Dear Bob, Many thanks for your wonderful peace news about "California Democratic Party Endorses US Dept. of Peacebuilding" and its peace-building platform. In this connection, our GHA offers you Peace Alliance and CDP to complement this platform the following key for the 21st century proposal: "To support creation of the Global Peace Science (GPS) under the G20 aegis through International Scientific Contest for the GPS best version as a scientific foundation of DoP and global peace on Earth in the 21st century." Do you agree to put this proposal in discussion of your Alliance and CDP? U.S. Dept. of Peacebuilding (DoP) can be regarded today as an intuitive practical (organizational and political) embodiment of GPS. DoP and GPS are the two inseparable sides - practical and theoretical – of a one 21st century model of peacebuilding. They mutually need each other and they mutually reinforce each other and develop. Therefore, they are doomed to unity. GHA understands and recognizes this and is willing to work in this direction. Understands and recognizes whether it your Alliance? Is it ready to cooperate in this regard? The first practical step in this cooperation, we see the joint (GHA-USA + your Alliance) letter to President Barack Obama, as a Nobel Peace Prize winner, to support (or initiate) at the G20 Summit on September 5-6 in St. Petersburg, the creation of Global Peace Science through International Science Contest sponsored by the G20 and under its aegis, stressing that this science is the necessary theoretical foundation for DoP, a bill of which has been widely discussed in the U.S. and is already approved by CDP and others. Support or initiation the GPS on the G20 Summit will provide for U.S. world leadership in peace-building and make the U.S. the first country in the world, which will make the "shift from the arms race to a peace race," bequeathed by the great Martin Luther King Jr. Who does not like Obama, the Democrat, and Nobel Laureate to support and / or initiate an idea of GPS? Who better than the GHA and your Alliance can write about it to Obama? As you know, the idea of GPS through an international scientific Contest under the G20 aegis is detailed in the GHA Open Letter to the G20 leaders, which I sent to you and which is published here: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=582 Materials of your letter (http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=b2iujJwzv%2FPbQJFSNMS7D0UluS1573yi well illustrate that the U.S. government, like other countries, is concerned about weapons and considers a war priority not peace, they are neglected. This priority, in fact, is preserved in the G20, the Summit of which is dedicated to economic growth especially for the war, which is good veiled in his agenda. The inclusion in the Summit agenda a question of creating GPS will change the governments military priority to a peace priority. Another example of the military priority is Snowden’s small issue, which overshadowed the governments of USA and Russian peace priority. To change the military priority on the peace one was possible, it is necessary to strengthen a weak voice of GPS for G20 by broad and strong support of global civil society, especially our two organizations. Without our unity, weak voice of GPS as a weak voice of DoP and all other peaceful weak voices will never be heard by governments. The idea of global peace will be doomed to endless stagnation in the endless prosperity of the arms race and the unlimited growth of military spending, as it exists after the end of World War II in 1945. This means only one thing: preparing for the last for mankind third world war, in which it will destroy themselves with their own hands and their own military mind and military science. If we want to change the status quo since 1945, we, as peacemakers, have, we simply obliged to support the GPS creation as the scientific foundation of global peace and all its institutions, including the DoP, UN, UNESCO, and the like. This is our peace duty and responsibility. GHA welcomes your Alliance, as well as other peace organizations to understand and share this key peacemaking duty today. Thank you for your understanding. With love, best harmony wishes, Leo Dr Leo Semashko: State Councillor of St. Petersburg, Philosopher, Sociologist and Peacemaker from Harmony; Director: Tetrasociology Public Institute, Russia; Founding President, Global Harmony Association (GHA); Director, GHA Website "Peace from Harmony": www.peacefromharmony.org Global Peace Science from Harmony: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=582; World Interfaith Harmony Project on the ABC of Harmony Base: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=541; GHA Program Book, The ABC of Harmony for World Peace: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=478; GHA Peace Video: http://youtu.be/hbxY5lREOeA; My Web page: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=253; Address: 7/4-42 Ho-Shi-Min Street, St. Petersburg 194356, Russia Phone: 7 (812) 597-65-71; Skype: leo.semahko Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/leo.semashko?ref=tn_tnmn ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Baskin, Peace Alliance, info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To: leo.semashko@xxxxxxxxx Sent: 9 августа 2013 г., 20:07:03 Subject: Taking Peacebuilding to the Party View This Message As a Webpage California Democratic Party Endorses U.S. Dept. of Peacebuilding! Leo, Some exciting news out of California. Thanks to our CA Peace Alliance organizers, and other key supporters, the CA Democratic party recently endorsed legislation to establish a U.S. Department of Peacebuilding and a peacebuilding platform. This is a meaningful development. CA Democratic party (CDP) only endorses a handful of bills each session -- and it's some of the most comprehensive peacebuilding support in any party platform in the nation. In fact, neither party has done a good job of including peacebuilding language in their platforms, and with CA being the largest state in the union, this could help set a trend. Lily Marie, Nancy Merritt, Jeriln Stapleton @ TPA booth. New provisions to both the CDP Platform of 2012 and DoP 2013 include: Provide for public education programs that promote tolerance and respect for diversity Create