Foreign Correspondence

[CoalTrain]

Thanks for the PM and the mini lecture on writing your congressman. I have founded two citizens grass roots lobby groups in my life time. Writing letters is important however there comes a point where they are not effective. For instances in one campaign Barbara Boxer in pretty direct [ but not exactly those words ] words told us to go to hell we were to stupid to make our own decisions and she was going to decide for us despite of the fact that 90 percent of the voting public in her district was against her position. Tens of thousands of letters were sent to her office. We were not counting them anymore we were WEIGHING them. She wrote a form letter telling us to eff off [ not her exact words but believe me it was the spirit in which it was meant ] and not to write her anymore on this issue. We got everyone to write in loud yellow felt tip pen UNACCEPTABLE
we mailed all those tens of thousands of letters back to them on the same day and timed sit ins and fax blitzs and shut down every California office she had. At one office we had the streets turned into a parking lot for four city blocks. About the time the media was making a bid deal of it she all of a sudden decided changed her mind.


THIS WAS ALL OVER JUST A MEDICAL ISSUE.

Trust me it will take more pressure to get us out of Iraq.

So you have sent letters and made phone calls. Good. Have you taken the next step and asked for a meeting [ a dozen people from your district is usually a good number ] with your congressman?