Dealing with a member of "the world's greatest deliberative body"...

On 22 May, at the height of the immigration kerfuffle in Congress, I wrote my RINO Senator this email (I was pretty frustrated):

Senator [RINO],

As a 53-year-old military retiree and resident of [our state], I am shocked by the Senate's most recent move to address the illegal immigration problem. If you vote for this bill, probably one of the most cynical and self-destructive pieces of legislation ever to be rushed through the Congress by Senators McCain and Kennedy, rest assured you will never, ever have my support for reelection.

I put my life on the line for 26 years for this country and to see how isolated from the people our elected representatives have become both frightens and angers me.

We, the people, may not display our Senators' rhetorical skills, be masters of "nuance" or otherwise look good in front of a camera, but we're not stupid, nor are we easily fooled. Apparently, many in the Senate would not agree.

Mark my words, Senator. Americans, of all backgrounds, rely on a society that respects the rule of law. What your colleagues are doing fundamentally, and I fear irrevocably, undermines that respect.

Whatever shred of trust I had for the Republican Party is evaporating. Your caucus is rapidly losing what little respect I had for it, [RINO Senator's first name]. Next to go is my vote.

Very Sincerely,
(Me), Col, USAF, Ret.

67 days later, I get what I consider a non-answer, of sorts...not surprising. Like all Senators, this guy is busy, he's an incumbent who hasn't been seriously challenged for reelection in recent memory, and one disgruntled constituent hardly constitutes a reason to pay much attention to same.

Here's what his staffer wrote 2+ months after the fact:
(NOTE: Not using the professional title a writer uses in his signature block in the return salutation, i.e., "Mr." vs. "Col." says one of two things, either the respondent consciously considers it to be inconsequential or irrelevant, or they aren't familiar enough with the fact that military officer titles do have some meaning among that cohort. Was I surprised? Nah. But it did get my attention.)

Dear Mr. (Me):

Thank you for contacting me. I appreciate knowing your
thoughts about immigration reform and border security.

I share your support for increased border security and voted
last year to pass the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This legislation
authorizes the construction of approximately 700 miles of double-
layered fencing at specified locations along the almost 2,000-mile
southwest U.S. international border with Mexico.

In addition to improving border security, I believe that the
status quo is not acceptable and that our immigration policies
should be updated in a comprehensive way to provide some
realistic resolution to the status of undocumented immigrants
living in this country.

On June 28th, unable to bring debate to a close, Majority
Leader Harry Reid pulled a bipartisan compromise immigration
proposal from the Senate Floor. At this point, it is unclear if the
Majority Leader will bring this measure back to the Floor for
consideration.

Again, thank you for contacting me.

Sincerely,

[RINO]
United States Senator

RINO's Initials/cga

I wrote back the same day:

Senator [RINO],

Thank you for your reply.

Re: Your second paragraph, can you tell me how many miles of fence have been built since the Secure Fence Act of 2006? Not what is proposed or on the schedule to be built, but how many miles actually exist as of 30 July 2007?

Re: Your third paragraph, what does "realistic resolution" mean precisely? Also, can you tell me the difference between an "undocumented immigrant" and an illegal alien?

Re: Your fourth paragraph, can you give me your thoughts on why Senator Reid had to pull the measure from the floor? I am under the impression that your colleagues' constituencies may have had a hand in that but I'd like your opinion.

Two other questions:

1) What is your position on re-instituting the Fairness Doctrine and, more specifically, its ability to withstand judicial scrutiny with respect to its impact on First Amendment freedoms?

2) Are you aware that Senator Biden, when asked during the CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate to speculate on a Republican he would theoretically include on his team, named you as a potential member of his Cabinet? I believe he thinks you would make a good Secretary of State in a Biden Administration, if he had to choose a Republican. Have your staffers looked into this or have you had any discussions with your colleague from Delaware?

I look forward to your responses to my questions.

Respectfully,
(Me), Col, USAF, Ret
[Town], [State]

I'll keep you posted on his response...if any. -Instapilot