I am late getting out this month's newsletter. Every day this week I have been in one conference or another. Today, finally back to my office, I planned to remain at my desk until I finished writing this column. But then - quite unexpectedly - I was presented with the opportunity to participate in this nation's political process: electing the party's delegates who would go to the national convention and select a presidential candidate. So I am now writing this column from a room filled with over 200 other individuals from my neighborhood ("congressional district") all gathered to select the individuals who will represent our views at the national convention.

Which party and which presidential candidate I favor is irrelevant here. What IS important is how good I feel by DOING something to make a difference. The delegates at the national convention will no longer be people that I don't know, representing other people's interests instead of mine; they will now include people that I voted for today - people charged with representing my interests; people I helped select.

Too often we tell ourselves that doing something doesn't matter; that no one will listen to "just me." But that is the wrong attitude, because people WILL listen to you, if y ou speak up. And if enough people speak up with you, then you could be in the majority of those speaking up. As printed in this newsletter many years ago , Martha Mead once wrote : "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

How is this relevant to us today, outside of the political campaign? It is relevant in almost everything we do . . . and especially in everything the BTER Foundation does. The Foundation, after all, is just a small group of people. But if you participate, then we are that much bigger and stronger. And pretty soon, we will demonstrably represent a large enough group of people who want therapies studied or made available or reimbursed by insurers . . . we will be enough people working together that it will get done. We will all rejoice when that day comes. But let us NOW do what we can to bring us to that day:

  - Read the Biotherapy Journal Review to be better informed.
  - Review an article or write an original article for the Journal.
  - Write an editorial for this newsletter, or suggest someone for our
     biography feature.