8/30/2026 An Explanation and Open letter to Senator Moran (R) Kansas, in Response to the Peace Building Meeting Held 8/25/2026
Since my time serving in the military, I have been a firm believer that war only creates more war. Since that time I have simply noticed more and more of the same behavior from our government, war making. I, I assume like many of you, feel disempowered to affect any actual change on the direction we find ourselves going as a country and world. But I felt a calling to do something. Exactly what and exactly how, I did not know.
In March of this year, I attended a Kingian (of Martin Luther King Jr.) non-violence training, at the beautiful first church of the brethren in Wichita, Kansas. This beautiful holistic peace center training provided me with the framework in which to focus my frustration and move forward in an actionable manner. It was hard to convey all of the beautiful points and lessons that were taught during this course. Briefly, it simply described philosophy an actionable steps taken by Martin Luther King Jr.'s amazing work during the civil rights movement. Absolutely beautiful stuff. For those interested in more information specifically on Kenn and nonviolence principles and training, I have provided the following link to what I feel is a good starting point for education.
Thekingcenter.org
During this training, I met a large number of absolutely amazing individuals, who had shown up to actually do the work. The work of standing up, and making a better world. One of these individuals was Laura Dugan, an amazing woman, grandmother, mother, activist, and writer. She invited me to a meeting with a group of activists local to her, a part of the Heartland Friends meeting. These individuals were working to petition their local, elected officials, specifically, Senator Moran, to redress grievances associated with the care government provides to its veterans, with an ultimate goal of advocating for a shift in government direction, from war to peace. As soon as I met with the group, the first time, I was ready to go and provide my wholehearted support towards their efforts.
They had already had one meeting with the office of Senator Moran prior to my joining and we're in the planning stage for an additional meeting with his office. I jumped in with my pre-existing flavor of performance art and writing, and my newly learned nonviolence skills.
I drafted a open letter to provide to the senator's office, which was my previous blog posts content. On August 25 2026, the follow up meeting was held, which I attended and provided my own personal flare to the exchange.
Still learning how I can best use my skills, but I think performance art is certainly one of them. When my time to speak came, the first thing that I did was play an Audible tone from my computer at 4000 Hz, as loudly as my computer would go. I did this in response to one of the issues that concerns this group, the VA is intent to discontinue disability benefits for tinnitus and sleep apnea. The 4000 Hz is very similar to the actual tone that my tinnitus creates in my hearing 24 hours a day. I immediately saw the spokesman from the senator's office, lean in and could visually observe his difficulty hearing and comprehending what I was saying. I played the tone for 19 seconds before turning it off and informing him as as well as the rest of the group exactly what the noise was, and why I had played it.
I think understanding the impact of some of these things on individuals ability to function normally in day-to-day activities is an important thing to understand. If you've not experienced tinnitus, I encourage you hop on YouTube find that 4000 Hz test tone, and play it for yourself as loud as you can, see how long it takes you before you want to turn off that noise. And then recognize for individuals with this actual condition that this noise lasts 24 hours a day.
After this, I made a brief statement and support of demilitarization and a refocusing of our nation's efforts towards peace building. The following is a recap of this meeting, and a response/critique of some of the more notable issues that I found troublesome during this meeting.
As with all my work, this is released under creative commons for free use. Please share this letter anywhere you feel it may be beneficial. And if you would like to join in on this advocacy work, we are looking for veterans, family members, anyone desiring a more peaceful world. All of us have special skills that we can bring to the table, and the more of us that are at the table the more powerful and skilled this team will be. Please reach out to me with the contact form at the bottom of the page and I can connect you in with the group has a hole. I hope to hear from you soon.
The Open Letter follows.
“To whom it may concern (that probably should be everyone),
I'm writing this to provide a recap and statement in response of the meeting, facilitated by Heartland Friends with a Mr. Zamarla, I'm not quite sure of his official title, “community liaison/spokesman?” for Senator Moran R KS. My first, question/concern, Why are we not able to meet without actual elected officials and instead are forced to meet with an employee of his. When are our voices important enough that individuals we have elected will hear them personally? The meeting was held on (8/25/2026), was attended by Mr. Zamarla, representing Senator Moran and seven community members, two attendees participated via zoom. The purpose of this meeting was to hold our representative accountable for their actions, as it relates to the feelings of this nation’s support of its veterans and perhaps more importantly, to advocate for a disinvestment in the military industrial complex and reallocation of resources towards peace building efforts of our nation.
