Posted by Robert Weir, district leader

First, a correction. Recently, I wrote that four out of the last six U.S. communities to adopt a supportive DoP resolution are in Michigan. Actually five of the last six communities are in Michigan. They are: Lansing on October 1, Kalamazoo on October 15, Manistee County on October 23, the City of Manistee on November 20, Traverse City on November 26, and Los Angeles, California, which represents 1.2 percent of the entire U.S. population, on December 7.

This is impressive. Now, let me strongly encourage DoP members in other SW Michigan communities to seek resolutions within their cities and counties of residence. Let's particularly try for the major metropolitan areas, especially St. Joseph, which is Fred Upton's home community, Native American tribal councils, counties, institutions and civic groups.

I believe these campaigns should originate with DoP members within their communities. However, I will offer advice regarding what we learned in our communications with the City Commissioners in Kalamazoo, and I am willing to speak to various government groups, if necessary.

Second, below is a letter that I composed to Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow in response to their recent correspondence. Background: After the City of Kalamazoo adopted their resolution to support the DoP legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, we sent a copy of that resolution, along with a cover letter, to Fred Upton, Senator Levin and Senator Stabenow. Fred Upton has not yet replied. The Senators both replied with a form letter that contains simplistic statements, such as: "On February 5, 2007, Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced The Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act" and other basic information that is common knowledge to most of us in the DoP campaign.

Honestly, I am miffed that our correspondence regarding a major accomplishment – the Kalamazoo resolution – received such an impersonal response. And I wrote the letter (see below) to our U.S. Senators, asking them to take this DoP campaign and legislation seriously.

I will bring this letter to our monthly DoP meeting, Thursday of this week, December 13, and ask that persons who attend the meeting, if they are so inclined, also sign it.

We will also have a piece of correspondence to sign and send to Congressman Fred Upton.

For those of you who are unable to attend the meeting, please know that this is the type of citizen lobbying activity that we are doing to bring this Department of Peace and Nonviolence campaign to the attention of our representatives in Washington.

If you've not been to a DoP meeting before, please know that you are welcome at any time. This meeting in December will consist of 30 minutes of business and an hour of socializing over punch and cookies. I hope to see you there.

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December 13, 2007

Dear Senator Carl Levin and Senator Debbie Stabenow,

We are persons involved with the U.S. Department of Peace (DoP) campaign who attended our monthly meeting within Michigan's 6th Congressional District on December 13, 2007.

Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding the Kalamazoo City Commission's adoption of a resolution to support Department of Peace legislation (H.R. 808) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The City of Kalamazoo sent a copy of that resolution to you, as did our political liaison persons within the 6th District. Our cover letter, dated November 8, 2007, was addressed to 6th District Congressman Fred Upton and copied to each of you, our U.S. Senators

Unfortunately, it appears that neither you nor someone on your staff adequately read the resolution or the cover letter. We base this determination on the fact that the replies that came from your respective offices were form letters – nearly identical to letters we received from you previously – that contain simplistic statements about the DoP legislation that anyone already associated with the campaign already knows.

Clearly, the person who sent your replies failed to recognize the seriousness of our request when, in that letter of November 8, we wrote: "Senators: Please offer your replies also, preferably with your pledge to introduce a Department of Peace and Nonviolence legislation in the Senate."

Senators, since October 1, 2007, six governmental units in the U.S. have adopted resolutions that express their support for the Department of Peace legislation. Five – count them – of those communities are in Michigan. They are: Lansing on October 1, Kalamazoo on October 15, Manistee County on October 23, the City of Manistee on November 20, Traverse City on November 26, and Los Angeles, California, which represents 1.2 percent of the entire U.S. population, on December 7.

A total of eight governmental units in Michigan have adopted DoP resolutions. The others are Hamtramck, Detroit and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

Ours is not an idle request, Senators. We, and others around the nation and state, are serious when we ask that you contact Congressman Dennis Kucinich, the author of H.R. 808, and take all the steps necessary to introduce companion Department of Peace and Nonviolence legislation in the U.S. Senate.

With this many communities in Michigan – second only to California – having adopted a supportive DoP resolution, it is only appropriate and logical that Michigan's two Senators become paramount champions for the Department of Peace campaign within the U.S. Senate.

Senators, please know that we share this correspondence with over 500 voting members of our campaign in Southwest Michigan. So, please, set the form letter protocol aside and reply from your heart. Thank you.

Robert M. Weir

Department of Peace District Leader in Michigan's 6th Congressional District

C: Michigan DoP State Coordinator, Linda Henderson; Congressman Fred Upton; Congressman Dennis Kucinich