Letters to Jake Series, Letter #9

By Donna ParkJuly 23, 20163 min read

Originally published on the CGS blog on July 23, 2016.

Dear Jake,

I love the attached picture of you and the twins all dressed for this year’s 4^th of July celebration! Our 4^th of July holiday honors the signing of the “Declaration of Independence” which put forth our belief that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Of course with three sisters you realize that in today’s world “men” doesn’t only apply to men but to all people !! Annette, Clair and baby Grace won’t let you forget that.

There is another part of American history that I like to acknowledge and celebrate—the idea of moving from a confederation of states, which the US was after our war of independence, to a federation of states which we are now. When the United States agreed to federate, the states agreed to stop solving their disagreements on the battlefield and instead take them to court. The “rule of law” is an important part of how all Americans are allowed to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I would like to take these same principles of federation and the “rule of law” and apply them now across the nations of the world. It is very possible for the nations of the world to come together to solve their disagreement in court instead of in war. The US has proved that this approach works and is a better way to protect the rights of all people on earth.

We are so very lucky that we do not have any ongoing wars fought here in the United States. It is hard for us to understand the horror of war and the death and destruction it brings to both adults and children. Almost 90% of people killed in war at this time are civilians, not soldiers, and include women and children. The US tries to help maintain peace, but unfortunately we often do that by the use of force, by sending our weapons and/or our soldiers. Violence creates more violence, and we are stuck in never-ending war. Rather than spreading our weapons of war, we should be spreading our solution of federation and the rule of law.

I am working hard in retirement to try to spread this idea among other US citizens. I want other parents and grandparents to join me in demanding that the US stop fueling the wars around the world with our weapons and our soldiers. I want to keep the soldiers safe and sound. We need to transform the United Nations from a loose confederation to a strong federation that relies on the “rule of law” to solve disagreements. This page on the GlobalSolutions.org website explains this idea in more detail under the heading “Embracing a United Federation of Nations”: http://globalsolutions.org/about/world-federalist-institute

Give my love to the twins and baby Grace. I look forward to my next visit.

Love, Gram

Donna Park

Donna Park spent more than 30 years working in the global pharmaceutical industry. She was the first data manager to receive the Career Achievement Award from the Biostatistics and Data Management Technical Group at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association. She has been successful in working across disciplines, countries, and companies to bring about organizational change and implement global systems with new standards and well-defined processes. After she retired, she decided to devote herself “to work for a democratic world federation to bring about world peace, eliminate nuclear weapons, protect universal human rights, and restore and sustain our global environment.” She is a past member of the Cincinnati Peace Committee sponsored by the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center and received the Margaret Fuller Peace Award in 2018. She is also an advisor to the Young World Federalists and received their Young At Heart award in 2021.