Department of Peace vs. Bob Barr's war with the world...

February 1, 2002 8:02 AM

Department of Peace vs. Bob Barr's war with the world... I found this really funny, but even I question what a DOP could hope to achieve, any ideas in a realistic sense.
posted by bittennails (11 comments total)

Those of old enough can recall when there was a Department of War. Since, it has changed its name to Department of Defense. If we had a Dept of Peace, Bush would pick what big money-giving right-winger to head up the dept?
posted by Postroad at 8:46 AM on February 1, 2002

Um... hello? Reminding anyone of the Ministry of Peace? See Orwell's "1984".

"Well, lets see... how can we achive peace? How about wipe everyone who's not 'us' off of the planet? That'd do it!"

Department of peace indeed!

:-)
posted by SirNovember at 8:54 AM on February 1, 2002

First we get "Homeland Security" and now "Department of Peace". What's next, the Ministry of Information Retrieval?
posted by MrBaliHai at 9:16 AM on February 1, 2002

Oohh thats a good analogy SirNovember, if I remember correctly the Ministry of Peace dealt with war...So another government department to deal with issues of war, under the guise of peace...doublethink anyone.
posted by bittennails at 9:28 AM on February 1, 2002

"Did you know,'' interrupted the ghostly figure of Orwell, fixing MetaFilter with a stern look, "that Earth has developed a very slight eccentricity in its orbit?''
MetaFilter didn't and found the information hard to concentrate on what with all the noise and the imminence of death and so on.
"Er, no ... look,'' they said.
"Me spinning in my grave!''
posted by darukaru at 9:59 AM on February 1, 2002

Actually, these guys really did want a department of peace-promotion. (People may indeed, as rumored, have permission to read the items linked, although by custom it doesn't seem they often do.)

Barr may have been rather boorish and snarky in the way he responded, but that doesn't the grand assumptions the author of this page wishes them to imply real. And Barr may be the representative of his friend, but he is under no actual legal obligation to agree with everything his friend asks; and she's free to express her displeasure this November.
posted by dhartung at 10:04 AM on February 1, 2002

The Orwell responses are obvious. What percentage of America has read "1984" though? What percentage has even heard of it? In the post 9/11 sycophantocracy, who can argue with the "Department of Peace"?
posted by McBain at 11:14 AM on February 1, 2002

Just about everyone at my high school was made to read it. Animal farm, too (but sadly, not "Keep the Aspidistra Flying!")
posted by sonofsamiam at 12:00 PM on February 1, 2002

"Department of Peace" is as Orwellian as "US Patriot Act".
"Sycophantocracy" is now my new favorite word (replacing "snarky").
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:21 PM on February 1, 2002

We already have a cabinet-level department dedicated to preserving peace. Donald Rumsfeld runs it.
posted by coelecanth at 1:13 PM on February 1, 2002

The Orwell responses are obvious.

What about the Brazilian responses? I'm still waiting for Central Services to come over and fix my ducts. Have you got a 27B/6?
posted by MrBaliHai at 4:53 PM on February 1, 2002