Lobbyists welcomed in offices, but constituent emails blocked.

PACs and Lobbyists have the time and money to individualize communications that get them into the inner sanctums of those in control of the U.S. government, but poor, working commoners who attempt to send emails through a non-profit campaign are blocked. Wake up America, the tiny voice you still have is being silenced!

Call the offices of those who are supposedly representing you and your interests in the Senate and House in DC (use local or toll free numbers) and let them know that you find their attempts to block coordinated citizen campaigns while welcoming coordinated corporate campaigns to be reprehensible and grounds for recall elections.

I’ve included the text of the press release More Than 100 Diverse Groups Call on Congress to Immediately Disable Technology that Blocks E-Mails from Constituents found on the Consumers Union site.

I’ve also included (below, after the press release) general contact information for those folks from AZ who are supposed to be representing us and our interests.

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, June 19, 2006

Contacts:

Pete Sepp, National Taxpayers Union (703) 683-5700
Kathy Mitchell, Consumers Union (512) 477-4431, ext. 113
William Greene, RightMarch.com (877) 266-6596
Allison Kozak, Earthjustice (510) 550-6708

More Than 100 Diverse Groups Call on Congress to Immediately Disable Technology that Blocks E-Mails from Constituents
Say ‘Logic Puzzle’ Computer Program is Real ‘Threat to Democratic Principles’

(WASHINGTON, DC) – A diverse collection of nonprofit and advocacy groups representing a broad spectrum of political views and issues called upon members of Congress today to stop using a new computer program which enables members’ Web sites to block e-mail communications from constituents.

In a joint letter signed by more than 100 organizations, many of whom are more often opponents than allies in their daily work, the groups write: “Congressional attempts to differentiate among constituent communications – accepting only unorganized communications
but blocking communications where individuals are working together to deliver a strong message – raise dangerous questions about the infringement of constituents’ First Amendment rights and are a disservice to constituents.”

Several Congressional offices recently implemented a “logic puzzle”computer program that requires a constituent to answer a random computer-generated question before sending an email to their representative. The program effectively blocks emails from constituents
who use Internet programs provided by nonprofit and advocacy organizations to help members communicate with their elected officials.

The groups are offering to work with Congress to help find a way to effectively manage constituent communications. “The Internet provides a new generation of civic-minded Americans an education in effective democracy and the ability to speak clearly and together about their most deeply held beliefs and concerns. Organizations like ours are legitimate participants in that online forum, where people come together, formulate ideas about their issues, and then communicate with you,” the groups write.

Full letter and groups attached.

AFL-CIO * American Arts Alliance * American Association of Law
Libraries * American Association of People with Disabilities * American
Association of University Women * American Civil Liberties Union *
American Conservative Union * American Family Association * American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees * American
Federation of Teachers * American Jewish World Service * American
Library Association * American Lung Association * American Postal
Workers Union, AFL-CIO * American Rights at Work * American Rivers *
Appalachian Mountain Club * Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law *
Buzzmaker.net * C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition * Call to Renewal *
Campaign to Restore Jackson State Redwood Forest * Care2 * Center for a
New American Dream * Center for Economic Progress * Children Now *
Children’s Campaign, Inc. * Citizen Outreach * Common Knowledge *
Citizens for Missouri’s Children * Clean Water Action * Communications
Workers of America * Consumer Federation of America * Consumers Union *
Defenders of Wildlife * Democracy for America * Democracy in Action *
Donordigital * Earthworks * Dharma Cloud Charitable Foundation Trust *
Drug Policy Alliance * Drug Reform Coordination Network * Earthjustice
* Earthworks * EchoDitto * Electronic Arts * Electronic Frontier
Foundation * Equal Rights Washington * Equality Illinois * Equality
North Carolina * Equality Texas * Fairfax County Privacy Council *
Families USA * Free Press * Free Range * Greenpeace USA * In Defense of
Animals * Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet *
International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers *
Internet Advocacy Center *Kansas Association of Realtors * Kansas City Anti-Violence Project *League of Conservation Voters * M+R Strategic Services * Medical Group
Management Association * MoveOn.org * National Air Traffic Controllers
Association * National Congress of Vietnamese Americans * National
Council of Nonprofit Associations * National Environmental Trust * National Independent Advocate NationalNuclear Victims for Justice * National Parks Conservation Association *
National Taxpayers Union * National Wildlife Federation * NARAL
Pro-Choice America * New Jersey Audubon Society * New Mexico Wilderness
Alliance * New Organizing Institute * New York – New Jersey Trail
Conference Oxfam America * NTEN * Nuclear Information and Resource
Service * Oceana * OMB Watch/Focus Project * Oxfam America * Pacific Northwest
Regional Council of Carpenters * People for the American Way * Planned
Parenthood Federation of America * Planned Parenthood Federation of
Georgia, Inc * Polly Klaas Foundation *Rad Campaign * RightMarch.com *
Scenic America * Service Employees International Union * Sojourners *
Stem Cell Political Action Coalition * The Center for Democracy and
Technology * The Center for Food Safety * The Humane Society of the
United States * The Wilderness Society * Triangle Foundation *
TrueMajority.org/TrueMajorityACTION.org * United Cerebral Palsy *
United Farmworkers * US Public Interest Research Group * Women’s
Funding Network *

