"When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending."

Thich Nhat Hanh


Peasce to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

2nd Annual Vegetarian Potluck Tuesday, August 10th!!

Join us for our Second Annual Vegetarian Potluck on Tuesday, August 10th at 6:30 pm.
There will be lots of healthy, delicious vegetarian food to enjoy as we think about the impact of the consumption of meat in the US. Bring a dish to share or make a donation.
We will view the talk Ocean Robbins gave at last year's Peace Alliance Conference in DC. Ocean founded YES (Youth for Environmental Sanity) when he was only 16!
See you Tuesday!

Stopping Nukes, Stopping Wars

Phyllis Bennis will be the keynote speaker at the annual Hiroshima/Nagasaki event on Thursday, August 5th at 7:30 pm at the Zion Lutheran Church, 143 Albany, Ferndale
(3 blocks south of W. Nine Mile, west side of Woodward). We are cosponsoring this event. The indoor program will be followed by a Peace Walk in downtown Ferndale.

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

Thich Nhat Hanh


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Compassion is like a sense of caring, of concern for others’ difficulties and pain. Not only family and friends, but all other people, even enemies. If we think only of ourselves and forget about other people, our minds occupy a very small area and even tiny problems appear very big. When you develop concern for others, your mind automatically widens; your own problems, even big ones, will not be so significant.

Dalai Lama

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

FILM: COUNTDOWN TO ZERO

It is predicted that this must see movie will have a similar impact on the nuclear threat as The Inconvenient Truth did for the environment. The film features an array of international experts and statesmen and ends with a powerful message: no country should have nuclear weapons! Showing at the Royal Oak Main Art theater with discussion following the 4:30 p.m. shows on Friday & Saturday July 30 & 31.
To register for the event and get FREE tickets, go to the
website of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice: www.icpj.net/countdown

Acceptance of suffering does not mean we should not do everything in our power to solve a problem whenever it can be solved. However, acceptance of the suffering that we are already undergoing helps us not to make it worse with the additional burden of mental and emotional suffering. For example, there is not much we can do about old age. Far better to accept our condition than to fret about it.

The Dalai Lama


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Peace does not mean no more conflict among humanity. Conflict is bound to happen, so in order to keep peace in spite of conflict, the only realistic method is the spirit of dialogue, respecting the other side and understanding their viewpoint. We need to try and solve problems in a spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood, in a spirit of reconciliation and compromise.

Dalai Lama

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

First Step’s Domestic Violence Work Topic of Citizens for Peace July Meeting

Learn about the work First Step is doing in our community to help end domestic violence on Tuesday, July 13th at the Citizens for Peace meeting. Carmen Dominguz, a social worker at the Redford and Plymouth offices of First Step, will discuss the prevention domestic violence.

First Step believes that prevention is a key component to ending violence in our communities and manages innovative violence prevention and intervention programs. Since 1978 First Step has been working in 35 communities of Wayne County to assist families dealing with domestic violence. In 2007 – 2008, First Step staff and volunteers touched the lives of over 15,493 people. Prevention of domestic violence through education, advocacy and appropriate intervention is their ultimate goal.

Support the efforts of First Step by coming to the meeting and finding out how to help reduce domestic violence in our community. The meeting begins at 7 pm at Unity of Livonia, located at 28660 5 Mile Rd.

Within you there is a stillness
and a sanctuary
to which you can retreat at anytime
and beyourself.
~Herman Hesse~

Teachers who inspire
realize there will always be rocks in the road ahead of us.
They will be stumbling blocks
or stepping stones'
it all depends on how we use them.

~Unknown~

Peace to You an Yours with Love
Jerry

The secret of attraction is to love yourself. Attractive people judge neither themselves nor others. They are open to gestures of love. They think about love, and express their love in every action. They know that love is not just a mere sentiment, but the ultimate truth of the heart of the universe.

Deepak Chopra


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
~Mother Teresa~

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

The U.S. Department of Peace: A Brief History and Bright Future
by Antony Adolf



George washingtonJohn F. Kennedy, that great orator if not practitioner of peace, once said: "Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures."

But what most Americans don't realize is that this gradualness as manifested in the initiative to create such "new structures," a federal U.S. Department of Peace to coordinate and fund peace work nationally, has been part of the American Dream since the country was founded.

I was recently invited to speak on peace activism, peace professionalism and peace journalism (no, the three aren't mutually exclusive) at the Midwest U.S. Department of Peace Conference in Detroit. The experienced vitality of the attendees who came in from six states and dozens of cities re-energized me, and I returned home reminded that there are a lot of people who work proudly and effectively for peace despite still being in the shadows of most media. To be among them, sharing stories and ideas, was a privilege I am unlikely to forget, and with a bright future ahead, neither will the history of which we are a part.

Not only are there a lot of Americans working for peace right now, there has been ever since there has been Americans. Peace isn't just a fad that came and went with hippies in the 60s; it is part of the very fabric of this country, if also one we often forget or are made to. In a powerful presentation by the charismatic President of Citizens for Peace, Colleen Mills, our host along with sponsor The Peace Alliance, a perhaps surprising brief history of the U.S. Department of Peace initiative was given.