school and community cultures where students and staff are free from bullying and harassment by implementing curricula in nonviolent conflict resolution education for teachers, students, parents, school community and community at large Assist in re-entry for incarcerated individuals by including training in anger management, peacebuilding skills, life skills, education and job skills Assist in creatingstrong & healthy families, including supporting mental health service, domestic violence prevention, gang prevention, anti-bulling programs, substance abuse prevention, and parenting skills Providerestorative justice programs in the criminal justice system to bring together offenders, victims, and community members to repair harm through accountability and rehabilitation. Big props to our CA team, and all those who helped! Their vigilance and hard work paid off. "CDP officials told us to make them support peacebuilding -- and that’s just what we did. We took peacebuilding to the Party. Hard work, strategy, education, networking, coalition building and some luck resulted in the CDP’s dual peacebuilding endorsements. This involved not only blood, toil, sweat and tears, but also perseverance, learning, listening, connecting, alignment of the stars and real joy...” said Nancy Merritt, Peace Alliance State Coordinator. Read the Full Report You can read Nancy's full report, with many inspiring details and quotes. You can also watch a video of the proceedings and check out all the photos on Facebook. Sincerely, Bob Baskin ____________________________________________________________________ Waiting for Legislation Committee testimony to begin - Nancy Merritt, Saundra Andrews, Darren Parker, Jerilyn Stapleton. CA DEM RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF PEACEBUILDING Whereas, violence in America cuts across age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, ethnicity, religion, and nationality, and negatively impacts the quality of life, erodes social values and standards of morality, deteriorates national morale, and creates a culture that systematically reproduces violence by the use of force and violence as means of defense and security domestically and internationally, and Whereas, funding of domestic and international wars on crime, immigration, terrorism, and so on drains the U.S. and global economy and a recent report from the Institute for Economics and Peace estimates that in the U.S. violence containment costs around 15% of Gross Domestic Product each year and is the largest discrete industry in this country, costing around $2.16 trillion dollars annually, and Whereas, the epidemic of violence in America must be contained through the implementation of nonviolent strategies to remedy the effects of gang violence, domestic abuse, sexual violence, and gun violence domestically; as well as to alleviate growing international tensions and help resolve civil wars and international conflicts the United States has pledged to support. Therefore Be It Resolved, the California Democratic Party encourages state and national legislatures to support research by government agencies and NGOs to identify and address the root causes of violence in our society, and supports the implementation of education and training programs in nonviolent conflict resolution in public agencies and in public schools. Be it Further Resolved, the California Democratic Party will support policy initiatives that will advance peacebuilding domestically and internationally on the local, state, and national level. QUOTES: “For me this has been a five year journey starting when I was a proxy delegate to the 2008 Convention and took HR 808 to the Women’s Caucus. So, I’m extremely grateful for the CA Democratic Endorsement Team,” said Jerilyn Stapleton, CA TPA, Southern CA State Coordinator. This accomplishment is a result of participation of this Team. “I’m amazed how a small group of thoughtful and well-organized people have changed the CDP world,” said Brian Gibbs, CA TPA, San Diego volunteer. “This is the most important bill under consideration by the committee … the purpose of a committee endorsement is to announce to the CA Democratic delegation that this is of utmost importance to the CDP,” said committee member David Sonneborne (Orange). Committee member Susie Shannon (Los Angeles), said, “Forty-three city and other governmental counsels have endorsed this. Numerous organizations have endorsed, including Amnesty International, the Global AIDS Alliance, the National Organization for Women, a chapter of NAACP. This is really important particularly given where we are in the history of this country. We must start addressing these issues — domestic violence, bullying, how many children have to die in schools, how many children need to die like Trayvon Martin given the ‘stand your ground’ laws?” Other committee member comments include: At the subcommittee stage, “I was opposed. I have been on the fence about this – not about the bill itself, the bill is a great bill, but on whether this reaches the level of our top twenty-five bills … I have to say the testimony, especially from Barbara Lee’s office, was very persuasive … I will vote for it.” (Richard Matthews, Porter Ranch) “We have got to turn this [trend of violence] around …” (Carole Lutness, Valencia) There have been funding cuts for organizations that deal with domestic violence issues – HR808 would address these issues. (Bobbie Jean Anderson, Los Angeles) “HR808 talks about 85% [of the funding] being for domestic violence prevention, but I also want to talk about what’s happening with the 15% in international violence and how this country is perceived in one war after another. We need to make statement that we need Department of Peacebuilding now.” (Harpreet Sandhu, Richmond) “This bill was written before Trayvon Martin [was killed] and before some of other massacres we’ve seen in last few months. These massacres just remind us that the time is now for us to take a position on this … I know the legislative analyst has said this bill has a 1% chance of passing in this Congress – is that a reason for us to take no position? I don’t think so.” (Igor Tregub, Berkeley) Read all the details in the full report... The Peace Alliance P.O. 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