Please send this to everyone and post it on other sites!
Thanks!
And remember... this is another part of a bigger plan. We need to keep making steps in the right direction to have the end results be successful!
THANKS!
````````````````````````````````````````````````
CALL TO ACTION #2
from Pat Smith, President, Lyme Disease Association, Inc. (LDA)
``Crime against Lyme''
ONGOING ACTIONS!
�Continue to get signers onto the petition
�Continue contacts with your local media about Guidelines impact on you/family/friends.
NEW PRIORITY!
� Contact (phone/email) all of your FEDERAL legislators: your own US Congressman and your two US Senators by November 15 at Washington, DC office only.
�Groups should contact all Congressmen within their range (area they cover).
�Tell them how Guidelines impact you/family/friends.
November 2, 2006 finds us on a path taking specific action concerning the reprehensible IDSA Guidelines, but we have along way to go.
The International Lyme & Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) sent a letter to IDSA demanding retraction of the Guidelines.
LDA has continued to push for the national petition which now stands at about 10,000 signatures.
We need many more since only numbers will show we have the clout necessary to turn this situation around and regain control of the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
We believe 50,000 is a number which shows strength.
Help is on the way. Thanks to advocates working in their states to contact newspapers as we asked last time, articles are beginning to appear about both the guidelines retraction and the petition.
Please remember these are only beginning steps which lay a foundation for other activities which already are occurring or will occur.
When you contact the media, talk about your problems with the guidelines, (or your group's objections) and mention in a sentence that ILADS, the International Lyme & Associated Diseases Society, a professional medical organization, has written to have them repealed, and that the national Lyme Disease Association has a petition on its website for all to sign (add in web address).
Rocky Allen of NYC's WPLJ 95.5 radio is promoting the petition each day on his ShowGram weekdays 3-7PM and on his personal website http://www.rockyallen.com/.
Barbara Ficarra, RN, host of Health in 30, Fridays, 5:30-6:00pm EST, WRCR AM 1300 Radio Rockland & Streaming Live On-Line at wrcr.com.in Rockland County, is also promoting the petitions and the plight of patients on the show and her website.
Thanks to a number of people writing in with helpful suggestions about the petition, it will get a larger font, be paragraphed, and will have the one typo fixed (thanks to those with eagle eyes out there).
An explanation about the petition will appear on the homepage addressing some of the questions we have received: the petition on the LDA website
is for those 18 years and older to sign. Names and addresses will NOT appear on the internet but will be printed out with the petition when it is ready to be presented to the appropriate entity.
LDA never sells names or shares them with marketers. The petition will be used to influence government action. Remember, like you, LDA is all patients and families of patients ─ and all volunteer.
Keep the faith, the road is long, but we will prevail.
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
Here is the K.I.S.S.- Keep It Simple Stupid version.
1. Click here to find your US Senators and Congressmen
The phrase is congressional representatives, not congressmen -- some of them are women!
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
When I am called a firewoman.. maybe then I'll know better?
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
Anyone out there?
Posted by LML2260 (Member # 9615) on :
I'm here! (well kinda). Will do. Is there any sense whether e-mail or a fax is better? It is actually great to see centralized action because that will be the most effective.
Hope lots of us take a few minutes to do this.
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
Well good for you lmnop!
And here I thought LymeNet had closed down or something? NO responses but my own.. wow.
Yes.. this is a VERY important step.
And what is most important is we have as many as possible taking these steps because it is leading to MUCH bigger things.
But as with all big projects.. the ground work MUST be laid.. and must be solid.
Soooooooooooooo.. please do make an effort to try and accomplish the little steps we are asking for.. so we can go the distance and see results.
Cause.. as you know..
I love it when a plan comes together!
And your signature line is VERY appropriate by the way.. and I will repeat it here.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
LMNOP..
I have not heard if fax or email is better. Sorry. I guess use what is best for you. A mix of both would be good.
Posted by sometimesdilly (Member # 9982) on :
Lynne-
Most advocacy groups aiming their efforts directly at DC rank how effective each of contact is in this order:
Emails are easiest for our reps/Senators to respond to with a completely computer-automated response. I've receieved many of those; sometimes they are followed up with a letter, sometimes not.
Faxes have the virtue of making someone physically get up to pick up an individual piece of paper they have to deal with- so they get more personalized treatment.
Not everyone has easy access to a fax machine, obviously- but I think Pat Smith mentioned phone calls? And large numbers of emails on the same topic sure beats silence anyday.
PS- for those who are computer-comfortable, it is now possible to do free faxing from your COMPUTER- all you need to do is download a piece of software, also for free.
The free faxes include long distance faxes- wahoo!!!! Faxing DC for free!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope this helps- Dilly
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
up for more folks to do...
Posted by AliG (Member # 9734) on :
Looks like I'd better get busy, chief!
Let's make up some phone scripts and give them a taste of their own annoying medicine.
We can have the decency to have actual human beings make the calls, though, instead of stupid recorded political messages.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)