1783: George Washington called for a proper “Peace Establishment”.
1792: Benjamin Banneker and Dr. Benjamin Rush call for an “Office of Peace” with peace education in all schools.
1936: Dr. Frederick Kettner publishes essay “The Need for a Secretary of Peace”.
1943 -1968: Eighty-eight Congressional bills are introduced calling for a Department of Peace in the House or Senate.
1961: President John F. Kennedy launches the Peace Corps.
1969: Senator Vance Hartke (IL), and Rep. Seymour Halpern (NY), introduce a Bill for a Department of Peace with a Peace Academy.
1984: The U.S. Institute of Peace created (its beautiful new building is currently under construction).
1993: President Bill Clinton launches Americorps.
2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009: Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH), and Sen. Mark Dayton (MN) introduce Bills calling for a Department of Peace.
2010: The U.S. Department of Peace is named in Change.org's "Ideas for Change in America."

Of particular note is that peace has always been a bipartisan issue insofar as both Republicans and Democrats have been involved in the U.S. Department of Peace initiative throughout its long and distinguished history. The initiative is also global, and with successes in a few countries already. Will Americans lead or follow when it comes to peace in the 21st century?

As campaigning for the November elections picks up steam, we can each do our part to make some of it push the gears of the U.S. Department of Peace forward. We're in good company, there's lots of us if you look, and it's part of our and peace history, too.


Antony Adolf is the author of Peace: A World History

Photo of Mares and Chuck's grandchildren after putting together the Peace Puzzle we received at the Midwest Conference.

Date of doing the puzzle-May 18th, 2010

Brennan, Colin, Audrey with Grandpa

Peace
Do you think peace requires an end to war
Or tigers eating only vegetables?
Does peace require an absence from your boss, your
spouse, yourself?
Do you think peace will come some other place than
here?
Some other time than now?
In some other heart than yours?
Peace is this moment without judgement.
That is all.
This moment in the heart-space where everything
that is, is welcome.
Peace is this moment without thinking that it should
be some other way
That you should feel some other thing
That your life should unfold according to your plans.
Peace is this moment without judgement.
This moment in the heart-space where everything
that is, is welcome.
- Dorothy Hunt

Peace to You and Yours
Jerry

If we can change ourselves, we can change the world.
We are not the victims of the world we see.
We are the victims of the way we see the world.

Dennis Kucinich

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Citizens for Peace Meeting June 8th

Join us for our monthly meeting as we write postcards to our Congressman requesting support of the Youth Promise Act. If you have not signed the petition yet, please do at http://www.youthpromiseaction.org/. We will also hear a report from the National Student Peace Alliance Conference from Meredith, an officer of the Student Peace Alliance at Schoolcraft. This important bill is ready to pass in the House. We need more Senators to support it. It could pass this year! We need your help to make it happen!
See you at Unity of Livonia (Five Mile between Middlebelt & Inkster) at 7 pm!

“Practice watering seeds of joy and peace and not just seeds of anger and violence, and the elements of war in all of us will be transformed,” says Thich Nhat Hanh. You water seeds of anger and violence by deciding to stay angry and act violently. You water seeds of joy and peace by deciding to be peaceful, no matter what is happening to you. Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart, and then respond in a nonviolent way

Thich Nhat Hanh.

Peace to You and Yours withLove
Jerry

Hometownlife Newspapers Reports the 2010 Midwest Peace Conference

Thank you Hometownlife Newspapers for the very informative feature article in today's (May23, 2010) newspapers on the 2010 Midwest Peace Conference. The supporting photos depict the dedicated supporters of a Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heal that has crushed it."

Mark Twain


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Midwest Peace Conference Was a Huge Success!

Livonia was the destination of choice as Peace emissaries from five Midwestern states and throughout Michigan attended the Midwest Regional Department of Peace Conference hosted by The Citizens for Peace. The May 14 – 16 weekend event, held at Madonna University, attracted more than 100 advocates of Peace and non-violence from all walks of life.
With the conference theme being “Making Peace a Priority: Vision; Experience; Practice,” conference organizer Colleen Mills created a weekend program that exuded passion and humor with several presentations evoking tears from more than one member of the enthusiastic audience. “We wanted a balanced program with hands on activities and useful ideas that they can return home with” said retired Detroit teacher Colleen Mills, President of the Citizens for Peace.
Highlight of the conference was auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton’s thought provoking and comprehensive analysis of the consequences of war and the history of peaceful overtures in the U.S.
A surprise guest was Congressman John Conyers, head of the House Judiciary Committee, who came unannounced Sunday, and heard Bishop Gumbleton. Colleen Mills reminded the Congressman of the Citizens for Peace request that he work to get a “Peace and Non-violence” category added to the Library of Congress. He brought the house down when he promised to have Bishop Gumbleton meet with President Obama.
Focus of the opening Friday night activities was the need for legislation to prevent youth violence – The Youth Promise Act. Polly Anna Burnette-Egan, president of the Schoolcraft College Peace Alliance, recognized as the most active group in the nation, reported on the National Student Peace Alliance Conference in Austin, Texas. Hers as well as that of two other club officers’ transportation was funded by Citizens for Peace.
Colleen Mills opened Saturday’s program with the overview of the Department of Peace legislation. Other activities and topics ranged from “Students Empowering Students” by Northville’s Kevin Szawala to “Sharing - Idea Exchange” led by attorney Dennis Mazurek of Redford, who was responsible for initiating the first City Council endorsements for the Department of Peace, now numbering more that 38 nationwide.
A special video from Congressman Dennis Kucinich, author of the Department of Peace Bill, was viewed.
Restorative Practices, a technique of using peer influence in “Conferencing Circles” with adult facilitators, as a means of combating bullying behavior, was graphically demonstrated by Livonia resident Rosemary Doyle and a group of volunteers who played the roles of involved sixth graders and school personnel.
Chicago based journalist and Tribune Media Service Editor Robert Koehler led the group in putting their passion for peace into words. Another Chicagoan, Antony Adolf, author of the book “Peace: A World History”, discussed how we can prepare for a “Department of Peace.” Illinois State Coordinator of the Department of Peace Campaign, Karen Johnson, explained the Peace Alliance’s Strategic Plan.
Popular meditation teacher, Kathy Henning of Livonia, closed the main part of the day with a meditative experience.
The presentation of the Upper Penninsula’s Sue Belanger was by definition a unique “hands on” activity. She supplied all those attending with a 108 piece “Global Peace(s)” Puzzle, a depiction of earth from outer space. Then, working in teams of 6-8 members, the audience completed the puzzle as Sue narrated techniques for peaceful teamwork.
Westland participant Jeanette Scott described the conference as “awesome!” A Missouri PHD who attended with two of her students vowed to put into practice immediately her newly learned peace methods. One student said “This was a transformative experience for me. My life will never be the same!”
Another Livonia resident observed people from Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and all over Michigan will be talking about the wonderful hospitality shown here, as well as peace.

