My Way to Contribute [View all]

Shortly after President Pedo’s inauguration, I was looking for a way to contribute. I can’t march; I live in the sparsely-populated outback of north Florida. Traveling now is constrained to the grocery store and medical and veterinary appointments. I heard about 5calls.org and thought, “I can do that.” When I looked at their guidance, the intent was to call 5 friends and encourage/educate them and urge them to spread the word. Since I don’t actually have 5 friends or family, I thought I’d change 5calls to 6calls . . . and decided to contact my congressman and 2 senators on a daily basis, both by e-mail and phone call.

5calls posts a large number of issues, gives you pertinent information regarding each issue, and provides a script you can use for contacts. With guidance from the 5calls website, urging respectfulness, and explaining the parameters to be used to complete the transaction, I formed my plan. I would alter the script to include some of the facts provided by 5calls that resonated with me. If legislative action was to be occurring soon, I would ask my congressperson to vote in a way that served me. As my plan evolved, I sometimes found it necessary to message the Senators about one issue, and the Congressman about a different one. This is how I began this journey on February 11:

February 11 (e-mails + calls)
Dear Senator (Congressman), The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created by Congress. Only Congress can LEGALLY shutter it. In 13 years, the CFPB has returned 21 billion to consumers—out of the pockets of Big Finance/CEOs. More than 6 million complaints have been addressed. Do you really stand for all your constituents, or only the big financial players? If you truly believe this bureau should be “shut down”—show some spine—stand up with your peers—in public—and explain to the public why you are against financial justice for your constituents. A question for you: Is this being done NOW because President Musk is entering the financial arena through his X platform and seeks to avoid all oversight? Either put your money where your mouth is and continue supporting your co-presidents, or stand for the majority of American who benefit from the actions of this agency. You decide!

Here's today’s outreach:

August 12 (3-mails & calls)
Good morning Senator/Congressman Pedo Lover,
Are you enjoying your taxpayer-funded vacation? Do you feel you ought to do at least a little work, perhaps hold a town hall to converse with your constituents? I think they would have questions about the economy, tariffs, ICE raids, mass deportation, building America’s very own concentration camps. But atop the list remains the accountability questions regarding the Epstein/Maxwell matter. The more this remains on Americans minds—without being transparently investigated—the more the cover-up becomes conspiratorial. Your silence, your turning a blind eye sucks you into a conspiracy vortex. Were you on Epstein Island? Did you know someone who was? Did you get a nice massage at Maralargo? Did you know someone who did? Did you read the file compiled by the FBI in Florida or New York? Did you do ANY oversight? I think the Guardians of Pedophiles (GOP) response might extend to labeling them accessories after the fact. And that’s a crime.

I’ve found a few unexpected consequences of my actions. As I read the 5calls information, I can do my own research (following links to respected sites to learn more about the issue). I also find I incorporate this information into my very being, and thus am better equipped to argue, explain or understand issues. I generally compose my message in the evening for my early-morning action, and go to bed without fretting about what I’ll address tomorrow morning. I can’t say that having a task completed helps me sleep better, but if I ponder political/democratic matters as I try to drift off to slumber land, I don’t have to include the matter I’ve just marked off my “to do” list. Additionally, I’ve discovered I’m certainly not a single-issue voter. What began as a chore or a duty has evolved into a stress-reliever. I doubt that any one of my messages is ever listened to or read, but I feel better for having done something. My call does consume switchboard time, and creates a data point as they aggregate information about number of calls or issues addressed.

If anyone here is taking similar action, I would love to hear how you interact with elected officials. Perhaps YOUR message is better than mine, and I can certainly cut-and-paste to change my outgoing message. (Or better yet, I can actually make a second call and e-mail to these critters.)