Peace is Red Hot with Chili Peppers - Award-winning band highlights - Department of Peace Campaign at U.S. Tour

NYDoP Press Release - October 12, 2006; East Rutherford, NJ– The more than 300,000 fans expected to attend the Red Hot Chili Peppers' U.S. tour this fall will find something more than the band's signature blend of funk, rap and rock-n-roll; they'll find a call for civic activism. "I want to share with all of our fans my enthusiasm for the work of The Peace Alliance and the campaign to establish a U.S. Department of Peace," said bass-player Flea in explaining why the band invited The Peace Alliance to be the only organization tabling at its shows this year.

"In our homes, in our schools, in our communities and in worldwide affairs, violence is an increasingly serious problem," Flea continued. "There's nothing more important we can do than to work to change the direction of our culture towards more practical peaceful solutions and, as a nation, to invest more fully in these solutions. I hope everyone at our shows joins the campaign and urges their members of Congress to support the Department of Peace legislation."

New York - New Jersey area volunteers with the national grassroots Department of Peace Campaign will be tabling at The Red Hot Chili Peppers show on Tuesday, October 17 and Wednesday, October 18, 2006 at the Continental Airlines Arena. The legislation currently has two co-sponsors in the Senate and 75 in the House, including from New Jersey: Robert E. Andrews, Rush D. Holt, Donald Payne and Steven Rothman and from New York: Carolyn Maloney, Gregory Meeks, Jerrold Nadler, Major Owens, Charles Rangel, Jose Serrano, Edolphus Towns, and Nydia Velazquez.

New Jersey Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez do not yet co-sponsor the Senate version, S.1756, nor do New York Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chuck Schumer. The primary purpose of the Department of Peace would be to research, articulate and facilitate nonviolent solutions to domestic and international conflict. It would be led by a Cabinet-level Secretary of Peace, and would also create a Peace Academy on par with the nation's current military service academies.

The Peace Alliance is a 501(c)4 nonpartisan citizen action organization advocating for legislation that supports a culture of peace. It works to foster positive, proactive change toward the creation of a more nonviolent and peaceful world. The Peace Alliance is spearheading the national campaign to establish a United States Department of Peace (H.R. 3760 and S.1756), with citizen organizers active in all 50 states. For more information about The Peace Alliance and the Department of Peace Campaign, visit www.thepeacealliance.org For more information about local activities, contact Kevin Fagan kfagan1@nyc.rr.com or 917 865-4763 and go to www.nyc-dop.com or www.sjdopcampaign.com for more details.

THE PEACE ALLIANCE & US DEPT OF PEACE CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCE A NEW OFFICE IN WASHINGTON DC – Below is a Message from Marianne Williamson (Board Chair) & Heart Phoenix (Board President)

This has been a phenomenal year for The Peace Alliance and the Department of Peace Campaign. As you know, there are currently 75 Congressional co-sponsors, 2 Senate co-sponsors, over 50 endorsing organizations and 16 cities whose City Councils have officially endorsed the legislation (representing a collective population of more than 3,752,000 people). The political buzz has begun, and you and other Dept of Peace activists around the country have made this possible. We have become a significant voice for peace in almost every district of the country.

At the same time, of course, the world is vulnerable to the most incredible forces of conflict. From Iraq to Amish Pennsylvania to North Korea, we face deeply troubling forces of violence. Those of us involved with the Dept of Peace campaign have searched our hearts during this painful time and have prayed long and hard on these issues. The strong message we received was that if we truly want the Department of Peace legislation to become a law, it is important that The Peace Alliance become a presence in Washington, DC. We need to be in proximity to congress people, aides, other national organizations, etc. in order to raise the conversation and highlight the nonviolent solutions that we have researched and begun to articulate and facilitate in many different arenas. And so we have done it! We are now the proud renters of office space in Washington, DC. It is, coincidentally, just one block from the U.S. Institute of Peace. We are very excited about our new office and this move coincides with several events that we are having in DC within the next several months.