Mourning and suffering -- with both experiences there is a loss or absence of something valued or precious. In suffering there is the absence and a rejection of the absence. Such rejection always involves a story or thought about the loss. In mourning, there is the absence held with the preciousness of that which is held dear. There is deep sadness, but it is held with an awareness of the presence of fullness of what is precious.

Robert Gonzales

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Congratulations 2010 Essay Contest Winners !

High School Division

First Place Winner: Amany Killawi

Second Place Winner: Zeinab Bazzi

Third Place Winner: Doaa Al-Howaishy

All three winners attend Star International Academy

College Division

First Place Winner: Polly Anna Burnette-Egan, Schoolcraft College

Second Place Winner: Christa Mann, Davenport University

Third Place Winner: Rebekah Terry, Davenport University

Cash Awards

First Place Winners: $250

Second Place Winners: $100

Third Place Winners: $ 50

Citizens for Peace Meeting Highlights the Work of Riane Eisler

The keynote presentation Riane Eisler gave at the National Department of Peace Conference last year will be viewed at the Tuesday, May 11th Citizens for Peace meeting at Unity of Livonia at 7 pm. The theme was “From Domination to Partnership: Building Foundations for Peace”.
As a young girl, Riane and her family narrowly escaped Nazi Germany. Her exposure to extreme violence led her on a quest to change the violence motivated by domination. Dr. Eisler is a social scientist, attorney, and author whose work on cultural transformation has inspired both scholars and social activists. She has been a leader in the movement for peace, sustainability, and economic equity, and her pioneering work in human rights has expanded the focus of international organizations to include the rights of women and children.

Dr. Eisler is internationally known for her bestseller The Chalice and The Blade: Our History, Our Future and her newest book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics – hailed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as “a template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking.”
In her talk, Dr. Eisler says “we must shift from the focus on family values to valuing families.” She believes the real wealth of a nation is caring for its people and nature. The emphasis on creating “caring economics” will be clarified in her talk.
The meeting is open to the public. It is an opportunity to learn from a brilliant woman who has dedicated her life to research and promotion of a better world. For more information call Colleen Mills at 734-425-0079.

There are no mistakes
There are no coincidences
All events are blessings given to us to learn from

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Midwest Regional Department of Peace Conference Agenda
Our conference begins Friday night at 7 pm.
We hope everyone can come early to register and enjoy our continental breakfast on Saturday & Sunday so we can begin our conference on time. Also, note that there will be an Open Mike all three days so we can share our favorite quotes, inspirational thoughts and creative ideas!
Friday, May 14
6:00 pm Registration
7:00 Welcome – Description of Conference - Colleen Mills
7:10 Getting to Know You – Meet & Greet
7:35 Film – “Garden of Life”, Message from Azim Khamisa
8:00 Report from the Student Peace Alliance Conference - Polly Anna Burnette Egan
8:20 Change.org. - Author Antony Adolf
8:40 Open Mike

Saturday, May 15
8:00 am Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:00 Welcome & Poem (Common Sense)- Colleen Mills
9:15 The Power of Peace- Colleen Mills
10:00 Peace: A World History - Antony Adolf
10:30 Break
10:45 Restorative Practice Circle - Rosemary Doyle
11:45 Sharing - Ideas Exchange – Dennis Mazurek
12:00 Lunch – Working on Sharing Ideas
12:45 Sharing of Ideas - Reporter from each table.
1:15 Students Empowering Students - Kevin Szawala
2:00 Writing your heart's desire for peace - Robert Koehler
2:45 Break
3:00 How to use the Peace Puzzles - Susan Belanger
3:10 Peace Alliance Strategic Plan - Karen Johnson
4:20 Present Moment Meditation - Kathy Henning
4:45 Closing Remarks
5:00 Dinner on your own
7:00 “The Gift of Peace” Play
8:00 Open Mike

Sunday, May 16
8:00 am Registration & Breakfast
9:00 Welcome – Colleen Mills
9:15 Bishop Gumbleton’s Words of Peace
10:15 Taking it Home - Practicing Peace
11:15 Global Peace(s)– Sue Belanger
12:15 Open Mike
12:30 Final Thoughts

The People Speak
This is a link to the information I sent to The People Speak website. You can listen to the sixteen minutes that I got to talk with the host Basima. It was fun being on the radio! Click Here

Peace,
Colleen

If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life, sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

The People Speak!

