Million Phone Call March or the Million Meeting March -- let's start today

[bimazek]

Million Phone Call March or the Million Meeting March -- let's start today

There are now over a million of us in the USA living with HIV.  And today I would like to launch the Million Phone Call March or the Million Meeting March!  I have been thinking for two years on how we can best work together as sufferers and activists and bring about change.  The past we are indebted to -- the great men and women who -- when there was no treatment, the act up groups and many others who when they were very sick they marched and protested and blocked streets.

But now what I am suggesting is we all start calling and having conversations with our congressmen, their staff with the US senators with state elected officials.  With whoever will listen.  If we ALL do this imagine the impact and power it will have.  WE can do the phone calls from our cell on the way to work or even do this in groups or when we are at coffee together or lunch or at each others homes, we can find the phone numbers on the net and call and explain about all the big issues facing all of us, each of us individually...

such as
the donut hole in drug benefit coverage
the lack of universal. medicare medical etc
the issues with insurance companies
the discrimination in workplace -- all the issues you or each of us faces
more money for vaccine research
side effects of meds
more money for basic research for a cure
repeal the ban on hiv visitors from overseas etc etc etc

and we can encourage each other when we meet to call elected officials. 

Perhaps we can write a list of things we want to talk about and then call.

Perhaps we have time to set an appointment to meet with our congressman with our senator or their staff at their local office or in DC.

Perhaps we will travel to a political meeting and raise our voice and ask questions or tell our opinion of what we need.

Perhaps we will call and go on oprah or another talk show and explain the issues

I also support any real physical march of a million people on Washington but that will take time and only lasts one day so what I suggest is a tidal wave of phone calls and in person meetings that will increase day by day for years until we are all heard from and our pressing issues and needs are addressed.

I marched in the 80s in SF with ActUp and it was exciting and empowering.  I did the candlelight vigils in 83, 84, 85 - 89 in SF.  I made quilts in SF in 88.  Now we need to mature to a more direct and powerful protest and activism and we need to show the incredible numbers we now have.

Our large numbers today and the fact that we can mobilize virally -- no pun intended -- by emailing or calling friends and asking them to call or meet with congress and state house members and governors offices will make this truly effective.

Yes we have leaders and orgs and they are meeting with these people but they are few and we are millions.

Perhaps we will get sisters and brothers and parents and friends who know us who are not HIV poz but love us to make the call and take the meetings.

Perhaps it will take 72 months for all one million of us to call each one of our elected officials from the President  down to each city counsel member.

Perhaps this will grow and make it clear what needs to change and improve.

Perhaps we will copy this text and improve it and add our own words and ideas and send it to our poz friends and supporters via email or text message on our computer or cell phone.

Perhaps this Million Phone Call March or the Million Meeting March that we start today will clearly make a change as our needs and issues propagate on the internet and cell phone networks as emails, text messages and phone calls.  Perhaps we will add to this list of issues we face and write it and include it below and email it to our poz and non-poz friends to let them all know of the issues we face and what we need to do to create activism.

Perhaps on this day of MLKs birthday we can have a dream and have better treatments and soon a cure and a vaccine to protect others and care better for our long term survivors.

Perhaps we can dream.

Join me,
Make the calls
Send the emails and
Let's create change together.

Sincerely

BiMazek
poz for 24 months.

[thunter34]

Million Phone Call March or the Million Meeting March -- let's start today

There are now over a million of us in the USA living with HIV.  And today I would like to launch the Million Phone Call March or the Million Meeting March!  I have been thinking for two years on how we can best work together as sufferers and activists and bring about change.  The past we are indebted to -- the great men and women who -- when there was no treatment, the act up groups and many others who when they were very sick they marched and protested and blocked streets.

But now what I am suggesting is we all start calling and having conversations with our congressmen, their staff with the US senators with state elected officials.  With whoever will listen.  If we ALL do this imagine the impact and power it will have.  WE can do the phone calls from our cell on the way to work or even do this in groups or when we are at coffee together or lunch or at each others homes, we can find the phone numbers on the net and call and explain about all the big issues facing all of us, each of us individually...

such as
the donut hole in drug benefit coverage
the lack of universal. medicare medical etc
the issues with insurance companies
the discrimination in workplace -- all the issues you or each of us faces
more money for vaccine research
side effects of meds
more money for basic research for a cure
repeal the ban on hiv visitors from overseas etc etc etc

and we can encourage each other when we meet to call elected officials. 

Perhaps we can write a list of things we want to talk about and then call.

Perhaps we have time to set an appointment to meet with our congressman with our senator or their staff at their local office or in DC.

Perhaps we will travel to a political meeting and raise our voice and ask questions or tell our opinion of what we need.

Perhaps we will call and go on oprah or another talk show and explain the issues

I also support any real physical march of a million people on Washington but that will take time and only lasts one day so what I suggest is a tidal wave of phone calls and in person meetings that will increase day by day for years until we are all heard from and our pressing issues and needs are addressed.

I marched in the 80s in SF with ActUp and it was exciting and empowering.  I did the candlelight vigils in 83, 84, 85 - 89 in SF.  I made quilts in SF in 88.  Now we need to mature to a more direct and powerful protest and activism and we need to show the incredible numbers we now have.

