Now that it looks like we are headed to the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, it is a good time to work hard at getting the US Department of State to offer diplomatic assistance. The DOS exists for the purpose of protecting the interests of Americans abroad. We have been treated unfairly by the Republic of Kazakhstan and our government needs to stand up for our rights to be treated fairly under the law.

Employees of the US DOS are accountable to US Congress-- our elected officials. We think that the US Embassy in Kazakhstan needs to hear from our elected officials.

If you are a US citizen, please consider writing to your Senator or Congressional representative on our behalf. This would be especially useful if you live in PA or MN, since the two American families going to the Supreme Court are constituents of those states. If you are not a PA or MN resident, you could always write to the PA/MN officials anyway. Your letter will still help to add to the volume. If you are a citizen of IL, your letters to IL officials will also be helpful because another family affected (though not at the Supreme Court level yet) is from IL. If you are not a citizen of these states, you can write to the elected officials of your own state. It is quite possible that they will just ignore you; but if they do decide to inquire with the embassy, that will just add to the pressure that the embassy feels from congress.

The goal of your message should be to pressure the elected official to request diplomatic assistance from US Ambassador to Kazakhstan Richard Hoagland to help with our adoption cases. This is the main thing that needs to be highlighted in the message.

The message does not need to retell our whole story, but should indicate that two American families (including one from PA/MN, if writing to rep from that state) will be bringing adoption cases before the Kazakhstani Supreme Court, that the families have been treated unfairly by the Kazakhstani judicial system at the municipal and regional levels, and that diplomatic assistance from the Embassy is necessary for the families to be treated fairly at the Supreme Court level. If you are an IL citizen writing to IL senators, you don’t need to go into the Supreme Court stuff, just explain that an IL family has been adversely affected by unfair treatment by the municipal courts in Kazakhstan and that you request assistance from the Ambassador.

Here are some email addresses and/or web links. Use whichever is appropriate for your state, or go to town and use them all.

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA): email: Sarah_Newman@casey.senate.gov

Senator Arlen Specter (“D”-PA): http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=contact.contactform

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): http://klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm

Senator Al Franken (D-MN): http://franken.senate.gov/?p=contact

Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE): email Sarah_Lynam@kaufman.senate.gov

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Senator Roland Burris (D-IL): http://burris.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) (running for the Senate); email eve.massa@mail.house.gov

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) (district where our adoption agency is located): http://www.patrickmurphy.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=86

Contact officials from other states:
to find senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
to find representatives: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

I haven’t listed our own Congressional rep, Jim Gerlach, because his office is already on top of things, so we don’t need your help in getting his attention.


Thank you in advance for considering helping us out in this way. I know that many of you have already put effort into letter-writing, and I’m sorry to have to prevail upon you again. But we know that you're all rooting for us and looking for ways to help, so here is your opportunity! Thanks so much.