I have been invited to talk on the radio show The People Speak Tuesday, April 6th. This show will be archived. Go to the website: www.thepeoplespeakradio.net/.
to listen. It is very exciting to hear about public media with a focus on the issues that are important for us. I contacted the radio host, Basima Farhat, after reading the wonderful article Linda Chomin wrote about her in the Observer. The title of the article was "Livonia woman extends hand in peace"! She sure did! She invited me to talk on her show. Thank you Basima!
Peace, Colleen

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it

Rumi

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

CITIZENS FOR PEACE ESSAY CONTEST AWARDS CEREMONY!

Everyone is invited to the Peace Essay Contest Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, April 13th at Unity of Livonia, 28660 Five Mile Road, Livonia, 48154. Our winners are Polly Anna Burnette-Egan from Schoolcraft College, and Christa Mann and Rebekah Terry from Davenport University in Livonia; and Amany Killawi, Zeinab Bazzi, and Doaa Al-Howaishy from Star International Academy in Dearborn Heights.

We will all enjoy hearing the winning essays read by the authors. Kevin "Mr. Peace" Szawala will be our guest speaker. John Wilson will sing his song "Bridges". We will have a reception with our favorite cookies. Let's celebrate "The Season for Nonviolence" together!

Forgiveness will not be possible until compassion is born in your heart

Thich Nhat Hanh


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Love


We are members of one great body, planted by nature in a mutual love and fitted for social life. We must consider that we were born for the good of the whole.

Seneca

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Panel Discussion on Active Nonviolence
We will have a panel presentation on the work of Gene Sharp, the authority on active nonviolence.
Join us for a powerful discussion on how we can commit to nonviolence as individuals and as a group. The meeting begins at 7 pm at Unity of Livonia. Bring a friend!

Diversity is a good thing
Prior to understanding evolutionary emergence our differences were looked as problems to be solved.
But from an evolutionary standpoint we can begin to see that our differences are the solutions to our problems.
It is almost like an ecosystem, the greater the bio diversity, the healthier the ecosystem can be.
The same is true in consciousness.
When we value our differences we can see there is a collective intelligence that is possible.
When we honor our differences we can find a conceptual common ground so that we can cooperate across ethnic and religious differences in service for a just, healthier and thriving future for the entire planet.

Reverend Michael Dowd

Peace to You andYours with Love
Jerry

A Weekend to Remember!!!
Midwest Regional Department of Peace Conference
Making Peace a Priority: Vision; Experience; Practice

Madonna University - May 14 - 16, 2010!

Conference Highlights:
Vision of Peace: The Peace Alliance Strategic Plan with Lynn McMullen
Peacebuilding Circles (Restorative Practices) with Rosemary Doyle & Jerry Mehler
Puzzles with a Purpose with Sue Belanger
Communicating Your Heart's Desire for Peace with Robert Koehler
Present Moment Meditation with Kathy Henning
Students Empowering Students with Kevin "Mr. Peace" Szawala
Report from the National SPA Conference with Polly Anna Burnette-Egan
Message of Peace with Bishop Thomas Gumbleton

The conference begins on Friday, May 14, at 7 pm. with a "Getting to Know You" reception.
We will view and discuss Azim Khamisa's short film "Garden of Life".
Saturday will start with a continental breakfast at 9 am. A buffet lunch will be included. The main conference will end at 5 pm. We will meet again at 7 pm for the "Reader's Theater" production of the original play "The Gift of Peace".
Sunday we are honored to have Bishop Thomas Gumbleton share his Message of Peace.

You can download the registration form in the Current Events section on the right.
The first 150 to register will receive a free Global Peace(s) Puzzle
Call Colleen for more information - 734-425-0079.
Also, go to www.dopeace.ning.com. to see the invitation to the conference on the national activism website.

Love Me


´Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it.”

A Swedish Proverb


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Forgiveness entails the authentic acceptance of our own worthiness as human beings, the understanding that mistakes are opportunities for growth, awareness and the cultivation of compassion, and the realization that the extension of love to ourselves and others is the glue that holds the universe together. Forgiveness… is not a set of behaviors, but an attitude.

Joan Borysenko

Peace to You and Yours
Jerry

Peace: How Sweet it is!
Our February 9th meeting has the theme "Love & Peace"! For the third year, Kathy Henning will lead us in a meditation to connect with our inner peace. Reverend Dennis will talk about bringing that inner peace into the world to create more love & peace in our lives. We will have our business meeting following our two presentations. Happy Valentine's Day!
Peace, Colleen

The world is changing and the physical barriers are down now. It’s time for the emotional barriers to go down. And what better place to start than school?

Laura San Giacomo

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Our greatest wounds are caused by separation, isolation, and loneliness. But there is not a lack of love on our planet; there is simply a lack of courage to show it.

author unknown

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

2010 Citizens For Peace Meeting Topic Calendar

Click Here

Activities and Accomplishments

There are many dedicated members working for the creation of a cabinet level Department of Peace as well as for the creation of a culture of peace. Through a variety of activities, we are able to offer opportunities that appeal to those with many different interests, talents, and know-how.

Click here to read "Citizens For Peace Activities and Accomplishments 2009".

Love

Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.”

Marianne Williamson

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

What shames us, what we most fear to tell, does not set us apart from others; it binds us together if only we can take the risk to speak it.

