***ONGOING PROJECT: Petition Congress for support of H.R. 3240***

[LukieD]

Starting with New Jersey's 12th Congressional District (http://holt.house.gov/district.shtml) where David Goldman lives, we are introducing a new project across the country, district by district, which will focus on making a formal request to each Rep in the House that they join forces with Congressman Smith and co-sponsor the legislation he has introduced (H.R. 3240) in the House. The letter to Rep. Holt will serve as the template and this letter can then be customized to each Rep depending on the level of their involvement in the issue. Attached to the letter will be as many names, addresses and signatures of constituents in the district as we can gather.
 
We will post the letter to Rep Holt as soon as it has been sent and in the meantime, the first order of business is that anyone who either lives in NJ District #12 or knows someone who does, PLEASE consider soliciting signatures for this petition. This can be a powerful way to send a message to your Rep that his/her constituents (voters!) are serious about this issue as we head into an election year.
 
For starters, rather than confuse people with an overly-detailed request, we should just state that we have a petition that requires support from Rep. Holt's constituents as it relates to legislation which will help David Goldman and the other victims of interntaional parental child abduction. Those interested in learning more and supporting these efforts should contact us by sending an email to bringseanhome@yahoo.com with the subject line "Petition supporter" followed by their district "NJ #12" or whichever district you/they live in. We are considering other ways to get the word out through our BSH mailing list and Facebook, among other sources we have at our disposal. Rep. Holt's petition will be the first one and will serve as the trial run, before we roll out the project for the rest of the country.

[Caldwell]

What is the time-frame goal for sending the first letter with signatures to Holt?

[LukieD]

What is the time-frame goal for sending the first letter with signatures to Holt?

The sooner the better, certainly before the holidays and we were hoping we might be able to get this wrapped up by the end of the week, if possible. Obviously with more time comes the ability to collect more signatures but given the trade off I think we should go with what we have by week's end or early next week so as to keep our momentum alive after last week's hearing.

[Caldwell]

The sooner the better, certainly before the holidays and we were hoping we might be able to get this wrapped up by the end of the week, if possible. Obviously with more time comes the ability to collect more signatures but given the trade off I think we should go with what we have by week's end or early next week so as to keep our momentum alive after last week's hearing.

Great!!
OK, folks, you heard the man! Residents of NJ 12, Rush Holt's district, sign on NOW!!

[jl2saint]

The sooner the better, certainly before the holidays and we were hoping we might be able to get this wrapped up by the end of the week, if possible. Obviously with more time comes the ability to collect more signatures but given the trade off I think we should go with what we have by week's end or early next week so as to keep our momentum alive after last week's hearing.

I think this is a great idea.............

"Specifically" and "methodically" targeting Congressmen/women and doing so from a position of "votes being on the line"...........

But we might need to think about doing some "general canvassing" ( door to door stuff ) just in case we don't HAVE consituants in an area or just to get more names faster...........

I bet "someone" who lives in Holt's district could spend 2-3 hours 1 day and get 50 plus signatures if you pick the right neighborhood........Same applies in other districts........

[UD_student]

For those in Rep Holt's district there is a telephone town hall tomorrow night. I'm not sure if this location is the best place to put it, but those soliciting Holt's constituents may want to also mention this town hall:

from: http://holt.house.gov/

'On Tuesday, December 8 at 7:30 p.m, Representative Holt will hold a live, one-hour telephone town hall. A telephone town hall is similar to a regular town hall except it allows you to participate from the comfort of your own home. You will hear directly from Representative Holt and have the opportunity to ask him questions. Due to the number of people participating, Representative Holt will not be able to address every question but you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts at the conclusion of the call. If you would like to join the telephone town hall and automatically receive a call on December 8, please fill out the form below'

I used to live close to part of his district and know people in his district before the redistricting years ago. I think I'll register for the town hall tomorrow night as I live close to his district (neighboring town, if I can register as you must give an address). I also would like to clarify if BSH feels that is a good place to raise the question about supporting/merging his bill into Congressman Smith's bill OR if people feel it would be better to have a petition with hundreds (thousands?) of names on it requesting that change. I don't want to do something that is counterproductive.

