I thought this list of contact information, websites, and other assorted information might come in handy. While all of it is available online, it's not always easy to track down. Some of these are from the San Francisco Chronicle, About.com, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Feel free to copy and distribute this information! Also, here's a pdf version for downloading/printing.
Updated March 13, 2003 by Katherine Falk
Contacting Elected Officials It may feel like an exercise in futility, but believe it or not, politicians do pay attention. Phone calls and letters get the most attention, then faxes, and then email. You’ll get more attention from senators and congresspeople whose district you live in, since you can actually vote them in or out. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has an excellent guide on how to effectively contact/lobby your elected representatives at www.eff.org/congress.html .
PRESIDENT
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Tel: 202.456.1414
Fax: 202.456.2461
President George W. Bush
Email: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Richard B. Cheney
Email: vice.president@whitehouse.gov
SENATORS
The Honorable Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Tel: 202.224.3841
Fax: 202.228.3954
Email: senator@feinstein.senate.gov
Web: www.senate.gov/~feinstein/
The Honorable Senator Barbara Boxer
United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510
Tel: 202.224.3553
Fax: 202.228.1338
Email (actually a contact form on the web): boxer.senate.gov/contact/webform.html
Web: boxer.senate.gov
OTHER OFFICIALS
Look in the blue Government Pages in the phone book, at your local library, or online.
House of Representatives: www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html or www.house.gov/writerep
Senate: www.senate.gov/general/ contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Sending Letters to the Editor
Letters should be short (200-250 words.) and in your own language – don’t copy letters or editorials verbatim from elsewhere (Activism sites often provide sample letters, and editors are starting to check to make sure you’re not using those.) Always include your name, address, and phone number. The paper will need to be able to contact you to verify authenticity.
San Francisco Chronicle
Letters to the Editor
901 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
letters@sfchronicle.com
San Francisco Examiner
Editorial Page Editor
988 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
letters@sfexaminer.com
San Jose Mercury
Letters to the Editor
750 Ridder Park Drive
San Jose, CA 95190
Fax: 408.271.3792
letters@sjmercury.com
Oakland Tribune
Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 28884
Oakland, CA 94604
Fax: 510.208.6477
Email: riblet@angnewspapers.com
Sacramento Bee
Letters to the Editor
P.O.Box 15779
Sacramento, CA 95852
opinion@sacbee.com
New York Times
Letters to the Editor
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
Fax: 212.556.3622
Email: letters@nytimes.com
Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor
202 W. 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Email: letters@latimes.com
Making Donations
A few groups you might want to consider. If any organization approaches you for money, research them carefully before making a donation.
American Red Cross: 800.435.7669 (English) or 800.257.7575 (Spanish) American Red Cross Bay Area Office
85 Second Street, 8th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
www.redcross.org
UNHCR
The Human Refugee Agency
Case Postale 2500 CH-1211
Genève 2 Dépôt Suisse.
+41 22 739 8111
www.unhcr.org
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street
New York, NY 10004-2400
Tel: 212.549.2500
aclu@aclu.org
www.aclu.org
Learn More
The following is a list of fairly informative websites. Your local library can also help you find good resources.
Search for Common Ground: www.sfcg.org
Alternet: www.alternet.org
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas: menic.utexas.edu/menic/
Middle East Research & Information Project: www.merip.org Foreign Policy Journal: www.foreignpolicy.com
The American Prospect: www.americanprospect.org
Fact or Fiction? Researching Rumors
Rumors, inacuracies, and downright fabrications circulate on the Internet (as in life) at the best of times — and at times like the ones we’ve been living in recently. While it’s easy to hit that “Send” button, it’s a good idea to take a few minutes to do a little research.
What’s the harm in forwarding unsubstantiated messages? Plenty. You can cause people to panic unnecessarily. You can feel like you’ve taken action when in fact you haven’t (as when you sign a “sign-and-forward” petition that no official will ever see.) People can even be physically hurt (witness the number of Arab Americans — or people who look like them — attacked under the false belief that they are somehow responsible for the September 11 attacks.) Luckily, good information is out there, if you take a little time to track it down. Here are some places to start.
WHERE TO FIND OUT IF IT’S TRUE OR NOT
Urban Legends section of About.com: urbanlegends.about.com
Snopes: www.snopes.com
Truth or Fiction: www.truthorfiction.com
Hoaxbusters: hoaxbusters.ciac.org
Vmyths: www.Vmyths.com
PETITIONS
If you get a petition asking you to put your name at the bottom and send it to ten of your friends, don’t do it. These petitions don’t circulate effectively, they wind up with too many duplicate names, they can’t be verified, and they are ignored by the powers that be. (See michaelbluejay.com/main/petitions.html and www.avalon.net/~adam/petition.html)
There are more effective web-based petition drives from organizations like the ones below; however, don’t stop there. Remember that letters and phone calls are good too, and be sure to check out the organizations to make sure they’re reputable. See www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/petitions.htm for more information.
Moveon.org: www.moveon.org
Working Assets / Act For Change: www.actforchange.org
American Civil Liberties Union: www.aclu.org
Global Exchange: www.globalexchange.org
United For Peace: www.unitedforpeace.org
WHO & WHY? THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL EVALUATION
When you receive a rumor, or petition, don’t just trust it because it was sent to you by someone you know. They may not have checked it out thoroughly. Check it out on one of the sites mentioned previously. Ask yourself:
- Who wrote this? What are their motives? (Authority and accountability are very important)
- Is there a date on it? (Undated messages can, and do, float around the net for years!)
- Does it have important details, or is it really vague? (“Women have been getting sent poisoned perfume samples” is way too vague.)
- Does it urge you to forward it to everyone you know? (Not necessarily a good idea!)
- Is there a reputable organization you can contact for more information? (If not, why not?)
If you can’t answer these questions to your satisfaction, then don’t forward it. For more tips on spotting a hoax, see www.lava.net/~higak/chain/how-to-spot.htm .
Most Important of All… VOTE! So we don’t have to go through this madness again. If you have friends or family who aren’t registered to vote, encourage them to register now. Elections will be here again sooner than you think. Project Vote Smart: www.vote-smart.org Easy Voter: www.easyvoter.org Smart Voter: www.smartvoter.org
