A new giveaway (and last call on the old one)

We all know that bribing one's children to do something they ought to have done in the first place (as opposed to negotiating payment for the occasional labor-intensive special job) is a terrible idea.

However, you're not my kids, and you're as reared as you're going to get. So I'm fine with a little shameless payola.

The fact that I've refused to talk about anything else for the past several days may have given you a gentle hint that I feel very strongly about the Swedish homeschoolers who may soon be forced to choose between breaking the law and hoping to get away with it, leaving their country, or unwillingly sending their children to school. From everything my friend and fellow homeschooler Jenny Lantz has told me, the surprise of receiving multiple letters from out of the country on the subject may impact the decision the Swedish politicians make in June.

I know that writing is difficult, as is finding the time to. Here is a sample of an email that would be fine to send to any or all of the politicians listed in the previous posting:
 
"I'm an American homeschooler who is surprised and unhappy to hear that homeschooling may soon be illegal in Sweden. Homeschooling may seem strange to those who have no experience with it, but our children are just like any others: they learn, play, have fun with friends, and grow up to be vital, educated members of society. I'm very grateful to have the choice to homeschool, and I hope that you will vote to keep homeschooling legal in Sweden."
 
Or words to that effect.

What's great about giving a little time and energy like this is that it doesn't cost money and you don't have to worry that you're supporting a questionable cause and/or organization, as is sometimes a concern with charitable donations. You're offering moral support to homeschooling friends in Sweden, and your contribution is going exactly where it ought to and doing just what it should.

Just to make it easier for you to rationalize the time it will take (and believe me, as a working homeschooler I understand how precious even a few minutes can be), I'll offer some bribes.

I have some books that I was going to use in giveaways later. And I looked around on my shelves and found some lovely volumes that I'm willing to part with for a good cause.

These books are now offered up as shameless bribes for the good of homeschoolers in Sweden.

It's simple. Every couple of days -- and I will be prompt on this one, because the clock is ticking overseas -- I will post announcing what the newest giveaway is.

You can either email me privately or post as a comment here your letter to Sweden.

If you've already written a letter, you can use that as an entry for the first giveaway. (Jean, Toni, et al -- this does mean you, lovely ones!) After that, you can either send a letter to another politician or show me the letter you persuaded a friend, relative, spouse or child to send.

Because the point of this is to generate as many letters as possible, you can enter as often as you like, but you have to have a new letter to offer for each entry. Put the kids to work. Cry to your mom. Pull a Lysistrata-strike until your spouse feels selflessly compelled to type up a quick missive. Do what it takes.

I still haven't heard back from a couple of winners from the previous giveaway. If I haven't heard from the winners of 601 Spanish Verbs and 365 Ways to Live Cheap by the time I run out of other books to offer, those titles will be added to this giveaway. (Not trying to sound mean; I just don't know what else to do with them, and would like it if they could do some good.)

The first book doesn't have much to do with homeschooling, but I have the feeling it will appeal to readers of this blog. It's a first edition copy of The True History of Chocolate, by Sophie Coe and Michael Coe. This trade paperback is in new condition, has 97 illustrations (13 in color), and has an $18.95 cover price. It is not a cookbook, but a gorgeous history of this much-loved food. (And I should probably add that the only reason I'm willing to part with it is that I have a copy of the second edition.)

You can post your letter here, or send it to me privately at deborah @ 2ds dot org.

Good luck and thank you!