BILL REQ. #:  S-4735.1 

Read first time 01/31/2006.   Referred to Committee on Government Operations & Elections.

     TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:
     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
     WHEREAS, Our nation possesses a military capacity that is unprecedented in the world's history and without parallel among the sovereign states of the world today; and
     WHEREAS, War, in and of itself, is not an answer, and should only be engaged in as a last resort when all other possibilities have been exhausted; and
     WHEREAS, Peace is among the highest ideals articulated by American presidents from Thomas Jefferson to Ronald Reagan; and
     WHEREAS, Thomas Jefferson said in 1801 "That peace, safety, and concord may be the portion of our native land, and be long enjoyed by our fellow citizens, is the most ardent wish of my heart"; and
     WHEREAS, Dwight Eisenhower said "I think people want peace so badly that one of these days government had better get out of the way and let them have it"; and
     WHEREAS, In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed into law legislation creating the United States Institute of Peace; and
     WHEREAS, Our experience in Iraq demonstrates that war can have unintended consequences, such as undermining our nation's standing as a beacon of democratic ideals; and
     WHEREAS, Remaining a light among nations will require that we become better known and more respected for our ability to make peace than war; and
     WHEREAS, Peace, if it is to be lasting, must be advanced and expanded and strengthened continually and cannot be achieved without a concerted commitment from our nation's leaders;
     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Congress and the President of the United States create a national Department of Peace and Nonviolence that is provided with sufficient resources to take a strategic approach to the development of policies that promote national and international peace through the use of mediation and nonviolent action to resolve conflict and advance peace.
     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.