On Monday, July 24th, Kathy Kelly from Voices for Creative Non-violence (VCNV) joined representatives from Near West Citizens for Peace and Justice (NWCPJ) to deliver petitions with over 800 signatures to the office of third district Congressman, Daniel Lipinski. The petitionscall for Lipinski and all Congressional leaders “to represent the will of the majority of Americans” including those in the third district and to support or sponsor legislation to end “all U.S. military involvement in Iraq with all deliberate speed.”

Laurel Lambert-Schmidt, one of the founders of NWCPJ, handed the petitions to the intern at the front desk. Lambert-Schmidt had informed Congressman Lipinski's aide about the 11:00am delivery scheduled and had asked for confirmation or another suggested time, but received no response. Neither the aide nor Rep. Lipinski were in the office.

While delivering the petitions, Lambert-Schmidt asked that Rep. Lipinski support a timeline for withdrawal of troops similar to the Feingold/Kerry resolution in the Senate and to oppose further appropriations for the war in Iraq.

Kathy Kelly from VCNV also left her card with the intern. Kelly was Lipinski's religion teacher while he attended high school at Nazareth Academy. She had hoped to speak with Lipinski about his support for maintaining troops in Iraq indefinitely.


NWCPJ is a newly organized peace group with members in a half dozen western suburbs. The group has succeeded in placing an advisory question on troop withdrawal from Iraq on the November ballot in Riverside and Berwyn.