RADAR ALERT:
Shock and Awe Week 4: House Judiciary SubCommittee on Crime

Last Tuesday, July 19th, the Senate Judiciary Committee held "hearings" on the bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act which left them no better informed about the truth of VAWA. A transcript of the testimony can be seen at: http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=1570.

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.

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                                             
   FAX no:                                             
   Subject: H.R. 2876 - Violence Against Women Act
   Position: Provide equal funding for organizations focused on helping male victims

   Dear Representative                                             :

   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!

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

Want to improve the chance that they'll pay attention to your letter? Click here.

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.

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R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of men and women working to improve the effectiveness of our nation's approach to solving domestic violence. http://www.mediaradar.org