June 19, 2006

Dear Representative,

We recently learned that congressional offices may be implementing new technology that will effectively block email communications from constituents to their Representatives. While you may not yet be aware of this technology, more than 100 organizations from across the political and ideological spectrum strongly urge you not to implement this new function. If your office has begun using it, we request that you disable it.

This technology, called ‘Logic Puzzle,’ enables congressional offices to block email from constituents. This tool would block millions of constituent messages from people who expect you—and elected you—to listen to them. We believe the use of such technology, to limit
communications between the public and elected officials, is wrong and a real threat to democratic principles.

We ask instead that you agree to work in a public, open and bipartisan way with nonprofits and other
organizations to improve Congress’ handling of email communications for both your benefit and the benefit of your constituents. While we understand and sympathize with the growing demand on congressional staff posed by increasing volumes of email, blocking emails from your constituents that flow through organizations is not a solution, and in fact is a very
significant threat to our democratic process.

If your office has implemented this technology, your constituents see the following message (or a similar variant) before they can write to you:

Unfortunately, with the advent of email communication, some organizations have begun to use automated programs to send messages to Congress on behalf of constituents — better known as “SPAM.” To prevent this practice we ask that you answer the question below. When you enter the correct response it ensures that the message is coming from a real person and helps your Representative respond to you as quickly as possible.

Advocacy and nonprofit organizations that represent public opinion and develop policy proposals—from across the entire political spectrum—increasingly use the Internet to help their members communicate with you on issues they care about. These emails are not spam. They are generated by the individuals themselves using Web-based technologies.

Congressional attempts to differentiate among constituent communications—accepting only unorganized communications but blocking communications where individuals are working together to deliver a strong message—raise dangerous questions about the infringement of
constituents’ First Amendment rights and are a disservice to you as their representative. They also denigrate the important role that organizations play in the political process. Individual citizens, who raise their voices together, with the support and leadership of organizations they choose to join for that purpose, are driving democracy – not peddling spam.

When constituents write to members of Congress via our Web-based technologies, and they receive a response, people’s faith in the democratic process and their own ability to participate is reinforced. The Internet provides a new generation of civic-minded Americans an education in effective democracy and the ability to speak clearly and together about their most deeply held beliefs and concerns.

Organizations like ours are legitimate participants in that online forum, where people come together, formulate ideas about their issues, and then communicate with you.

In this modern communication environment, people expect members of Congress to accept and respond to electronic messages, despite the administrative burden that may pose. We recognize the challenge that you face, and we would like to work with you, your staff and the

congressional IT staff to improve the way Congress receives constituent messages. We want to ensure that all constituent messages get to you and work with you towards long-term solutions that will facilitate your work sorting and responding to such messages. Please contact Kathy
Mitchell, with Consumers Union, (512) 477-4431, ext. 113, Allison Kozak, with Earthjustice, (510) 550-6708 or Jeff Dircksen, with the National Taxpayers Union, (703) 683-5700 for more information.

ARIZONA
SENATORS contact info:

John McCain

Washington Office:
SR-241
Washington, D.C. 20510-0303
Phone: (202) 224-2235
Fax: (202) 228-2862

Phoenix
Phone: (602) 952-2410
Fax: (602) 952-8702
Address:
5353 N. 16th St., Ste. 105
Phoenix, AZ 85016

Tempe
Phone: (480) 897-6289
Fax: (480) 897-8389
Address:
4703 South Lakeshore Dr., Ste. 1
Tempe, AZ 85282

Tucson
Phone: (520) 670-6334
Fax: (520) 670-6637
Address:
407 West Congress St., Ste. 103
Tucson, AZ 85701

Jon Kyl

Washington Office
SH-730
Washington, D.C. 20510-0304
Phone: (202) 224-4521
Fax: (202) 224-2207

Phoenix
Phone: (602) 840-1891
Fax: (602) 957-6838
Address:
2200 E. Camelback Rd., #120
Phoenix, AZ 85016

