Ok, so confession time: This is kinda difficult to say, especially considering I am surrounded by people getting involved in a meaningful way, each day.
I was one of those armchair activists when it came to political involvement.
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Sure, I knocked on as many doors as I could during MoveOn's GOTV push before the November elections, but that ended, well, you know when
that ended...
Sure, I get to share some in-depth news & speak my mind on a weekly internet radio station (And if it's a good night 10 people will be listening)...
Sure, I wrote my Congress- men & woman once in a blue moon (for those really big, super-urgent-probably-too-late-for-the-staffer-to-read-it issues)...
Sure, I wrote 1 letter to the editor of my local paper, The Ann Arbor News...
Sure, I spent counless hours (literally) on dKos and other blogs...
But it didn't feel like it was enough. I knew I could do more, so I took a step forward. I pledged to write at least 1 letter daily - to any local/state/federal elected official representing my area or to my local paper - and since doing so, I found out people actually respond!
On one day last week (I forget which), I wrote a letter to the editor, and lo and behold, they actually published it today! Before publishing, I did recieve an email from one of the staff at the AA News:
Recently, some letter writers who have been critical of President Bush or American policy have received letters sent to their home criticizing them for expressing their opinions after those views were published in The News. The responses have been harsh and have been unsigned.
Since we don't publish addresses of our writers, we assume the addresses have been found in telephone books, the Internet or some other type of listing. The Ann Arbor Police Department has received several complaints about these letters, and so far, they have concluded that no laws have been violated.
We want to publish your letter, but we also want you to understand that you may be subjected to this type of harassment.
Of course, I called back & said that's fine - Publish! And, today, they did.
Bush should be loyal to his country, not Rove
In light of the revelations regarding George W. Bush's top political advisor, Karl Rove, and Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby, I was appalled to read that Bush has shifted his stance that he would fire anyone involved with the leak of Plame's name, a CIA NOC agent. The bar for dismissal has now changed, according to Bush himself: He'll fire anyone if they are convicted of a crime.
The leak of Plame's role and the CIA front company she worked for has endangered countless other intelligence officials and sources who work to keep our country safe. They gather crucial information to fight against terrorist organizations. How can we expect someone to put their life on the line now, knowing that someday they, too, could be outed for nothing more than short-term political gain?
For all of the faults I find in Bush's policies, I still believed that he wanted to keep our country safe (even if I didn't agree with all the methods he used to achieve that goal). That belief is now shattered.
Bush had a chance to prove his allegiance to all Americans and our safety by firing the man who once called Plame fair game, Karl Rove. By placing loyalty to his friend over the security of this country, Bush's true character shines through. By supporting Rove, Bush is demonstrating that his commitment to the war on terror is nothing more than words.
[Name omitted here]
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So that was that - simple, really - and it makes me feel good. If nothing else, this letter will be read by people on the left, right, and center. And it will be read by many more people than get to hear me rant on Thursdays, so that's a confidence booster - I want to write more! I hope I make some people think. Stay tuned for any hate mail!
Now if only I could get more than a form letter response from the elected officials....