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RTK.NET Mail 189926 Aug 8 10:50:29 1996 Great work, Rosemary! Since I've met with Thornton's LA twice, I can say with some confidance that the news coverage and the letters from you and others were probably what helped him turn the corner and decide to cosponsor. The cause for his reluctance was not due to a lack of support for the goals of the Udall bill, he is just generally reluctant to cosponsor bills that are in committees he doesn't sit on because sometimes the bills are altered into something he would not support by the time they get to floor. I got the impression he's gotten burned this way in the pass. Also helpful was the fact that his LA for health, Shannon Belchner, is especially compassionate and after meeting Jim Cordy became more aware of the need for urgency. But while she resolved to raise the issue with him again, she also said that it would probably take letters from Arkansas to get him to sign on. New cosponsors from Appropriations committees are always helpful, as is all the press coverage we can get. In fact, those who wrote the moving letters to Mohammed Ali recently may want to send your thoughts on the torchlighting ceremony as letters to the editor of your newspaper. Sherri [log in to unmask]