Achieving Progress: One View (from Monte Skall of NatCapLyme)

[Guest guest]

Achieving Progress; One View

Now that all the chatter has died down about our Congressional

Briefing, it is incumbent on us to address the many issues that were

raised about it. I would first like to thank all the people who

supported our project both financially and in spirit. You helped us

reach our goal of having every congressional office receive a copy of

Andy's DVD & Pam's book. We talked to people from all over the

country and made many new friendships as well as cementing old ones.

Your encouragement and faith in what we were trying to achieve was a

great inspiration to us. The great success was not about us but about

you and your support.

Our critics were few, but their voices were loud. It is tempting to

be angry about the mischaracterizations and attempts to discredit our

goals, as well as the efforts to stop the event itself. Despite all

of that, we were pleased to report a packed house and very favorable

reaction from the members and staff that attended. We have sent out

over 85 thank you letters to members of Congress and their staffs who

attended.

We choose to not publicly address our critics who demand harmony and

cooperation, at the same time depicting good faith efforts as creating

discord and chaos merely because they were not done in their name or

under their umbrella.

The NatCapLyme organized congressional briefing was designed to

include all. The idea throughout was to make it a grassroots project

that represented the efforts and plans of many, without making any

person or group the exclusive central focus. From the first, help and

support was sought from all support groups and their members from

across the country, with a sense of common purpose and joint effort.

To make one group more prominent than another would have detracted

from that goal. Everyone had to be treated equal or the project

would have failed. To succeed, our legislators had to perceive that

our Lyme community was united.

Pat and LDA were invited to participate. In fact, all groups

and their group leaders were invited to participate. Each was

contacted by email and a follow-up telephone call. Not all responded.

There has been criticism of the strategy, timing, choice of content,

method of invitation, and funding of the congressional briefing. We

welcome the discourse and diversity of opinion. However, we are

content to let the results stand for themselves, even when it is

claimed by some that the success of the event was really because of

their separate activities. That does not matter. What does matter is

the outcome, and we're happy to have everyone who wants to take

credit, do so.

It is important to clarify that NatCapLyme is not a part of or

associated with either LDA or LDF and neither it nor our members are

working to promote either's agenda. We have worked with and supported

both organizations as well as independent groups and ILADS over the

years. Rather, NatCapLyme has been and is an independent

organization; we take pride in being open and accessible to all and in

trusting our own judgment and making our own decisions. We believe

that strength comes from considering all opinions and approaches, just

as does our Supreme Court when it held that the truth will emerge from

the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and

antagonistic sources.

We do not believe that a national organization is imperative in

achieving unity. Unity will come from respect and acknowledgement

for each other and validating our mutual efforts. There are many

groups and individuals who have worked tirelessly for this cause.

Diversity of opinion leads to dialogue and dialogue leads to change.

For far too long this community has lived in fear, anger and distrust.

It would be gratifying to see these behaviors disappear in favor of

open dialogue and mutual affirmation that will encourage the type of

change we sorely need in our community for forward progress.

If you have any questions about this message or would like additional

information, please feel free to call me at 703-821-8833.

Monte Skall

National Capital Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Association