[LukieD]

For those in Rep Holt's district there is a telephone town hall tomorrow night. I'm not sure if this location is the best place to put it, but those soliciting Holt's constituents may want to also mention this town hall:
 
from: http://holt.house.gov/
 
'On Tuesday, December 8 at 7:30 p.m, Representative Holt will hold a live, one-hour telephone town hall. A telephone town hall is similar to a regular town hall except it allows you to participate from the comfort of your own home. You will hear directly from Representative Holt and have the opportunity to ask him questions. Due to the number of people participating, Representative Holt will not be able to address every question but you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts at the conclusion of the call. If you would like to join the telephone town hall and automatically receive a call on December 8, please fill out the form below'
 
I used to live close to part of his district and know people in his district before the redistricting years ago. I think I'll register for the town hall tomorrow night as I live close to his district (neighboring town, if I can register as you must give an address). I also would like to clarify if BSH feels that is a good place to raise the question about supporting/merging his bill into Congressman Smith's bill OR if people feel it would be better to have a petition with hundreds (thousands?) of names on it requesting that change. I don't want to do something that is counterproductive.

The short answer is both make sense.
 
People should call in, thank him for his support of David Goldman but ask him why he has not yet agreed to co-sponsor H.R. 3240. We can add that after attending the Dec 2 hearing it was clear that experts on the panel believe that the strong measures included in Rep Smith's bill (H.R. 3240) are necessary tools for our government to use in pushing for the return of these abducted children. He needs to understand that we don't need competing bills with overlapping proposals, we need cooperation by our elected officials to keep this bill moving along and get more effective results in a more timely manner. Surely working with Smith in a cooperative fashion is better than introducing his own bill(s). I think he needs to start hearing more from his constituents on this issue. He's been given a free pass for a while now and he's still not listed as a co-sponsor of 3240, while at the same time he's out with his own bill and soliciting co-sponsors for that, effectively fragmenting the support we're all working so hard to build on this issue. It's time he gets the message loud and clear. Set aside the politics and let's get this bill moving quickly.

[UD_student]

The short answer is both make sense.
 
People should call in, thank him for his support of David Goldman but ask him why he has not yet agreed to co-sponsor H.R. 3240. We can add that after attending the Dec 2 hearing it was clear that experts on the panel believe that the strong measures included in Rep Smith's bill (H.R. 3240) are necessary tools for our government to use in pushing for the return of these abducted children. He needs to understand that we don't need competing bills with overlapping proposals, we need cooperation by our elected officials to keep this bill moving along and get more effective results in a more timely manner. Surely working with Smith in a cooperative fashion is better than introducing his own bill(s). I think he needs to start hearing more from his constituents on this issue. He's been given a free pass for a while now and he's still not listed as a co-sponsor of 3240, while at the same time he's out with his own bill and soliciting co-sponsors for that, effectively fragmenting the support we're all working so hard to build on this issue. It's time he gets the message loud and clear. Set aside the politics and let's get this bill moving quickly.

Thanks! I was able to register despite not having an address inside his district. If asked to speak, then I will definitely use those suggestions to formulate questions since I wasn't at the hearings. I'm going to re-read both bills before the call and have them up on my computer for reference if needed.

[M.Capestro]

I just sent a blast mail out to all my contacts asking them to join us in this effort - I encourage you all to do the same. The basic flavor of my email was...
 
BringSeanHome.org is looking for people who live in Congressman Rush Holt’s district and would – in support of David and the other left-behind parents – be willing to send an email to BringSeanHome@yahoo.com encouraging Rep Holt to join forces with Rep. Smith so we can move forward and get these parents the help they so desperately need and deserve.

If you currently live in Rep Holt’s district, please consider sending an email to BringSeanHome@yahoo.com using “CONGRESSMAN HOLT” as your subject line. Ask Rep Holt to merge his resolution (H.R. 3487) with Rep Smith's H.R. 3240. Ask Rep Holt to work with Congressman Smith in a cooperative spirit in a bi-partisan fashion to pass one bill that we can all be proud of. Sign your full name and include your complete street address.

BringSeanHome.org will collect all responses and send them together to Rep Holt in an effort to demonstrate the importance of this issue (power in the masses).

