as usual Kevin, a big thank you
i am not in the usa - if i was i would be emailing like mad

your information is like gold at times like these

thank you
MK

Thank you for the letter and I have e-mailed the individuals as you have mentioned. I hope they will react to our requests, I'm in PA

How about actual letters. Would this be more effective? Erik

Thanks for pulling this together, Marie. I did a lot of emailing, and I've sent the info to everyone I know, encouraging them to do the same.

Thank you for all you do. I just sent my letters to our congressman and senators, as well as to the White House. Together we will succeed!

We sent emails to our senators, congressman & the president hoping every single email will help us bring home our children from Guatemala.

We are also in PA and have also emailed all of the individuals that were mentioned. We are hoping that this all works so we can bring our baby home soon. Thank you for all of your help. Hopefully all of our voices and stories will make a difference...

I emailed my senators in NJ & the president...I guess that's all we can do for now...that & PRAY!!!

Thanks for the links, I emailed too.

Dear Kevin: This is the time when we all have to unite in one voice, I strongly advise all the people who adopted in the past to fight with us. The government of Guatemala is abusing the rights of the children, the attorneys and the families!!! this cannot happen.

We e-mailed everyone also....we are from PA too. Let's hope this makes a difference!

THANK YOU for organizing this campaign!! I do believe this can truly help! We really need to make sure that President Bush brings this issue up with President Berger, as that is the only influence we will have with the Guatemalan govt. Our Sentators and Congressmen/women are the best people to get this issue on President Bush's agenda.

Just thinking out loud here...would it do any good to write to the Guatemalan authorities as well? Maybe letting them know that we love their children as our own, respect their culture deeply, and plan to keep our Guatemalan children deeply in touch with their native heritage? I know we obviously have no "representative" weight like we do with our own elected authorities, but perhaps a heartfelt plea from parents showing our genuine love and concern might help?

I know nobody really cares what a bunch of "selfish" Americans think, but what if thousands of cards and letters poured in, pleading for the babies we already love so much? Anyone write Spanish well enough to send in an editorial to Pensa Libre or another Guatemalan newspaper?

It's late and I'm dizzy and loopy from flu meds, but I love my little boy waiting for me in Guate so much that it hurts. I'll write any one who will listen and lots of people who won't!

I would not recommend sending letters to Guatemala. It is extremely important, especially given the current state of affairs with the Bonn investigation, that we respect the fact that Guatemala is a sovereign nation. The image of the ugly American is real. President Bush is about to visit and if you study up on history between the countries and the Reagan administration's relationship with Rios Montt (whose Guat Congresswoman dauughter is married to a US Congressman from Illinois), you will see why some in Guatemala have issue with President's dad. I'm not getting political, just pointing out that Bush's visit may bring back some harsh memories and anger about US intervention.

I do believe that adoption is on the docket between Bush and Berger. Last week I did an interview with the White House correspondant from a newspaper group on the topic (no, I have no insights on where Bush stands on adoption or anything like that).

While it is true that in how official tallies compute issues (or so I have been told), written letters have more weight than e-mails, they take a long time to get anywhere, especially with post 9/11 security measures.

All credit on this effort goes to Marie, not me. But I also want to say something else. Yes, those of us with our kids home need to help out. But in reality, it is those still looking to adopt or in process that have the gumpshen, energy, and ambition to organize.

You don't need Guatadopt to organize!

Back in the Hague mess of 2003, local groups organized around the country. Families Without Borders wrote an incredible research paper on Unicef and mailed it to Unicef's largest sponsors. Admittedly, both Kelly and I contributed to that effort.

At one point I managed to get the contact info for Susan Sarandon's publicist. I contacted her about UNICEF because I respect her and she was an official Unicef Goodwill Ambassador. It resulted in a personal letter to Sarandon and I from Carol Bellamy, then the Exec Director of Unicef. Within a couple of months, Sarandon was no longer an ambasador though I have no idea if that was adoption related.

Where I lived at the time, in the San Fran Bay Area, we met with the staff of numerous representatives and senators. One of whom is now the Speaker of the House. We called them, got appointments, and did our best to make them understand the dynamics of Guatemalan adoption. But first, we had to learn them ourselves.

My point in all this is that we didn't have any great knowledge of what to do. What we had was creativity, strive, and a healthy dose of hippie activism.

