Noise vs Power
This is why we Freedom Write.
Hello Freedom Writers! Let’s take some action.
In this post:
Today’s Thoughts
Today’s Actions
Today’s Thoughts - Noise vs Power - Story Time
Meet Senator Randall …
Senator Randall is used to getting lots of emails from the people in his state. These emails usually come in little rushes. There might be 50-100 emails coming in on one topic, but he can tell that all of them say the same thing, so he’s not sure if the people who sent them had actually read them. And then, he’ll get another 100 emails about another bill, and those too all have the same script. But Senator Randall knows from experience that when he votes on those bills, he won’t hear anything back from those constituents. “It’s just noise,” he thought. “After the vote, it’ll be crickets again … until the next little rush of emails come in … all with the same script.” So, he’s learned that he doesn’t really have to pay attention to those emails. So he votes as he pleases.
But then, something started changing in Senator Randall’s state. People started organizing themselves into action groups. They began meeting for a couple of hours a week to take regular action. Some of these groups were church or synagogue Social Justice groups, others were Indivisible Chapter Groups. One of them, actually, used to be a book club, but because the group members were really worried about Project 2025, they decided to spend this year doing actions instead. Pretty soon, there were over 50 of these Action Groups in the state, each with 10 people or more in them. But even though there were lots of different groups, they all had one thing in common. They had access to: Action Sheets. These sheets came with some background information about the bills in question. So, the groups could spend a little time talking about the bills before they took their actions. Some of the groups liked to write postcards. Other groups like to make phone calls, and still others preferred to send letters or emails.
Back in the Senator’s office, he noticed the change. “What’s going on? Where there used to be 50-100 emails all with the same script, now there are 500 contacts about the same bill, but each with a different message! And they’re not all emails! There were postcards and letters and phone calls! And not only that, but these constituents sounded like they understood what they were talking about. And 500 on the same issue? Uh oh.”
But Senator Randall thought, “Maybe so, but they still don’t really care how I vote. They’re not REALLY paying attention, are they?” So, again, he voted in the way that suited him, not in the way his 500 constituents asked him to.
Then … much to his surprise, over the next 7 days, Senator Randall heard from the same 500 constituents again. All of them! And they were not happy! Then on the eighth day after the vote, his constituents actually held a rally outside his office protesting the way he voted on the bill. And they brought the press! Ouch! It’s not just noise any more.
It was time for Senator Randall to rethink his game plan.
The end. : )
It’s not just the Action Sheets that will make a difference in 2025, it’s you.
Would you like to start or join an Action Group? Enter your zip code or city he
re to see what is nearest you.
We, here at the Freedom Writers will bust our buns to get you high quality Action Sheets each week, but we need you to:
Schedule your action time on your calendar, either individually or with a group.
Do some actions at least once each week.
You make the difference between noise and power.
This is why we Freedom Write.
Today’s Actions
For general information about how to contact your elected officials, read this INFO SHEET on the subject.
If you’d like to do your actions with postcards, remember to buy your postcards and stamps ahead of time.
ACTION # 25-007 - URGENT + VERY IMPORTANT - Stop the Laken Riley Unfair Immigration Bill [ACTION SHEET # 25-007]
ACTION # 25-008 -Thank Senator Warren for her letter about Pete Hegseth [ACTION SHEET # 25-008]
ACTION # 25-009 - Thank Costco for Defending DEI [ACTION SHEET # 25-009]
Thank you for helping us save our democracy!
EB Freed and Billy J
