Speak Out

So you think that a war on Iraq would be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Or you think it would be a horrible disaster. Or you think it would be a regretful necessity. Or you think it is only allowable if the UN says so.

Who have you told?

Your friends don’t count. Your family doesn’t count. Your co-workers don’t count. Your blog readers don’t count.

The folks we have selected to represent us, in Congress, are the ones who will vote for one resolution or another, who will obstruct, enable, or direct the President in this.

So, have you written?

SDB suggests:

Go to this page and find the entry for the senators from your state, and send them a short (no more than three line) and polite letter clearly stating your point of view.
Let’s make sure you know what happens to your mail. The senator won’t see it. Some clerk or secretary or aide is responsible for reading through the mail stream, and what they do is to pick out key phrases from the hundreds or thousands of email messages received each day and make a tally of how they land, e.g. umpteen for, umpteen against. So there is no point in writing at length, or in trying to explain why you feel what you do, or sending URLs to supporting evidence. Your message will only be processed into about four bits worth of information and the rest will be discarded.
But if you’re abusive, the clerk will discard your message and not include you in the tally, and it will also be discarded if it takes more than ten seconds for the clerk to figure out where you stand. Be brief, be polite, be clear. A single sentence is best.

We do still live in a representative democracy. If you want your representatives to do what you want, you have to tell them. If there is a resounding shout in one direction or another, it can have an influence.

Of course, if you’re not thinking about Iraq at all, then don’t worry. Somebody else will make the decision for you, one way or another.