E-mail to Dr. Coburn, Oklahoma State Senator

Hello Dr. Coburn,

Although I'm not from Oklahoma, I wish that I was so I would know that you would listen to me. As a Californian, I have been reaching out to my own senators for quite a while to co-sponsor S. 1067. I have traveled to Uganda two times in the past few years and I know that the passing of this bill would ensure safety and relief for my friends that I met in the region.

Primarily, I want this bill passed because I love the people who are suffering under the violence of the LRA and want their lives improved. However, NOW some of my other friends are camped outside your OKC office in the 30 degree winter waiting for you to lift your hold on this bill and out of my love for those friends I am asking you to reconsider as well. They are also suffering on behalf of Ugandans in need and I would like their suffering to end as well.

I respect your wishes to not increase government spending, but I know that when the emergency merits it, there are times that we need to act even if there is a cost associated with it. On 9/11, no one was saying "we shouldn't help the people in the Twin Towers because this might get expensive." They were doing what they needed to do to help reduce the suffering in the emergency.

Since Resolve Uganda and Feingold have figured out a way to allocate this money to help those suffering in this emergency by taking money from the EXISTING State Department budget, your release of this hold would not increase ANY government spending. You can stay true to your fiscal conservative values while actually helping these children.

I wish that I was from Oklahoma so that my voice would matter to you, but my friends in Uganda wish that they were Americans so that their cries would matter as to the global community as my cries matter as a Californian. I hope you'll hear my voice in conjunction with the Oklahomans outside your doorstep, Americans nationwide voicing support for this cause, and the people of East Africa who are suffering the most.

~Talitha