Posted on 07/02/2003 5:12:30 PM PDT by SUSSA
ML/NJ
This is the trap that destroys democracies, and republics. It is worse than faction.
I forwarded it to my Congressman with this preface:
Congressman Frelinghuysen:ML/NJ(And I would never call you Rodney. How gauche!)
We have met. And you have separately met my daughter as a high-schooler a number of years ago.. You might remember a girl who asked you about Vincent Foster. You didn't answer her, apparently because either you are a fool or you just think it's best for you and your family to abide murder and go along to get along.
I'm not writing today about Vincent Foster. But I just want to be up front about my contempt for you and all of your Republican colleagues who like to count upon my vote.
Today I am writing with a quote from the Congressional Record that someone forwarded to me. It would be a miracle if you were actually present for this, and probably as much of a miracle if these words were actually spoken. Our whole government is such a fraud that if I had anything to do with it I would probably commit suicide.
Still I hope you take the time to see what you missed and read what follows.
Please do not respond with one of those stupid automated "Thank you's." It will only deepen my contempt.
Dear Friend: [ <--- Notice the personalization ]ML/NJThank you for your e-mail. Please know that this is an automated response to confirm that your e-mail has been received by my Washington office.
I will respond in writing to your specific concerns as soon as possible. Please make sure you have also included your mailing address with your email. [Now isn't this a stupid comment. My email address is in the headers of the email I sent the guy. And somehow the tenses just don't seem correct for this post hoc suggestion.]
If you are in need of immediate assistance, please telephone my district office at (973) 984-0711.
To keep track of the latest developments and news, you can visit my website at http://www.house.gov/frelinghuysen/. I would also encourage you to sign up for my e-mail newsletter which you can do on the home page of my website.
Again, thank you for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Rodney P. Frelinghuysen
Member of Congress
Apparently you haven't seen this before - it's not as stupid as you think.
He's asking for your mailing address, not your e-mail address.
They do that to avoid sending paper (via USPS) to people outside their district.
Actually, you are partially right.
Maybe he is referring to my mailing address, as opposed to my email address. (Should I open mail from him? It might contain anthrax. He won't open mine, which is why I resorted to email.)
But I did include my name and address. I just replaced them with ML/NJ when I posted it here.
(And also: Congressmen don't speak to many high-schoolers not from their district. Boy! The poor Conressman got more than he bargained for when my daughter was chosen as one of three to represent her high school when he visited there. She already had met him and knew about his see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil attitude.)
ML/NJ
What is wrong in America:
1.) Education in this country is appalling. The Founding Fathers and propionates of ‘the republic’ stressed the importance of an educated electorate. Children are not taught to learn or to think, they are taught to be a cog, to listen and perform to an acceptable standard. Once adults it ‘telling’ continues with politicians and the media. When a country has no guidance though logic or enlightenment from history it will weaken and strain. In the chaos we will turn more and more to direct democracy and that will fracture this nation, just as it has done to societies in the past. That balkanization of the nation will happen unless we can teach children to learn, until we provide facts and lessons outside the popular culture and outside the PC fade of the decade.
2.) The erosion of local politics and State Rights has reduced the more direct and radical changes that evolve a society and/or teach it lessons while keeping unchecked nationwide effects limited. Local and State governments give the most direct access to the people and gives them the most immediate response to good and bad decisions. With a heavily centralize government the people can always blame the politicians in D.C. We need a Federal Government, but not for everything and not for strict standardization.
3.) Government by emotions. If you feel bad for your neighbor, help him, but do not setup another government program to do it for you. If we all had to deal with the social issues of the day without the luxury of passing the buck to a tax funded program we all might be more interested in fixing the problem. How much more would you give to charity if you paid 10% less in taxes, 20%? Every dollar given to charity is better spent than when given to a government program and it instills individual responsibility for the society as a whole.
4.) We must reinstate ‘Right’ & ‘Wrong’- Absolutes. There is a right and a wrong and while sometimes it is complicated, it is always necessary. Without any absolutes how can a nation avoid the extreme pendulum swings so common in other fallen societies? Conservatism is about finding true north and avoiding deviation from the course. Things do change and new obstacles do arise, but conservatives do not over react, do not deviate for deviations sake. This does not mean we need some extreme legislation of morality, but let us not forget that the very idea of a Constitutional Republic is finding some morally correct limits to both government and society and that those absolutes exist outside government and society. We claim the moral right to defend ourselves and to be defended. We found the moral position that killing for greed is wrong and should be punished. No matter where you found that morality it is not universal accepted and these Absolutes must be protected.
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