Coleen Rowley and John Conyers to speak about Department of Peace

[goodhue]

THE PEACE ALLIANCE

Newly announced speakers for the
Department of Peace Conference!
Sept 10-12 2005
Washington D.C.


~ TIME Magazine "Person of the Year"
Coleen Rowley

~ Congressman John Conyers

******************************
Coleen Rowley

In January of 1981, Coleen Rowley was appointed a Special Agent with the
FBI and initially served in the Omaha, Nebraska and Jackson,
Mississippi Divisions. In 1984, she was assigned to the New York Office
where, for more than 6 years, she worked on Italian organized crime and
Sicilian heroin drug investigations. She also served three separate
temporary duty assignments in the Paris, France Embassy and the
Montreal Consulate.

In 1990, Coleen was transferred to Minneapolis where she assumed the
duties of Principal Legal Advisor (which later became "Chief Division
Counsel").

When Coleen Rowley was an FBI agent in Minneapolis, her office got a
lead just three weeks before 9-11: A known Islamic extremist named
Zacarias Moussaoui had paid $8000 in cash for lessons to fly a Boeing
747. Rowley's team arrested him and wanted a warrant to search his
laptop computer but Rowley's superiors at FBI headquarters said "no."

After 9/11, when it became clear that more could have been done, Rowley
wrote FBI Director Robert Mueller a letter pointing out that "no one
will ever know" the impact the computer search would have had calling
his defense of the agency a "rush to judgment to protect the FBI at all
costs." She testified in a Senate hearing a few weeks later. She was
chosen by TIME magazine as one of their Persons of the Year in 2002.

Coleen retired from the FBI in December 2004 and is now running for
congress.

******************************************
Congressman John Conyers

Congressman Conyers is a co-sponsor of the Dept. of Peace legislation.

Having entered the House of Representatives in 1964, Mr. Conyers is the
second most senior member in the House of Representatives and was
elected by his congressional colleagues to lead the Democratic side of
the pivotal House Committee on the Judiciary. In addition to its
oversight of the Department of Justice (including the FBI) and the
Federal Courts, the Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over
copyright, constitutional, consumer protection, and civil rights
issues. Congressman Conyers was also a member of the Judiciary
Committee in its 1974 hearings on the Watergate impeachment scandal and
played a prominent role in the recent impeachment process, giving him
the distinction as the only Judiciary Committee Member to have served
on both panels.

Congressman Conyers is also one of the 13 founding members of the
Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and is considered the Dean of that
group. Formed in 1969, the CBC was founded to strengthen
African-American law makers ability to address the legislative concerns
of Black and minority citizens.

In Mr. Conyers' 35 years in Congress, some of his major accomplishments
include: the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, the Motor Voter Bill
of 1993, the Martin Luther King Holiday Act of 1983, the Alcohol
Warning Label Act of 1988, the Jazz Preservation Act of 1987, and was
the driving force behind the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Congressman
Conyers also played a pivotal role in the push to draw attention to the
Downing Street memos this year.

Learn more and register now!
http://www.thepeacealliance.org/events/sept_conf_05.htm

[MsUSA]

1. I think Dennis Kucinich was the first person I heard mention

a Department of Peace in his 2004 stump speeches. Fantastic idea.

[goodhue]

5. Yes, Kucinich introduced bill in April 2003.

Here is list of initial co-sponsers at that time (during the 108th Congress):

April 8th, 2003 Mr. KUCINICH (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. RAHALL, Ms. LEE, Mr. CLAY, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. FARR of California, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. STARK, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. WATSON, Mr. FILNER, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. VELAZQUEZ, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HONDA, Mr. OWENS, Mr. EVANS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. HOLT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. WATERS, and Mr. SCOTT)

http://www.dopcampaign.org/read_bill.htm

It was previously introduced during 107th Congress as well, and will be re-introduced this September during the 109th Congress.

The idea to establish a U.S. Dept. of Peace is not new, however, having been proposed in various forms throughout our history.

[goodhue]

6. George Washington introduced a Department of Peace bill in 1793

George Washington introduced a Department of Peace bill into Congress in 1793. The African American freeman Benjamin Banneker, a brilliant astronomer, mathematician and surveyor of the future Washington, D.C. wrote in his 1792 Almanac about a Department of Peace to “balance” the Department of War. Banneker’s friends, like Dr. Benjamin Rush and Thomas Jefferson liked the idea. Yet 210 years and 146 bills later, we still have no Department of Peace and no US Peace Academy.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced a new DOP bill to Congress July 11, 2001. Two months later, 9/11 shattered that vision. In April, 2003, Kucinich reintroduced HR 1673. It is the first federal bill to emphasize nonviolence—or Freedom from Violence as a Human Right—for avoiding and handling interpersonal and global crises.

[HootieMcBoob]

2. Does anybody know what district Rowley is running in?

We need more people like her. I heard her speak briefly with Thom Hartman a while back but didn't catch what part of the country she is running for congress in.

[goodhue]

4. MN's 2nd District

Incumbent in republican John Kline.

http://www.coleenrowley.com/

[HootieMcBoob]

8. thanks n/t

[goodhue]

3. Also Patch Adams, Walter Cronkite, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Azim Khamisa . .

http://www.dopcampaign.org/events/conf/05conf_bio.htm

[goodhue]

7. kick for Conyers

[faithnotgreed]

9. another mighty love kick for mr conyers

and one for ms rowley of course

[eridani]

10. And for Mr. Kucinich as well.

:kick:

[faithnotgreed]

12. and a true kick for dennis too

[goodhue]

11. Rowley going to Crawford to join Sheehan

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5563795.html

[goodhue]

13. kick

[Independent_Liberal]

14. Kick!