I know that there are many people who can’t get out to protest physically, but who would like to help make a difference. Why don’t you participate in what I am calling an Armchair Protest.
How does that work?
- Get a stack of postcards and set them by the chair where you watch TV, read the newspaper, or work on the computer. You can buy nice protest postcards from www.postprotest.com, www.zazzle.com, http://www.cafepress.com/+protest+postcards or other places on the internet. You can also buy prepaid postcards at the post office. Finally, you probably have postcards that you got when you were on vacation somewhere that you don’t know what to do with now. Use those!!
- Get postcard stamps from the post office if you need them. Put stamps on the postcards in your pile. You can sit and watch TV while you do this.
- Keep the addresses of your Congressman, Senators and the President next to your postcards. (Address some in advance if you want to.) Google addresses for other people or departments that you might want to write to. Sec’y of State, Sec’y of Education, Attorney General, Head of the EPA, etc. Here’s a start:
The President
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington DC 20500
- Now, as you watch TV, read the newspaper, or browse the internet, you are prepared to write a quick message to someone you want to influence.
- You could also keep the phone numbers of your Congressman and Senators with the addresses. Then you could grab your phone and call their office to express your opinion on the spot. Don’t worry if it’s after hours. There should be an answering machine. But if the answering machine is full, the postcard will help you vent.
Armchair protesting only takes a little preparation, but when you are sitting and yelling at the TV, you can now do something constructive with your anger or frustration.