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Take the hedgeless_horseman challenge.
I challenge you to attempt each of the following accomplishments before the end of October.
- Write your congressional representative a one-page letter about a recent bill he or she voted on, telling him or her how you feel, what you need from him or her, and asking for a response.
- Write both of your senators one-page letters about a recent bill they voted on, telling them how you feel, what you need from him or her, and asking for a response.
- Call your sheriff and have a brief conversation about his or her opinion on an issue of your selection. Send the sheriff a letter stating whether you are satisfied with his or her response, and thanking him or her for taking the time to talk with you on the phone.
- Read The Constitution and Bill of Rights.
- Visit a coin dealer and buy any amount of silver or gold using Federal Reserve Notes.
- Take someone to a gun show.
- Call your credit card company, ask them what interest rate you are paying, then cancel the credit card account.
- Visit your bank and ask a banker what the interest rate is you are getting on an account, and then close the account.
- Donate your time, talent, or treasure to a charity within five miles of your home.
- Take someone dancing to live music.
- Prepare some food and bring it to a neighbor that is not a relation.
- Walk, run, bicycle, skate, ski, or ride a horse around your neighborhood on three different days.
- Try to grow something edible.
- Stop drinking anything containing high fructose corn syrup.
- Attend an open AA meeting.
- Sharpen your knives.
- Check out a book from your local library and read it. Here are some ideas. Sit cross-legged while you read.
- Get a one-hour professional massage.
- Recycle, reuse, or repair something you normally put in the garbage.
- Make a list of at least ten things for which you are grateful and put it on your mirror.
- Find the prettiest place in your city, town, or county; go there and eat a picnic lunch.
- Give away your television(s) and replace with artwork.
I will post a follow-up to this in one month where we can discuss our experiences.
Peace.
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I have 12 done already!
Great Post HH!
Good list. I've done or been doing many of those things. Still need to get rid of the TV (well, I'll probably keep it for movies, maybe use it for a computer monitor), need to take some fried clams to my neighbors, 'bout due to take the wife dancing. To add to that, I've also taken up winemaking and bought a tractor.
I'd change that take someone to a gun show for something a little more cultural...
Gun shows are part of our culture, and a great place to learn to wheel and deal. You can also learn to spot deals and score some sweet stuff cheap. Hint: the retail dealers and sellers are typically the most expensive.
Never been to a gun show... I'd like to, but I'm in the catagory of "persons not allowed to own firearms" due to a pinch i took some yrs ago, nothing violent, but stymied non-the -less.
In the process of getting things removed, but in the garden state, this is both expensive and various town entities could care less for the lesser silly shit that accumulates over the yrs...
To comply or not to comply that is the the question....
The rest of H_H's list, is practiced daily, except letter writting as i don't vote.
You could still go to gun shows and talk to people. That's what I do. I think it's the most pleasant and polite crowd I've ever been in.
So your experience is that "An Armed Society is a Polite Society"?
Mine too, I highly recommend it, the handful of times I have been in a tight situation while armed the response from the offending party has always been to "give way"
Several years ago, I was pumping fuel into my truck in town. I wasn't as aware of my surroundings as I should have been and was approached from the left by a large individual demanding that I "let him hold a dolla". As I quickly turned to face him while shouting at him to back off while my strong hand went instictively to my sidearm under my shirt, he quickly realized what was about to happen to him. As he backed off and started to turn away I could hear him say, "Man, I ain't that kinda guy". He quickly beat feet outa my space and disappeared into the night.
He was very polite!!
DaddyO
Sorry you got confronted, but glad you were able to do something about it.
Yes, absolutely that is my experience. I tell people I'll live in an armed to the teeth zone (here in Texas for example) over a gun free zone every time. And my gun show visits are ALWAYS pleasant.
There are a lot of things to see and buy at gun shows besides guns.
Hedgleless, you're a good man. You rise in my estimation.
this list is really dated, your representative or senator would never read your letter, their intern will read the letter. they don't even read the bills they vote on (think obamacare). the way you read the bill of rights and way scotus reads it are entirely different matters. why bother, every generation has to fight for their rights. always been that way, always will be. you can buy gold out of vending machines. television has been replaced by streaming video. recycling, community work, walking and cycling and helping a neighbor are pretty much second nature to most people. ( i know you want me to feel good about myself)
not everyone who has the instinct for self preservation has an inflated sense of ego. its okay to look out for yourself, you don't need to be defensive about it.
a sharp knife cuts deep.
tough guys don't dance and neither do I.
the world is moving move with it
The Grateful Un: You are correct to a point. Your letter will get read by some staffer or intern - but if the staffer notes that the number of letters is increasing or are focussing on a specific topic, then the staffer will tell the Senator (Congress member etc) about the change.
So, one letter - no big deal.
One hundred letters - the politician starts to wake up!
Replace one of those items on the list with watching the movie FOOTLOOSE then.
Sitting cross-legged while reading is the shit.
Makes me feet fall asleep.
If you sit cross legged and walk (or run) on uneven ground, then you are much less likely to need hip replacement surgery.
especially if you wear a pair of the luna sandals
thanks for the tip h_h. those things rock...
Yes, they do rock. Congratulations on 4 years here with us.
Setting foot on a treadmill everyday is the best way to taking your knees out. I tell anyone and everyone who runs on a treadmill, 'there's an entire planet out there for you to run on, yet you choose to pound your knees on one rigid spot. What a shame.' It's not about the exercise - it's about the journey.
