What is a “Circle of Five”?
Tea Party “Circle of Five” groups are an easy way to get more people to become conservative activists by regularly contacting the politicians who represent them. A Circle of Five is composed of five individuals who each agree to contact their elected representatives according to a regular, predetermined schedule. For example, one week the group might decide that each member would write a letter to his or her local school board representative demanding that teachers be prohibited from indoctrinating students with left-wing political propaganda, such as man-made global warming theory. The next week, each person would call their three members of Congress about President Obama’s costly energy cap and trade proposals, and so on. Once a Circle of Five group is up and running, members who desired to do so could then become the hub of a new group consisting of that member, plus four new people. Or, the original group could decide to become a Circle of Ten or Circle of Twenty, etc. Regardless of size, the only rule Circle groups have is a “no excuses” mutual covenant that short of a legitimate emergency, no member will break the circle by reneging on the commitment to contact at least their elected officials on a regularly scheduled basis.

To stay motivated, each member of the group can keep a written record of their phone calls, letters and emails so they can look back and see how much they’ve done on behalf of their conservative values.

Make a List of Each Member's Elected Representatives
Many potential Circle of Five conservatives don’t know the names of their own members of Congress, much less those of their state and local elected representatives. Circle of Five groups can help remedy that by coming up with a list of each member’s federal, state and local elected officials.

The names and contact information for members of Congress can be found by clicking HERE. Information on state and local officials can be found by doing a Google search.

Writing to Your Elected Representatives
Writing "where I stand" letters to politicians is not nearly as time-consuming as most people imagine. Whether sent by regular mail or electronically, letters should be short and to the point., and always written in respectful language. Long letters are usually a waste of time. For most issues, two or three sentences are more than enough to tell politicians what they really want to know: where you stand on a particular issue. Keep in mind that your letters are almost never read by the officials you send them to -- low-level staffers screen incoming letters and e-mails to determine the writer’s stance on important issues. Once that information is known, it’s entered on a “pro” or “con” tally sheet. All most politicians care about is where the majority of their constituents stand on key issues, i.e., how they can improve their chances of getting re-elected.

Calling Your Elected Representatives
When conveying your position on an issue through a phone call, use the same strategy as for written communications: be concise and to the point -- long-winded explanations are a waste of time.  Calling your three members of Congress three time a week should take no more than 2 or 3 minutes of your time. When talking with Congressional receptionists, remember to be respectful at all times.

Blue Dog Democrats
The Blue Dogs are a group of 37 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives who bill themselves as more moderate than most members of their party. Between now and the 2010 elections, the Blue Dogs represent the best hope of preventing some of President Obama's more radical proposals. If you are represented by a Blue Dog, make an extra effort at getting as many Circle of Five groups started in your district as you can. If you don't live in a Blue Dog district but know someone who does, do what you can to help them get Circles of Five started. To find the names and districts of Blue Dog Democrats, click here. 

Don't make the mistake of thinking there's no need to contact your U. S. House member unless that person is a Blue Dog. If there's an issue that you think is important, contact your House representative and both  of your state's  U. S. Senators, regardless of their party affiliation. The more contacts that Congress receives, the more effect those contacts will have.

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WHAT'S YOUR DECISION? Will you start a Circle of Five group, or just think about it for a while? If the latter is your decision,  the odds are that you'll never get around to it.  If the idea makes sense to you, TODAY is the day to act. The mid-term elections will be here before you know it. The willingness of people like you to exert pressure on Congress could be the determining factor as to whether enough conservatives are elected next year to turn back President Obama's socialist agenda.