Unbiased Reporting

What I post on this Blog does not mean I agree with the articles or disagree. I call it Unbiased Reporting!

Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly

Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly
In Memory of my Loving Husband, William F. Knightly Jr. Murdered by ILLEGAL Palliative Care at a Nashua, NH Hospital

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Standing To Be Heard Get Your Story Out There For Free

Standing To Be Heard http://nfpcar.org/eBook/Free.htm
Get Your Story Out There For Free

Writing Your Letter ~ Publish or Share Your Story ~Giant email Links ~ Create an Anonymous eMail ~ Contact Your Legislator
Why Go Public? Warn others! There are many good ways to have your story available on the internet to warn others and refer them to website areas you think may help them. It is a good idea to use initials for the kids’ names so there’s no getting into trouble with the Privacy Act or technically: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Website Links to publicize your story for free.
Writing Your Letter
Dr. Randall Hansen's Guide to Writing Successful Media Releases>> Link: http://www.randallshansen.com/prguide.html

This site is all about providing the resources to help you write and strategically place better media/press releases. While this site is designed to help you write better media/press releases for the promotion of new Web sites, the expertise and tools provided here could be effective for any kind of promotional campaign.

Here are some experience-based suggestions that will help you get your letters published.>>Link: http://www.mediaradar.org/how_to_letter.php
Understand what issue you are responding to and be sure that your letter responds to it. Off the wall is off the wall!
Have something to say and think carefully about how you want to say it. This is the hardest part. Ask yourself: "What is it that I really want to say?" Try to make just one or two major points.
Edit your letter. Eliminate unnecessary words and look for ways to say it more powerfully. Editors count words. No matter what you submit, expect them to revise it. Try to pick a catchy title – but they usually will change that, too.
To newspapers, e-mail your letter – with a copy to yourself to keep track of it. Every newspaper will tell you (usually at the end of the letters section) where to send it.
However, to politicians, the most effective way is to write a formal letter. (See Below)
If possible, respond the same day the article/editorial appears. Much later and you will be too late for consideration.
Above all, write from the heart – that is, with passion for the issue – but keep the tone of your letter factual and reasonable.
Expect lots of rejections. But, remember that newspapers always are looking for good letters to choose from.
Most newspapers have a section from the Letters Editor telling you what they want and how they want it. For example, they often require you indicate your name, address, and telephone number. Read and follow!
Finally, read some of the letters that your chosen newspaper already has printed to get a feel for what they are willing to print.
GOOD LUCK!!!
· Free Writing & Publishing How-To (the “p” is not in the web address): http://www.suite101.com/writingandublishing
· The following website is to help with writing skills, especially in the area of citizen reporting & journalism. It helps with writing about public policy issues. http://www.helium.com/writers-resources/citizenjournalist?emailloc=km94v
Back to Top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giant eMail Links
~http://www.conservativeusa.org/megalink.htm ~
Here's your one-stop "megaphone" where you can E-Mail letters to your elected representatives, talk shows, the media, and even write letters to the editor. Tell them what you think!
Congress ~Talk Shows ~Newspapers ~Networks
Use the selections above to jump to the category you wish (or scroll down), then click on your choice to open an E-Mail editing screen, or in some cases, a link to that company's web site's E-Mail page. You can help by sending us any e-mail addresses you think we should include plus any corrections or broken links. We would also appreciate receiving copies of the responses to your messages.

E-Mail, Call & Write Your Elected Representatives

Send a letter to your elected representatives! If you would like a reply, be sure to state this in the letter, and include your post office address.

SELECT AND WRITE TO ANY SENATOR OR CONGRESSMAN FROM OUR COMPLETE LIST! Also: Governors, State Legislatures, Senate & House Committees!

Click here for your Senators contact info: http://www.senate. gov/general/ contact_informat ion/senators_ cfm.cfm

Contact your Congressman. You just punch in your area and you get your congressmen. Contacting the Congress

To phone a Senator or Congressman, call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and the operator will connect you to the desired office. The operator can find your correct Congressman from your zip code if you aren't sure. It is more effective to talk to the Legislative Assistant, or "L.A." in Capitol Hill slang, about your issue or concern than to leave your opinion with the receptionist: just ask to speak to "the L.A. who deals with (your subject)". A personal visit to the DC or local state office is the most effective.

