Stories from the week of November 25, 2011

COP on the Hill

Your Voice in the United States Congress

As seen on 60 Minutes:   The URL to view the 16 minute segment:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57327816/the-pledge-grover-norquists-hold-on-the-gop/?tag=contentMain;contentBody

Click on ‘Watch the Segment’

­Don’t talk to strangers:  Visiting the Newseum on Sunday, the place had lots of young people, including those from a private high school.  In groups of 3 & 4 about 25 had asked me why cops say legalize pot.  With teens I always include the proviso that pot, like all drugs, can be dangerous, it has ruined lives by addiction and that is why it should be given the same respect and laws as beer.

As I was chatting with a group of four students, one of the chaperones came up and scolded me for talking to the 16 year olds without a teacher being present.  It went downhill from there, as she had the teens move away from me.  She admonished the teens for talking to me and finished by saying, “You shouldn’t being talking to strangers!”  

In a 6 story shrine to the first amendment and free speech teens who wanted to learn something were being told not to.  Oh well.  I figured by Monday morning the whole school will have known about the confrontation and COP, as I had already passed out 7-8 business cards.

Personal:  Karen and I hope you have many blessings to celebrate this Thanksgiving.  We do.

Stats for COP’s third year, started on August 1, 2011:

201 presentations to Congressional staffers:   14 this week

4 Letter to the Editor:   this week

2 Television appearances (Univision):   this week

5 Other media (blogs, cable TV, etc):  this week

4 radio shows:   this week

9 (Member of Congress) contacts:   this week

Permanent invitation to Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 140 conservative VIPs.

2 Major conferences attended: Drug Policy Alliance International & the Congressional Black Caucus

Consider being a member of COP at $30.00 or more per year.   All contributions are tax-deductible.   Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal prohibition.  COP provides that voice.   If you agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow…  Go to: www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or send a check to: 

COP

POB 2902

Washington, DC  20013

If you have questions or comments, please send an email to: howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org

COP total stats in first two years:  August 1, 2009 thru July 31, 2011)

 649 Presentations to Congressional staffers

22 Appearances on major TV networks

10 published interviews in newspapers

12 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, etc

57 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $56,000)

19 brief chats with Members of Congress

13 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, etc.

6 major conferences attended (CPAC, LULAC, NRA, etc)

Permanent invitation to Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 140 conservative VIPs.

Stories from the week of November 18, 2011

COP on the Hill

Your Voice in the United States Congress

As seen on 60 Minutes:  Two months ago CBS reporter Steve Kroft came to the Grover Norquist by-invitation-only brunch I attend every Wednesday morning.  It was cool to have a five minute chat with Steve before he and the cameraman began taping.  

On November 20^th the piece aired and the hat and I made it into a few seconds of air time = always a hoot to be on TV.  Importantly, as was said, the Grover brunch “is the Grand Central Station of the conservative movement.”   Having a seat at this gathering is in some ways as important as all the rest of my work combined.  In the past 2 ½ years I have had chats with nearly all the regulars (100 of the 150 each week).  The vast majority of them have whispered their support for the COP position.  I work hard to encourage them to raise their voice above that whisper.

To view the segment, go to: 

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57327816/the-pledge-grover-norquists-hold-on-the-gop/?tag=contentMain;contentBody

click on ‘Watch the Program’ 

Why good legislation fails:   A trusted Congressional staffer shared this with me, regarding his boss’ NO vote on legislation.  “What makes it a win for me?”  ‘It’ being the bill and ‘me’ equals him personally, not his state, not our country but him personally (as the staffer elaborated on the statement). 

In the same conversation another staffer said, “I don’t like hearing these outrageous lies.”  This after a Member from his own party spoke on the floor attacking a good bill,  by lying about what was in the bill.  That, boys and girls, is why Congress is so dysfunctional and its approval rating hovers at 10% 

CATO event:   About 200 attended an all-day conference on ‘The Global Failure of the War on Drugs.’  I made some new contacts and learned how rapidly and wide-spread the anti-prohibition forces are becoming in South and Central America.   I am still puzzled why CATO and others continue framing the issue as ending the Drug War, as if that is the solution to the problem, i.e.  The Europeans have no drug war but they sure have drug prohibition.

Ethel Rowland, a fierce anti-prohibition Floridian, attended the meeting with me.  She was a guest at our house and we rode the train together to downtown DC.  She wore a cape which she made from two LEAP shirts, so the COPS SAY LEGALIZE DRUGS – ASK ME WHY was seen in the front and back.  We had a half-dozen or so people ask us why en route to the CATO event.  = Fun

Stats for COP’s third year, started on August 1, 2011:

187 presentations to Congressional staffers:   7 this week

4 Letter to the Editor:   this week

2 Television appearances (Univision):   this week

5 Other media (blogs, cable TV, etc):  this week

4 radio shows:   this week

9 (Member of Congress) contacts:   1 this week

Permanent invitation to Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 140 conservative VIPs.