This meeting was a rescheduling of the previous scheduled meeting that Mr. Zamarla canceled stating that he had “fallen ill” and was unable to attend. While attempting to reschedule with Mr. Zamarla, we began by providing dates that our team was available to meet. Mr. Zamarla did not acknowledge the dates provided to him, and provided alternate options that were not in line with the noted availability of our team. This meeting was scheduled to start at 4:00 PM local time, Mr. Zamarla did not arrive until approximately 4:06, stating that he had “been hung up on a last minute phone call.”
With his lack of acknowledgment of our availability while attempting to reschedule and the delay in the initiation of our scheduled official business, I feel as if this behavior displays a lack of respect and a disregard for the time, energy and availability of the constituents that he is being paid with with public tax dollars to facilitate. I personally do not find this behavior to be in line with the expected behavior of individuals acting on behalf of our government with the purpose of supporting and representing the interest of the public, not its own.
Upon his arrival, Mr. Zamarla was apologetic for his late arrival and acted in a generally peaceful and respectful manner. However, the first issue raised with Mr. Zamarla was our intent to record the meeting for the purposes of ensuring our ability to keep accurate notes of our interactions with those acting in representation of our public officials. Mr. Zamarla objected to our recording, stating "it was their policy" to disallow recording of such interactions. In regards to this stance, I have objection.
Kansas has codified an individual’s right to record interactions in which a single individual consents to the recording. It is what is known as a "One Party Consent State". Essentially, this means that as long as one party is aware and consented to the recording of an interaction, it is legally protected behavior to do so. Furthermore, as individuals and activists working to hold our officials accountable for their actions, and report these interactions back to the general public, our desire to record is protected under the first amendment of the constitution.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
In courts of all levels, from high to low, it has continuously been reaffirmed that the recording of Public officials engaged in official government business is protected behavior under the first amendment.
With an understanding of these two pieces of legal framework, I find it incredibly disturbing that these individuals have a policy in place that conflicts with and limits the rights of the people to exercise these legally protected behaviors, these Civil Liberties. I find it disturbing that the individual policies of these individuals do not affirm the legal, ethical and moral reality of the situation, that the rights of the people come first. This policy, I feel, is a clear display of this organization’s, or individual’s disregard toward the very thing they are sworn to protect, the Constitution, and instead, with no legal backing, serve to protect the isolated interests of individuals who are supposed to be servants to the people. I find this policy stance and behavior to be frightening and quite frankly absolutely unacceptable.
My group began working through the prepared and shared agenda. The first issue that we began addressing, that we received immediate pushback from Mr. Zamarla on, was our desire to rectify what we believe to be an injustice, the Veteran’s Health Administration’s intent to discontinue VA disability benefits for Tinnitus and Sleep Apnea, and that this change in policy is being supported, albeit in a roundabout way by the "take care of veterans act". The verbiage of this act states that any money saved from these cuts to veteran benefits, shall remain in the VA budget and allocated to veterans in another manner.
In my eyes, I see this stance to be, "yes we are robbing Peter to pay Peter, and since we are Peter, we are taking the funding from Peter, it won't actually negatively affect you. Unless you happen to be Peter". We are Peter. I find the stance to be misguided, arrogant, ignorant, and repugnant.
In an attempt to de-escalate the stance of my group, Mr. Zamarla stated that “there is a large misunderstanding around these changes, and that all of the opposition to these changes comes from this misunderstanding. The misunderstanding is that these changes will affect effect all VA disability claims for Tinnitus and Sleep Apnea. When in fact, only new VA disability claims, and not existing disability claims will be affected". The idea that we should simply let it be, because it won't affect us individually, but only our children, and our grandchildren's ability to receive adequate compensation for the disabilities they've received while serving this country, is obtuse, and once again repugnant.
Maybe this is the difference between soldiers, veterans, and politicians. We, soldiers and veterans, live by a code. "Leave no man behind" we stand by that, and have repeatedly put our lives on the line to ensure the safety, security and continue thriving of our fellow man. It would seem, however, that the individuals who hold the stance of these officials would live by a code or something along the lines of "as long as it only hurts them, and not me, fuck them". Simply disgusting.
