Honduras Congressional Letter – Has Your Rep Signed?

The following was originally sent by the Honduras Solidarity Network (of which AFGJ is a part.)

On Tuesday, February 14, 2012, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) circulated a House sign-on “Dear Colleague” letter addressing the ongoing human rights crisis in the Aguán region of Honduras. *It will be open for signature until March 1. *

We need your help in securing the signature on this letter of your rep and reps from your state. If your rep was among the 87 members of the House who signed-on to the McGovern letter on Honduras in May 2011, it should be easy for them to sign on to this letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raising ongoing egregious human rights concerns, and calling again for suspension of U.S. military and police aid to Honduras as called for in the McGovern letter last year. If your representative has did not sign, now is the time to ask him or her to sign on.

The Congressional Switchboard number is (202) 224- 3121 To identify your rep, type in your zip code this website (upper right corner).

Ask to speak with the aide who handles foreign policy. Use the script below in speaking with the aide. If the aide does not recall seeing the letter, ask for his or her email address so that you can send a copy of the letter.

If the foreign policy aide is not is not available, ask to leave a message on his or her answering machine. Be sure to ask for the name foreign policy staffer so you can follow up.

*Script:*

“My name is _____. I am a constituent in (town / city neighborhood). I am calling to ask Rep. _____ to join in signing the Schakowsky letter in support of human rights in Honduras. Has Rep. _­___ seen this letter? Can I count on him/her to sign on? The deadline to sign on is February 28. Please call me this week at (your phone number) to let me know if you have seen the letter, and if Rep_____ will sign it.”

In your phone conversation or email request, you might highlight why this letter is important to you, especially if you have travelled to Honduras or heard a Honduran speak in your community.

To sign on to the letter, the legislative staffer who handles foreign policy must email Nina Besser in Rep Schakowsky’s office. Please contact your rep’s aide every few days until the deadline to make sure that the staffer has asked the Rep to sign on.

The Honduras Solidarity Network Congressional Action Team will receive an updated list of signers every few days. If your rep agrees to sign on, please notify Gary Cozette at [email protected] AND [email protected] so we can confirm the signature against our lists. Please remember that this letter will not become official or be released to the public until Rep. Schakowsky closes the letter with all signatures, and sends it to Secretary Clinton.

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