eoe-5.008 tools for personal activists (that's you & me): links to congress, advocacy groups & political parties

(LOS ANGELES, POSTED JUNE 19, 2005)

i'm being practical today. i was going to go draw a labyrinth in some deserted parkinglot, but will have to do it tommorow or this week and tell you about it then.

here are some important links for our own personal political activism efforts. i haven't found them tidily collected anywhere, so it's easier to gather up the information myself than to hunt for someone else's work. i will eventually turn this page into an updatable link list that's accessible from the index page. if you think of anyone or anything else that should also be inlcuded (except for a link to log cabin republicans--more on that in another post), let me know so i can add them.

personal political activism is a form of meditation. walking meditation. journeying. it is a discipline. it requires practice, focus, reflection, determination and body english. it is a qigong. more on that later too--just wanted to nail the topic down.

practice contacting your representatives. do a dry run. send you senator and congresspersons notes--email or hand written--asking them to support c2ea goals. snailmail missives get snailmail replies. here are drafts of my practice letters.

• federal government links
• useful unofficial sites to help you contact your rep
• aids/hiv gay & allied activist orgs
• political parties
• tips on contacting congress

(this is a very good tipsheet from augsburg college, though the writing is a bit sloppy. the tips were only available in a word document format. i have moved them to a html format and spruced them up a bit so they're easily accessible on the web.)

 

later

i am getting into the practice of writing my senators and congressmen.

here is a list of relevent campaign to end aids (c2ea) posts:

c2ea: journey to washington

tools for personal activists (that's you & me): links to congress, advocacy groups & political parties

c2ea: letter to senator boxer

c2ea: letter to senator feinstein

c2ea: letter #2 to senator boxer

c2ea: letter to congressman waxman on international needle exchange funding

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aids.org

beingALIVE la

the life group la

SHORT LIST

call for one hundred heroes

pcsl: emily

coming up: a series of poses on tattooed soiciety

responses to d-life's reader survey

response on jonathan's hiv blog: hiv/diabetes comparison thread

scrawls on the wall

TO RECENT POSTS

RESOURCES

text of eoe5-008 tools for personal activists (that's you & me): links to congress, advocacy groups & political parties © 2005 by richard kearns

text4

tips on contacting congress

from the center for global educaton at augsburg college in minneapolis

http://www.augsburg.edu/global/posttrip.html

do’s and don’ts • effective letter writing • making the most of a phone call

adapted from the latin american working group website: www.lawg.org

do's:

• do learn members' committee assignments and where their specialties lie.
• do identify the aide(s) that handle the issues and build a relationship with them.
• do present the need for what you're asking the member to do. Use reliable information.
• do relate situations in their home state or district to legislation.
• do, in the case of voting records, ask why the member voted the way they did.
• do show openness to knowledge of the counterarguments.
• do admit what you don't know. Offer to find out and send information back to the office.
• do spend time even when the member has a position against yours. you can lessen the intensity of their opposition, or you might even change their position.

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do’s and don’ts • effective letter writing • making the most of a phone call

don'ts:

• don't overload a congressional lobby visit with too many issues. Plan one visit for one or two topics.
• don't confront, threaten, pressure, or beg or speak with a moralistic tone.
• don't be argumentative; speak with calmness and commitment so as not to put them on the defensive.
• don't use easy ideological arguments.
• don't overstate the case. members and staff are very busy.
• don't expect members to be specialists; their schedule and workload make them generalists.
• don't make promises you can't keep.
• don't leave the visit without leaving a position or fact sheet in the office.

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do’s and don’ts • effective letter writing • making the most of a phone call

effective letter writing

members of congress place a great deal of stock in the letters they receive from constituents. because not everyone can set up an appointment with their member of congress, letters still remain the most traditional and relied upon contact between constituent and representative. congressional staff will also respond in writing to every letter that comes into their office, which gives you the opportunity to get your representatives on record regarding their position on your issue. members of congress respond as well to faxes and email, although some offices are still catching up to the benefits of the electronic era.

