I would appreciate any comments on this approach to waking up the general public. It was printed in the Livingston County News.
-------

Letter: It's time for Schumer to go
Submitted by Bruce Dehm, Groveland

Soon the political season will be upon us and our airwaves will be full of advertisements by politicians asking for our votes.

I would ask all voters consider not party affiliation, but a sense of decency, fairness and commitment to the Constitutional values that are the foundation of our great country.

One person who has betrayed us in these respects is Senator Charles Schumer. Anyone who would call a flight attendant the B-word because he was asked to turn off his cell phone before take-off and, who tells us that “American people really don’t care” about all those “little tiny, yes, porky amendments” that the “chattering classes” have exposed” when voting for $800 billion in pork spending, and now, rails against a Supreme Court ruling upholding our First Amendment right to free speech does not deserve to represent us.

Most people think Senator Schumer is too powerful and too entrenched to be defeated by anyone this November.

Really?

I believe average Americans know that representation by arrogant, condescending people replete with hubris does not make for good government, regardless of political party.

If you agree with me, please make your voice heard too.

I like it! It is factual, concise, and carries a powerful message.

I know I'm not voting for him. He is as phoney as they come!

Bravo! Bravo, Bruce! Love it sooooo much! People were so irritated when they heard Schumer say that about the "chattering classes" and the "porky little" raids on their wallets! It's good to keep reminding them of that feeling. I think you should submit it to the D&C. Hell, I think we should plan a weekly submission- have different people research his record (and oh-so-telling remarks), then write a reasoned argument about why he needs to go. Every week. Keep the heat up.

Thanks for your comments.

We do need to keep the pressure up by sending letters continually to our local editors. At our Groveland Constitution Study Group meeting last Monday, we had a very good discussion on how conservatives feel they cannot voice their opinion about politics, but liberals can. (At work, in school, etc.)

If anyone wants to have their letters to the editor reviewed before they send them in, I would be happy to help out. I'm sure there are many others also willing. With a group that has almost 1,000 members, (WSR), I don't see why there are not 50 letters a week to local papers (that's only 3 per year per member).

Someone (10 WRS members for example) from Rochester should be writing about Louise Slaughter's new high speed rail pet project for starters.

I have seen him look down smugly on a woman with a slight smile whose parents were murdered in a restaurant. http://www.youtube.co... (there's testimony and some commentary from Penn Gillette).
This man irritates me. I never voted for him and never will.

Letters to the Editor are excellent for getting people talking about issues and making points. The problem arises not from writing the letters but getting them published. I do wonder if a widespread, sustained letter writing campaign might have an impact under the theory that they can't ignore an avalanche of like-minded sentiment. I've written numerous letters to the D&C but never been published.

How about it? All it takes to get a 'team' going is to have a few members agree to write letters on a particular topic in a coordinated timeframe. That can happen right here in this thread. Post that you will be sending a letter about ________ next week and others can post that they will, too, and viola, we have an action plan! The following week you choose another topic and continue the efforts.

There is a thread where this was discussed a bit with the following suggestions for letter writing. http://www.wesurround...
WRITING A LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Step 1

Decide why you are writing a letter to the editor. Letters to the editor serve a specific purpose. Sometimes they are to correct a previously published error. More often they are to express an opinion about an issue recently in the news. Sometimes they debate an opinion letter previously published by the publication.

Keep a copy of news articles or previous letters to the editor you are responding to handy while you are writing your letter. You will want to refer to them for accuracy if you quote anything previously published to be certain it is an exact quote. Research any facts or statistics you plan to use to support your opinion or argument. The more factual your letter, the stronger it will be in making your point and possibly even convincing others that you are correct.

Step 2

Write yourself some notes to follow as a guideline for your letter. List all the important points you want to make in your letter. Jot down the appropriate facts or statistics you will use to support each point next to the appropriate item.

Step 3

Focus your letter on an issue, not a person or business. Express your opinion about that issue, making reference to relevant people or businesses only as needed to clarify the issue specifically or to avoid reader confusion about what you are saying.

Step 4

Begin your letter by clearly stating your opinion and to what you are responding. Use subsequent paragraphs to make individual points that support the opinion you expressed in paragraph one. Incorporate facts that demonstrate your opinion is well founded, accurate and logical

Maintain a professional tone throughout your letter. You want to come across to readers as a reasonable, articulate individual with a valid opinion and solid facts to back up that opinion so that they will agree with you. You do not want to be perceived as radical, liberal, crazy, foolish, inconsiderate, unintelligent or uninformed or any of dozens of other labels that might be applied to a writer who rambles, uses his letter as a personal attack or vendetta, or otherwise writes a letter to achieve his own personal agenda.

Step 5

Keep your letter short and to the point. Use only as many paragraphs as required to clearly express and support your opinion. When you've achieved that goal, your letter should be complete. Check your notes to be sure you've included all of your relevant points and supporting facts.

Close with thanks to the editor, a short summary of your opinion or thanks to others who may be the subject of your opinion letter. Type or print your name a few lines below the close of your letter. Include your address, telephone number, email and other applicable contact information below your name.

Proofread your letter for accuracy, typos, spelling errors or other mistakes. Make any necessary changes before finalizing your letter. Make a copy of the letter for your records.

Bruce, I am with you brother. Send it with your passion. Do one a week, a day, send it to him as well. Just called his office myself and let him know that I don't have the $40,000 he just put my family in debt.

As New Yorkers we can't get rid or Reid or Pelosi, but we must get rid of Schumer, it has to be our number 1 priority. Our biggest mistake will be to wait for the NYSGOP to tell us who their mediocre candidate is, perhaps a RHINO at best, so he can go to Washington, to take us to hell also, just a little slower.

We have to get in front of this.

Little O/T but to Christopher's point, the electoral situation in NY is the topic of conversation at Red State.

---

"What's the Matter with the New York State GOP? Winnable Races, but too few Candidates"
by Brian Faughnan
Thursday, January 28th

"In the wake of Scott Brown’s upset win in Massachusetts, Blue-Chip GOP candidates are coming out of the woodwork around the country. But there seems to be little progress in dark blue New York – at least when it comes to statewide races. With a dearth of good candidates (so far), New York may be one state where Democrats dodge a Republican wave that seems set to sweep the nation in 10 months."

CONTINUE READING HERE: http://www.redstate.c...

(Crossposted from Election 2010 folder)

I just left a message w/ a very nice lady named Roxanne at the M.C.Republican office. I asked to speak w/ someone concerning the "candidates" in this Nov election. She kindly took my name and # to have someone call me back<-----will let you all know the details of phone call if I get one. My point is-I want to know why better people aren't running, and what they iontend to do strategy/money/etc. to get the current undertakers out of office. I will be informing them that myself a few hundred friends are paying VERY close attention to what's going on!!!