Allen Zadr's Journal: Wrote to My Congressman

Considering the fact that I'm both centrist - and opinionated - I should do this much more often. It's nice to know that my Congressman actually took the time to write me back this time. The letter was about the NSA issue... The response wasn't fully customized, but it certainly spoke to the subject matter.

This is important too, because it lets me know where he stands on the issue, in this case - not against what I want - just... less strongly. When I know where he stands, then I am in a better position to be able to predict how he will react. Frankly, a predictable politician is something that I respect (I've mentioned my support for Jesse Ventura along the same lines).

The other thing that makes it important, is that you don't have to spend a stamp these days. It's just the five or ten minutes to create an Email, and drop it into an online form. When something is important to me - where I feel strongly about something - I make sure to send a note to my representatives. I do this so that they can add my voice to their internal (and informal) counts of which constituants are on which side of an issue. I'm sure I'm not always in the majority... but that makes my own letter writing all the more important.

Have you written your representative(s), or maybe your local news outlet? What is important enough to you, to write something these days?

As for the conspiracy theory

[FidelCatsro]

They could be adding it to a dangerous individuals list . You could now be marked as a terrist and have your mail opened read by the men in black .

Re:As for the conspiracy theory

[Allen Zadr]

I wouldn't be surprised if they do that already. I took a public tour of the capitol building while on vacation, and my wife got yelled at for taking a picture of a guard holding an AK-47, pistol, and binoculars (you can't see either gun from the reflecting pool below). We also took several pictures of the security cameras surrounding the Capitol and the White House, too.

Of course, only terr'ists want pictures of security cameras and guards on duty, right? I mean - no upstanding citizen would find th

i just wrote to my senators

[janeowit]

And told them why I think they should vote a certain way when voting to confirm Alito. I got generic responses, Feingold's better than Kohl's. I also have signed headshots from both of them... (sigh)

Re:i just wrote to my senators

[Allen Zadr]

Well, you've at least been sorted into a count. That matters.

Of course, you are also one of the relatively few who bother trying to get your voice heard in a most effective and obvious way. I solute you.

Re:i just wrote to my senators

[Allen Zadr]

...And did you get any crappy bubble-gum with your trading cards?

Re:i just wrote to my senators

[janeowit]

I wrote all the senators asking for their picture back in 2000, I got about 30. They are all signed glossy 8x10's, I don't even know where they are anymore.