Starhawk

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Forgiveness

What we need to forgive in others may be something in ourselves that we have hidden from our awareness. Forgiveness is the most powerful healer of all.

Gerald Jampolsky

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Congratulations Rosemary!
Rosemary Doyle was honored at the American Association of University Women's "Salute to Women" Luncheon on Saturday, Dec. 12th. Several members of the Citizens for Peace attended the luncheon to support Rosemary & hear her acceptance speech. Colleen Mills nominated Rosemary because of her work as the Education Director of the Citizens for Peace. The AAUW selection committee was impressed with the accomplishments spearheaded by Rosemary.

When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see him, you will see yourself. As you treat him, you will treat yourself. As you think of him, you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in him you will find yourself or lose yourself

A Course In Miracles

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Education or War?

Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education. Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both. -Abraham Flexner, educator (1866-1959)

Poverty & Plenty: Reflections on Haiti

Join us for the December 8th Meeting. Kim Redigan and Therese Terns will give their personal account of their trip to Haiti where they attended the graduation of the first rural university in Haiti. It will be informative & inspirational. Bring your friends!

PEACE

Peace is more than the absence of war, violence, or conflict. Peace is a presence – the presence of connection.
-Louise Diamond

Only when peace lives in each of us, will it live outside of us.
-Deng Ming Dao

For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

All works of love are works of peace.
-Mother Teresa


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Albert Einstein

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Celebrate!!

Join the celebration of the 6th Anniversary of the Citizens for Peace on Tuesday, November 10th at Unity of Livonia at 6:30 pm. We will have a potluck, a silent auction, games, and music by Kriya! We will be celebrating six years of incredible work to create a culture of peace. Bring your friends & family to celebrate with us.

TEARS

There is sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and unspeakable love.

Washington Irving

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Mother Teresa


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

LOVE

It is easy to love someone you love, but to love your enemy is to know true love

Mahatma Gandhi.


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Men and Women

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr.

The woman’s mission is not to enhance the masculine spirit, but to express the feminine; hers is not to preserve a man-made world, but to create a human world by the infusion of the feminine element into all its activities.
Margaret Thatcher

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

The best and most beautiful things in the world can not be seen, nor touched...... but are felt in the heart.
Helen Keller

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Citizens for Peace Participate in the Global Oneness Project

The Global Oneness Project is exploring how the radically simple notion of interconnectedness can be lived in our increasingly complex world. Since 2006, they've been traveling the globe gathering stories from creative and courageous people who base their lives and work on the understanding that we bear great responsibility for each other and our shared world. They provide their videos in DVD format for free to organizations that want to deepen their understanding of these vital issues.

On Tuesday, October 13, 2009, at 7:00 pm at Unity of Livonia, come join us as we watch a few short videos and take this opportunity to deepen our experience with the different facets of oneness we are exploring as a community. Vincenza Mueller, Citizens for Peace Vice President, will lead the discussion with questions provided by the Oneness Project in their DVD Conversation Guide.

We hope that by showing the diverse ways oneness is expressed—in the fields of sustainability, conflict resolution, spirituality, art, economics, indigenous culture, and social justice—we will be inspired to create solutions to personal and community challenges from our own lived understanding of oneness.

What is oneness?

Oneness is a fundamental aspect of human experience. When a mother puts the needs of her family before her own, when we recycle because we are concerned about our planet’s resources, or when we instinctively treat others as we would be treated ourselves, we are relating to life with an understanding of our interdependence and the responsibilities that come with it.

Oneness has informed spiritual, artistic, and indigenous traditions for thousands of years. And today we are becoming conscious of oneness through sciences, like ecology and physics, and through technology.

It has been shown again and again through the films’ subjects that when people shift their focus away from personal fulfillment towards the needs of the community – be it local or global – innovative and life-sustaining solutions are born. We see this potential reflected all around us, and we hope to encourage others to recognize and participate in this emerging awareness so we can work together to help create a world that consciously reflects the values of oneness: freedom, compassion, abundance, and respect for all life.

For more information about the Citizens for Peace, contact Colleen Mills, President, at 734-425-0079. For more information about the Global Oneness Project, visit their web site: http://www.globalonenessproject.org.

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children.

Nelson Mandela


Peace toYou and Yours with Love
Jerry

Join us for the Friday Night Film Series at Madonna University's Kresge Hall.
Donation: $5.00. All films start at 7 pm.
"Unnatural Causes: How Inequality Can Make You Sick"
October 9
Increases public awareness of our socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequities
in health and their human and financial costs.
"American Dream, American Nightmare" October 16
Reveals the poor treatment many legal immigrants suffer at the hands of the
INS, offering first hand accounts from the victims themselves.
"Los Trabajadores - The Workers" October 23
Brings to life the vivid contradictions that haunt America's dependence and
discrimination against immigrant labor.
"Rethink Afghanistan" October 30
Focuses on the key issues surrounding this war. Directed by Robert Greenwald.
This MCHR Film Series will be at different times & places. Go to www.mchr.org.

Yesterday our family attended the One Peace Event, enriching an already magnificent day. We were given this gift ,"The Mender Pledge" which we recited in unison, with all who attended. The energy was spectacular, miraculous. So it is with this energy that I share it with you, to share with others. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did and that through it you will experience the beauty of your wholeness and the connectedness and fullness of our oneness.

