Photo by: Katie Mastroianni
The Peace Alliance came to the University of Denver last week to enlighten students, faculty and the rest of the DU community about peace initiatives that are pending in Congress.
The lecture, which was held in Sturm Hall’s Lindsey Auditorium, attracted well over 150 people.
Marianne Williamson, founder of the National Peace Alliance, and Aaron Voldman, a Brandeis University student and founder of the Student Peace Alliance, were the two guest speakers who talked about peace not only internationally, but also domestically.
Williamson, publisher of four no. 1 New York Times bestsellers, spoke of the danger that the world faces today: global catastrophe. In her push toward global peace, Williamson stated that the human race is ready for the 21st century, however it is the leaders that are not.
“The institutions that are ruling have become obsolete. The vast majority disagrees with the few that have authority,” Williamson said.
In order to combat crime and violence at home and internationally, Williamson stated that it starts with the people. “Our role is to tell our representatives how we think and what we feel. Our right to do so is the constitutional guarantee that sets a democracy apart from every other form of government.”
The Peace Alliance legislation would establish the Department of Peace.
The bill, HR 808, would create a Secretary of Peace who would have a seat on the president’s Cabinet.
The program would also incorporate a “peace academy,” which would bring the best minds together to wage peace, claimed Williamson.
Speaking on behalf of the Student Peace Alliance, Voldman stated, “Our generation feels alienated from politics. Growing up not wanting to be in the military, I would have loved to have the opportunity to join the ‘peace academy’ and fight for peace.”
The bill has 62 endorsements in the House of Representatives. In order for the bill to pass, it needs 218 votes.
Williamson said, “Congressmen get hundreds of bills each session, and it is our duty as citizens to make sure certain bills get noticed.”
The only way this bill will get noticed, Williamson stated, is if citizens contact their U.S. Senators and Congressmen by writing letters, making phone calls and other ways of communication. Citizens’ voices must be heard for this bill to get recognized, said Williamson.
“Peace is not a left or right issue. It’s a human survival issue. Through this bill, we can challenge the belief that war is inevitable,” Williamson said.
