Now we turn our focus to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime. This week we're asking you to contact members of that committee to inform them of the facts on VAWA.

Click "Read more..." for more.

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE HOUSE SUB-COMMITTEE WILL BE VOTING ON VAWA LATER THIS WEEK, SO PROMPT ACTION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

Please do the following right away:

1. Write a short letter something like this. You can modify it to reflect your own thoughts, but be sure to keep it respectful. Hostility or extreme analogies like comparisons to Nazis will only make it harder for our viewpoint to be heard.

   The Honorable {name here}
   FAX no: {fax no. here}
   Subject: H.R. 2876 - Violence Against Women Act
   Position: Provide equal funding for organizations focused on helping male victims

   Dear Representative {name here}:

   I'm writing about major problems with H.R. 2876, the Violence Against Women Act. According to the Department of Justice, men constitute 36% of domestic violence victims annually. But despite claims to the contrary, VAWA-funded programs deny services to those 835,000 American men and their children.

   Before the House votes on VAWA, the bill must be fixed to guarantee that all victims are helped, regardless of gender. It is unacceptable to require victimized men and children to seek help from organizations whose decade-long track record clearly demonstrates their lack of sympathy for, or even outright hostility to the needs of these victims.

   Please make VAWA non-discriminatory by adding the following language:

   “Nothing in this statute shall be construed as prohibiting funding for programs focused on or serving male victims of domestic violence. Male victims shall be considered an underserved population.”

   Thank you for your attention and help.

   Sincerely,

   Your name
   Your address
   Your phone number

2. Below are names and fax numbers for the members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime. For each member, edit a unique copy of the letter to include his or her name and fax no. Then fax that copy to the committee member.

3. If you do not have access to a fax machine, telephone the Representative's L.A. (Legislative Assistant) who is responsible for VAWA – the receptionist can tell you which L.A. is assigned to VAWA. Speak to the L.A. and tell him or her the facts in this letter. And remember, our chances of getting them to understand the need for a non-discriminatory law will only be harmed by angry or extreme language.

   Remember, Congress will recess at the end of this week. Fax your letter today!

   ---

   Members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime

   Congressperson	Fax	Voice phone	State	Party
   Howard Coble, Chariman	202/225-8611	202/225-3065	North Carolina	R
   Dan Lungren	202/226-1298	202/225-5716	California	R
   Tom Feeney	202/226-6299	202/225-2706	Florida	R
   Steve Chabot	202/225-3012	202/225-2216	Ohio	R
   Ric Keller	202/225-0999	202/225-2176	Florida	R
   Jeff Flake	202/226-4386	202/225-2635	Arizona	R
   Mike Pence	202/225-3382	202/225-3021	Indiana	R
   Randy Forbes	202/226-1170	202/225-6365	Virginia	R
   Louie Gohmert	202/225-5866	202/225-3035	Texas	R
   Bobby Scott, Ranking Democrat	202/225-8354	202/225-8351	Florida	D
   Sheila Jackson Lee	202/225-3317	202/225-3816	Texas	D
   Maxine Waters	202/225-7854	202/225-2201	California	D
   Marty Meehan	202/226-0771	202/225-3411	Massachusetts	D
   William Delahunt	202/225-5658	202/225-3111	Massachusetts	D
   Anthony Weiner	202/226-7253	202/225-6616	New York	D

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   News Flash! A major critique of the Violence Against Women Act, written by Dr. Stephen Baskerville, is appearing in the July 25 issue of The American Conservative. As soon as it is available online, we will post the article's URL at http://www.mediaradar.org/baskerville0725.php. We encourage you to distribute this article to your conservative elected officials and others as appropriate.

   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

   Date of RADAR Release: July 24, 2005

   To track the current status of VAWA, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ and enter the bill number: Senate bill S. 1197; House of Representatives bill H.R. 2876.

   To receive RADAR Alerts, press releases, and other special announcements, sign up for the RADAR E-lert. You can sign up for the E-lert on the RADAR home page at http://www.mediaradar.org/. Your e-mail address will be kept confidential, and will not be shared with any outside organization. It's fast, easy, and keeps you in the loop.

   Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting (RADAR) is a coalition of men and women working to assure media balance and accuracy in coverage of the domestic violence issue.