Great news, California Senator Feinstein is one of the first Senators to cosponsor the renewal of the Burma Freedom and Democracy Act. Call Senator Boxer and ask her to join Senator Feinstein as a cosponsor of the renewal of sanctions against the Burmese military regime. (Instructions below).
Last week, many of you emailed your Senators to cosponsor Senate Joint Resolution 29, a bill renewing the U.S. sanctions against the Burmese military regime, known as the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act. In response to these emails, four more Senators have agreed to cosponsor the renewal! We need to keep the momentum going, emails will not be enough, we need you to call Senator Boxer.
The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act denies hundreds of millions of American dollars from getting into the hands of the Burmese junta and its cronies. Now more than ever, Aung San Suu Kyi and the pro-democracy movement need our help to sustain strong U.S. pressure on the regime. This Act sends a strong signal to the regime that Americans care about human rights and that we will never recognize its attempt to legitimize itself via their upcoming sham elections.
Important!
Senator Boxer has cosponsored for several years. The staffer you talk to may not know that, so it is important to tell them. Also tell them that the other California Senator, Diene Feinstein has already decided to cosponsor.
DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Call your Senator using the information we have provided you in the box on the top right.
2) WHAT TO DO WHEN THE RECEPTIONIST ANSWERS
When a receptionist answers the phone, ask to speak to the foreign policy staffer by name.
- "Hi my name is [your name] from [name of your state], may I speak to [name of the foreign policy staffer]?" Tell the receptionist that you live in the Senator's state and that you want to speak to the staffer about "co-sponsoring' the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act. Be sure to be polite, and say something like:
- "I'm calling because I would like to ask [staff person's name] if Senator [Senator's name] will co-sponsor the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act."
At this point the receptionist will either:
A) Transfer you to the telephone of the staff member. If this happens see section "A" below. or
B) Transfer you to the voicemail of the staff member. If this happens see section "B" below. or
C) Say that the staff member is busy, and ask to take a message. If this happens see section "C" below.
8. WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU ARE TRANSFERRED / LEAVE A MESSAGE
A) IF YOU SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE STAFFER
I.) Thank them for speaking with you and tell them why YOU think they should co-sponsor.
II.) Tell them why you called. Here is a suggestion of what to say:
* "Hi my name is _______ I am from [your State]. I am very concerned about the Human Rights situation in Burma and am calling because I would like to urge Senator __________ to co-sponsor Senate Joint Resolution 29, a bill renewing the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act. The people of Burma, including Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, have called for pressure on Burma's military regime, and we should support the calls of the people of Burma"
*Then give her/him proof that this policy works: "The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act has cut off hundreds of millions of dollars to Burma's military regime"
*Let her/him know that this a bipartisan effort, and tell them who are the first co-sponsors of the bill: "There are Senators from both parties supporting this bi-partisan effort: Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mitch McConnell (R-IL), Richard Durbin (D-IL), John McCain (R-AZ), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), and Judd Gregg (R-NH).
*If your Senator co-sponsored this bill in the past let the staff know. We have included this information under a section marked important, above.
"I know that Senator ____ co-sponsored this bill before, and I hope Senator _____ will do so again."
* Offer to email a copy of Senate Joint resolution 29 to the staff member. You can download a copy, in PDF format, right here.
Finally: Ask if your senator will cosponsor.
It is likely that they will not give you an immediate answer because they need to ask your Senator. If that is the case, ask them politely when you will know about the final decision and how you can be informed.
To CO-SPONSOR THE BILL CONTACT
Ask them to contact the following staffer, based on their party affiliation:
Democrats: Richard Harper in Senator Feinstein's (D-CA) office
Republicans: Ally Bird in Senator McConnell's (R-KY) office
VI.) Ask them when you can call back to follow-up.
III.) OPTIONAL Beyond the basics here are some additional points for you to say:
- It is important to send a strong signal to the regime that the US government will continue to keep American money out the hands of the junta. Especially given the upcoming sham 2010 elections and increasing hostilities against ethnic minorities.
- Point out that other countries are increasingly following the US lead on sanctioning the military junta. The E.U., Canada and Australia have all imposed sanctions on Burma.
- As Speaker of the House Tip O'Neal once observed "All Politics is Local," meaning to be successful you must bring the issue home. Your senator represents YOU and it is you they want to hear from. If you have traveled to refugee camps on the Thailand-Burma border, know Burmese people, grew up in Burma, or care about human rights, be sure to let the staff member know.
B) IF YOU LEAVE A VOICEMAIL
Hi, my name is______, I am a constituent of the Senators. I am very concerned about the human rights situation in Burma . I would like ask the Senator to sign on as a co-sponsor to the renewal of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act (S.J.Res 29), which keeps millions of dollars out of the hands of Burmese junta every year. This is a very important year for Burma, the regime is trying to legitimize itself with a sham election and is increasing hostilities against ethnic minorities.
Be sure to leave your phone number so they can follow-up (They DO call you back!).
C) IF YOU ARE LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH THE RECEPTIONIST
Follow the instructions for the voice mail. Call back the next day to follow-up.
After you call, please send us a quick email at mikejen@uscampaignforburma.org and let us know how your call went!
All the instructions you need are right here. It often only takes a few persistent calls to bring this issue to your Senator's attention.
Thank you for taking action on Burma. We truly appreciate your commitment.
Mike Haack
