Today the battle begins for me.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

I will write and/or call my Congresspersons. I will include them all. U.S. Senators, Representatives, and State Senators and Representatives from all the States. Obviously, I won't get them all in today but I will begin. My goal is to reach them all and convey to them that there are United States Citizens that do not agree with current policies and practices being introduced by this or indeed past administrations. I will convey to them that there are United States Citizens who want these policies and practices STOPPED. My concerns are very simple. No more Gun Control laws and repeal of those laws that restrict or infringe upon any aspect of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. No more Abortions. Take a Hard Line on the fiscal responsibilities that America needs. Put America first in all that they do. WE have nothing to apologize about to anyone. WE have led, protected, fed and clothed this World at every turn and WE have done so without expectation of recompense or even gratitude. Certainly WE have received very little of the former and a negligible amount of the latter.

I will convey to them that WE are tired of the way things are and that WE are tired of this current "Change". We want change that values our individual freedoms because that strengthens our collective freedom. WE have proven time and time again to the Despots and Tyrants of the World that WE are a nation of resolve and intestinal fortitude. WE will begin proving to the Despots and Tyrants which have arisen from our own ranks that our resolve and intestinal fortitude holds for them as well. The Elections of 2010 will be our battleground. We will hold those who claim to represent us accountable by our voice and to our vote.

I urge each of you, regardless of your political views to join me in this endeavor. It is worthwhile, it is honorable and it is time to begin.

Alan R. McDaniel, Jr.

[Twanger]

Way to go Alan!!!

[Altjaeger]

Well written and thoughtful. Yes, we need to let our representatives know our feelings on this and many other matters such as budgets and taxes.

Election 2010 is the battleground to aim for! Success there can make the difference in reining in the The O'Bama's, Reed's and Pelosi's

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

This is my first draft of the letter I intend to send. Feel free to comment or suggest modifications. Thanks in advance. Tomorrow the first copies will go out.


Alan Rhodes McDaniel, Jr.
P.O. Box 135
Goliad, Texas 77963

To The Honorable XXXXX:

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” Thomas Jefferson – The Declaration of Independence

My use of this quote to preface my letter to you is to exemplify the reasons that compel me to write. As I am sure you are aware, there is a growing dissatisfaction all levels of government and particular dissatisfaction with government at the Federal level. This viewpoint has existed for some time but recent “Change” at the Federal level has brought what was simply a minor discomfort to a higher level of concern. We Americans, do not, at least in the last 145 years of our History, attempt to throw off our long established government for light and transient reasons. Indeed, doing so, did and would still have disastrous ramifications beyond the comprehension of all Americans today. I view my own Texas Governor’s remark in this regard to be particularly irresponsible and goes to prove what I have thought about him all along. He is irresponsible and a user. He attempts to use us for his own gain. But, We are a prudent people and we will suffer while evils are sufferable rather than abolish the forms to which we are accustomed. This is as it should be and Jefferson in his vision of America wrote these words not only as a warning to Despots and Tyrants but also as a reminder to posterity to be prudent in dealings with their government.

We have now what I, among others, view as our government changing itself for light and transient reasons that do not reflect the general attitude of the American People in regards to our American Cultural Heritage. I, among others, view the current administrations policies and practices as being counter to these values that we hold true. I will not attempt to recite or review every piece of legislation that has mushroomed out of the recent change in administration. That is your job and one for which we are compensating you well and in some cases overcompensating. Our new President being a case in point with his brief Senate voting record of being “Present” during the shaping of our country's future.

My dissatisfaction goes much deeper than a simple change in the watch at the White House. I was born during the Presidency of Dwight Eisenhower, so having a new president is something that I am used too. It would not be prudent to attempt to attack each and every facet of our government with which I, among others, am dissatisfied. I have, after some degree of thought condensed my consternation to a few issues, which I feel are of paramount importance. They are listed in order of priority below.

• Our government should make it their utmost priority to protect the life, liberty and the opportunity to pursue happiness above all else. This is an unalienable right of all Citizens of this country. Life begins at conception. Any Texas farm boy or girl will tell you that you put the bull in with the cow and life begins. The cow doesn’t just have the calf, there is a precipitating factor and that is conception. To deny this is to deny our existence. Likewise the farm boy cannot deny his involvement with or the consummate act of conception in his relationship with the farm girl. Life has begun at conception and Pappy sees it as such as soon as he learns of conception NOT when a new mouth to feed suddenly appears at the breakfast table one morning. Abortion is Murder. Abortion is Wrong. If our government does not protect the weakest, most innocent of it’s Citizens then it is incomprehensible to me that they would endeavor to protect any of the others. This should be cause for concern for all of us for without life, there is no liberty or otherwise.

