The Minneapolis-St. Paul chapter of Veterans For Peace was acknowledged in the Congressional Record on Thursday April 18th by Congressman Keith Ellison who acknowledged something else as well: the illegality of war.
Inspired by a book written by VFP associate-member David Swanson titled When the World Outlawed War, Veterans For Peace and allies in the Twin Cities have been organizing efforts to commemorate the work of Frank B. Kellogg this coming August 27th. That will be the 85th anniversary of the signing of the Kellogg-Briand Pact in Paris, France -- a treaty that remains the supreme law of the land under Article VI of the U.S. Constitution and which bans war.
Larry Johnson of Veterans For Peace in Minnesota explained: "Steve McKeown, in our group, is one of the few people around who knew anything about the Kellogg-Briand Pact, and he got us going on it after David's book came out. As veterans, for peace, we are intimately aware of the maxim, 'First casualty of war is the truth', so if even most Minnesotans know nothing of Kellogg's Nobel Peace Prize and the still binding international law, what else are they not telling us?"
Here is Congressman Ellison in the Congressional Record on April 18th:
"Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Kellogg-Briand Pact. One of the busiest streets in Minnesota's state capital of St. Paul is Kellogg Boulevard. This street runs along the Mississippi River and was named after the only person from Minnesota to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize. Frank B. Kellogg was a Department of Justice prosecutor who was elected President of the American Bar Association and then served as a U.S. Republican Senator from Minnesota, followed by an appointment as U.S. Secretary of State for President Calvin Coolidge from 1925 to 1929. Kellogg was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1929 for his work in co-authoring the Kellogg-Briand Pact that made war illegal, renounced the use of war, and committed nations to the peaceful settlement of disputes. The Kellogg-Briand Pact--also called the Pact of Paris, or the General Treaty for the Renunciation of War--was signed on August 27, 1928 by the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan, and several other countries. The Pact prohibited the use of war as 'an instrument of national policy' except in matters of self-defense. President Coolidge signed the Pact on January 27, 1929 and the U.S. Senate passed it by a vote of 85 to 1. On July 24, 1929 President Herbert Hoover declared the Pact in force. The Kellogg-Briand Pact provided the legal basis for prosecuting Nazi officials at Nuremburg and is still U.S. and international law, with 84 state signatories. Mr. Speaker, some of my own constituents are currently planning a commemoration of the Kellogg-Briand Pact to mark its 85th anniversary and to recognize Frank B. Kellogg. The Minneapolis-St. Paul chapter of Veterans for Peace is taking part in a peace essay competition organized by the West Suburban Faith-based Peace Coalition. The competition asks the question, 'How can we obey the law against war?' The best essays will be sent to members of Congress. I urge this body to welcome these essays and give them due attention. Everyone must do their part to help eliminate war and promote the cause of peace."
More information on the essay contest is available online.
Veterans For Peace is a national organization, founded in 1985 with approximately 5,000 members in 150 chapters located in every U.S. state and several countries. It is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization recognized as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) by the United Nations, and is the only national veterans' organization calling for the abolishment of war.
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Contact: Mike Reid mikereid@veteransforpeace.org 314-766-4657; David Swanson david@davidswanson.org 202-329-7847; Larry Johnson larryjvfp@gmail.com ; Steve McKeown s.h.mckeown@hotmail.com