Please take the time to look at this article. It is worth the read.
https://www.helpfinddavid.com/
Last week when telling my friend about North Korea and this blog that was started up she told me a heart-wrenching story about her uncle. I had no idea how close North Korea's actions came to home.
In 2004, David Sneddon was hiking in China when he was kidnapped into North Korea.
David was a missionary for the LDS Church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in Seoul, South Korea where he had learned Korean. Before his mission he was a student at Brigham Young University and was believed to be taken into North Korea and forced to be a teacher of English to the North Korean people. They suspect he was also forced to marry and have children. He is now 37 and he has been held in North Korea for 13 years. That's 1/3 of his life. David didn't choose to be kidnapped and he had no idea it was coming. I can only wonder the struggle it is for David and hope he is all right and I hope continue effort in this matter will bring David safely home.
What to do to help find David Sndddon?
- Please send emails to US Congress to find David Sneddon and to return him to his parents, Roy and Kathleen Sneddon in Logan, Utah. It would be much appreciated if you could send emails to US Congress.
- Please meet your members of Congress about David Sneddon.
How to email Congress to advocate for David Sneddon?
First, look up your Members of Congress at
www.WhoisMyRepresentative.com.
Get the Washington, D.C. office phone numbers for your two U.S. Senators and the Congressman or Congresswoman who represents you in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Second, phone each of the three offices and ask: “Could you please give me the name and e-mail address for the staff member who handles North Korea issues for [Name of Senator or Representative]?”
Write down the name and e-mail address and repeat it back to the secretary on the phone to ensure you have spelled it correctly so that your e-mail will be received and not bounce back as undeliverable due to a misspelling. The U.S. Congress has (with few exceptions) standard email formats for the staff members:
FirstName.LastName@mail.house.gov (for staff in the U.S. House of Representatives)
FirstName_LastName@LastNameofSenator.senate.gov (for U.S. Senate staff members)
Why email a staff member?
The job of a staff member is to review legislation for the Member of Congress and make a recommendation up or down to cosponsor it or not. Cosponsor means to sign your name onto the legislation in support of bringing it to a vote. Directly e-mailing the staff member who handles North Korea for each of your Members of Congress will get a much faster, more effective response than simply writing a letter or e-mail to the general office address.
How to send your e-mail to the staff members?
Here is a sample you can make your own:
Put in Subject Line of E-Mail: Timely Constituent Request for Cosponsorship
Dear [Name of Staff Member],
I am a constituent writing to advocate for my [brother, relative, friend, co-worker, etc.] David Louis Sneddon, a U.S. citizen who disappeared in China in August 2004.
I respectfully request that [Name of Senator or Representative] consider cosponsoring the congressional resolution to help David (H. Con. Res. 114/S. Con. Res. 30) by involving the U.S. intelligence community in his ongoing case at the U.S. State Department.
The resolution urges our government to investigate David's disappearance and likely captivity in North Korea to the fullest extent possible, including coordination with the governments of China and South Korea, and cooperation with foreign governments who have diplomatic influence with North Korea.
These are critical steps to help bring David home. He is a beloved son, brother, friend, uncle, and co-worker to many in our country.
Please visit
www.HelpFindDavid.com and look at “Latest Information” for news articles and talking points about David’s case. I would appreciate knowing if [Name of Senator or Representative] will cosponsor so that I can gladly share [his or her] support with my family and friends.
Thank you in advance for any help you can give to bring David home!
Sincerely,
Your Name,
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
How to meet with your members of Congress to help find David Sneddon
Members of Congress will often meet with their constituents in local offices upon request to their local or state schedulers to discuss legislative concerns or needs.
First, look up your Members of Congress at
www.WhoisMyRepresentative.com. Get the phone numbers of their local offices closest to you. If their offices are too far away, e-mail the Legislative Aide who handles North Korea issues for the Member of Congress instead.
Likewise e-mail a Legislative Aide if the office cannot fit you into the schedule in a month.
Second, phone each local office and ask for the District Office Scheduler for the office nearest to you. Ask when the Member of Congress may be able to meet in person: “I am one of your constituents, and I would like to request a meeting with Congressman Smith o discuss legislation that has been introduced in the U.S. Congress to help my friend (brother/relative/coworker) David Sneddon. I want to talk to the Congressman in person about the importance of this legislation and ask him to cosponsor it.”
What NOT to Do
Do NOT provide all the details of David’s case to the front office staff members. Skittish staff members may react poorly to an off-the-cuff description of an abduction by North Korea, even though David’s case is legitimate. If they ask for more details, direct them to David’s website at
www.HelpFindDavid.com. Reiterate that you live and vote in the district they represent. Request to meet with the Member of Congress in person.
If you are directed to an office Caseworker, ask to be directed to a Legislative Aide instead.
Caseworkers write letters on behalf of constituents but Legislative Aides can ask Members of Congress to cosponsor legislation. David’s case is a legislative matter, not casework.
How to Hold a Meeting with a Member of Congress:
Dress in professional business attire and arrive on time. Get directions to the office well in advance. Introduce yourself with a firm handshake and a “Thank you for taking time to meet with me today.” Hand the Member of Congress a folder including the following information (print it out from the “Latest Information” tab on David’s website):
- The Wall Street Journal article by Melanie Kirkpatrick
- The Outside Magazine article (this is best printed in color)
- The 1-Page Case Summary for David
- The text of the appropriate version of the congressional resolution (S. Con. Res. 30 is the U.S. Senate version and H. Con. Res. 114 is the U.S. House version.) Both resolutions can be found under the “Congressional Resolution” tab on the website.
- A personal letter from you asking that your Member of Congress become a cosponsor and/or your business card and contact information.
Summarize David’s case, discuss your personal connection to David, and then ask: “Please read the information I leave with you and let me know if you will cosponsor to help David.”
Keep the meeting brief as 15-20 minutes may be all the time allowed in the schedule.
Follow up with a phone call each week to ask about the progress in making a decision.
