Peace Starts Here

I just received an invitation to a meeting of my local PDA (Progressive Democrats of America), and I thought up a speech that I would like to give at that meeting. So here it is:

Electoral Politics should be easy. They should be easy.

It is governing that should be hard, and easy too, if our elected officials go about it the right way.
As our world evolves we are constantly facing new problems, but with renewed purpose, focus, creativity, and participation from the community we can conquer these problems together.

As we include more people in the process it will be more successfull and fulfilling, and new ideas will emerge. I am talking about a new kind of politics (expound values).

It may be challenging, but it ought to be if we are giving it our best efforts.

I am reminded of the pin that I got for buying a book by two of the most popular Democratic bloggers; it said:

"Mom, Baseball, Apple Pie, and a Democratic Juggernaut!"

There's no limit to what we can do if we try to build a lasting peace.

And like any ideal Peace can be achieved, and it starts right here with you!!!


Please spread the word -Democrats stand for something.

I had to start somewhere

I'd thought about giving up blogging, because, frankly, I don't need to do it to feel satisfied; But then I got the idea for this blog, and I had to follow through. As the late Paul Wellstone would say:

Live the Life You Speak!

So, you see, I had to follow through with this. I didn't even know Paul Wellstone, yet his words speak volumes. His life has inspired me to live close to my values:

To try to be compassionate toward others,

To be honest and forthcoming in what I say, and how I live,

To be ready to move and to change as I age,

To be open to others and new experiences,

Charity--you may not love everyone that your with, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't treat them with a reasonable amount of respect.

Being open to the wonderment that inevitably sorrounds me,

The value of good hard work,

Appreciating the difference in perspective that one day can bring,

Trying to live in harmony with my neighbors,

Not to separate people between the bad and the good,

And: Good things Are for Sharing!!!

I don't consider myself a Quaker (at this particular point), but I do attend Quaker Meeting fairly frequently. It's one religion that doesn't try to convert you. You can be a Quaker and a Muslim. You can be a Buddhist and a Quaker, or a Quaker and a Jew. You can, in fact be an atheist Quaker and there's no conflict.

The reason that I don't consider myself completely converted to Quakerism is because I am not a pure Pacifist. I don't believe that war or violence are good, and I condone their use in the abstract, and in real-life situations. However, I believe that there are very rare instances where it becomes necessary to defend yourself with more than words; we have insticts that compell us not so much toward violence, but more more so simply toward reaction. Sometime one's environment or upbringing can be a factor. In some places like Somalia people learn to "kill or be killed--" this is not a good situation.

Violence leads to more violence unless we are taught to counteract it. And, violence should be resisted at all organizational levels that there are in human existence.

There have been successful peaceful movements, and unsuccessful peaceful actions. Peace can mean integrity or compromise. Some may consider peaceful anti-war demonstrations foolhardy, or naive, but I consider nonviolent demonstration to be one of the more noble forms of expression.

I feel it is our duty help bring the current military campaigns in the world to a safe and lasting end by and to prevent future wars, as well

If it is immoral to kill, then why do we raise armies and militias? Why have we sent countless men to kill men of other ethnicities and nationalities time after time throughout history? To show that killing people is wrong? Is there a better way?

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Please feel free to leave your opinions or comments posted here--after all I'm not a "one-man movement," but please try hard to be respectful and considerate to my other guests.

All for now,

DC Peaches

ps -I am looking for like-minded people to join me in posting on this blog. Please feel free to email me at peachesr03 at lycos dot com