The White House Comments Desk can be reached at 202-456-1111. Fax: 202-456-2461

To write a letter, here are the addresses:

The Honorable _______
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President

The Honorable ______
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator (Last Name):

The Honorable ______
U.S. Congress
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr./Mrs. (Last Name):

Please note that postal mail to these offices can take a few weeks to arrive due to security screening. fax, e-mail, call or visit for fast communication.

Mailing Labels of House Member Addresses:

MS Word (PC format, Avery #5160)

Word Perfect (PC format, Avery #5160)

Excel Spreadsheet format

ASCII Text File

Senate Phone List

U.S. County Governments: Links to all County governments, email addresses of local elected representatives and officials.

U.S. & Foreign Embassies: Links to all US Embassies worldwide Foreign Embassies located in US
Listen, Call, Fax, or send E-Mail to Talk Shows

Send your message to radio and TV talk shows! You can bring important issues to the attention of talk show hosts resulting in thousands or millions of people being informed. Hosts frequently read e-mail on the air. You can expose or praise how Congressmen and Senators vote, or challenge a liberal host's statements. If you send your email to more than one show, none will use it regardless of merit because they wouldn't have an exclusive message--send it to just one, and after a week of no reply, then send it to another. Got a favorite talk show we should list here--let us know!

* All air times are Eastern Time and air Monday-Friday unless noted. Listening formats include Real Audio/Video, Windows Media Player, & MP3. [Get Real Player] [Get WMP] Some shows are repeated at night or on weekends. Just for fun, we list a couple liberal shows!

