Here's a copy of an email alert I sent out a few moments ago.

I hope it will inspire all of you to make a few quick (and free) phone calls, before the Senate finishes debating the Iraq invasion scheme, which they just began doing this a.m, I hear.

In addition to your local Legislators, I recommend calling Tom Daschle, Robert Byrd, Dick Gebhardt, and especially Robert Byrd, who's planing a filibuster, at his age! (dang, I had a list here somewhere of several more important players; now I'm braindead. Can someone please help me out here?)

Please note that, according to one "Hawk's" staff person, the calls are coming in two to one against US iinvolvement in Iraq!

Let's make it three to one!

JOJ

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Hi, Folks,

Yesterday,(Mrs JOJ) sent (most of) you a message similar to this one.

I want to thank those of you who have already responded to her letter so postively! Now, however, I want to reinforce her letter.

The urgency of this email is the fact that the US Senate is on the verge of voting on a bill to authorize Bush to attack Iraq with no further notice, and without any UN involvement, nor any allied support.

We went to an Ashland Peace House meeting last night, and were very heartened by the turnout, and to learn that we are not “lone voices in the dark”, as it sometimes feel. And by that, I don’t mean (Mrs. JOJ) and I, but all of us who share the concern about the Iraq issue.

We learned that there are large peace groups forming all over the country: we are not alone!

We also learned of an 800 number where it is extremely easy to reach as many legislators as you care to call, to let them know position on the “war”. All you have to do is call 1-800-839-5276 An operator will answer (we’ve yet to receive a busy signal). Ask the operator to connect you with the congressman or senator of your choice. The operator will ring you through to their office. Just tell the person who answers there that you want to register your opinion on the Iraq situation. At this point each legislator’s office is a bit different; some will ask your name and address, others won’t. Some only want to hear a “yay” or “nay” on US invasion of Iraq. Some are willing to take your specific reasons for your position, if you want to give them. (One of my favorites was that, if Iraq does not have weapons of mass destruction, we don’t need to invade them. If Iraq does have those weapons, the most likely reason they would use them is if we attempt to take them away!

(Mrs JOJ) and I did the phone calling in the following way: we’d call someone, one of us would give them our opinion and address (if requested), then pass the phone to the other one. That way, it would save us and the legislative aid time by not having to repeat the address etc. When we got done talking to one legislator’s office, we’d just hang up and hit “redial” on the phone. That put us right back to the switchboard where one of us would ask for the next legislator on our list. We did all this while we were getting dressed and preparing breakfast! No fuss, no muss.

Some legislators merely had an answering machine. Others had humans recording our statements.

As you likely have heard, Senator Robert Byrd, (at age what, 90?) is threatening a filibuster. He was one we really wanted to thank, but the recording at his office indicated that all operators were busy, but that if we were West Virginia residents, to leave our name and phone number, and they’d call us back. Since we aren’t from W.V, we decided just to leave him our kudos on the recording anyway. Yea, Byrd!

I asked the person taking our statements at Greg Walden’s office how the calls were going. She said, “about two to one against the Iraq invasion bill” Hooray!!!!!

Remember, the fact that such a small percentage of the citizenry bothers to call these folks means that the representatives consider each phone call the equivalent of representing thousands of constituents. This is a chance to “speak” for thousands with each phone call! Go for it!

Also, if you folks would each tell a few friends to call NOW, we can really have some influence!

Peace,

(JOJ)

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2002

Answers

Great timing Joe! I was just about to look up Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar's office numbers, this was much easier. I called Evan Bayh's office and said that I was extremely displeased with his support of the president's plan for war with Iraq. I then called Richard Lugar's office and told him I appreciated all the hard questions he was asking regarding the president's plan for war with Iraq and that he should keep up the good work.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2002

Senator Byrd may be an old coot, but I gotta give him credit for remaining true to the Constitution in all his years in the Senate, he is one of the few real Constitutional representatives (his words) we have left in Congress.

His speaches may be longwinded and blowhardy, but he gets the point across in no uncertain terms.

He's one ol'coot I gotta love, I hope I'm still that feisty at that age ;-)!!!

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2002

On "Washington Week in Review" last night on PBS, there was mention a couple of times (Mara Liasson and Doyle What's-His-Name, I think) of congress members getting email/letters, etc., as high as 20:1 against going to war with Iraq right now (to both Repubs and Dems). Huh? Guess it doesn't make any difference what the population thinks/feels? Congress must know more than they are letting on...??

-- Anonymous, October 05, 2002

Sheepish, I don't know if Congress knows more about what's going on, except I've been hearing lots of news reports stating that even congressmen who normally are "doves" are afraid to vote against the "president" in a time of "war". This, supposedly, because the ones who did this during the "gulf war" had their ratings drop.

Seems to me as if our "leaders" are willing to sacrifice a few hundred thousand deaths, as long as it keeps them assured of stayiing in office.

Pass the morals, please...

-- Anonymous, October 07, 2002

I agree. The whole lot of em make me ill. Except for a handful they're a bunch of gutless wonders. Paul Wellstone is up for a very difficult re-election against a hand-picked-by-Bush challenger, a slippery former St Paul mayor, and Wellstone is still speaking his conscience. The one time I know of when he didn't do that, he wimped out, was when he signed the Defense of Marriage Act, against his beliefs, and it has haunted him ever since. In fact, I was still too pissed at him to send him any money this year, but he has apologized ad nauseum, and now that he has stood strong against a unilateral war, I can support him again without a sour taste in my mouth. The stakes are too high in the Senate. The Greens are running a candidate in this race, and they shouldnt have; Wellstone is the greenest Senator in the country. Daschle should be ashamed of himself, and don't get me started on Lieberman!

-- Anonymous, October 07, 2002