We'll never know how much of an impact any of those efforts had. But I know that I just put my kids to bed and at the moment that is proof enough.

I guess what I am saying is that the real Call To Action is to say, as they chant at peace rallies. "there ain't no power like the power of the people". Amazing things can happen from the grassroots. It takes energy and ingenuity.

Now go get them and win one for the Gipper! (I can say that, I went to Notre Dame though my scholarship was for academics, not athletics.)

Kevin
Guatadopt.com

Just a note here, from someone who regularly contacts members of congress, mainly on aviation related issues. The ABSOLUTE BEST way to make an IMPACT with your Congressmen and Senators is to FAX them a letter. As Kevin states, emails are easy to send, but a personal letter or even better, a hand written letter that is sent in via FAX shows that you have taken time and expended energy to make your point known. Faxing the letter solves the postal problem Kevin describes. Here is one source of contact info:
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

You will be amazed at the level of support and recognition you will receive back from your elected official. Please consider this advice to make this worthwhile campaign even more effective.

Paul

We have emailed all the appropriate people also. This date of the protocol worries me more than last b/c everyone seems to think it will not be cancelled and we are going to have to fight tooth and nail for our children(which we will do). However we need to believe that our prayers can be answered, you have to have faith and believe in the power of prayer. CC

I used to work in Washington on the Hill for a Senator and in the Administration (in a domestic policy capacity) in the mid 1990s. My recommendation is to wait until AFTER finding out what happens tomorrow before sending your letter. It helps in your letter to emphasize facts and not fears...While our long-term fear (the safety of our children if the delays become significant or if adoption is completely shut down) is real, we will diminish the importance of our message if we write about fears that don't materialize tomorrow. I still think writing is a good thing to do; I just think it's important to get our facts straight and prioritize what kind of action we seek. My two cents.

Lori (waiting for my 5-month old baby girl).

Snail-mail letters would not arrive in time. Due to security measures, letters can take 2-6 months to reach someone in government, and most Congressmen now prefer emails over letters.

I email my Congresspeople quite a bit and usually get a response.

We've emailed everyone. We're from WA state. Let's hope and pray this makes a difference to the children of Guatemala as well as all of us adoptive parents.

Just a thought, has Angelina Jolie addressed the issue of Hague related to Guatemalan adoptions? Could anyone try to contact her or know how it might be possible to bring this issue to her attention? Her high profile maybe really effective with these issues and obviously adoption is a big part of her life?

-June, adopting

Just to chime in on what Paul is saying...

Fax, e-mail, or phone call are the BEST ways to contact legislators. Do NOT mail them a regular mail via USPS, or Express Mail, or UPS, or anything else like that. After that horrible ordeal a couple of years ago, when someone was lacing letters with deadly chemicals, I was told that legislators would not open regular letters until they had been checked for safety. Safety checks take a lot of time! (By the way, if you can remember the name of the chemical, I'd appreciate it. I can't and it's driving me crazy!)

I e-mailed everyone last week (President, 2 senators, and my rep). From past experience, my senators usually follow up with a letter, not e-mail.

Kevin, thanks for the help with this. I, too, encourage everyone to do the same. And, don't be afraid to follow up with an update in the future. If your senator/rep/etc does something noteworthy, and this is also important - follow up with a big THANK YOU. :)

Kris

It sure who be nice if we could somehow get a hold of a celebrity to bring this issue to the public awareness, Madonna or Angelina. What about a loudmouth newsperson? Erik

I was thinking the same thing Erik...how about Rosie O'Donnell?? She has a soft spot for adoption, obviously, and she has a HUGE mouth on The View. If she ranted about it it would probably end up on Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight at the very least.

Please read the following link on Miss Jolie;www.nypost.com/seven/01112007/gossip/pagesix/pagesix.htm

Soy guatemalteca, vivo en Guatemala y le pido a Dios que permita que las adopciones de nuestros niños continúen asia ese país donde ellos tendran un mejor futuro, y todo el amor que ellos necesitan

Kris,
It was anthrax.

Thanks Marie for getting this started. My husband and I faxed letters to our Senators & Reps. FYI - I added a picture of us w/ our son from Guat and one of our daughter we are waiting for at the bottom to make it a little more personal.