Talk Show Call-In # Air Time* Fax Listen
Live Web E-Mail
Chuck Baldwin
6 Stations in Pensacola area 850-438-1605 Noon-1 pm 850-944-0577 . Web Site E-Mail
Bob Barr
WGKA 920 AM Atlanta . Sundays 6-8 pm . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Glenn Beck
193 Stations 888-727-BECK 9 am-Noon . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Tammy Bruce
Nationwide 800-449-8255 9 am - Noon M-F, Sat 4-7 pm PT . . Web Site .
Mark Belling
Milwaukee WISN 1130AM . 3-6 pm CT . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Bill Bennett
Nationwide 866-680-6464 6-9 am . . Web Site E-Mail
Jim Bohannon
Nationwide 800-998-JIMBO 10 pm-1 am . . Web Site E-Mail
Herman Cain
7 Stations in GA 888-920-2665 Saturdays 3-6 pm . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Neal Boortz
Atlanta WSB 750AM 404-872-0750 8:30am-noon 404-607-TALK Listen Web Site .
Coast to Coast AM
George Noory/Art Bell/
Ian Punnett
Nationwide See List 1-5 am . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Blanquita Cullum
40 stations 800-510-TALK 2-3 pm 202-408-1087 Listen Web Site E-Mail
Matt Drudge
"Heard in all 50 States" 866-4-DRUDGE Sundays 10 pm-1 am . . Web Site E-Mail
Larry Elder
Nationwide & L.A. KABC 790 AM . 3-7 pm PT 310-838-5222 . Web Site E-Mail
Air America
67 Stations 866-303-2270 . . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Roger Fredinburg
200 Stations 800-449-8255 10pm-1am M-F 541-774-9202 Listen Web Site E-Mail
Tom Gresham "Gun Talk"
92 Stations 800-298-TALK 2-5 pm Sundays . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Sean Hannity
Nationwide 800-941-7326 3-6 pm . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Roger Hedgecock
San Diego KOGO 600 AM 800-600-KOGO 12:20-4 pm 619-285-4395 Listen Web Site E-Mail
Hugh Hewitt
112 Stations 800-520-1234 6-9 pm . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Larry King
CNN . 9-10 pm . . Web Site E-Mail
Don Kroah
WAVA Wash DC/Balto MD 888-293-9282 5-7 pm . . Web Site .
KABC Shows:
Al Rantel
Doug McIntyre
Rob Nelson
Kevin James
790 AM Los Angeles 800-222-KABC (all times PST)
11-11:45 am, 6-9 pm M-F
5-9 am M-F
4-7pm Sundays
1-5 am Tues- Sat . Listen Web Site E -Mail
Rantel
McIntyre
Nelson
James
KFYI Shows:
Bruce Jacobs
Joe Crummey
Terry Gilberg
550 AM Phoenix 602-260-KFYI
5-8 am
4-7 pm
5-7 pm Sunday . Listen Web Site
E-Mail
E-Mail
E-Mail
Henry Kriegel
Bozeman, MT KMMS AM 1450 4-6 pm MT
Mark Levin
Nationwide 877-381-3811 6-8 pm . . Web Site E-Mail
G. Gordon Liddy
Nationwide 800-GG-LIDDY 10 am-1 pm . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Rush Limbaugh
600+ stations 800-282-2882 12-3 pm 212-445-3963 . Web Site
unofficial sites E-Mail
Michael Medved
Nationwide 800-955-1776 3-6 pm . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Dennis Miller
Nationwide 866-509-RANT 10 am - 1 pm . . Website .
Bob Mohan
KFYI 602-258-KFYI 7-9 pm 602- 817-1199 Listen Web Site E-Mail
Chuck Morse
Nashua, NH WSMN 1590 AM 603-883-9900 9-11 am . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Marty Nalitz
Denver KNUS 710 AM 303-696-1971 9 am-1 pm mountain 303-740-9019 . . .
Jill Nicholson
Las Vegas KLAV 866-820-KLAV Thurs 2-4pm 702-796-7433 Listen Web Site E-Mail
Bill O'Reilly
Nationwide 877-9-NO-SPIN Noon-2 pm . . Website E-Mail
Janet Parshall
70 stations 800-343-9282 3-6 pm 703-807-2248 Listen Web Site E-Mail
Steve Peroutka
Annapolis MD WNAV 410-267-7777 Wed 6-7 pm 410-268-5360 Listen Web Site .
Point of View
Nationwide 800-351-1212 2-4 pm . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Jim Quinn
6 Stations in PA, OH, WV 800-507-1047 6-10 am . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Mike Reagan
Nationwide 800-468-MIKE 6-9 pm . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Diane Rehm
188 NPR Stations 800-433-8850 10 am-noon . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Right Side
4 Stations in MS 601-261-0898
Hattiesburg
601-649-0898
Laurel 5:30 pm . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Lee Rodgers
San Francisco KSFO 560 AM 415-808-5600 6-10 am Pacific & 5-7 am Sat/Sun 415-658-5401 Listen Web Site E-mail
Michael Savage
Nationwide 415-808-5600 4-7 pm Pacific 415-658-5401 Listen Web Site E-Mail
Mark Scott
Detroit WXYT 1270 AM 248-356-1270 10 am- noon 248-455-7362 . Web Site E-Mail
Dick Staub
50 stations 800-775-1067 5-8 pm 847-956-5040 . Web Site E-Mail
Talk Back Live
CNN 800-510-5266 3-4 pm 888-310-4FAX Watch
Listen
Chat Web Site E-Mail
Randall Terry
WRKP 96.5 FM
Moundsville, WV 800-777-2785 3-4 pm . . Web Site .
Washington Journal
C-SPAN See List 7-10 am . Watch Web Site E-Mail
Kirby Wilbur
Seattle KVI 570 AM 206-421-5757 5-9 am Pacific 206-516-3196 Listen Web Site E-Mail
Andrew Wilkow
WGY 810 AM Albany NY
WABC 770 AM NY City 800-TALK-WGY
800-848-WABC WGY: 9a-Noon Weekdays
WABC: 10a-1p Sun .. . Web Site E-Mail
WMAL Shows:
Chris Plante
Evening Show
630 AM Wahington, DC 888-630-WMAL
9-11:45 am & Sunday 12-2 pm
8-10 pm . Listen Web Site E-Mail
Plante

Write a Letter to the Editor

Spread the word to readers and key decision makers across the country: Write a letter to the editor on-line! Enter Letter to Editor on the Subject line; and be sure to include your name, home address and daytime telephone number. Keep your letter brief (under 200 words is best) and to-the-point for a better chance of publication. If you send your email to more than one newspaper, none will use it regardless of merit because they wouldn't have an exclusive letter--send it to just one, and after a week of no reply, then send it to another. Letters which respond to a story or commentary in that paper often have the best chance of publication. You can alert readers about important issues, correct liberal media distortions, ask readers to contact their representatives, and even praise or expose a Congressman's or Senator's vote on an issue in their home state paper! Please send us the e-mail addresses for the letters-to-the-editor department of your local daily and weekly papers.

