[MIham] Weaver's Words -- We-Need-to-Act-Now Edition

[Tom VanderMel]

All Hams
Please HELP us out. Thanks Tom


> Dear fellow ARRL members,
> 
> This message is too long and I know it!  In spite of this, I hope you
> will hang in there with me, read it and take the needed action to
> protect our -- your and my -- frequencies.  Please understand that
> legislation does not pass Congress unless our Representatives and
> Senators want it to pass.  How do we get them to want to pass Amateur
> Radio related legislation?  Show them that we, the people who control
> the ballot boxes, want it.  President Haynie and our Washington
> attorneys are doing everything they can, but they can't do it alone.  We
> (all the rest of us hams) need you to chip in and do your thing, too.
> 
> Please do it!
> 
> IF YOUR COPY OF THIS NOTE HAS NO FORMAT
> 
> If this newsletter reaches you unformatted -- run-on sentences; no
> paragraphs -- please forward it to Jon Bloom, KE3Z who is the computer
> systems guru at ARRL HQ.  We are trying to determine why a very few
> members receive messages through the MEMBERS ONLY page of the ARRL web
> site in such a manner.  Once Jon has the opportunity to see the headers
> on several messages that lost their formatting during transmission, he
> may be able to determine what the problem is and to tell you who are
> having it, how to fix it.
> 
> Before you forward the message to Jon, be sure to SHOW THE HEADERS on
> it.  This is one of the main things he needs to see.  Don't know how to
> do this?  Contact Jon for instructions.
> 
> Tell him the problem you are having (in case it doesn't show up to him
> without format).  Forward the messages with headers in view to
> ke3z@arrl.org.
> 
> WRITE TO SUPPORT THE FREQUENCY PROTECTION ACT
> 
> The Frequency Protection Act of 2003, IF PASSED, will ensure Amateur
> Radio has adequate frequencies on which to operate.  In short, the FCC
> will be prohibited from arbitrarily taking frequencies they have
> assigned to us away from us.  Your help is needed to support this act
> which has been introduced into the US House of Representatives as HR 713
> and into the US Senate as S 537.
> 
> The first action needed is to encourage as many representatives and
> senators as possible to cosponsor these bills.  Many members of Congress
> will not consider co-sponsorship of comparatively small, technical bills
> like HR 713 and S 537 without concrete evidence of support from their
> own constituents.  We Amateurs have not yet provided meaningful support
> of these bills.  Now is the time to do it.  Please help Amateur Radio
> make a statement on The Hill, by sending your Representatives and
> Senators letters asking them to be a co-sponsor.  I'm doing this.
> 
> Too busy to send a letter?  Send a QSL card that simply says "Support
> Amateur Radio. Cosponsor HR 713 or S 537."
>   
> Still too busy?  Follow the instructions below to find your
> representative and senators and see if they list E-mail addresses.
> 
> Regardless of how you do it, please write. 
> 
> To learn the names and addresses of your representative and senators,
> click on (you may need to click while pressing Control) the following
> links, one at a time:
> 
> http://www.house.gov/writerep/ Representatives.
> http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm Senators.
> 
> You will need to know your ZIP+4 postal code.
> 
> When you write, be aware that the following already are sponsors of the
> bills.  Please write to express your continued interest in the
> legislation and to thank them for being sponsors.  The current sponsors
> are:
> 
> US House of Representatives:
> 
> From Kentucky:  None
> From Michigan:  Bart Stupak (1st Dist.)
> From Ohio:  Paul Gilmore (5th Dist.), Ted Strickland (6th Dist.),
> Patrick Tiberi (12th Dist.)
> 
> US Senate:
> From Kentucky:  None
> From Michigan:  None
> From Ohio:  None
> 
> When you can take the time to write a letter, you can use the following
> sample letter as a starting point.  Then insert information about
> Amateur Radio emergency activities or other benefits we have given to
> the state and congressional district.  Don't have time to modify the
> letter?  Simply remove the "localization sentence" and send it as a
> boilerplate letter.
> 
> NOTE TO CLUBS:  Why not get in on the act and write as a club to
> Representatives and Senators in your members' districts?  Be sure to
> include the number of members in your club in the letter.
> 
> NOTE: Please send a copy of your correspondence via e-mail to ARRL HQ at
> specbill03@arrl.org and to k8je@arrl.org.  Tnx.
>  
> Sample Letters are:
> 
> Use this version to write to your congressperson (US Representative)
> regarding HR 713.  It will be most effective if you customize this
> letter; however, if you do not have the time to do this, feel free to
> send it without the customization information.  A version for your US
> Senator follows.
>  
> <YOUR NAME> 
> <YOUR ADDRESS> 
> <CITY, STATE ZIP>
> <DATE>
>  
> Dear Representative ____________: 
> As one of the nation's more than 670,000 federally licensed radio
> amateurs, I urge you to co-sponsor HR 713, the "Amateur Radio Spectrum
> Protection Act of 2003," sponsored by Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-FL).
> 
> This bill is a nonpartisan, non-controversial measure designed to help
> protect the radio frequencies used by Amateur Radio volunteers
> throughout our nation in providing emergency communications assistance
> during times of disaster.  Most recently, radio amateurs have aided
> government and private relief agencies after the terrorist attacks of