At the end of this month, we have organized a Roundtable Conference "Strategies for Creating Peace," a think tank comprised of American experts in building a national infrastructure for peace. This Roundtable will provide an opportunity for some of America's best thinkers to help design America's best possible future! The Peace Alliance Foundation has partnered with Georgetown University in this endeavor. The Roundtable's report will be released at our national conference in Washington DC - February 3 - 5, 2007. We hope to see you there!
We have taken a giant step by renting an office in Washington, and are very excited about the prospects before us. We hope you will support our increased political visibility and potential by sending a generous donation at http://www.thepeacealliance.org to the Peace Alliance. We hope you appreciate the work we have done so far, and feel moved to support us as we move it forward.

There is much legwork to do over these next few months to be well prepared for congressional briefings, press conferences, lobbying for hearings and more. In addition, we will be preparing a packet for Congress, along with a publication of our white paper and other significant findings that support our call for a Department of Peace.

We have a great opportunity as we step through the doorway of our new office. In the near future, we would like to hire a Director of Development, a Public Relations Consultant and a DC Legislative Director. We have no doubt that we can make this happen with your help. Last year we increased our donations from $225,000 to $500,000. Realistically, we need to set a goal of double that to ensure our grassroots and direct lobbying efforts are both fully supported.
We thank you for all your support in making the Peace Alliance's Department of Peace campaign the historic effort it has become. We will continue to use every dollar you send us to help turn America in a new direction -- away from violence, towards a higher love.

GANDHI CAMPAIGN REPORT - A Message from New Yorkers for a Department of Peace
http://www.nyc-dop.com

"The effects of the Gandhi campaign reverberated around the world to help make the International Day of Peace, on September 21, the most widely celebrated in its 25 year history" said Dot Maver of the Peace Alliance. We sincerely want to say THANK YOU for helping us make the 100 Years of Nonviolence campaign such a success. We were deeply moved by the enthusiastic responses and so grateful for your participation. The tangible results of our collective efforts were that the movie Gandhi showed and/or the short film Satyagraha debuted in:

4 countries plus Palestine (Bethlehem) - USA, Italy, India and Romania
6 theaters (two SOLD OUT)
21 states (including Alaska)
41 cities
44-65 venues in total (we're still trying to track them all)

“I forgot how inspiring the movie Gandhi is, especially on the big screen,” remarked Blake McGee, a student at Columbia University’s School of Public Health. “After watching it, I really feel called to go out and take action. I am glad that I spent September 11 focusing on such a hopeful message.” We’re hearing similar responses from around the country. We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated and sacrificed to make this campaign a success and to all who continue to work to make nonviolence visible and viable in our world.

[DUCHESS NOTE – I am proud and honored to be a member/volunteer of this wonderful group of inspiring individuals.]

BEAN'S ARTISTIC AMBITIONS
World Entertainment News
http://www.pr-inside.com/beans-artistic-ambitions-r22018.htm

US POPULATION HITS 300 MILLION, BUT IS IT SUSTAINABLE?
Andrew Buncombe
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1011-08.htm
As an economic model for the rest of the world to follow - in particular the rapidly developing economies of China and India - it is unsustainable, they say. On a global scale the average US citizen uses far more than his or her fair share of the planet's resources - consuming more than four times the worldwide average of energy, almost three times as much water and producing more than twice the average amount of rubbish and five times the amount of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming. The US - with five per cent of the world's population - uses 23 per cent of its energy, 15 per cent of its meat and 28 per cent of its paper. Additional population will mean more people seeking a share of those often-limited resources.

5 SCANDALS THAT COULD PUT REPUBLICANS IN JAIL
James Ridgeway, Mother Jones
http://www.alternet.org/story/42880/
The Foley cover-up is just the tip of the iceberg. If the Democrats succeed in retaking Congress this fall, here are five investigations they should get started on right away.

[DUCHESS NOTE – For a start, we need a majority of Americans to become educated on the issues, start caring and hound their Congress people and Senators to get some backbone. This affects ALL Americans, whether you vote or not. If you don’t speak up, vote, protest, well then, don’t complain when you’re being screwed. Also, many thanks to Linda for these two article links.]