Hold reporters and editors to high ethical standards--write or e-mail them with your comments, complaints, praise, or reports of liberal bias. Here's Gannet's ethical rules as a sample.
Related Link of Major Media and Comments on Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting: FAIR's Media Contact List

Link to Newspapers of the World>>http://www.newslink.org/

Magazines

American Spectator Conservative Monthly George Magazine
Human Events Conservative Weekly Insight Magazine Conservative Weekly
Mother Jones Magazine National Review Magazine
Newsweek Magazine Readers Digest
Slate online Magazine By Microsoft, edited by Michael Kinsley Time Magazine
U.S. News & World Report .
National Newspapers & Internet News Sites

Army Times Christian Science Monitor
Covenant News Link to this site International Herald-Tribune
(sold abroad, published by Wash. Post & N.Y. Times)
NewsMax.com
Link to Chris Ruddy's news service USAToday
The Wanderer Conservative Catholic weekly Link Wall Street Journal
Washington Times National Weekly Edition WorldNetDaily.com Link to this site
Major Daily Newspapers

AK Alaska Star Anchorage & area Anchorage Daily News
AL Mobile Register Huntsville Times
AR Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Little Rock Morning News of N.W. Arkansas (Link)
AZ Arizona Daily Star Tucson Arizona Republic Phoenix
CA Bakersfield Californian Fresno Bee
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Lompoc Record News Release Writing Tips
Long Beach Press-Telegram Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Times News release info Modesto Bee (Link)
Oakland Tribune Orange County Register
Pasadena Star-News Redlands Daily Facts
Riverside Press-Enterprise Sacramento Bee (link) Writing Tips
Sacramento Gazette San Bernardino County Sun
San Diego Daily Transcript San Diego Union-Tribune
San Francisco Examiner San Gabriel Valley Tribune
San Jose Mercury-News Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Whittier Daily News .
CO Colorado Springs Gazette Denver Post
Rocky Mountain News Denver .
CT Connecticut Post Hartford Courant
New Haven Register .
Connecticut Local & Weekly Papers:
Bristol Press Bristol, Plymounth, Plainville, Burlington The Chronicle Willimantic area
Darien Times Greenwich Time
Guilford Courier * The Harbor News * Clinton, Westbrook, Old Saybrook
Lewisboro Ledger Middletown Press
New Britain Herald New Canaan Advertiser
The News-Times Norwalk Citizen-News
Record-Journal Meriden, Wallingford, Cheshire Redding Pilot *
Register Citizen Torrington, Winsted & area Ridgefield Press
The Sound * Branford The Source * Madison
Westport News Weston Forum *
Wilton Bulletin * = Specify which paper you want your letter published in
DC Roll Call Newspaper about & read by Congress Washington Post (Link)
Washington Times D.C.'s conservative paper .
DE Delaware State News Dover The News Journal Wilmington
FL Florida Times-Union Jacksonville (Link) Miami Herald
Orlando Sentinel Info Palm Beach Post
Sarasota Herald-Tribune St. Petersburg Times
Sun-Sentinel South Florida Submit News Story Tampa Tribune Info
GA Atlanta Constitution Atlanta Journal
Augusta Chronicle .
HI Honolulu Star-Bulletin .
IA Cedar Rapids Gazette (Link) Sioux City Journal
ID Lewiston Tribune .
IL Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Tribune
Daily Herald Arlington Heights Peoria Journal Star
State Journal-Register Springfield .
IN Indianapolis News Indianapolis Star
KS Topeka Capital-Journal Wichita Eagle
KY Louisville Courier-Journal (Link) Murray Ledger
LA Baton Rouge Advocate New Orleans Times-Picayune
MA Boston Globe (Link) Boston Herald
MD Baltimore Sun The Capital Annapolis
Cumberland Times-News Easton Star-Democrat
ME Bangor Daily News Portland Press-Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram
MI Detroit News .
MN Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Link) .
MO Kansas City Star St. Louis Post-Dispatch
MS Biloxi Sun Herald Clarion-Ledger Jackson
MT Billings Gazette .
NC Chapel Hill Herald Charlotte Observer
Durham Herald-Sun Raleigh News & Observer
ND The Forum Fargo Grand Forks Herald
NE Grand Island Independent Lexington Clipper-Herald
Lincoln Journal Star North Platte Telegraph (Link)
Sidney Telegraph Star Herald Scottsbluff, Gering
NH The Manchester Union Leader .
NJ Asbury Park Press .
NM Albuquerque Journal .
NV Las Vegas Review-Journal .
NY Albany Times-Union Newsday Long Island
New York Daily News New York Post
New York Times Letters Tips Op-ed info Village Voice
OH Akron Beacon Journal Columbus Dispatch
Dayton Daily News Cincinnati Enquirer
OK The Oklahoman Oklahoma City Tulsa World (Link)
OR Portland Oregonian Portland Press Herald/Telegram
PA Philadelphia Inquirer Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Tips
RI Providence Journal-Bulletin .
SC Charleston Post & Courier The State Columbia
SD Aberdeen American News Argus Leader Sioux Falls
TN The Commercial Appeal Memphis .
TX Austin American Statesman Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Dallas Morning News (Link) Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Houston Chronicle San Antonio Express-News
Seguin Gazette-Enterprize .
UT The Deseret News Salt Lake City Salt Lake Tribune
VA Danville Register & Bee (Link) The Freelance Star (Fredericksburg)
Hampton Roads Daily Press The Journal (Alex., Arlington & Fairfax)
Lynchburg News & Advance Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Richmond Times-Dispatch Loudoun Independent
VT Burlington Free Press St. Albans Messenger
WA Seattle Post-Intelligencer Seattle Times
Spokane Spokesman-Review Tacoma News Tribune
Vancouver Columbian Letter Tips Web Forum .
WI Eau Claire Ledger-Telegram Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Link)
WV Charleston Daily Mail .
WY Casper Star-Tribune .
TV Networks, News Shows, and Entertainment Companies