Gracias por sus palabras, Ingrid. Me gusta saber que hay gente en Guatemala que nos apoyan. Yo vivo en EEUU y estoy esperando a mi hija de 5 meses. Espero que hoy sea un buen dia y no un dia lleno de lagrimas.

The link to the story on Angelina Jolie was very interesting. Sometimes, as I worked on my dossier, I wondered, "Did Angelina have to do this?" Not that she and I have ANYTHING in common! LOL!

Still, a celebrity of some type might be useful, although I agree with the person above who pointed out waiting and seeing exactly what needs tomorrow brings (although I emailed everyone last night.)

If we need this done, does anyone have any idea how to get a celebrity involved?

Plus, if needed after tomorrow, we can all follow up with Paul's hand-written fax idea as well!

Thank you for providing all the info. to do this quickly, I would not know how to get started otherwise, but will certainly write my NJ reps & our President. What else can we do here??
I have been stuck in PGN for 16 weeks with no end in sight.

I emailed everyone you had listed. Please let us know if anything else can be done to help. I have completed 2 adoptions from Guatemala, hopeful in the future complete 2 more.

I sent out letter to Angelina, Brad, and Madonna. Emailed Oprah, Rosie, and every political figure I could think of. You never know. My only thought on the celebrity issue was that if somehow they would be contacted and took interest, everyone would know. That's what's good and bad with our media. Erik

Kevin,

I'm an ND grad too. Can we get ND to help out? Our administrators...and Father Ted...likely have significant contacts in the States and Guatemala.

Kellie

Friends,

I think if we all send emails to Barbara Walters on the view

http://abc.go.com/daytime/theview/index.html

then find send barbara an email

they may bring this issue up. Please write, if enough of us write, people will pick up on it, and I think Rosie (who note doesn't have a contact on there!) would be very interested in it and it would be positive.

Good luck!

June, adopting

someone asked if real letters would be helpful.
as someone who has worked on Capitol Hill, I'd say yes, BUT only if you FAX them to your Senator or Representative's office. (US mail is greatly delayed, because it goes through an extensive screening process).

It's best to BOTH fax and email and to follow up with a phone call. If you can do all 3, it's best, but do at least one.

Send to your own Sen. and Rep.--they are most receptive to their own consituents.

Make your letter as personal as possible...form letters aren't taken as seriously.

Keep it short--1 page is best.

If you want to contact a unicef ambassador.....mia farrow is one. Why not hit all of them?
jada

Just an idea, but what about a big adoption rally? Maybe we can get on the news and be recognized!

I think an adoption rally would be great to raise awareness and gain support from people who don't realize what is going on in the world of Guatemala adoptions!! Any ideas how to get this organized? CC

Lets get ideas going if anyone else is interseted in getting a rally going. Of course we can post on all adoption forums, e-mail talk shows, celebrities, etc. Lets get our word out there. We need to fight and be heard!

I found this web site last night&have been very busy, I also e-mailed senators,white house&state rep.! I hope this helps. We have gotten so far,just waiting for imigration approval.....keeping the faith!
K.MacLean

Does anyone know if elected officials will open emails with attachments? I hate to send them in a format that won't be read.

Thanks for any help! Kim

I am writing to you today about a very important topic. Child adoption
through Guatemala should continue. A family member of mine, and his wife, have waited
many years to be able to have a baby of their own. Unfortunately, that did
not happen. They have looked into many different ways to adopt children and
going to Guatemala to adopt was the best decision for them.

They are almost done with the process and expect to be taking home a baby
boy within the next two months. The threats to stopping this adoption can
hinder them bringing home their son David, whom they have recently met on a
trip to Guatemala. For people who cannot have their own children and are
fearful of US adoptions because of the rights of parents/family to take
children back for up to a year, this is the right way to go. Imagine
waiting 10 years for a child, adopting one in the United States only to
have the child returned to the biological family in 9 months. That would be
impossible to recover from when all you want is to bring a child into a
loving household.

By going to Guatemala and adopting, the fear of losing the child you raised
is not there. The process is long and challenging, but worth it in the end.
David will be given an opportunity to grow up in the United States, go to
college, vote, and most importantly live a happy and healthy life with a
loving family. David is getting a chance that many other children in
Guatemala would not get if the adoption program was taken away. Please do
the right thing and support adoption in Guatemala. If you could know my
family and see the joy that they are going through knowing that in 2 months
they will be bringing David home, then you would not question how important
this is.