Dear BlunderFriends,

The following is the text of an open letter I have recently circulated among friends in my address book. Perhaps you would care to participate:

Letters To Laura Campaign

Beyond all others, there is one senior advisor to George Bush who could possibly influence the course of history and actually reverse our march to war at this late hour. This advisor is of course, First Lady Laura Bush, wife and mother of twins Jenna and Barbara. Is she made of the same stuff that drives those bellicose men of the President’s cabinet, or is she of the distaff side-- the crone, the maker of homes and families, the wise woman and fierce defender of life who until now has not been able to find her voice?

Let us help her find that small but powerful voice, bring it forth upon the ears of her husband and give her the power and permission to speak out, as a mother, as a wife, as a woman of the world. Help her convince her husband to end his aggression and protect the innocents of the world who will be caught up in the war. Help her to help him respect the United Nations and the duties of the Security Council. Beyond the legacies of extraordinary First Ladies such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Laura Bush has the potential to be this century’s greatest hero and greatest defender of humanity.

To this end, I am proposing that we undertake a letter-writing campaign to Laura Bush immediately. With the support of the internet, this campaign could catch on within days. In these letters, men, women and children would frankly express their convictions and help her convince her husband of this war’s fallacy and to immediately stop all aggression. These letters would be sent with an intention of love and respect for this woman, who needs fresh warm breezes to dance around her heart. Each letter-writer would also enclose a small photo of their children, if they have them, sharing with her their greatest treasures. Within the next week, Mrs. Bush would receive many thousands of letters and photos. This “Letters to Laura” campaign would be another small but important effort to build awareness and convince George Bush’s first and last advisor to influence her husband toward a non-violent resolution to the crisis.

It was Laura Bush who helped her husband decide to reverse his personal course and stop drinking some years ago. Let’s hope that she can also influence him to reverse a more lethal course and stop the impending war from occurring.

Send your letter to:

First Lady Laura Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Instead of constantly declaring our differences with the current administration, I am suggesting that we find our common ground where we can, when we can, and use it to advantage. I share more than a first name –by chance- with the First Lady. I too am a mother and wife. Mrs. Bush and I are also both women who share a common female ancestry of outspoken and courageous women who were defenders of humanity and who frequently influenced men in power, bringing sensibility to their often misguided and violent impulses. Men and children, inextricably associated with the women in their lives, also have a compelling reason to write.

In this Letters To Laura Campaign, may we communicate our deepest longing for peace, carry on the legacy of the peacemakers before us, and help bring clarity and wisdom to the most influential woman in the world.

Please consider forwarding this message (in a condensed form if you’d like) to names on your private e-mail list, preferably as “blind-carbon copies, to avoid spam and opportunistic viruses.

Sincerely,

Laura Selleck