> September 2001, during the severe forest fires which engulfed many parts
> of the Western United States last summer and during the huge power
> outage in the /northeastern part of the county just a few weeks ago.  In
> <your state or locality> Amateur Radio operators assisted <name of
> agencies served> during <name/describe the emergency in which assistance
> was provided>.  When other means of communications fail, Amateur Radio
> operators very often become the only reliable source of communications
> for the effected areas.
> 
> Your co-sponsorship of HR 713 will help ensure that Amateur Radio
> operators have access to the needed spectrum, essential to their public
> service role. 
> I look forward to hearing from you. 
> Sincerely, 
> 
> <YOUR SIGNATURE> 
> 
> Use the following version to write to your senator regarding S 537. It
> will be most effective if you customize this letter; however, if you do
> not have the time to do this, feel free to remove the customizing
> sentence and send it as the boilerplate letter.
> 
> <YOUR NAME> 
> <YOUR ADDRESS> 
> <CITY, STATE ZIP>
> <DATE>
>  
> Dear Senator ____________:
> 
> As one of the nation's more than 670,000 federally licensed radio
> amateurs, I urge you to co-sponsor S 537, the "Amateur Radio Spectrum
> Protection Act of 2003," sponsored by Sen. Michael Crapo (R-ID). 
> This bill is a nonpartisan, non-controversial measure designed to help
> protect the radio frequencies used by Amateur Radio volunteers
> throughout our nation in providing emergency communications assistance
> during times of disaster. Most recently, radio amateurs have aided
> government and private relief agencies after the terrorist attacks of
> September 2001, during the severe forest fires which engulfed many parts
> of the Western United States last summer and during the huge power
> outage in the northeastern part of the county just a few weeks ago.  In
> (your state or locality) Amateur Radio operators assisted (name of
> agencies served) during (name/describe the emergency in which assistance
> was provided).  When other means of communications fail, Amateur Radio
> operators very often become the only reliable source of communications
> for the effected areas.
> 
> Your co-sponsorship of S 537 will help ensure that Amateur Radio
> operators have access to the needed spectrum, essential to their public
> service role. 
> I look forward to hearing from you. 
> 
> Sincerely, 
> 
> <YOUR SIGNATURE>
> 
> Incidentally, I got most of the information for this item from the ARRL
> web site, www.arrl.org.  Go there to learn more about this bill.  When
> you get to the ARRL home page, search for Frequency Protection Act.
> 
> The main thing for you to do is to write your representative and
> senators.  The more of us who write, the more influence we will have. 
> Please do this before you forget.  Mni tnx for your help.
> 
> GOINGS ON
> 
> Vice Director Dick Mondro, W8FQT and I have been making the rounds of
> hamfests/swaps and club meetings during recent weeks.  In addition, we
> participated in a very successful Great Lakes Division Convention.  I
> want to thank Former Director Gary Johnston, KI4LA for his peerless
> leadership as Convention Chairman, SM Joe Phillips, K8QOE for managing
> the arrangements with and at the Findlay Inn and Convention Center, SMs
> John Meyers, NB4K and Dale Williams, WA8EFK, former SM Debbie Kirkbride,
> KA8YKK and ACC Sandy Mondro, KG8HM for serving on the Planning Committee
> and Jeanie Dalton, KB8QLC for managing the Convention Headquarters.
> 
> The forums were great, having ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP with us
> as speaker for the banquet and during the convention forums was
> tremendous.  Jim told it like it is.
> 
> I will mention two Division-centered highlights for me:  1) Learning
> that FCC Engineer in charge of the Detroit office, Jim Bridgewater is
> AA8JD and a graduate of Purdue University (my alma mater), and, 2) Most
> of all, being able to present the very first George S. Wilson, III,
> W4OYI Award for Lifetime Achievement to Former Director and friend
> George Race, WB8BGY.  To the other award recipients and all the rest who
> gave freely of their time and talents to make this a great, first, full
> convention, thanks also.  You all were wonderful!  (NOTE:  I expect Gary
> will have a full summary of the Convention and the Convention Awardees
> on the Great Lakes Division web site before long.)
> 
> Oh, yes, I should not forget the Mighty Wouff Hong Thespians.  I will
> simply say they put on an unforgettable show as they guided &quot;new,
> aspiring amateur&quot; Jim Haynie, W5JBP to become a full-fledged
> amateur operator.  To call this event unique is to understate the
> facts!
> 
> DIRECTOR-OFFICER PLANNING SESSION
> 
> FYI, the ARRL Directors and Officers, and selected HQ Staff members met
> in St. Louis last weekend for a challenging and exhausting session of
> setting basic goals and strategies for the League for the coming several
> years.  You will hear more about these once the report has been
> fine-tuned and approved (in January).  In the meantime, I firmly believe
> nearly all members and many nonmembers will be very pleased with where
> we are heading.  I can unabashadly say, "GO BLUE" regarding this session
> and I won't mean anything related to college sports.
> 
> 73, CUL, GL,
> 
> Jim, K8JE
> k8je@arrl.org
> Tel 513-459-0142
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> ARRL Great Lakes Division
> Director: James Weaver, K8JE
> k8je@arrl.org
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
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