U.S. Department of Peace?

Hi Everyone,

Here's one for ya! I recently had a discussion (a
short one) with a professor who "professes" at a
prominant university in the Bay Area. After this
professor spoke for several minutes, critisizing the
Bush Administration for Imperialism, he then said that
since there is a Department of War, he believes there
should be a Department of "Peace."

I asked this professor if he was serious and he said
"yes." I asked him how he could be serious when, if
you look at the track record of the U.S. Government's
foreign policy, the wars that it gets us involved in,
and it's attack on civil liberties within this naton,
why he thinks we should now trust this same government
to be in charge of a Depatment of Peace? I then asked
this professor who would pay for this Department of
Peace and what the constitutionality is of the
government to create such an entity.

His response was that the Constitution gives the
government the authority to create as many departments
as it wishes, he said he believes that government
needs to be much "bigger," and that we, as Americans,
don't pay enough in taxes and should be paying much
more! Can you believe this!!!

I asked him what the consequences would be if some
working-class American decided he had enough and
didn't want to pay taxes to support his idea of a
'Department of Peace' and he said, "Well, then they
would go to jail." The professor then said that he
wasn't here tonight to debate taxes, and several
people who were listening to our discussion cut me off
and said, "Next question." I then said to this
professor that listening to him makes me wish I never
received a college degree.

I really can't beieve that there are people out there
like this, especially professors who are supposed to
be 'educated.' Anyone have any comments on this? I
think the people around us listening to our discussion
were college students, and I think they supported what
he was saying. If the majority of a population believe
stuff like this, and if students in college agree with
professors who think this way, where do we really
stand as Libertarians? I think I'm just looking for
some logic from some logial people? Thanks.

Dave Barker.