Coast-to-Coast Peace Pie Deliveries Celebrate Mother’s Day
Department of Peace supporters across the country honored Mother’s Day on Friday by delivering homemade “peace” pies to the local offices of their U.S. representatives and senators, urging support for landmark legislation to create a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence.
This is the fourth year the event has been sponsored by The Peace Alliance, the nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization that leads the growing grassroots movement to create a U.S. Department of Peace.
In addition to the national grassroots peace pies, the Peace Alliance delivered 435 pies at the nation’s Capitol, one to each member of the House of Representatives.
Photo: Wils Murphy
The pies, representing the federal budget, all had a tiny slice cut out to show how little money is needed—less than 1% of the federal discretionary budget—to create the Department.
Peace Alliance Pie Chart [1]
“It’s time to give peace a piece of that pie,” said Peace Alliance Managing Director, Wendy Greene, “Right now, we spend relatively miniscule amounts of money on programs and policies that proactively address the root causes of violence, and billions upon billions dealing with the after-effects. It’s time to change that.”
Manny, 3, and Sophie, 18 months, helped their moms deliver pies. Photo: Murphy
Kathy Kidd, National Field Director of The Peace Alliance, said, “This is the 4th annual ‘Peace Wants a Piece of the Pie’ event, and each year we increase the scope. Last year 250 pies were delivered around the country. This is the first year that we have delivered information and pies to every single member of the House, here in D.C.”
Legislation and Support
Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has continually introduced legislation to establish this new, cabinet-level department, since 2003. Most recently, he introduced H.R. 808, on February, 5, 2007. Kucinich is the 2003 recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award, an annual award given for "contributions made in the promotion of international peace and good will." [2]
H.R. 808 has 68 co-sponsors, and has been endorsed by over 50 organizations including: the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Amnesty International, National Organization for Women, Pax Christi USA, Physicians for Social Responsibility, September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Tikkun, and Veterans for Peace. [3]
