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Ethical Action News

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A Guide to Calling Your Representatives

24 Apr 2017
Emily
Ethical ActionNews

Liz Collier, Outreach Director, Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture

Why is calling so important?
“Calling is the most powerful ways to put pressure on your representatives – even more than social media, email, or snail mail…Why? It shows commitment to a cause. And representatives know that if they don’t hear the concerns of their constituents, it could impact their ability to get reelected.” Read More

“… a large volume of calls on an issue could bring an office to a halt, sometimes spurring the legislator to put out a statement on his or her position, Ms. Ellsworth said. She recommended the tactic in a series of tweets shared thousands of times…’It brings a legislative issue right to the top of the mind of a member,’ she said. ‘It makes it impossible to ignore for the whole staff. You don’t get a whole lot else done.'” Read More

Pick an issue for the focus of your call
“The [call] should be about a live issue – e.g., a vote that is coming up, a chance to take a stand, or some other time sensitive opportunity. The next day or week, pick another issue, and call again on that.” Read More

For a town hall or in-person meeting, you can discuss several issues. But for a phone call, stick to one issue for clarity and brevity, and for the office’s record-keeping.

Find your representatives’ local office
Call My Congress: Enter street address and zip code for Member of Congress and Senators’ Washington DC phone numbers and government track record.

5 Calls: Enter zip code and click on an issue. You will then see all of your representative’s local and national office numbers along with a description of the issue and a specific script for the call.

Use a script or make your own, personalized script
If you are new to making calls or are nervous about saying the right thing, use a script. However, calls that feature a personal story or message can make a bigger impact:
“While scripts found on the internet can be useful for people uncomfortable talking on the phone, [Emily Ellsworth, former Congressional staffer] suggested making the phone calls as personal as possible. In some cases, if she was moved by a call, she would pass on the comments to her district director, she said. “‘What representatives and staffers want to hear is the individual impact of your individual story,” she said. “I couldn’t listen to people’s stories for six to eight hours a day and not be profoundly impacted by them.’” Read More

Work up to making 3-5 calls a day
5 Calls: A handy tool that gives you suggested issues, descriptions of the issues, scripts and phone numbers

Make Me Call: A service that will call YOU every day and will automatically connect you with one of your representative’s offices. Have your issue and script ready to go!

Resources
Shy Person’s Guide to Calling Representatives
Here’s Why You Should Call, Not Email, Your Representatives
For advanced calling techniques: Indivisible Guide, pp. 23-24
Common Cause: Learn about important issues and find suggested actions

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The American Ethical Union calls for nontheist participation in National Inaugural Interfaith Service.On Thursday January 21st, the Washington National Cathedral will host a virtual presidential inaugural interfaith service to mark the inauguration of Joe Biden as president. While presented as an opportunity to bring the whole nation together, and while part of the “America United” inaugural activities, one large community will not be represented at all: atheists, agnostics, humanists, and the nonreligious. Millions of Americans today make meaning and express their personal and civic values without reference to a god or traditional religious beliefs. These Americans deserve a voice, and should be included in formal interfaith programming like the Inaugural Service. Read our full statement here: aeu.org/resource/aeu-calls-for-nontheist-participation-in-national-inaugural-interfaith-service/ ... See MoreSee Less

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Today, as the nation continues to recover from an attempted white supremacist insurrection at our capitol, we are reflecting upon this quote from the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. #MLK #MLKDay #MLK2021 #king #martinlutherkingjr #today #EthicalCulture #ethics #2021 ... See MoreSee Less

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AEU Statement Regarding the Events of January 6thYesterday, we watched in shock and horror as a violent mob attacked the US Capitol, forcing their way inside and occupying areas of the building for hours in an attempt to disrupt the certification of electoral votes submitted by the states. By the end of the day, 4 people were dead, 52 members of the seditious mob were arrested, and 14 police officers were injured. It took the assistance of many additional federal law enforcement personnel and the National Guard to remove the attackers from the Capitol and clear the way for the Joint Congress to resume its work.Fortunately, the Joint Congress was resolute and refused to let the interruption derail our democracy, working through the night to certify the electoral vote counts for all of the states. However, this episode was an attack on democracy itself, instigated by a sitting president whose actions have severely undermined respect for and trust in the very system that put him in office. Mr. Trump has shown only contempt for the democratic process and is a danger to our country. People who are in a position to remove Mr. Trump from office ought to proceed in haste as this president has repeatedly shown readiness to incite violence and mayhem, and also continues to demonstrate an obsession with the electoral results to the seeming exclusion of other national concerns. Our democratic system of government must be protected from his influence.As Ethical Humanists, we are called upon to repudiate the anti-democratic tendencies that have gained an unwelcome foothold in public life. Our country will need us to elicit the best from one another and ourselves in the months and years to come.#Jan6 #ethicalhumanism ow.ly/uxes50D2Gzn ... See MoreSee Less

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Share your voice! The AEU is seeking volunteers to contribute to our World Human Rights Day Project. Learn more here: ow.ly/YGDC50CYYPL ... See MoreSee Less

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The American Ethical Union calls for nontheist par The American Ethical Union calls for nontheist participation in National Inaugural Interfaith Service.

On Thursday January 21st, the Washington National Cathedral will host a virtual presidential inaugural interfaith service to mark the inauguration of Joe Biden as president. While presented as an opportunity to bring the whole nation together, and while part of the “America United” inaugural activities, one large community will not be represented at all: atheists, agnostics, humanists, and the nonreligious. 

Millions of Americans today make meaning and express their personal and civic values without reference to a god or traditional religious beliefs. These Americans deserve a voice, and should be included in formal interfaith programming like the Inaugural Service.
Today, as the nation continues to recover from an Today, as the nation continues to recover from an attempted white supremacist insurrection at our capitol, we are reflecting upon this quote from the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. 

#MLK #MLKDay #MLK2021 #King #MartinLutherKingJr #Today #EthicalCulture #Ethics #2021
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