Current legislation coming soon!
During your visit you may be asked a question for which you do not have the answer. If this happens, you can tell the staffer that you will research the issue and get back to them, and then send a message to ptf@marssociety.org. We will pass your question on to the appropriate expert and send back a response as quickly as possible.
ALERT #1:
Political Task Force Formulates Action for 109th Congress
ACTION:
Currently The Political Task Force is formulating its strategy for the 109th Congress.
Contact Patt Czarnik, Administrative Director to volunteer your efforts. You can find a listing of your House represenatives here and for Senate members go here.
Where they stand coming soon!
The briefing book is a great resource for both public and political outreach as it contains technical, political, and historical information and may be used as a primer on Mars Direct and the Mars Society.
You can add your Chapter Contact information on the Contacts page. After you download and print it, put it in a ˝” three ring binder with a clear pocket front cover and 2 inside pockets. (These are available at office supply stores for around $2.00.) Slip the title page in the cover.
Be sure to put a couple Mars Society Brochures in the front pocket.
Bring a copy of the Briefing Book to your meetings with legislators and leave it as a resource.
Download - 3.1 MB
Use these pictures and text - or create your own. Visual aides in meetings are very useful. PowerPoint presentations are OK if you are presenting to one person or have an LCD projector and make arrangements ahead of time. The tried and true Poster Board or Tri-Fold Board work very well. They are easily transportable, make a good impression and are visible to a small group of people.
Included are pictures of FMARS, MDRS, Euro-Hab and Mars-Oz. These show that we are not simply an advocacy group but that we are sponsoring and funding projects to further our goal of humans to Mars. There are 4 slides on Mars Direct that allows you to give a 3-5 minute overview of the plan.
Everything you need to arrange, prepare and have a successful meeting.
Setting Up the Meeting - 64 KB
Meeting Guidelines - 59 KB
Initial Meeting Outline - 53 KB
Topics for Meetings - 50 KB
Click on the title to download
Cost Estimate of President's Space Exploration Initiative - 77 KB
Convert the Shuttle - 64 KB
US Political Goals - 77 KB
Steering Committee Response to President's Space Initative - 68 KB
Talking Points Handout - 90 KB
Whenever possible, handwrite letters to elected officials on issues of policy as they get the most attention. Thank you letters should also be handwritten. Letters to the media or to elected officials requesting meetings should be printed. In all letters, show respect for elected officials by using proper titles not only when addressing them, but also when referring to them (i.e., President Bush’s Space Exploration Initiative and not Bush’s Space Exploration Initiative). Samples letters can be used as they are. However, putting them into your own words is best.
Sample Letter to Congress - 25 KB (.doc)
Request a Meeting - 25 KB (.doc)
Acknowledge Meeting - 36 KB (.pdf)
Meeting Instructions - 31 KB (.doc)
Thank You for Meeting - 36 KB (.pdf)
More sample letters coming soon
This includes sending letters via U.S. mail, fax or email to a congressional representative’s national or local office and the President and Vice-President’s office. Currently letters sent via U.S. mail to elected representatives’ Washington D.C. offices go through a decontamination process. This delays mail from 3-14 days. It is recommended that you fax your letters and let the congressional office know that you are also sending the letter by U.S. mail. Email is not treated the same in all offices. Some offices are overwhelmed with email and it may not get printed. Others treat it same as other types of correspondence. Call your reps local office and ask how they treat email. In general email is probably the least effective. In the Resources Section we have Sample Letters for various types of action letters going to various elected officials.
This includes meeting with congressional representative’s staff or the representative him/herself. The following documents are available in the Resources Section: Setting Up The Meeting which details how to get started and how to prepare for meetings; Meeting Guidelines which details what to do, what to bring, and what to say at the meeting; and Meeting Outline which is a sample outline to use for initial meetings discussing Converting the Shuttle. See Meetings.
These happen more often during election years. Elected Officials and candidates will hold these types of meetings to get a more personal chance to meet with their constituency. This is your opportunity to ask the question "what is your position on a human mission to Mars?"
Use the phone to set up meetings, not for political agendas. A few groups have used phone calls to overwhelm offices and shut them down. You do get attention that way but you do not make friends.
This can be for a specific candidate or party and can involve anything from passing out flyers to providing transportation to the polls for voters on Election Day. This can often get you easier access to an elected official and gives you the opportunity to discuss your views with other volunteers.
These happen during election years. Presidential Candidates are most accessible prior to their party’s National Convention. During campaign stops you might actually get an opportunity to have a chance encounter with a candidate and be able to ask a question or make a statement. If there is a debate in your area, get a group of members to go to the site and hold up "On To Mars" signs, or better yet, set up an information table. Depending on who is sponsoring the Debate, the public may be allowed to suggest questions to ask the candidates. We will have more information soon on how to participate.
