Posted by bsirratt on 03/28/09

• Be Precise!  You are not the only one writing; they have to file them somehow.  Keep your letters to one main topic so that attention is directed appropriately.  Not to worry, though - there is no limit to how many letters you can write.
• Be Professional!  No matter how brilliant your ideas may be, an "ain't" or "like, totally" might just lose the reader.  You don't have to write like an English major, but you might want to keep in mind that this is a business letter.  You are addressing your employee.  Don't lose the content in the clutter.
• Be Polite!  As frustrating as it may be that the government is...well, you know, "These policies are fascist in nature" will be met with much more acceptance than, "DIE, YOU FASCIST PIG!"  Attack the issue with reason and facts; treat the individual with the respect that you want in return.
• Be Persuasive!  "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." - Galileo Galilei.  Do not become intimidated.  You know what you have to say and why it is important.  Pass that wisdom along!

Posted 03/28/09 Mike in Virginia Fredericksburg, VA

Good suggestions. I would add "Be concise." A three page letter, no matter how brilliantly reasoned, just isn't going to get a full reading. I try to keep my letters to two medium length paragraphs. That isn't long enough to fully develop the arguments, but is normally enough to get the point across.

Posted 03/28/09 bsirratt Farmington, AR

Very true! Being the grammar snob that I am, I shoot for three paragraphs (intro, body and conclusion), but it really needs to fit on one page. Thanks for the reminder!

Posted 03/28/09 TruthSaga San Jose, CA

I've only been calling in and petitioning.. perhaps a small paragraph letter is in the making? bsirratt - I require your services. ---- I really never thought they would read everyones letters, big or small. I've always assumed that 100,000 petitions would have a stronger effect.

Posted 03/29/09 bsirratt Farmington, AR

TruthSaga- I can't seem to find it now, but somebody interviewed a few Congressmen and found that they do at least skim letters. I'm sure they have staffers and such who do most of the reading, but I think most reps will tell you that letters matter.

Posted by bsirratt on 05/10/09

I feel like jumping up and down- Rep John Boozman of AR District 3 is one of the 143 co-sponsors for HR 1207- "Audit the Fed"! If you live in his district, send him a quick, "THANK YOU!"

Posted 05/10/09 Caleb Kinley Hot Springs, AR

One down, three to go. Hoping this week Congressmen Ross, Snyder, and Berry sign on as well.

Posted 05/12/09 TruthSaga San Jose, CA

Congrats!!

Posted by bsirratt on 04/22/09

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/21/proposed-heavy-restrictions-internet-
freedoms/

Yet another, "legislate now, define later" bill witha new controlling force is making its way through Congress.

"

The days of an open, largely unregulated Internet may soon come to an end.

A bill making its way through Congress proposes to give the U.S. government authority over all networks considered part of the nation's critical infrastructure. Under the proposed Cybersecurity Act of 2009, the president would have the authority to shut down Internet traffic to protect national security.

The government also would have access to digital data from a vast array of industries including banking, telecommunications and energy. A second bill, meanwhile, would create a national cybersecurity adviser -- commonly referred to as the cybersecurity czar -- within the White House to coordinate strategy with a wide range of federal agencies involved."

Posted by bsirratt on 04/17/09

In Fayetteville, AR ("We Love the HOGS, But We Hate PORK"), we had roughly 1500 folks turn out for the Tea Party. It was strictly non-partisan with no group showings, and it paid off! We had a 30 ft scroll behind a statement to be sent to Little Rock- it was filled up with signatures well before the event was over. The speakers were fantastic and included some Ron Paul campaign coordinators that I would love to meet. Unfortunately, my kids were sick, so I could only participate in a bit of it.

How was your TEA?

Posted by bsirratt on 04/15/09

From http://www.dailypaul.com/node/89675

http://www.govtrack.us/co...

A sweeping government policy for all new births in the United States has just passed the House of Representatives and is now headed to the Senate. The Mother's Act, if passed, will mandate that all new mothers be screened by means of a list of subjective questions that will determine if each mother is mentally fit to take their newborn home from the hospital. Just imagine that after your child is born, you are told that you can't take them home since a multiple choice questionnaire wasn't answered correctly. Just imagine being told that the only way you can take your child home is if you or your spouse goes into treatment or on anti-depressants which we know causes psychosis, delusions, and even homocidal thoughts. It just doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, this bill is on a fast track--No public debate, no public disclosure of the broad impact on our society and that is why we need you to act now!

The Mother's Act violates our Constitutional right to privacy and your right to liberty and it is just outright dangerous. That is why we need you to help stop this. We urgently need you to call and email each Senator on the HELP Committee and tell them you STRONGLY OPPOSE the MOTHER'S ACT and that you are OUTRAGED that there was NO public debate or disclosure on the impact this would have on our society as a whole.