• The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is not about duck hunting, or self-defense. Those are secondary and incidental aspects or “the right to keep and bear arms.” The intent of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is very simple. Free, armed citizenry cannot be dominated or subjected to tyranny by any government. Not even their own. Indeed the first battle of the American Revolution, an event we still hold in high regard, was fought protecting arms that the British were trying to confiscate thus denying the colonists the ability to resist tyranny. The world has changed but the intent of the Second Amendment has not. While the current administration has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of disarming Americans, I personally do not believe it. I see what I consider to be infringement attempts on nearly a daily basis. The gun control group has a new front and it is with ammunition and the components thereof. To attack the ammunition is an infringement on our Second Amendment rights. To use technicalities to attempt to disarm Americans is an insult to our collective intelligence. It is no secret that ammunition, component and gun sales have skyrocketed in recent months and do not show any signs of abating. Coincidentally legislation being introduced and remarks by the current President indicate that this attempt at infringement is very real and will be insidiously enacted through channels outside of the normal legislative conduit and concealed within treaties with other countries. The manufacture of ammunition is very near and dear to my heart and is certainly included in the happiness I pursue. I reload my own ammunition and it is a source of pride and self-sufficiency that I do so. This benign perfectly legal activity is now under attack by our new President in the guise of fabricated issues, which are nothing more than “Gun Control”.

• Lastly, I cannot begin to express my revulsion at seeing and hearing this President use our nation’s highest elected office as his personal forum for every breech of protocol imaginable. Being the President of the most powerful nation on Earth has responsibilities that go beyond the norm. It is not permissible to be on “familiar” terms with other Heads of State. Formal Protocol should be followed at all times and certainly our President should not even give the appearance of impropriety much less be seen to be bowing to any Head of State of another country and certainly not a King. I do not care what the explanation is for this last act. It is inexcusable and proved that Barak Obama has no business being President of The United States. At every opportunity I request that you call for his impeachment or resignation.

I chose the Pro-life stance for the simple reason that it is paramount to all other issues, for without protecting life, none of the rest matters. The Pro-gun issue was chosen because it is under the most insidious of attacks and the slow chipping away of our Second Amendment Rights will leave us vulnerable to whatever form of tyranny chooses to visit itself upon us. I chose the Pro-American stance for what I hope are obvious reasons. America is and must remain a leader in the world and world affairs. We cannot allow ourselves to become companions or “Fellow Travelers”. We must remain The Leader.

The focus on “The Economy” is a smoke screen being used to obscure the real problems that exist in our country today. Economics was once explained in very simple terms to me. “If you mind the nickels and the dimes, the dollars will take care of themselves”. These basic core values are the ones at issue in The United States today. We must tend to our most basic concerns and the rest will follow.

The option that prudent Americans have at their disposal is the ballot, and the ballot box is where the future of America and Americans should and must be decided. In the elections of 2010 in both the House and the Senate, I, among others will cast a vote, with the issues described above as the driving force of that vote. The candidates that I choose to vote for, or against, will have proven voting and vociferous track records on these counts. Simply being “present” during the proceedings is not going to be enough. Although this letter is being sent to, and I hope read by, elected government officials of whom I personally am not a constituent, I will use the means at my disposal to persuade those that are their constituency to vote with these issues in mind as well.

Until then I hope that this letter finds you well and filled with the energy you will need to accomplish the very large tasks ahead of us all.

Respectfully and sincerely yours,





Alan R. McDaniel, Jr.

[Altjaeger]

Though I like what the letter says I don't think it will ever communicate what you want the representative and his staff to hear. Truth is it is just too long.

A congessman's staff will get a few hundred letters every day to read, research and respond to. Brevity and conciseness should be the order of the day. The congressman is basically going to get a report of where correspondence is trending on issues and give guidance on preparing responses. Likely the letter you will receive will be auto-penned without the congressman ever seeing your letter or his response. You are depending on that staffer to relay your thoughts and those of others.

A staffer need not know about bullets, powders, primers and brass. He simply needs to know you are concerned about materials to allow your reloading. Only when a specific bill is addressed might detailed knowledge and explanation be needed.

If covering a wide range of topics they need to be addressed almost like bullet points. Usually it is better to send a series of shorter 3 or 4 paragraph letters addressing one or two topics at a time. They will be looked at more closely. Also in time you build name recognition and are less likely to look like a brief flash point of emotion. Then you are more likely to be viewed as a serious, long term participant in the political process deserving more serious consideration.

Most import in the end though is to be that one in a hundred voters who does communicates with their representatives.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Paul, Thanks for the advice. That's why I asked for some, because I wanted some. Brevity is not my strong suit, but then again neither is long-windedness. I will take the advice to heart because while I want my message to be heard, it must be read to be heard. Back to work.

Alan