Give these TV & radio networks and entertainment companies your opinion about their reporting, programs, and sponsors--pro or con. Concerned citizens can make a difference. Include your street address and a request for a reply if you wish one. The links to the network e-mail web pages often give you a menu to select particular shows or management offices to which you can write.

ABC (Link for all shows)
ABC News (Link for all news shows)
ABC's "20/20"

CBS (Link for all shows)
CBS' 60 Minutes

CNBC (For all shows)

C-SPAN Also (Links) Suggest events C-SPAN should cover, give comments on programming & web site

CNN Feedback for several shows Link to transcripts of all CNN shows for past 10 days
CNN All Politics
CNN & Company
CNN Crossfire
CNN Message Boards Post a message--some are read on air!
CNN Talkback Live

Dish Network (satellite system)

Disney and Disney Channel (Link for all Disney companies)

Drudge Report Here's the place to report breaking news.

E! Channel

Fox Broadcasting (For shows, specials, movies, etc., but not news)

Fox News (for all news shows) Fox Message Boards

The McLaughlin Group Suggest issues or give feedback

MSNBC (Link for all MSNBC shows)
Hardball with Chris Matthews

MTV

NBC (Link for all shows)
NBC's "Meet the Press" Link for transcript of most recent show
NBC's "Nightly News"
Weekend Today
Dateline NBC
Today Show

NPR's "All Things Considered"

PBS


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let us know of updates, broken links and links for your favorite papers/radio shows!
Webmaster: GranPa Chuck

Back to Top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where You Can Publish or Share Your Story
Read other stories by parents & their experiences with CPS. Write your story, as well, to help warn others and refer them to our eReference Books, the Group or other place you may think they can gain help. This is a hot spot where citizens warn each other of all sorts of financial, employment, and other rip-offs. It is taking the place of the Better Business Bureau. Do not use real names or use initials. http://www.ripoffreport.com
If you are able to make a video clip and upload it, then YouTube is good as it is highly-visible hot spot and popular. Media persons peruse YouTube video clips and many times include them on their TV newscasts. http://www.YouTube.com
More and more, connections with children placed in the system and their lost foster parents or biological parents are made here. Write your profile with a message to the kids being careful about privacy. You can post your picture in case the kids input your name and come to you My Space website. Posts can be made back and forth. http://www.MySpace.com
The following link is a portal to media contacts for the major newscasters which includes names, addresses, phone numbers and emails: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=111
Send Your Story to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)! Here’s the form on their website… http://www.fbi.gov/homepage.htm
Call this CPS Radio Talk Show & tell your story. This show outlines the destruction of American families and relationships through legislation and the courts. Your host and cohost is Ron Smithand Rockin and Robin Denison. Hosted by: ChildrenNeedBothParents. (724) 444-7444 Call ID: 53118. http://www.talkshoe .com/tc/53118
Back to Top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Create an Anonymous eMail
It is a good idea to set up a couple of emails that contain anonymous information for your privacy. These emails can be used when creating blogs or signing up for groups. They are easy to set up if you have already picked out a city and a zip code that goes with it. Make up the street address. It is just an extra step in remaining anonymous while your case is still active. Social workers known as “moles” do monitor some sites for ideas in their cases and hopefully find “You” to see what is going on. Privacy in what you are doing in your case is imperative.
· http://www.mail.com
· http://www.lycos.com
· http://www.yahoomail.com
Back to Top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contact Your Legislator
Contact US Senators. You can go to this link and write an email directly to them or better yet write a formal letter. http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Write your story to your US Congressman: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Article on: Contacting Your State Legislator For Help