Send a letter by going here: http://salsa.democracyina...

Please call the following Senators on the HELP Committee and tell them that you want the Mother's Act to die in committee.

Lisa Murkowski, R: 202-224-6665, AK
John McCain, R: 202-224-2235, AZ
Christopher Dodd, D: 202-224-2823, CT
Johnny Isakson, R: 202-224-3643, GA
Tom Harkin, D: 202-224-3254, IA
Pat Roberts, R: 202-224-4774, KS
Edward Kennedy D: 202-224-4543, MA
Barbara Mikulski D: 202-224-4654, MD
Richard Burr, R: 202-224-3154, NC
Kay Hagan, D: 202-224-6342, NC
Judd Gregg, R: 202-224-3324, NH
Jeff Bingaman, D: 202-224-5521, NM
Sherrod Brown, D 202-224-2315, OH
Tom Coburn, R 202-224-5754, OK
Jeff Merkley, D 202-224-3753, OR
Bob Casey, D 202-224-6324, PA
Jack Reed, D 202-224-4642, RI
Lamar Alexander R 202-224-4944, TN
Orrin Hatch R 202-224-5251, UT
Bernard Sanders, I: 202-224-5141, VT
Patty Murray, D, 202-224-2621, WA
Michael Enzi, R, 202-224-3424, WY

Thank you so much for caring enough to call and take action! Remember "We The People" are in charge!
Respectfully,
Sheila Matthews
Cofounder www.ablechild.org

Posted 04/15/09 C00kieM0nster Oxnard, CA

Rofl - This has Octomom written all over it. That something like this is even introduced is flatly immoral. Eliminate the money, and you eliminate a big part of the problem.

Posted 04/15/09 Caleb Kinley Hot Springs, AR

This is beyond ridiculous. No wonder people believe we're moving toward socialism/communism.

Posted 04/15/09 Elysiumboy Billericay, United Kingdom

How the frigging hell are they going to know whether a woman will make a good mother just after birth. There's only about 3 million things she has to experience before anyone gets the answer to that question. If that goes through without the masses kicking up then we might as well forget it. Obama could shoot them point blank in the face and they'd still say he did it for the greater good (how sick am I of hearing that saying).

Posted 04/17/09 bsirratt Farmington, AR

Well, my simple answer is to stay out of the hospital (barring emergency) in the first place. :) However, it does make me a bit concerned about what might transpire if you do plan a homebirth and wind up in an emergency transfer. I hope the attitude toward midwifery does not escalate to make them question my judgement in that case.

Posted 04/21/09 johdan texarkana, AR

I can't belive this. It is like 1984 is playing out. A test after child birth to evaluate parental fitness. What kind of questions? Do you support gay marraige? If not you can't be Miss America or a parent? We are headed down a bad road folks. This why I am taking the time to get involved

Posted 04/21/09 Elysiumboy Billericay, United Kingdom

The problem is, Bsirratt, unless you are a mother you cannot say if that is the simple answer. Understandably, women get very scared when in labour so their first instict will be to surround themselves with professional medical staff and scream blue murder in her fellow's earhole. Meanwhile, some dick sits there with a budget and must come up with results or else he or she is out. What starts off as some PC bullshit ends up in interrogations because the pressure mounts to bring success to the scheme. Talk about finding the weakest moment to hit the mother with a hundred questions; they are so screwed up that extremism (it's more like weirdism) makes tame their manipulation for the socialist cause. 1984 is right at the heart of the matter! Wells knew just as the American forefathers did.

Posted 04/23/09 Elysiumboy Billericay, United Kingdom

I see you are a mother then I take it you know of the fear I'm speaking of? The set back every time boils down to a reliable system; we can boycott the few little carrots they provide us, but they will not stop the taxes they steal. You will know Bsirratt, that many of your friends may be too worried for the stress of birth at home. It just goes to show they will turn anything into their little sideshow of creating the perfect society. If they are to interview her in the hospital after the birth it must happen quite quickly after birth. The extremities of socialism will figure big in the child to mother department if we don't cut them back soon. Divide and rule is a classic way for governments to gain control because the masses turn against each other with prejudices like the health concious against the smoker or the drinker or the eternally undecided debate of abortion. Governments know the people grow used to rules or conditions we are constantly subjected to. An honest government would walk in and wipe out those rules immediately replacing them as theoretically he already knows what the problems are because he has plugged the answers to the them in his campaign. Obama doesn't have the answers and a man like Kennedy who began to expose them ended up dead (I heard they even cried in Britain when it happened). It didn't matter what party he represented, he was the man who may well have got it right.