During my trip to Washington DC I vowed to get something done. When my readers and other supporters from throughout ALIPAC and America donated money to send my butt to DC I didn't know how I could make a difference. Me, just a little guy up in Rochester, New York.
I also vowed that I would represent to the best of my ability those who had sent me there and give it 110%. And so I tried. Out of everything that happened this week the most happiest and stunning moment of the trip came when I learned that my reporting on the treatment of American citizens coming back from a congressmember's office did indeed have an impact. My minuscule part in being involved in that nearly made me cry simply because I had a hand in helping the Ramos and Compean families. I have been following and reporting on them for a long, long time and to actually be involved in helping them was pretty overwhelming.
Below is an image captured by Frank Jorge and provided by Ruthiness of Stop The Invasion of Raymond Herrera giving me the Nunes office experience. Raymond didn't know who I was and I didn't know him. We were both just American citizens having a discussion.
I was absolutely disgusted as I listened to the story at the way American citizens were treated and how the staff had brought the Ramos family to tears. I wrote it up and reported it back to my readers about half an hour later.
Other bloggers at the event and across the web linked to it and expressed their own outrage. American citizens across the country were as outraged as I was and started picking up the phone. Within an hour or so there was buzz around that Nunes was trying to get ahold of Rita Bonilla of You Don't Speak For Me to schedule another appointment.
Rita got back to them and later on that day met with them. Nunes' office rolled out the red carpet for them and treated them as any American citizen should be treated by an elected official. The American citizens that had called in demanded it!
Rita Bonilla, Director Chris Burgard and Andrew House of Nunes' Staff |
Nunes' staff announced that they had talked to the Congressman and he would be signing HR 563 to pardon agents Ramos and Compean.
So, why did I write this entry? Because I want every single one of you out there to know that you can make a difference, but only if enough of us get together. In my 4-5 years or so of running this website I've always had in the back of my mind "Yeah right like anything will ever get done about this bill or that bill", but you know what? Things can get done.
So I am urging each of you to go out there and get involved. Go to an immigration rally, call your House Reps and Senators, start a blog or website and then, when you get stepped on (and you will), get the word out. Tell everyone you can how you've been treated. Call into radio stations, email bloggers, send letters to TV stations and newspapers.
We don't have to sit around and be stepped on by these people. We can get things done, but we have to stick together and support each other.
Thank you all who read my blog, thanks to those who call in and request change daily and remember that while all of the above was going on three law enforcement people - who were just doing their jobs - were sitting in a dingy, cold cell thinking of their children, wives and maybe even something as simple as a hug. Just as they are doing right now.
