Why I hate writing to my reps: [View All]

[LWolf]

They send me responses like the one below.

I wrote to my reps about the recent judicial hearings. Today I got a response from my republican senator. What do you hear when you read this? What I hear is bolded after each paragraph:

Dear LWolf,

Thank you for your letter regarding the power being exercised by the executive branch of our federal government. I appreciate you taking the time to contact me.

I never really saw your letter; an assistant opened it and sent you this form letter.

Given events that have taken place during President Bush's administration, the executive branch, including the president and the attorney general, have been called upon to make a great number of decisions to protect national security. While the legislative branch has taken action to give certain executive agencies greater authority to act in the best interest of our nation, we in the Congress have taken great care not to relinquish the powers granted us under the Constitution.

It's a scary world. 9/11 showed us that any values can be compromised for safety. And they have. Aren't you still scared enough to "get" that?

I understand that you have concerns regarding some of the actions taken by the administration. There is little doubt that our nations's greatness is built upon the values we cherish, and our principles of liberty and justice must not be compromised.

Except that I just excused compromising them in the previous paragraph. Our principles of liberty and justice are best demonstrated by voluntarily compromising them to keep us safe. If this is confusing you, remember that war is peace, and that liberty and justice can't be defended if you don't give them up.

While I recognized that a significant number of Americans have differing opinions to those of President Bush, I believe that America is the greatest nation in the world, and much of that greatness stems from our diversity and the ability to express our differences. Rest assured, that I will continue to protect the values and civil rights that define America from threats both home and abroad.

You get to express your differences by writing me a letter that I get to answer with this form letter. I get to express my differences by ignoring your point of view, and acting to support what you oppose. I'm on President Bush's team; I don't want my team prosecuted.

Thank you again for your correspondence. If I can further assist you with this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

What a great job! I get to "assist" people by patting them on the head, thanking them for giving me the chance to disagree with them, and sending them on their way. Life is good.

Warm regards,

Gordon H. Smith

:puke:

I sometimes wonder why I bother to contact my reps. Then I remember that every contact is a tally mark somewhere that they'll look at the next time they campaign. At least while they are campaigning, they might acknowledge voters' wishes, even if they don't do anything about them once the election is over.

He's vulnerable in November. I hope he goes down.