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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.

4 Comments

      1. If the chapter in your book is the one I am thinking of (Where you describe one particular Southwest Chief trip, and your trip counterparts), that chapter is worth publishing here. It shows quite nicely that planes have no advantage in anything but speed.

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