Dear Amnesty International
Christopher L. Jorgensen
P.O. Box 93042
Des Moines, IA 50393
December 9, 2008
Amnesty International
5 Penn Plaza, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Dear Amnesty International,
does this letter writing stuff really work? Seems to me it wouldn't be very effective. If I were a despot or part of a malicious illegitimate regime, and I was torturing people and denying them basic human rights, then the last thing I'd really care about was opening my mail! I'd probably just force other people to do that for me! (As an evil dictator why should I risk paper cuts?)
I'm not sure if I get the point of the whole letter writing thing. If I write someone bad should I expect my letter will be considered and wait for a reply? Are the letters ever answered?
Sincerely,
Christopher L. Jorgensen
Sponsor:
Reply:
Dear Christopher Jorgensen:
Thanks for your letter of inquery about the effectiveness of Amnesty International’s campaigning. Sometimes we get the results we want, sometimes not, but we believe that government officials do care about their image and may respond to organized pressure. I’m sending you a bunch of print-outs from our website, in case you don’t have a computer. You can see some of the many ways, big and small, that we can protect people’s human rights.
Sometimes people get answers to their letters, but mostly not. Our objective is showing authorities that concerned men and women from countries all over the world are watching their actions, and urging them to abide by their own laws and uphold the basic rights of their citizens.
Sincerely,
[signed Beth Ross?]
Amnesty International USA 5 Penn Plaza 16th Fl New York NY 10010-1810 T. 212.807.8400 F. 212-627.1451 amnestyusa.org
Amnesty International website: www.amnesty.org
Commentary:
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Christopher L. JorgensenPO Box 546
Ames, IA 50010
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