A Long, Long Shot Gets Fired.

As the ‘regulars’ among you know, I carry a notebook when I travel—the long skinny kind generally referred to as a “reporter’s notebook” that slips easily into a hip pocket. I constantly jot down notes to myself to remind me of ideas that occur on the fly and incidents that are significant in some way and that might be interesting as a little item or even as the basis for an entire posting here.

I’ve spent the last few weeks on what is probably a fool’s errand that grew out of one of those scribbled notes. There’s a 900-word chapter in my new book, Travel Tales, (see below), that presents  a different argument in support of Amtrak’s long-distance trains. I sent a copy of the book to someone who has been a successful professional fund raiser for many years and he responded enthusiastically. In fact, he said I should send a copy of the book to every member of Congress with that chapter flagged.

I decided to do it . . . I’m not going to send a book to every member of Congress, but the key committee members will get one. These are the men and women in a position to actually produce legislation for the entire House and Senate to consider.

I certainly have no illusions about this scheme. I know how much mail they all get. And I know that a staff person opens all the mail and decides what the Member actually sees or is answered by a staff person . . . or is trashed by a staff person.

On the title page there will be a brief hand-written note to each senator and representative calling attention to that one chapter.

Sure, it’s a long shot, but it’s better than a shot never fired: it’s something.

I’ll keep you all posted.