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

THE MENDER PLEDGE

I believe in inclusivity.
I believe that our lives are inextricably linked one to another. We cannot wage war against anyone without waging war against ourselves. Therefore, I will practice inclusivity with myself, my family, my community, the natural world, and all others. I will actively work toward the goal of an inclusive society, a world that works for all.

I know that we are One.
Therefore, I will give to you what I want for me. I know there is enough for all.


I want everyone to win.
Therefore, I will work to resolve all conflicts to every party’s satisfaction.

I want acceptance.
Therefore, I will accept myself for who and what I am, I will accept you for who and what you are, and I will accept all others for who and what they are. Even if I resist your behavior, I will accept you as a Child of God, a part of the Divine.

I want no harm.
Therefore, I will not harm myself or you or any others, by thought, word, or deed.

I want forgiveness.
Therefore, I will forgive myself, I will forgive you, and I will forgive all others.

I want to be free.
Therefore, I will not let others dominate, control, or manipulate me. And I will not dominate, control, or manipulate you or others.

I want peace.
Therefore, I will be peaceful with myself, with you, and with others.

I want love.
Therefore, I will love myself, I will love you, and I will love all others.

In today’s highly interdependent world, individuals and nations can no longer resolve many of their problems by themselves. We need one another; we must therefore develop a sense of universal responsibility. It is our collective and individual responsibility to protect and nurture the global family; to support its weaker members, and to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live

The Dalai Lama



Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Day After Peace Documentary

Angelina Jolie and Jude Law are featured in the Afghanistan documentary Day After Peace that will be shown at the monthly Citizens for Peace meeting on Tuesday, September 9^th at Unity of Livonia. The public is invited.

The creator of the 80 minute film, Jeremy Gilley, worked for years to establish and promote September 21^st as the United Nations International Day of Peace. Traveling to Afghanistan to spearhead a massive vaccination against polio on Peace Day is the ambitious effort highlighted in this inspiring film. The Day After Peace is a moving testament to the power of an individual and the perseverance of the human spirit.

Unity of Livonia is located on Five Mile between Middlebelt & Inkster. The movie starts at 7 pm. A $5.00 donation is appreciated. For more information call 734-425-0079.

Specific Directions for Entering the
SEASON FOR NONVIOLENCE ESSAY CONTEST

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes interpersonal violence in our communities and throughout the world as a major problem with costs in the United States estimated at $300 billion per year. The cost to victims was estimated at more than $500 billion per year. Combined, this is the equivalent to nearly 10% of our country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)(The Economic Dimensions of Interpersonal Violence, WHO, 2004). It is both a national and international challenge for people to resolve conflicts peacefully. It is this challenge that motivates the Citizens for Peace to sponsor this essay contest. We are happy to have you join us in this effort.

ELIGIBILITY: Michigan high school and college students.

CASH AWARDS: $250, $100, $50 each for First, Second, and Third Place in
both high school and college divisions.

DEADLINE: March 12, 2010

AWARD
RECEPTION: April 13, 2010, 7:00 PM (winners posted by April 1 on blog)

THEME: PEACEFUL RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE

FOCUS: Research violence in families, schools, or neighborhoods and how active
nonviolent action promoted cooperation, understanding, and/or reconciliation.


FORMAT: The essay should be no more than 500 words typed, double
spaced on 8.5” x 11” paper within the structure of the following
four parts:

1. Introduction: Your rationale for your thesis statement.
2. Body: The body of your essay should develop your position and include a)
description of the conflict, b) the nonviolent action, c) the barriers that
existed, and d) the outcome or results.
3. Conclusion: Your conclusion is the result of the analysis of your research
which supports your thesis and convinces the reader of your position.
Include your personal reflection on how this conclusion has impacted your
perspective on nonviolence as a pathway to peaceful relationships.
4. Sources: Include at least two sources from the Peace Bibliography.
The titles can be viewed at the Peace Collection link on Citizensforpeace11.blogspot.com. In addition, all sources must be listed and credited using a standard citation method. “Encyclopedias” are not
acceptable as sources. When using internet sources include author(s), title of work, internet address, and date information was accessed.

COVER PAGE: Complete the following Cover Page making sure that you and your parent/guardian sign (if age of student is under 18). Copy and attach the cover page to your essay before mailing.

QUESTIONS: Call 734-525-4326 or email arabdoo@earthlink.net

COVER PAGE

SEASON FOR NONVIOLENCE ESSAY CONTEST

THEME: “PEACEFUL RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE”


1. Please Print and attach a copy of this form to the front of your essay.
2. Signature of student required.
3. Signature of parent/guardian required. (If student is under 18)

NAME _______________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS____________________________________________________________________

CITY/STATE/ZIP_____________________________________________________________

PHONE: __________________________________EMAIL_____________________________

HIGH SCHOOL NAME__________________________________________GRADE_______

COLLEGE NAME_________________________________________LEVEL_____________

CITY WHERE SCHOOL IS LOCATED__________________________________________

TEACHER/INSTRUCTOR NAME_______________________________________________


Please read the following and sign.

I am submitting an original essay to the Citizens for Peace essay contest, (title) __________________
______________________________________,_as they honor the Season for Nonviolence. I
certify that this essay is my own work and that I have abided by all the guidelines and requirements of the contest. I understand that my essay will not be returned to me and will become the property of the Citizens for Peace to use at its discretion in activities related to the contest. I further understand that the judges’ decisions are final and that if I am selected as a winner of the contest, I will be available for a photo for a press release.