Originally Posted: 16 Sep 2007 12:06 PM CDT
If your CPS social workers are lying, violating court orders, or just being unreasonable, you might get some relief from their tyranny by contacting your state legislator. I’ve done this many times when dealing with unscrupulous agencies, and each time had a pleasant resolution to my situation.

Let’s go back to how I discovered how effective this could be. Back in the 80’s I was a welfare eligibility worker for the Department of Social Services. Occasionally unhappy clients would contact their legislators, and whenever that happened we’d see the supervisor scrambling to get the case file to take it into the program manager’s office. We knew that these people hated to have anyone call their legislators because then the head of the entire Department of Social Services would get a call from Sacramento where our State Department of Social Services is. In other words, a lot of pressure was applied from the top management because they didn’t like getting these calls! What was even more frustrating to the supervisor was that every time there was a call to a legislator, the client got what she wanted.

A few years back a local Department of Social Services caseworker was harassing me after learning about this site. He came out here four or five times with totally facetious or trivial complaints, such as the accusation that I was home schooling - something that is legal in all fifty states. After the last time, I decided to take action before he got the bright idea of detaining my children on the basis of the number of complaints he’d either manufactured or followed up on. What I did was to write a letter to this caseworker detailing each of his visits to my family, telling what his reasons were each time and what my response was. I sent him a copy of the letter, and sent a copy to his Program Manager, my county supervisor, a few legislators, and a few newspapers. Maybe a few other people, but I honestly don’t remember who at this point. There was a list of these people at the bottom of the letter, so he knew who was getting it. The state legislator wrote to me telling me he had contacted the head of the Department of Social Services for California. Talk about applying pressure from the top! Then the pressure no doubt reached the local office and I didn’t hear from the guy again for years.

I’ve done similar things regarding other agencies. My experiences with writing to state legislators for help have all been good, and so I’m telling you about it in case anyone wants to try it. If you do, here’s some pointers.

Write the legislator a formal letter. Handwriting is OK - it looks authentic. Second best is a typed letter. Worst, and probably useless, is email. I’ve heard that legislators in Washington DC have to delete a lot of email unread because they have no way of processing it. I don’t know if a state legislator would do that, but I wouldn’t trust email. In this case, paper is better.
Be sure you use proper spelling and grammar. I know that’s a problem for many people who use this site, but if you know you have a problem then you can ask the local high school English teacher or some other expert for help making the letter look good.
Tell the legislator in the first line that you are his constituent. And by the way, you should be sure you’re writing only to legislators that preside over your section of the state. As a constituent you are a person who can vote or not vote for him next time he runs for office.
Keep it short! One page is sufficient. Three paragraphs, better. When I wrote the letter I mentioned above, I sent the entire three page letter I’d sent to the social worker, but the cover letter to the legislator was only three very short paragraphs. The letter will probably be read by a staff member who doesn’t have a lot of time to wade through many pages of case information. They want to know your specific complaint and needs, and will be able to process it and act on it quickly. It wouldn’t hurt to attach any evidence you may have on hand.

You will probably get a letter back from the legislator’s office telling you whether or not they took action on your complaint. They are there to watch out for their constituents, so in most cases they’ll try to do something to help. They need to know when the laws they make aren’t being followed properly. They can’t change a court order, but if a CPS social worker is violating a court order or in any way breaking social service regulations, they can probably do something to create change. After getting your letter, you might want to write back and thank them for helping.
Back to Top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Presenedt by:

No comments:

Post a Comment