An Open Letter to Moveon.org
Dear Moveon.org,
In one of your recent emails, “Turning every Prius into a Hummer,” you speak of legislation that could allow congress to “double the amount of greenhouse gases in the US.” But where is the legislation citation? While I will grant that citing or quoting actual legislation may not inspire anyone, I think it is important for Moveon.org not to be viewed as a shrill liberal organization operating on people’s emotions and fears rather than the facts. To a certain extent, Moveon has certainly substantiated its claims as to how much damage liquid coal could do as a fuel source, but how can we, readers, be certain that the legislation is the problem?
Certainly one way to dissuade people of that Moveon is manipulating emotions is to consistently link to the actual legislation that is being debated. All current congressional legislation can be found at Thomas and I think a significant underpinning of Moveon.org’s credibility will stem from how much you trust your members’ judgment (hopefully more than the mainstream media and the government) by laying out the real facts in all of your communications.
And to my readers…
If you’re reading this and regularly get Moveon’s mail or sign their petitions, how about sending them a note like this one, letting them know that it’s important that they substantiate all their claims when asking people to participate in their actions? And if you’re not a member of Moveon, you should check them out. While I don’t agree with everything they send around, I do feel they’re an overall positive force in politics. They can help give you a platform to voice your concerns about government, and citizens voicing their concerns is always a good thing.