If you know someone else who lives in Rep Holt’s district (see map: http://holt.house.gov/district.shtml), please consider forwarding this email to them and asking them to show their support. Send it out to everyone on your contacts list. Please act now. We’re making every effort to get as many signatures as possible this coming week.

[LukieD]

I just sent a blast mail out to all my contacts asking them to join us in this effort - I encourage you all to do the same. The basic flavor of my email was...
 
BringSeanHome.org is looking for people who live in Congressman Rush Holt’s district and would – in support of David and the other left-behind parents – be willing to send an email to BringSeanHome@yahoo.com encouraging Rep Holt to join forces with Rep. Smith so we can move forward and get these parents the help they so desperately need and deserve.

If you currently live in Rep Holt’s district, please consider sending an email to BringSeanHome@yahoo.com using “CONGRESSMAN HOLT” as your subject line. Ask Rep Holt to merge his resolution (H.R. 3487) with Rep Smith's H.R. 3240. Ask Rep Holt to work with Congressman Smith in a cooperative spirit in a bi-partisan fashion to pass one bill that we can all be proud of. Sign your full name and include your complete street address.
 
BringSeanHome.org will collect all responses and send them together to Rep Holt in an effort to demonstrate the importance of this issue (power in the masses).

If you know someone else who lives in Rep Holt’s district (see map: http://holt.house.gov/district.shtml), please consider forwarding this email to them and asking them to show their support. Send it out to everyone on your contacts list. Please act now. We’re making every effort to get as many signatures as possible this coming week.

I would also add that you would like Rep. Holt to CO-SPONSOR H.R. 3240 -- this is important, not just work cooperatively on the legislation. We don't want to give him any wiggle room. We want him to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

[M.Capestro]

I would also add that you would like Rep. Holt to CO-SPONSOR H.R. 3240 -- this is important, not just work cooperatively on the legislation. We don't want to give him any wiggle room. We want him to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

 
Thank you for catching that - I did have that detail in my email. Also the fact that we'd like him to encourage his current co-sponsors to sign on to Smith's bill.

[Herb Wife]

Was this request posted on facebook as well? Or sent out to BSH members?
 
 I love the idea of being area specific!

[margie]

I wrote to my congressman Mike Michaud. And for the tenth time he reiterates what the Goldman case is all about to ME! And that he supported HR 125. I wrote back and asked him again for the tenth time that we need him to support HR 3240. He says the state department is working on it and I said NOT FAST ENOUGH. Asked him to step into Mr. Goldman shoes and how he would feel being without his child for over 5 years? Maybe he isn't even getting the emails. I told him this fight is not going away and asked him to check out BSH website for more information.
 
Frustrating to the max.
 
Margie

[Caldwell]

I wrote to my congressman Mike Michaud. And for the tenth time he reiterates what the Goldman case is all about to ME! And that he supported HR 125. I wrote back and asked him again for the tenth time that we need him to support HR 3240. He says the state department is working on it and I said NOT FAST ENOUGH. Asked him to step into Mr. Goldman shoes and how he would feel being without his child for over 5 years? Maybe he isn't even getting the emails. I told him this fight is not going away and asked him to check out BSH website for more information.
 
Frustrating to the max.
 
Margie

Margie:

Apologies if you've heard all this before, but for you or new folks to the effort:

1. Are you actually speaking to the Rep, or someone in his office, or just sending emails?

2. Emails are the least effective way to get through. They get hundreds or thousands about all sorts of issues.  In person is best, if there is a local district office you can get to, phone is next best. Actually the very best I found recently is to go to DC and have a flexible schedule and park yourself in the waiting room of his office.

3. By phone or in person, ask to speak with the Rep's legislative director, or the District Director back in the home district, or the legislative aide that works on international or human rights issues.  Get a name and keep asking for that person, you will have a conversation eventually.

4.  If you continue to get frustrated, let them know you are an unsatisfied constituent who is very upset with their constituent service response.  Ask for the Constituent Services director and tell them that.

5.  There's more, but taking these steps should get you to the right person to have a fruitful conversation.

[Audax]

Just got a letter today from my congressman. It's disappointing...