• the pecking order: staffers in congress place varying degrees of importance on the communications they receive based on how long it took the constituent to prepare it – the more thought that went into it, the more important the issue is to the constituent.
• why old-fashioned is best: when possible, you should always communicate with your members of congress through old-fashioned mail - this shows them the greatest degree of effort. when letters stack up in a congressional office, they know it is an issue that is important in their district. so when it comes to congress, nothing beats the tried and true snail mail.
• to fax or not to fax: sending a fax is a close second to sending a letter by post. because they are printed out, they still pile up and have a similar effect as letters. faxes also have the benefit of ringing like the phone. when a fax machine is constantly ringing and printing out letters, the whole office takes notice. but because a fax is less personal than a letter, they do not get quite as much attention.
• the perils of e-mail: every office in congress responds differently to e-mails. because many emails are mass produced and easy to send with the click of a button, some staffers pay little attention to e-mail. it is also less common for a congressional office to send a response with their policy position to emails. however, some offices are catching on to using email, and keep active track of how many e-mails come through on each issue. as time passes, congress will become more responsive to e-mail - but it's not there yet. sending your e-mails encourages them to become more responsive in the long run, but it might not produce the desired outcome in the short run.
• say it like you mean it: because congressional offices receive hundreds of letters a week, always try to personalize your letter. the more your letter stands out, the more attention it will receive. tailor your letter with your own language and any special concerns that you might have. because congressional offices receive so many letters, they also have standard response letters that they return to you. if your letter is personalized, you increase the chances that you'll receive a more personal response. and if your letter raises the issue in a way that can't be responded to by a form letter, then staff have to take the time to craft an individual response - that's ideally what you want. because every individual response has to be approved by the member of congress or their senior staff, an individual response forces your issue to the desks of decision makers. so personalize those letters!
• identify yourself: always begin each letter by stating that you are a constituent. this will let the staffer know right away that they need to pay attention to your letter.
• get to the point: to make sure that your letter gets the most attention from the staffer reading it, make sure that you put your request at the very beginning of your letter. by the second sentence, you should identify the issue that you are writing about, and how you want your representative to act on that issue. because staffers read so many letters from constituents, it's important to grab their attention right away. don't be afraid to state your positions strongly. use bold to highlight your opinions!
• clear as a bell: you should always be exactly clear on what piece of legislation you want them to co-sponsor, how you want them to vote on a particular bill, what letter you want them to sign, or what issue you want them to become active on. the more specific your ask, the more you force them to take a specific stand on your issue.
• short and sweet: one of the reasons constituents write letters to their members of congress is to inform them of their opinions. another reason is to educate them on an issue important to you. always include the relevant facts and arguments to your issue when you write - but remember that you probably won't keep their attention for more than 1-2 pages.
• getting a response: although it is standard practice for congressional offices to respond to all constituent mail, always be sure to clearly state that you would like to hear back on how you are going to be represented on your issue. this lets the office know that their response matters to you.
• where to send your letter: you can get addresses and phone numbers for your members of congress from the us capitol switchboard by calling 1.800.839.5276. to get a fax number, you will need to call the member's office directly. you can also check out congressional webpages for contact information, including email addresses.

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do’s and don’ts • effective letter writing • making the most of a phone call

making the most of a phone call

• ask to speak with the staff person responsible for the issue. on foreign policy issues, this will often be the foreign policy aide. if you know the appropriate staff person's name who deals with your issue, so much the better. Give your name and tell her or him that you are a constituent (you will be more likely to get through).
• introduce yourself very briefly to the staffer, explaining that you are a constituent and, if you belong to a local organization concerned about this issue, add that connection.
• be specific about what you want the staffer to do. don't just complain about an issue, say you want the member to vote for or sponsor a specific bill or amendment, or take a particular action, like sign a congressional "dear colleague" letter.
• ask what the member's position is on the issue. If the staff person doesn't know or won't say what the member's position is, ask what they, the staff person, will be recommending to the member. ask them to learn what the member's position is, and to get back to you with that information.
• be prepared to leave a voicemail message. prepare a brief one to two sentence summary of what you want to leave on voicemail. do give your name and contact information. you may want to ask them to call you back. if it's right before a vote, leaving your "plug" for the vote without asking for a call back may be sufficient.
• Thank them for their time.

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do’s and don’ts • effective letter writing • making the most of a phone call

link to topic list on post

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federal government links

http://www.gov.com/

this is the home page for the us government. "making government user-friendly" is their motto. as bullwinkle said, "sounds like an contradiction in terms to me."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

eventually george won't be here anymore. but until he's gone, you know where he lives.

http://www.house.gov/

home page for the us house of representatives, 109th congress, first session. find your congressperson and contact her or him.

http://www.senate.gov/

home page for the us senate, 109th congress, first session. find your senator and contact her or him.

http://www.state.gov/

us department of state. tell secretary rice congress made a mistake in confirming her and ask her to resign.

http://thomas.loc.gov/

"in the spirit of thomas jefferson, a service of the library of congress." look up legislation. skim the congressional record. check committee reports. ask with dr. phil: "what were you thinking?"

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link to topic list on post

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helpful unofficial sites to

help you contact your reps

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ (english)

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/index.es.html (spanish)

this site is maintained by juan cabanela, who is currently an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at saint cloud state university. he gets a great deal of help from grace york, a government documents librarian at the unversity of michigan who maintains the excellent government resources on the web site, and from mike waters, president of congress merge, who provides updates from "inside the beltway" to juan, who in pennsylvania, resides well "outside the beltway." You can mail juan postcards of your home town at: juan cabanela, 832 15th avenue south, saint cloud, mn 56301-5227

http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html

congressional email directory, brought to you by jerry hoffman and websilngerz.

http://www.eff.org/congress/

"electronic frontier foundation: defending freedom in the digital world" i ran across this by mistake, but it seems useful.