Tucson
Phone: (520) 575-8633
Fax: (520) 797-3232
Address:
7315 North Oracle Rd., #220
Tucson, AZ 85704

ARIZONA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Contact Info:

Rep. Flake, Jeff
(R-AZ-6th)

Office:
424 CHOB
Washington, D.C. 20515-0306
Phone: (202) 225-2635
Fax: (202) 226-4386

Main District Office:
1640 S. Stapley Dr., Ste. 215
Mesa, AZ 85204
Phone: (480) 833-0092
Fax: (480) 833-6314

Rep. Franks, Trent
(R-AZ-2nd)

Washington Office:
1237 LHOB
Washington, D.C. 20515-0302
Phone: (202) 225-4576
Fax: (202) 225-6328

Main District Office:
7121 W. Bell Rd., Ste. 200
Glendale, AZ 85308
Phone: (623) 776-7911
Fax: (623) 776-7832

Rep. Grijalva, Raul
(D-AZ-7th)

Washington Office:
1440 LHOB
Washington, D.C. 20515-0307
Phone: (202) 225-2435
Fax: (202) 226-6846

Main District Office:
810 E. 22nd St., Ste. 102
Tucson, AZ 85713
Phone: (520) 622-6788
Fax: (520) 622-0198

Tucson
Phone: (520) 622-6788
Fax: (520) 622-0198
Address:
810 E. 22nd St., Ste. 102
Tucson, AZ 85713

Yuma
Phone: (928) 343-7933
Fax: (928) 343-7949
Address:
1455 South Fourth Ave., Ste. 4
Yuma, AZ 85364

Rep. Hayworth, J.D.
(R-AZ-5th)

Washington Office:
2434 RHOB
Washington, D.C. 20515-0305
Phone: (202) 225-2190
Fax: (202) 225-3263

Main District Office:
14300 N. Northsight Blvd., #101
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Phone: (480) 926-4151
Fax: (480) 926-3998

Rep. Kolbe, Jim
(R-AZ-8th)

Washington Office:
237 CHOB
Washington, D.C. 20515-0308
Phone: (202) 225-2542
Fax: (202) 225-0378

Tucson
Phone: (520) 881-3588

Fax: (520) 322-9490
1661 N. Swan Rd., #112
Tucson, AZ 85712
Phone: (520) 881-3588
Fax: (520) 322-9490

Sierra Vista
Phone: (520) 459-3115
Fax: (520) 459-5419
Address:
77 Calle Portal #B-160
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635

Rep. Pastor, Ed
(D-AZ-4th)

Washington Office:
2465 RHOB
Washington, D.C. 20515-0304
Phone: (202) 225-4065
Fax: (202) 225-1655

Main District Office:
411 N. Central Ave., #150
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: (602) 256-0551
Fax: (602) 257-9103

Rep. Renzi, Rick
(R-AZ-1st)

Washington Office:
418 CHOB
Washington, D.C. 20515-0301
Phone: (202) 225-2315
Fax: (202) 226-9739

Main District Office:
1151 E. Deuce of Clubs, Ste. A
Show Low, AZ 85901
Phone: (928) 537-2800
Fax: (928) 532-5088

Flagstaff
Phone: (928) 213-3434
Fax: (928) 213-5447
Address:
123 North San Francisco, Ste. 105
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Casa Grande
Phone: (520) 876-0929
Fax: (520) 876-9374
Address:
117 East 2nd St.
Casa Grande, AZ 85222

Prescott
Phone: (928) 708-9120
Fax: (928) 708-9121
Address:
107 North Cortez, Ste. 208
Prescott, AZ 86301

Window Rock
Phone: (928) 853-3750
Fax: (928) 871-4879
Address:
DNA Legal Services Bldg., Hwy. 264 & Rte. 12
Window Rock, AZ 86515

Safford
Phone: (928) 587-3417
Fax: (928) 428-5005
Address:
1420 1st Ave., Ste. 100
Safford, AZ 85546

San Carlos
Phone: (928) 475-3733
Fax:
Address:
EPA Bld., 10 West Tonto
San Carlos, AZ
85550

Whiteriver
Phone: (928) 521-2810
Fax: (928) 532-5088
Address:
Apache Veteran’s Center, 201 East Walnut
Whiteriver, AZ 85941

Rep. Shadegg, John
(R-AZ-3rd)

Washington Office:
306 CHOB
Washington, D.C. 20515-0303
Phone: (202) 225-3361
Fax: (202) 225-3462

Main District Office:
301 E. Bethany Home Rd., Ste. C178
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Phone: (602) 263-5300
Fax: (602) 248-7733

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