I guess some people don't have time for journeys. Again, what a shame.
"fresh air" and exercise, people always forget the first part. we also need to have our adrenalin jacked up once in a while, by running between moving cars, and by a couple pit bulls who are running loose, its a genuinely primal experience.
I do that shit almost ever day except for the writing Congressmen.. they can KMA
send a email get a form letter, bah.
Alright, HH, I'll be interested to see your follow-up. As to your list, I can achieve more than your first two items by taking my morning constitutional with a bit of George Carlin. I've done those before, so I know this to be true. I can't close my bank account, and I can't cancel my credit cards, because I have neither. We'll see...
<-- Write your congressional representative
<-- Write to your congressional representative
<----- Write on your congressional representative
<-- Write off your congressional representative
Re: Write your congressional representative
Well, technically:
Write to the congression representative pretenting to represent you.
-or-
Send money for representation.
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-01-24/will-you-pay-kid-read-12...
The Elements of Style, 4th Edition
William Strunk, et al, $ 8.26
The book that started me on this sad attempt. We can all improve our writing.
"Write your congressional representative..." works for me. Useful recommendations, HH. Thanks.
s t
Solid list HH.
Im going to definitely do a couple of those this weekend.
Agreed! I, too, will knock several off this weekend.
Excellent "to do" list!
Inspirational.
Glad you're back.
I particularly like the "professional one hour massage", but I'm gonna have to work on the "one hour" part. Maybe if I try to focus on baseball box scores, that would help.
H-H did not prescribe the Asian sort, Ignatius. ;)
Why do you hate Merica so much?
I have done 1 & 2 on that list many times, getting a stupid form letter back for my trouble.
My suggestion is, actually go to your state house and interact with some of your representatives. Have face-to-face conversations, and watch a few committee meetings. I did this, it was an eye-opening experience. Although it accomplished nothing, I did learn something important: my particular state government is run by despicable thugs.
Having been the person on the other end of 1000's of these letters, let me assure you that unless you are a close friend or big campaign contributor, the Member of Congress or Senator never saw or heard anything about your letter. It was simply put in the data base and cued up for an auto response. And all it did was take staff time and yet more dollars to process.
Since > 75% of the letters, emails and faxes they receive are auto generated by interest groups (from the NRA and FreedomWorks to the Sierra Club and MoveOn.org), that the responses are responded to in kind should surprise no one. If you must petition your government, do it in person. Visit the district office and get to know the staff person who works there. You'll have a much larger impact on the process.
If the letter is hand written, bill specific, and voices an opinion on the vote, then the data will almost assuredly be presented to the congressman or senator, although most likely aggregated in a chart with pretty colors.
H-H, were that it were so. I can tell with 100% certainty that this isn't true. If you know the Member, as I said, it will be brought to their attention. But that's about it.
Even aggregated data about the mail isn't really tracked in a meaningful way. Sure, on one or two of the really big issues the Member might have an idea of how many contacts they've had and which way they lean, but they almost always trail behind having voted so it doesn't weigh on the decision at all.
In fairness, I should add, that there are a couple of Members who did read a sampling of the mail at random during my time on the Hill. And in fact I know one Member who personally signed all individually written letters. So your best bet is to write about something obscure enough to not already have an approved form letter response waiting for you - or to write about a couple topics at the same time so that you'll get a combo letter.
We cannot control what others do, but at the very least, we can have catharsis.
I get the best responses from my congress-critters by making demands, not making statements or rendering opinions. Ending the letter or email with, "...and I will contribute to and campaign for your opponent in the next election..." always gets a direct and usually personal response.
BTW, my home group (for the last 22 years) is an open meeting. We get interesting people like pharmacy students, relatives, court-ordered, and other disparate folk. Sometimes their reactions are priceless. It's not anything like they envisioned.
Catharsis for me means ignoring the 535 Kongress Klowns with calculated contempt.
I would no more write to a Kongress Klown than to a dog, a cat or a beetle rolling a ball of dung.
Nor would I render service to a Klown, even to the extent of flicking a voting machine lever with my little finger.
EFAMOL!
Fair enough.
Regarding addressing govt - it is much easier to affect local govt than state/national. I've recently been attending local planning commission meetings and county council meetings - and I can say that, at least in my neck of the woods, they are far less insulated from their constuants. By the same token - we are less insulated from their decisions too. Well worth an occasional browse on you local govt's web site to see what local issues are coming up for consideration to add your voice on those issues that matter to you.
just had the same experience with a stop sign, a dangerous corner, and a councilmeeting
H-H,
Thanks for the thoughtful post!
I have been doing these things for many years and have been encouraging anyone in my oikos to do the same.
Will be in Tallahassee for three days next week meeting with my Pols on the 2nd Amendment Preservation Act for without this we become so much chattel.
OBTW, do closed meetings count?
DaddyO
"Racist" I cants know how to read,,,and aints got no money just my Lone Star card...
Damn, HH, that entire article is slave talk.
Did you ever consider withdrawing consent as preferable to your continued support of the beast?
Baby steps. Progress not perfection.
great stuff HH. here's 3 more for sanity's sake. go rescue something from the pound. spend an hour with a little kid on their level. go fishing. all good stuff to calm you down so you don't boil your blood pressure. live to fight another day. this may take awhile.