Now letter writing ... stealth ban correction

Hi

Happy to be of service. I figured something was up when it was deathly quiet after my post.

BTW, I was still in touch with Jackie Speier and pushing her on the 16th ... apparently after the vote of the 13th. She gave no indication on the 16th that it was already a done deal. Perhaps I was just being naive.

One thing for sure is that local govt. reps are surprisingly responsive if you communicate directly, especially by phone or by fax with your own letterhead. I make up my own letterhead for the Office of Emmanuel Segmen and then fax it through to the appropriate person. Barbara Lee, my local Congresswoman, has been very responsive to my letters and needs. She managed to get my wife's stolen passport replaced within a week when she was in Taiwan last year. That was pretty special since Taiwan doesn't have an American Embassy or direct State Dept. contact. Likewise when I fax a letter with my company letterhead to an FDA, USDA or Fish & Wildlife official, they respond directly and cordially. I have to do this quite regularly to get permission to import Chen Pi or to fix a labeling problem with cartons on a container.

While CHA has no such mandate to work with the government, it is wise to push AAOM and CSOMA as Will Morris has pointed out. It's also well worth while to have a cordial relationship with your own local congressperson. Even volunteer at their office once per month. Here in the Berkeley/Oakland area I'm impressed with Barbara Lee's power to get things done. As everyone in the nation knows Nancy Pelosi over in San Francisco is no slouch at getting things done. At the very least everyone on list in CA would do well to write a personal letter to their local reps to both state and federal government with a copy going to AAOM and CSOMA. Don't write an e-mail. Write a hard copy letter. Make copies. Fax it and then mail it to at least five places: fed. rep., state senator, AAOM, CSOMA and then while you're on a roll you could pop one each to Sen. Boxer and Sen. Feinstein. That's my plan.

In Gratitude,

Emmanuel Segmen

EmmanuelI actually never found your earlier post. My statement should have said that I "found your pleas MUST HAVE BEEN lost amongst literally hundreds of messages about SARS" I just assumed I was not searching hard enough. thanks for reposting.Todd