Reply #102: I do think Senators and Congresspeople should listen [View All]

to concerns of their constituents, or at the least have a staff member explain the S/C's position on the issue. However, I agree with those who think the possibility of a meeting with a Senator on ANY issue is remote (given they have far more constituents than Congresspeople do), even though I saw that you said your b-i-l was successful in persuading some other Congresspeople to meet. I can also understand reluctance, given the way your OP was phrased--that they didn't want to meet to discuss concerns, but rather that they wanted to meet to discuss how "to orchestrate an initiative that would help educate the people of North Carolina and the country about Islam, as well as other faiths that weren't, well, Southern Baptist or something known to most Southerners." I don't know about his meetings with any Christian organizations or how he/his staff makes the decision--is it on the basis of issues? Size of group? Has he ever met with any atheist, agnostic, etc. groups; the non-religious outnumber many other religious groups, including those of the Jewish faith. There are currently lawsuits pending by some groups representing those concerned with separation of church and state about entanglements with religion. So the fact that an initiative would include education about multiple religions, unless it also included education about atheism, etc., would not address their concerns about establishment.

What did he/his staff say in response to the request?

All I have ever gotten out of any of my Congresscritters is a letter/email (usually sent about NRDC/environmental concerns). I should note that the esteemed FORMER Senator Allen never responded to any of my letters or emails.

So it is hard to assess what the real concern is.