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

by capitol advantage, whatever that is. not particularly aids-savvy, but we can work on that. first three categories: write elected officials; read letters to leaders; act. federal and local.

http://www.apha.org/legislative/august_recess/talkpoint.htm

american public health association: talking points on medicare prescription drugs, underfunding public health, global aids/hiv.

http://www.sarahpattersonlaw.com/whatslinked.htm

publishes social security disability newsletter. aids/hiv-related legal sites and other links

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aids/hiv gay & allied activist orgs

http://www.campaigntoendaids.org

the campaign to end aids (c2ea). what else can i say? march with me. journey to washington.

http://www.actupny.org/

act up. also, the act up civil disobedience manual: http://www.actupny.org/documents/CDdocuments/CDindex.html

http://thetaskforce.org/

national gay and lesbian task force

http://www.hrc.org/

the human rights campaign. working for lgbt rights.

http://www.map-usa.org/html/greeting.html

minority aids project. website under construction. (maybe they need your help with it)

http://www.sfaf.org/

san francisco aids foundation

http://www.natap.org/

the national aids treatment advocacy project is dedicated to facilitating the effort for development of effective treatment for hiv. they advocate for treatment and policy issues on behalf of people with hiv/aids and address drug companies, government officials (including fda) and other treatment and policy advocates.

http://www.napwa.org/

napwa advocates on all people living with hiv/aids in order to end the pandemic and human suffering caused by hiv/aids. the oldest national aids organization in the united states and the oldest national network of people living with hiv/aids in the world.

http://www.aidsinfonyc.org/tag/

treatment action group (tag) is dedicated solely to advocating for larger and more efficient research efforts, both public and private, towards finding a cure for aids.

http://www.aidsaction.org/

aids action council

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

doctors without borders rocks

http://www.uua.org/programs/justice/issues_aids.html

unitarian universalist association: social justice issues: aids page

http://www.pflag.org/

parents, families and friends of lesbians and gays

http://www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/iowa/index.html

lambda legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with hiv through impact litigation, education and public policy work.

http://www.norml.org/

national organization for the reform of marijuana laws

http://www.factcheck.org/

"everybody is entitled to their own opinions, not their own facts."--patrick moynahan. annenberg political fact check.

http://www.aclu.org/

american civil liberties union

http://www.naacp.org/

the primary focus of the naacp continues to be the protection and enhancement of the civil rights of african americans and other minorities.

http://www.now.org/

national organization of women

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link to topic list on post

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political parties

http://www.democrats.org/index.html

the democratic national party. "moving america forward." that remains to be seen.

http://www.stonewall-dems.org/

stonewall democratic club

log cabin republicans

look them up on somebody else's list. these are political barebackers. i have notes about it for a posting later.

http://www.rnc.org/

the republican national committee. watch them like a hawk watches rabbits

http://www.nader.org/

the spoiler's page. what is he really about?

http://www.greenparty.org/

the greens/green party usa

the libertarian party

there appears to be no national website for the libertarian party. why am i not surprised?

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my dry run

will get this to you in a bit. am starting with barbara boxer.

notes:

• constituent
• member of beingALIVE la (she is a recipient of last year's spirit hope award. couldn't be there to accept).
• will be marching to washington with c2ea october 8-12
• blogsite engines of enlightenment inviting marchers, reporting on the march and your responses (address)
• will you join the c2ea marchers?
• what are your positions on our four demands?
  1. fully fund high-quality treatment and support services for all people living with hiv everywhere in the world.
  2. ramp up hiv prevention at home and abroad, guided by science rather than ideology.
  3. increase research to find a cure, more effective treatments and better prevention tools.
  4. fight aids stigma and protect the civil rights of all people with hiv and aids everywhere.
• what are your positions on our four legislative goals?
  1. reauthorize and fully fund the ryan white care act.
  2. keep medicaid strong for people with hiv/aids and all other beneficiaries.
  3. strengthen the global fight against aids by fully funding the global fund and backing 100% debt cancellation.
  4. restore and revive effective hiv prevention worldwide based on the best science.
• how to you plan to urge your fellow legislators to respond to these demands and legislative goals?
• thank you for sticking it to secretary rice

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LINKS

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COMMENTS

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TOPICS

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DICTIONARIES

american heritage dictionary--english

american heritage dictionary--spanish

gray's anatomy

qigong glossary

alternative health dictionary

qi journal interactive acupuncture model

gmhc: hiv/aids glossary

hhs: hiv/aids glossary

the body: hiv/aids glossary

basic tips on understanding medical terminology

drug interactions glossary of terms

re-thinking hiv/aids terminology

conversion calculator (weights & measures)

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PROJECTS

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MOON

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GUESTBOOK

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