Signed_______________________________________________________Date__________________

Parent/Guardian signature______________________________________Date__________________
(if student is under 18 years of age)



Mail to: Citizens for Peace SNV Essay Contest
31648 Pembroke, Livonia, MI 48152

September 2009 Special Events

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12^th

^{WALK FOR PEACE Fundraiser}

^{Join this fun & fitness activity to raise funds to support the Peace Alliance and their work for a Department of Peace!}

^{Meet at St. John’s Episcopal Church at 10:30 am}

^{26998 Woodward Avenue (Woodward & Eleven Mile)}

^{The walk is 3 miles through Royal Oak}

^{Call Dennis Mazurek at 313-433-4466 or Mike Mc Evoy at 313-756-6270}

^{Sponsored by the MI Department of Peace Campaign}

^{www.thepeacealliance.org.}

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th

ONE PEACE Concert Fundraiser. Please join us for an evening of entertainment

and fun as local musicians showcase their talent and share their music. Proceeds go

toward the Sept. 19th ONE PEACE event, celebrating United Nations International

Day of Peace. Concert begins at 7:30pm @ Unity of Livonia. Come early and

browse the tables starting at 7 pm. Admission $10.00 at the door. For more info

visit: www.OnePeace.us

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

ONE PEACE celebrating United Nations International Day of Peace 1-4 pm.

"Creating a World that Works for All" with special guest speaker and author

Dr. Sharif Abdullah. Also, "insightful meditations", local poet Willowbei Eversole,

metro Detroit musicians, and more. All are welcome. Suggested attire logo-free whites.

Donations appreciated. Schoolcraft College VisTaTech Center, Livonia.

For more info and to reserve your seat on-line visit: www.OnePeace.us.

DoPeace- You Are Welcome to Join

What is DoPeace? It's a social networking site. In internet jargon web 2.0. It's a place to meet people who support and promote the Department of Peace legislation and other peace and nonviolent activities.

At DoPeace you can interact with others by posting photos and videos. And of course you can post your ideas and activities as well as comment on other posts. But if you prefer to read all the exciting activities that is happening across our great land and in other parts of the world that too is lots of fun.

Click here to see a overview of DoPeace. Remember all are welcome to join and it's free.

Forgiveness teaches us that it is possible to choose love over fear and peace over conflict regardless of the circumstances affecting our lives. We can choose to forgive rather than to hold on to our embitterment’s, grudges, and judgments. Foregiveness allows us to experience our wholeness our oneness with all of life. It opens our eyes to experience the light and the essence of love that we all are.

Gerald Jampolsky

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Our August Meeting is a Veggie Potluck

Bring your friends and a vegetarian dish to share to our Party on Tuesday, August 11th. at 6:30 pm. We will enjoy a vegetarian dinner and talk about the connection between our food choices and world peace.
The film Food Inc. is playing at the Novi Town Center Theater. It is a terrific documentary that makes you think about the fact that we vote 3 times a day with our food choices.

A TASTE OF MINDFULNESS

”Have you ever had the experience of stopping so completely,of being in your body so completely,of being in your life so completely,that what you knew and what you didn’t know,that what had been and what was yet to come,and the way things are right now,no longer held even the slightest hint of anxiety or discord,a moment of complete presence beyond striving,beyond mere acceptance,beyond the desire to escape or fix anything or plunge ahead,a moment of pure being,no longer in time,a moment of pure seeing,pure feeling,a moment in which life simply is,and that is-ness grabs you by all your senses,all your memories,by your very genes,by your loves,and welcomes you home,that is a taste of mindfulness.”

Jon Kabat - Zinn


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

New Members of DoPeace

Colleen Mills, Citizens For Peace President, and Vincenza, Vice President Citizens For Peace, have joined DoPeace. The DoPeace has certainly enhanced their organization with these promoters for peace and nonviolence.

To see their smiling faces and learn more about them, click on their names above.

Join us in August for these special events.

August 6 - Hiroshima & Nagasaki Comemoration at the 1st Baptist Church in Birmingham located at 300 Willits. Paul Gunter (Keith's brother) is the keynote speaker. His talk is "Proliferation and Pollution: Costs & Consequences". We are sponsors & will have a table.

August 7 - ONE, the Movie will be shown at Madonna University at 7 pm. Ward & Diane Powers will discuss their journey making this film. It is a fundraiser for the ONE PEACE event September 19th. at Schoolcraft College. Go to the website for more information: www.onepeace.us.

Empathy and Compassion for Others


Thich Nhat Hanh
As soon as you see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering, you will be ready to love and accept him. The idea of "enemy" vanishes and is replaced by the reality of someone who is suffering and needs our love.

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Martin Luther King Jr
Compassion, empathy and nonviolence help us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.




Peace to You and Yours with Love

Jerry

Martin Luther King Jr

Compassion, empathy and nonviolence help us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.

Peace to You and Yours
Jerry

Our July 14th meeting will start at 6:30 pm. The Dr. Wayne Dyer film, "The Shift" (formerly "Ambition to Meaning", will begin at 6:45 pm. "Are you ready to make the shift that changes everything? When will you find the joy, the peace, and the love that you came here to give and to receive?" Come view the film and be inspired. Bring your friends!

What is Peace

Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work, rather it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.


