programs that curb violence, reduce recidivism rates and offer alternatives to gangs and prisons.

Schools that use peer juries to settle disputes, or county juvenile sentencing options such as the Restorative Justice programs in the suburbs, save money and reduce the violence, Johnson notes.

"Why is this less of an emergency than tornadoes and flooding?" Johnson says.

Both suburban Republicans, Johnson and Van Slyke and say a Department of Peace would work with the Department of Defense, ease the strain on our military and save tax dollars.

"Instead of being against the war, and against this, and anti-this and anti-that, it's solutions-based," Johnson says of the call for a Department of Peace.

For more information on the movement, visit the Illinois Web site at www.dopcampaign-il.org or the national organization at www.thepeacealliance.org.

"It's not really political. It's what works," Van Slyke says. "Why don't we do this? There's really no reason not to."