For years, Pentagon officials have been conducting studies involving the creation of millions of war scenarios, including the kinds of damage and human loss that our nuclear weapons could cause to an enemy country.

Now, the possibility of in-depth studies and actions regarding the impacts of peace may be assessed on such a level.

If passed, House Bill 2459, introduced by Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, D-Ohio, will create a Department of Peace that will be a cabinet-level agency.

According to the initial section of the proposed bill, the department would primarily “be dedicated to peacemaking and the study of conditions that are conducive to both domestic and international peace.”

The bill was introduced to Congress July 11 and referred to the House subcommittee Aug. 6.

This bill is a step forward in the post-cold war global environment. No longer should the people of the U.S. fear everyone else. We trained ourselves to be afraid of the rest of the world during the cold war era — thus, our military stockpiling and the justification of channeling so much money to our military.

Trillions upon trillions of dollars have been funneled to our military defense in order to protect us from our fears. However, fear begets fear. One country becomes afraid and builds its military for protection. Soon the country that has built up is now more powerful than the other — creating fear within the other. Fear and military building only create greater strain and distrust, as was clearly displayed during the Cold War.

Now that era is over, and it’s time we adjusted to the times. The creation of a Department of Peace is one way that we can both demonstrate our positive intentions to the international community and protect the streets of our own country.

The department would be headed by a Secretary of Peace, who would be appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate, same as the Secretary of Defense.

The secretary would not only be charged with promoting peace abroad, but also at home. It is Kucinich’s vision that the secretary would develop policies to address domestic violence, racial or ethnic violence, gun violence and police versus community disputes.

Along with developing policies within the U.S., the department would study the effects of war, especially the physical and mental effects on children caused by war.

The department would receive a budget of about $3.4 billion — or about one percent of the Department of Defense budget.

The department has, in many ways, been modeled after the Department of Defense, only the job of the Department of Peace would be to establish a balancing mechanism to the Pentagon.

A Peace Academy, similar to the five military service academies, would be created; its graduates dispatched to troubled areas around the globe to promote nonviolent resolutions to

disputes, reported Awakened Woman e-magazine on July 15 at www.awakenedwoman.com.

Animal rights also would be addressed by the department.

The bill has 40 co-sponsors, who all are working to see the bill passed, although it’s not expected to pass under the current administration. Kucinich said he believes his co-sponsors

will continue their support of the bill in the future.

This bill should not be allowed to fail. It is up to the people of the United States to stop living in ignorance and address the lack of a government office that would support the basic rights all human beings deserve. The departments of commerce and defense have held too much political clout for too long, and it’s time that a balance be brought to the cabinet to address human rights.