re i have seen the lobby and it is us ns lance colostate edu nathaniel sammons wrote if some kind soul out there would write a letter and upload it to the net everyone could capture it print it out and snail mail it out to their local congressional critter btw i m working on one you should realize that form letters are the worst way to influence your congresscritters exact copies are routinely placed on the lowest rung of the opinion ladder if you want to write and i think you should take the time to really write a letter things to emphasize it s been said that usenet is available to the technical elite i e the techies at corporate sites and universi ties emphasize that you are part of the group that will be making developing using clinton s data superhighway explain how you are intimately familiar with both computing and data communications if this is the case don t call your self an expert after wiring in a bps modem this will distinguish your letter from the random flamers don t turn it into braggadocio just tell them that you know the technical sides of the issue don t overdo jargon and gobbledygook remember your letter will be first read in all likelihood by a staffer who may even be a college student if they don t understand it your views won t even make the running total sheets be concise don t ramble rants are definitely out of place cite references if necessary but only use accepted references like academic journals my neighbor jim is not a real refer ence unfortunately very few congresscritters really understand electronic communications encourage them to pick up access to compuserve america online or one of the free nets offer to send them samples if you are in a position to do so offer them or their staffers back in the home state access to your systems offer to give a demonstration the next time they re in town your offer to get personally involved in helping them will give your opinions more credence in addition to sending mail to your representatives send mail to the members of the committee or subcommittee that is dealing with the issue if your congresscritter isn t on the committee they can t be of much help until the matter comes to the floor wes ps i d suggest drawing analogies between digital communication and the more traditional media but usenet doesn t have a decent track record in the analogy department rachel elizabeth morgan am oh yeah i can be reached as pounds ounces despite coming weeks early morgan engr uky edu to netters who gave constant encouragement and prayer thanks for everything
