IMPORTANT US LEGISLATION ALERT (from the IraqCrisis list):

From: "Patty Gerstenblith" (by way of Charles E. Jones)
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 12:30:53 -0600
To: Iraqcrisis@listhost.uchicago.edu, ane@listhost.uchicago.edu, anenews@listhost.uchicago.edu
Subject: [Iraqcrisis] Iraq Legislation
Reply-To: iraqcrisis@listhost.uchicago.edu

On March 4, the Senate passed legislation (S. 671) that gives the President the authority to impose restrictions to prevent the import into the United States of cultural materials that have been illegally removed from Iraq since August 1990. Enactment of this legislation is crucial to prevent cultural materials looted from Iraq's cultural institutions from entering the United States and to help combat the looting of archaeological sites.

Lobbyists on behalf of coin collectors and dealers are working to defeat this legislation in the House unless it exempts coins from any import restrictions. Please give your strong support to the Iraq provisions of S. 671 by contacting the following Senators, Representatives, and Congressional staffpersons:

Senator Charles Grassley: fax: 202-224-6020; website email form: grassley.senate.gov/webform.htm
Senator Max Baucus: fax: 202-228-3687; website email form: baucus.senate.gov/emailmax.html
Representative William Thomas: email: bill.Thomas@mail.house.gov; fax: 202-225-8798
Representative Charles Rangel: fax: 202-225-0816; website: www.house.gov/rangel
Representative Phil English: fax: 202-225-3103; website: www.house.gov/english
Representative Phil Crane: fax: 202-225-7830; website: www.house.gov/crane
Representative Sander Levin: email: slevin@mail.house.gov
Representative Jim Leach: email: talk2jim@mail.house.gov; fax: 202-226-1278
Stephen Schaeffer, Senate Finance Committee: fax: 202-228-0554
David Kavanaugh, House Ways and Means Committee: fax: 202-226-0158

You should also urge these Representatives and Senators to include equivalent provisions for the protection of Afghanistan's cultural heritage, which is subject to massive looting and for which the United States also bears a special responsibility.

Please re-post this message where ever it might be of interest

My understanding is that Congressional Representatives and Senators take snail-mail letters and faxes more seriously than e-mails, so if you write, consider faxing rather than e-mailing.

UPDATE (10 March): Jim West e-mails:

You stated-
"My understanding is that Congressional Representatives and Senators take snail-mail letters and faxes more seriously than e-mails, so if you write, consider faxing rather than e-mailing."

My Senator makes clear that because of the slowdown in mail due to anthrax and other threats it is, in fact, best to contact directly through his website. My Senators (and I assume all) have a website which includes a "contact us" page where you simply fill out your information and submit your request/comment. I have used this method a number of times and always receive a snail mail reply to my web posted mail.

The Senate web address is www.senate.gov