Articles
Advocacy - Social Media Messaging
<p>Like signing a petition, sending a tweet about your MOC or posting a message on the MOC’s Facebook page (or your own) takes little effort, and hence it may have little if any influence. But some MOC offices do pay attention to social media messaging.</p> <p>If your message is appropriately tagged to the MOC, identifies you as a constituent, and makes a specific “ask,” it may be worth the effort, particularly if it gains wider attention (retweets, additional Facebook comments, etc.) or adds to a trend. But <em>don’t stop there</em>—follow up with one of the other advocacy tools listed on the <a href="/post/act-advocate">main Advocacy pag...</a></p>
Read MoreAdvocacy - Petitions
<p>Signing a petition is an easy but generally ineffective way of influencing your MOCs. Typically, the petition is not targeted to your MOCs specifically, and signatures are not solicited only from your district (for Representatives) or state (for Senators). Plus, the minimal effort each person makes in signing a petition means MOCs are unlikely to give it much weight. As Barney Frank <a href="https://mic.com/articles/167878/barney-frank-heres-how-to-not-waste-your-time-pressuring-lawmakers#.XbsjDWjVO">explains</a>, a goal in any advocacy is to persuade your MOC that you care enough about an issue for it to motivate your voting behavior in the next election. “Simply agreeing to put your name on a list does not convey...</p>
Read MoreAdvocacy Overview
<h1>Advocacy with Members of Congress (MOCs) and Other Elected Officials</h1> <p><em>A lot of information and advice can be found online regarding effective advocacy with MOCs (Senators and Representatives), although not all of it is consistent. Here is some basic information, subject to refinement as we gain experience interacting with our elected officials. The same principles generally apply to advocating with our elected officials at the state and local levels.</em></p> <p>A number of strategies are available for attempting to influence one’s MOCs, including petitions, social media messaging (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)...</p>
Read More
Human Dignity
The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred. Our passion for peace is rooted in respect for life. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops summarizes the proud tradition of Catholic Social Teaching under seven themes. Life and Dignity of the Human Person is listed first, as the foundation of all succeeding principles and “the foundation of a moral vision for society.” Abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, and war are cited together as violations of our God-given dignity.
Read More
Nuclear Weapons
The time has come for new thinking on how to challenge complacency surrounding the belief in nuclear deterrence. Changed circumstances bring new responsibilities for decision-makers. The apparent benefits that nuclear deterrence once provided have been compromised, and proliferation results in grave new dangers. The time has come to embrace the abolition of nuclear weapons as an essential foundation of collective security. . . .
Read More