Dianne E. Butts...equipping you to make a difference in our nation.
|
Dianne E. Butts...equipping you to make a difference in our nation. |
|
|
Butts About It . com E-Zine
Dianne E. Butts equipping you to make a difference in our nation September, 2007 Premier Issue!
Equipping You to Make a Difference
How to Write Your Politicians It's "Back to School" time and maybe it would be good if in this premier issue of Butts About It E-Zine, the electronic magazine intended to inform and equip you to make a difference, we reviewed some basics about how to write our politicians. Like me, you may have learned this in school. But like me, school may have been quite a long time ago! I know I need some review. But it's not only my memory that needs help. Since I was in school, a lot has changed. We didn't have computers then. Nor did we have e-mail, faxes, web sites, or web forms. But today, these are all ways we can contact our politicians and let our voices be heard. Whether you're "old fashioned" and would just like to type your letter out on an "old fashioned" typewriter, are computer savvy and prefer to use your word processor to create a letter to send by regular mail or fax, or wish to communicate by e-mail or web form, we'll go over them all.
Corresponding by Regular Letter When addressing your Senator or Representative, address your letter to:
The Honorable [fill in his or her name]: (Find his or her address through the links on this page: http://www.buttsaboutit.com/Politics.htm )
You may address your letter to the home state address or Washington address.
When writing your Senators, begin with: Dear Senator: When writing Representatives, begin with: Dear Congressman: or Dear Representative:
Corresponding by Fax Sometimes you may wish to fax your letter, especially if you need to let your politician know your opinion quickly rather than waiting for the Post Office to deliver your letter. You can find your Senator or Representative's fax number through the links at http://www.buttsaboutit.com/Politics.htm .
Corresponding by E-mail Another way to send your message almost instantaneously is by e-mail. Most politicians should have an e-mail address, but from what I've seen so far it's not always easy to find. I sometimes see e-mail addresses on printed information, such as that from the League of Women Voters, but not on most the web sites I've checked. Instead, they offer a web form, which we'll discuss next. It would be a little crazy for me to look them all up to list them all here or on my web site. So, if you want to e-mail your Representative or Senator, try this:
For Representatives, try: [First name].[Last name]@mail.house.gov
For Senators, e-mail is sent through a form on their web site. To find their individual web sites, use the links on my http://www.buttsaboutit.com/Politics.htm page or try www.[last name]senate.gov .
Corresponding by Web Form A web form is a way to send an e-mail through a web site.
Find a link to your Senator's web form at: http://www.senate.gov/general.contact_information/senators_cfm.cmf
For Representatives, the few sites I've looked at don't have web forms. Your Representative may. To find his or her web site, try filling in your representative's last name in this: http://www.house.gov/[lastname]/
Dittos for your State Politicians You can probably find the same information for your state politicians through a Google.com search. See the search form on the "Politics" page of my site here: http://www.buttsaboutit.com/Politics.htm
Section 2:
Q & A:
Q: "It's so hard for me to get my thoughts down on paper. It's easy for you--you're a writer. How can I write my politicians without it taking hours out of my day?"
Dianne: Got news for you: it ain't easy for me either. For this type of letter, you don't need to defend your position or even give reasons for why you want your Senator or Representative to do what you're asking. They won't be reading your letter anyway--a staffer will be. Just state what you want them to do. Think of it like the Romans giving a thumbs up or thumbs down on an issue. State the topic or issue and whether you're for it or against it. "Please do not pass the amnesty bill." Or, "Please support the ban on partial birth abortion." One sentence. That's all you need.
A Little Something Extra:
I know what you're thinking. The time factor... This has to be convenient or it ain't gonna work. You're not going to write letters or e-mails to let your voice be heard if it takes too much time, you can't find the information you need quickly, or don't know how to do it. That's what my www.ButtsAboutIt.com web site is all about. I'm working to fill it with all the information you need to quickly and efficiently write the people in power. Once you do it a time or two, you'll know how, you'll either have the information you need or you'll know where to find it, and you should be able to communicate your views to the people in power in fifteen minutes or less. Sound good? Then try it. Speaking out doesn't have to be hard. Or time consuming!