Our large numbers today and the fact that we can mobilize virally -- no pun intended -- by emailing or calling friends and asking them to call or meet with congress and state house members and governors offices will make this truly effective.

Yes we have leaders and orgs and they are meeting with these people but they are few and we are millions.

Perhaps we will get sisters and brothers and parents and friends who know us who are not HIV poz but love us to make the call and take the meetings.

Perhaps it will take 72 months for all one million of us to call each one of our elected officials from the President  down to each city counsel member.

Perhaps this will grow and make it clear what needs to change and improve.

Perhaps we will copy this text and improve it and add our own words and ideas and send it to our poz friends and supporters via email or text message on our computer or cell phone.

Perhaps this Million Phone Call March or the Million Meeting March that we start today will clearly make a change as our needs and issues propagate on the internet and cell phone networks as emails, text messages and phone calls.  Perhaps we will add to this list of issues we face and write it and include it below and email it to our poz and non-poz friends to let them all know of the issues we face and what we need to do to create activism.

Perhaps on this day of MLKs birthday we can have a dream and have better treatments and soon a cure and a vaccine to protect others and care better for our long term survivors.

Perhaps we can dream.

Join me,
Make the calls
Send the emails and
Let's create change together.

Sincerely

BiMazek
poz for 24 months.

There's lot of questions here, but I'll start with these:

(1.)  So....are you prepared to go on Oprah to plead our case as an openly poz man, bim?

(2.)  Just out of curiosity, can I ask where you got that figure of 72 months all 1 million of us to call everybody from the President on down?  Or was that figure just pulled out randomly?

(3.)  You are aware, aren't you, that today is not Martin Luther King Jr's birthday?  (Um...yesterday  was the 40th anniversary of MLK's assassination, btw.  If that's somewhat in the ballpark of what you're talking about.)

[thunter34]

repeal the ban on hiv visitors from overseas etc etc etc

(4.)  Would that be the same travel ban you said it wasn't worth our time arguing against a couple of months ago?  (I'll provide that link, if necessary.)

Perhaps we will get sisters and brothers and parents and friends who know us who are not HIV poz but love us to make the call and take the meetings.

(5.)  Does this mean getting our brothers and sisters to do all this alongside all of us (including you personally), or does this suggest getting them to do it in place of us?   There's a big difference, and would like your specific clarification here.  Thanks.

Not to be coming down too hard on ya, bim, but it's a little rich to get a sweeping call for nationwide activism from someone who couldn't even be bothered to google freakin' Martin Luther King Jr's birthday vs. the date of his assassination.  (Completely sidestepping just, um...happening to know this as an American.)

[Miss Philicia]

Bimazek, all things considered, but don't you have enough on your plate right now?

http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=19887.msg254091#msg254091

[minismom]

I've already posted about an event where HIV+ folks are gathering in DC to meet with their legislators.  Have you thought about attending that?

[Winiroo]

It was mentioned in the thread http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=20143.msg257651#msg257651
that you might appreciate or enjoy this site as a means to empower yourself and possibly impact the negative stigma attached to being HIV positive.

http://www.theHIVconversation.com"The Conversation" A Book and Film project about HIV disclosure.

Enjoy!

[TheConversation]

OK, I have to admit that the idea might seem overwhelming, but if each of us just makes a few phone calls then tell our friends and families, who knows what might happen.  Here is a link to find our how to contact your representatives:  http://w2.eff.org/congress/

Although I would like to suggest that a certain date or week be set for the strongest effect.  And, please don't limit it to a phone call, send letters.  But it should focus on one topic (people might need to do some research so they will be well educated about the topics.) at a time as it will send a direct message.  Through a direct approach of everyone in a campaign calling and sending letters each week about a particular topic, our representatives will have to take notice because their phone, fax and emails will be so busy they cannot ignore anyone or the issue of HIV. 

In order to have a successful campaign to get our representatives to change there has to be a set plan of attack.  Perhaps it could work like this:

Week 1 - HIV drug benefits coverage, including universal health care.
Week 2 - HIV funding for Ryan White programs and other nonprofit ASO's
Week 3 - HIV discrimination laws, especially within the workplace when employers can still find ways around firing people with HIV so they don't have to pay for increased health care premiums.
Week 4 - HIV research funding.
Week 5 - Social Security benefits for people with HIV and AIDS.
Week 6 - Affordable housing for people living on disability income.
Week 7 - Address concerns for any current legislation that would not allow continued support for HIV programs, people with HIV, and any related issues.  (you'll have to stay up-to-date on the legislation and post information for people to learn about them so they will understand what they are about.)

I really don't think that "side effects of meds and more money for basic research for a cure" should be directly discussed unless asked about them.  However, you could include a week about "repeal the ban on HIV visitors from overseas." 

I'd also suggest posting set dates for actions (phone calls, faxes, and emails) to be completed (about 2 months away from the original date of posting it on the web) and then promoting a link through emails, etc. on blogs, newsletters, ASO's and anywhere possible. 

I hope this helps you with your March on Washington.  Let me know when I have to make the phone calls and I'll do it, but it should be a set period, not an extended time frame.

[thunter34]

Sebastian,

Check your PM box, babe.

Tim