While I certainly agree with Tom regarding the self-evident justice and legitimacy of the moral and community issues and arguments he puts forward, the sad fact is that they are the same issues and arguments that labor has been using for years to no effect. They have failed to move politicians, they have failed to garner widespread public support, and they have even failed amongst the directly affected constituencies (as witnessed by the quotes from freelance techwriters I appended to my previous posting). Someday in the future when the NWU and labor in general is stronger, and the political climate is better, we might be able to win on those issues, but that time is not now. Sometimes it is good and healthy for a union to fight the good fight for a morally correct but impossible-to-win-at-this-time position. But for the past many years the NWU has focused its efforts ONLY on trying to win the un-winnable. Yes, freelance creators deserve collective bargaining rights, but we are not strong enough to achieve that at the present time and it was disingenuous to tell our members otherwise. Yes, AOL-Time Warner's All Rights contracts are an abomination, but given the actual realities that campaign used scarce resources to tilt at an un-winnable windmill. To rebuild the NWU we now have to take on campaigns in which we have at least a tiny prayer of achieving some actual concrete success. As you know, I believe that attacking offshoring from the national security perspective provides the highest chance of success. But, -- facing reality, -- it is clear to me that as Mike so succinctly stated that approach "creeps people out." Okay, I accept that. So let's focus on one or two concrete issues that NWU activists will support and that have some (slight) chance of achieving some success in chipping away at the "globalization/offshoring-is-good-for-everyone" ideologic tidal wave. Let me propose that we focus on two of the issues that Al outlined in his memo of 4/25: 1. Government subsidies and tax credits that reward the offshoring of jobs. 2. Personal data privacy. Making it illegal to offshore personal medical and financial data. This year's election gives us an excellent opportunity to raise these issues in an effective way. So I suggest we do something like the following: May & June. Research the hell out of the selected issues. Assemble the facts, figures, background, etc. At the end of June publish both a succinct summary of each issue, and an in depth "white paper" (both website and hard-copy). The white paper to provide activists with the info they need, the summary for wide public distribution. Also research if there is any existing legislative proposals we want to support, and if not, draft some proposed legislative language of our own (as we did in the successful freelance-writer tax fight here in California a few years ago). July-August. Circulate petitions among our members, writers, and the high-tech communities in support of the issues in general and specific concrete legislative remedies. Use this as an organizing-recruiting opportunity. Obtain support from, and work with, other organizations and unions. Focus on key states and those Congressional Districts where we have significant membership numbers. September-Early October. Have local NWU members meet with and personally present the petitions to Congressional and Senatorial candidates. Have national NWU leadership meet with the Kerry campaign (and other campaigns if appropriate). Ask for specific commitments to support existing legislation (if any) or our draft legislation. Tell all the candidates we will be publishing to our constituencies their stand on these two specific issues. The goal is to obtain commitments to sponsor our legislation. Late October. Publish to our members and our broader constituencies the results of our meetings with candidates. Use the web and email bursts ("forward this to all your..."). Post November. Begin systematic lobbying by local NWU members to push legislative remedies to our two issues. --bruce