Dianne's Time-Saving Tip: On your computer, create your own letterhead and save it. When you want to write a letter, just resave it with a different name and write your letter. Once created, your letterhead will always be there waiting for you to use for letters mailed by regular mail or faxed.
Dianne's Time-Saving Tip: Use your letterhead to create other versions, one for each of your Senators and your Representative with their addresses, greeting, and closing. Then, when you want to write, all you need to do is fill in the date, your one or two sentences stating your view, then print, sign, and send.
No Buts About It:
Here's a tip: Keep a copy of every correspondence you send. Print an extra copy off your computer or make a photo copy. If corresponding by e-mail, print a copy of your e-mail. When sending a message by web form, there's not a "print" button available so before you send your message, highlight the entire text, right click, and choose "copy." Then paste your message into a blank document in your word processor or an e-mail and print it or e-mail it to yourself and then print it. Get a three-ring binder and a three hole punch and create a notebook where you keep all your correspondence, notes, addresses, and information you need to write your views quickly and efficiently. You can look back at what you have written before to help you get a new letter into words. And adding letters to your notebook will help you see that you are making a difference through your efforts. You can do it! No buts about it.
Section 3:
How to Support Butts About It E-zine
If you believe in what we're doing here, forward this entire e-zine to any contacts you think might be interested in joining us. Let them know they can get their own free subscription at www.ButtsAboutIt.com Also, you can help offset our expenses for creating this e-zine together by clicking through the links in this e-zine or on the web sites when you make any purchase from the companies represented here and on the sites. Thank you!
Bio:
Dianne E. Butts has had more than 200 articles published in over 50 Christian magazine such as The Plain Truth, the Salvation Army's War Cry, The Lookout, Light and Life, and Focus on the Family magazine. She has contributed to fifteen books including Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul 2, What I Learned from God While Cooking, For Better, For Worse: Devotional Thoughts for Married Couples, Zondervan's New Women's Devotional Bible, and A Cup of Comfort Devotionals for Mothers and for Women. Her writing has been published in Great Britain, Bulgaria, Poland, Canada, and Korea. Dianne wrote her book, Dear America: A Letter of Comfort and Hope to a Grieving Nation (Ampelos Press, 2002), in response to September 11th to tell her own story, help others get through grief, and discuss topic like who the Muslims are, the story of the Bible, and Bible reading for beginners. When she's not writing, Dianne enjoys riding her motorcycle with her husband, Hal, and gardening with her cat, P.C.
Subtopic 1:
Quote:
"Many years ago, while journaling one day, God spoke to me the words every Christian writer needs to remember: 'Your words don't change hearts. I change hearts with your words.'"
Jan White, Amy Award's First Place winner for 2006 (Pen & Sword, Summer 2007, pg. 1).
My Book:
Dear America, - A Letter of Comfort & Hope to a Grieving Nation
Subtopic 2:
Resources and Reading:
Can't say I agree with everything Bill O'Reilly says or writes. And when he starts talking about the Bible, well, you can tell he doesn't know a lot about it. (The Apostle Paul was a lot of things, including a Roman citizen, but he was never ever a Roman soldier.) But anyway, overlooking some of those types of things, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it. BAI
In an episode of Crossing Jordon last season, one character referred to "ACS": Ann Coulter Syndrome. "Hate everyone," he explained. If you're not familiar with Ann Coulter's brand of sarcastic humor, you might think this book is pretty mean. But if you can hear her voice in your head delivering the humor, it works. You know she's joking--not mean--because you've got a brain. I was fascinated by the history she detailed of many of the issues of the day. If you can get the humor, I'd recommend it. BAI
Godless: The Church of Liberalism
Subtopic 3:
Dianne's Writing News:
Interested in writing for publication? Get your free subscription to Dianne E. Butts About Writing at www.DianneEButts.com . ~ What's New on www.ButtsAboutIt.com:
I've added several new links to help you find addresses for your Senators and Representatives.
~
What's Happening on www.ButtsAboutIt.blogspot.com :
Did you see the discussion on the newly released movie, September Dawn, starring Jon Voight?
~
A Conservative Voice Equipping Conservative Voices
~
Shop CurrentCatalog.com for decorative File Folders & Organizers for your Home Office |