But I find even the optimism of the notion that was relayed to us, that existing benefits wouldn't be affected to be dissonant with the observed behaviors. This change to disability ratings, initiated by a regulatory change by unelected bureaucrats, is going into effect with no opposition from our actual elected representatives. To be clear, I understand the division of power means that our elected officials do not have direct actionable steps to change the course of this action. But I further understand that their power does, indeed rest within their voice, either in opposition, or support of these changes. They who not voiced opposition to these changes. Given this reality, I find it hard to believe that the same officials would then later show opposition for further changes in the same vein. It's the old "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me". Previous behavior is the number one predictor within humans for future behavior. This is not to say the humans cannot or do not change their behaviors, it is, however, a seldom occasion that change is initiated without the individual receiving resistance, or consequences to their previous behaviors. Let us be resistance, this opposition, the consequence. If we let these officials strip these earned compensations from one group, eventually they will do the same to all.
One of the sentiments that was repeatedly conveyed by Mr. Zamarla while working through our agenda, was the notion "realistically that's not going to happen". This opinion I descent from. Although I do hear this sentiment repeated over and over by a large number of our elected officials.
The history of humanity displays the multitude of tasks we have completed through immeasurable difficulties. We have created vaccines that have resulted in the preservation of life to the tune of millions, if not billions. we have created oral, visual and written language, connecting the isolated minds of humanity, allowing me to communicate these thoughts and expressions accurately to you today. We have domesticated fire, a primal element, that has increased, not only our comfort, but our ability to survive and thrive in the most vast reaches of our world. We have created electronic devices able to perform functions in a similar manner as the human mind, often with greater efficiency and accuracy. We have domesticated, the wind, harnessing it to lift humanity to the skies through flight. And we used this ability of flight to allow man to leave our world. We have landed astronauts on our satellite moon.
Yet, these men in charge of our government think our requests for a balanced budget that does not steal entitlement, is unattainable. These individuals think that peace is an unattainable goal. But what history has shown us, is the only tasks that humanity cannot complete are those that he is not willing to try to achieve. So let's be clear about what his statement actually means, "I am not willing to try". We have not tried, $1.5 trillion dedicated to war and the fallout, with a generous estimate of 5 billion dedicated towards peace, does not represent a whole hearted attempt. It represents cowardice. The cowardice to step away from the known, and create something new.
So at the end of it, this is what we demand of our elected officials, to observe the evidence and the failures of their past actions, to have the courage of honest self assessment, to have faith in their own capacity to create something new, something better. We demand these elected officials look beyond their own reputation, esteem, prestige, and pocketbook. We demand these elected officials place the needs of humanity, the individuals they were elected to represent, before their own personal gain.
I have been careful with the verbiage I have used, "elected officials", I did not use the term “Leaders”. That definition does not fit the behaviors of these Elected officials. It seems that these individuals more and more, fit the definition of followers. And in my estimation what we need is leaders. We need individuals who have a new vision, and are not simply compelled to follow the existing status quo. We need individuals who are willing to step up and stand up against these behaviors that hold so much evidence of their failures. We need teachers, we need healers, we need lovers, we need these individuals at the front. And have no doubt we are here. And any resistance does not dissuade our move to the front, resistance provides our bodies minds and souls the stimuli needed to strengthen our resolve. To become beyond resilient, we become Anti-fragile. We are strengthened and empowered by this resistance, it adds the energy necessary to complete the tasks at hand. This is a monumental undertaking, no doubt. This is what we ask of ourselves, and you, to be a monument of leadership, progress and peace. Those that oppose us may be large, strong, and protected, but to quote one of my favorite children’s movies, A Bug’s Life, “The ants always outnumber the grasshoppers.”
In peace and love,
Dustin Cunningham
Any quotes attributed to Mr. Zamarla are paraphrased.
This essay is licensed under creative commons 4.0 BY– SA
Please feel free to disseminate wherever you see fit. If you are reading this, you are the resistance, let our peaceful voice be our weapon of choice.”
Here you will find a downloadable version of this letter for easy sharing, please share any where you see fit. “silence is violence, when it is rooted in compliance” Rising Appalachia.
Peace and love my friends,
Dustin Cunningham
©Dustin Makes LLC 2026 CC BY SA 4.0