Author Unknown

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

Thanks Colleen for bringing this movie to me , to us

http://www.youtube.com/homeproject

Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

This Moment


This moment is it. You will never have it again. So don’t miss it. Don’t let an opportunity like this go by

Sufi poet Kabir


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

The latest edition of the MI Department of Peace Political Action Guide is available now. They will be available for purchase ($5.00) at our monthly meetings. Thank you to Ann Abdoo for writing the essay "Courageous Peace". She is sending the Guide to our president!

Join us at our monthly meeting to hear Amy Lange, Fox News investigative reporter, as she talks about homelessness in Detroit. Amy has won the Edward R. Murrow award for her work on homeless veterans. The meeting begins at 7 pm at Unity of Livonia (Five Mile between Middlebelt & Inkster).

LOVE

Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth, you owe me. Just think what a love like that can do. It lights up the whole world.

The poet Hafiz

Peace to You an Yours with Love
Jerry

The Citizens for Peace had the Peace Awards Ceremony at our April meeting. Our guest speaker, Linda Chomin, wrote a column describing the evening. We are very grateful for Linda Chomin's support of our activities, and her positive columns in the Observer. We will not be the only community members who will miss her informative and hopeful writing.
If you would like to read Linda's column click Here

Forgiveness

Forgiveness does not mean that we suppress anger; forgiveness means that we have asked for a miracle: the ability to see through mistakes that someone has made to the truth that lies in all of our hearts. Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness. Attack thoughts towards others are attack thoughts towards ourselves. The first step in forgiveness is the willingness to forgive.

Marianne Williamson


Peace to You and Yours with Love
jerry

“We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started... and know the place for the first time.”
“In my beginning is my end.”

T. S. Elliot


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

CITIZENS FOR PEACE ESSAY CONTEST RESULTS

The "Nonviolence as a Pathway to Peace" Essay Contest was initiated to promote the
Season for Nonviolence, Jan. 30-Apr. 4 as an ongoing memorial to Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi and their philosophy of nonviolence.

Because of your participation in this contest you and your family/friends are invited to attend the Awards Reception for the contest winners on

Tuesday, Apr. 14, 2009, 7-9:00 PM

Unity of Livonia

28660 Five Mile Road

Livonia, MI 48154 (n. side of Five, bet. Inkster and Middlebelt Rds.)

734-421-8782

This reception is open to the public as well with possible attendance of the Livonia Mayor, Jack Kirksey and State Senator, Glenn Anderson. The guest speaker is Linda Chomin, Health and Community Life Reporter for the Observer & Eccentric Newspaper.

The contest awards will go to:

$250.00 - Molly Fessler, Plymouth High School, Plymouth

$100.00 - Raja Al-Meraisi, Universal Academy, Detroit

$ 50.00 - Arthur Burse, Jr., Universal Preparatory High School, Detroit

$250.00 - Lauren Schwarz, Madonna University, Livonia

$100.00 - Annie W. Robbins, Washtenaw Community College, Ypsilanti

$ 50.00 - Kevin Edward Szawala, Wayne State University, Northville

CONTRATULATONS!!!

Rosemary Doyle, Education Director

Citizens for Peace Education Fund

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Peace to you and yours
Jerry

SALVATION LIES IN RADICAL FORGIVENESS


Our salvation lies in radical forgiveness, which is the commitment to the perception of each others innocence. We are all innocent, regardless of what we are displaying at the moment. The fact that someone is not displaying their innocence does not mean that it is not there. By affirming their innocence even when they are not showing it, you literally bring it forth. Or at the very least, even if they are not showing it, you can no longer be at the affect of their lovelessness, because you have decided to perceive something else.

Marianne Williamson from A Course In Miracles

Peace to You and Yours With Love
Jerry

COME ALIVE

Don’t worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.

Howard Thurman

Peace to You and Yours
Jerry

EveryONE is invited to our Citizens for Peace meeting on Tuesday, March 10th at 7 pm at Unity of Livonia. The topic is "Using Nonviolence to Create a More Peaceful World". I will share some information that I used in a presentation to the American Association of University Women at their convention last year. It will be a starting point for a group discussion on nonviolence. What a perfect way to celebrate the Season for Nonviolence! Please join us & bring your friends and family.
Peace, Colleen

SINCERE FORGOVENESS


Sincere forgiveness isn’t colored with expectations that the other person apologizes or changes. Don’t worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them. Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time.

Sara Paddison


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry

CAPACITY TO FORGIVE


We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.

Martin Luther King Jr.



Peace to you and yours
Jerry

EMBRACE THE UNKNOWN

When you feel a new impulse, an uplifting thought, an insight that you never acted upon before, embrace the unknown. Cherish it as tenderly as a new born baby. God lives in the unknown, and when you can embrace it fully, you will be free.

Deepak Chopra

Peace to You and Yours
Jerry

Frederick Douglas

It is much easier to build a strong child than to repair a broken man


Peace to You and Yours
Jerry

Love and Forgiveness

Love is the one main ingredient that holds us all together, Forgiveness is the means of removing emotional obstacles to the awareness of loves presence.

John Fetzer

Peace to You and Yours
Jerry

FORGIVNESS

Many people confuse forgiveness with exoneration. Forgiveness does not excuse someone from doing something wrong. It does not alleviate their guilt or lessen their transgression. Instead, forgiveness accepts the past as it was, embraces the present, and faces the future. Forgiveness is a strategy for you to become free of emotional baggage. Hate, fury, recrimination, and blame weigh us down. The ball and chain of old wounds tethers us to the past and limits our ablity to move forward with vitality.

Ira Byock

Peace to You and Yours
Jerry