2 Major conferences attended: Drug Policy Alliance International, Congressional Black Caucus annual

Consider being a member of COP at $30.00 or more per year.   All contributions are tax-deductible.   Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal prohibition.  COP provides that voice.   If you agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow…  Go to: www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or send a check to: 

COP

POB 2902

Washington, DC  20013

If you have questions or comments, please send an email to: howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org

COP total stats in first two years:  August 1, 2009 thru July 31, 2011)

 649 Presentations to Congressional staffers

22 Appearances on major TV networks

10 published interviews in newspapers

12 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, etc

57 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $56,000)

19 brief chats with Members of Congress

13 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, etc.

6 major conferences attended (CPAC, LULAC, NRA, etc)

Permanent invitation to Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 140 conservative VIPs.

Stories from the week of November 11, 2011

COP on the Hill

Your Voice in the United States Congress

 Pacing myself:  I spent the week catching up on emails and sending out information that people from the DPA conference wanted, etc.     It kept me busy. 

Talking Points:  Nothing to report, so I will take this opportunity to give you what every Congressional staffer receives:  My 20 minute presentation works off the points below.  Total reading time: 3 minutes

Sheet #1:

Imagine these Changes by Repealing Drug Prohibition:

1. Police could arrest many more pedophiles and rapists
2. Eliminate drug dealers
3. Stop wasting 75 billion per year –  arresting and incarcerating drug law violators
4. Inject 200 billion into the US economy
5. Stop funding al Qaeda/Taliban
6. End Mexico’s agony & death: Secure our Borders
7. Reduce felony crime by 50% (Swiss have shown this)
8. Shrink gangs & their violence (gang experts say by 50%)
9. Improve quality of life in our inner cities, allowing development
10. End the most dysfunctional, costly social policy failure in US history
11. Excise tax on just marijuana would generate a billion for federal coffers @15¢/dose

Police Mission: Public Safety or Personal Safety:  Pick One

The police cannot fix stupid: only family and friends have a chance.

The Thin Blue Line (police) is getting thinner.   Where do we spend our time?

Concept

Utilize the 10^th Amendment.    Start with marijuana.   Empower the States to decide on medical, industrial and personal use policies.  Create tax paying jobs and increase tax revenues.

Basic Principles to Employ

1. Personal Liberty / Personal Responsibility (like we do with alcohol, cigarettes and guns)
2. The medical community should handle drug abuse issues
3. Limited Govt intrusion into an adult’s  life
4. Trust Adults with gun ownership:  Now trust gun owners with a plant.
5. The States should become 50 laboratories to discover what works best.

Law Enforcement Support for the COP Position on Marijuana

1. National Latino Officers Association (www.nloaus.org)
2. National Black Police Association (www.blackpolice.org)
3. LEAP – Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (www.leap.cc)

Supporters of Marijuana Prohibition and Why

1.  Law Enforcement: reason – smaller paychecks if legal (per FOP)
2. Mexican Drug Cartels: reason – 50% reduction in profits if legal (per Congress’ hearings)
3. The Taliban & al Qaeda – provides money to buy weapons
4. Pharmaceutical Industry: – 1-2% reduction in gross sales ($7-14 billion loss)
5. Illegal USA growers: 80% reduction in gross profits if legal (per Rand Study)
6. California Beer Wholesalers Assoc – don’t want the competition = $$

Detective/Officer Howard J. Wooldridge (Retired)

Drug Policy Specialist, COP – Citizens Opposing Prohibition.org

Washington, DC:   817-975-1110

Sheet # 2: Why do more than 900,000 teenagers sell drugs¹ but not alcohol or cigarettes?

Because alcohol and tobacco are regulated and sold through stores

Notes:
1) “Alcohol Use and Delinquent Behaviors among Youths,” April 2005, SAMHSA Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (www.SAMHSA.gov), USDHHS.  (www.hhs.gov)

In 2003, more than 900,000 (3.6 percent) youths sold illegal drugs, and more than 900,000 (3.6 percent) youths carried a handgun during the past year.

Sheet #3:   DEA brochure which says: “Drugs are readily available to America’s youth.”

 Stats for COP’s third year, started on August 1, 2011:

180 presentations to Congressional staffers:     this week

4 Letter to the Editor:  1 this week

2 Television appearances (Univision):   this week

5 Other media (blogs, cable TV, etc):  this week

4 radio shows:  1 this week

8 (Member of Congress) contacts:    this week

2 Major conferences attended: Drug Policy Alliance International, Congressional Black Caucus annual

Consider being a member of COP at $30.00 or more per year.   All contributions are tax-deductible.   Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal prohibition.  COP provides that voice.   If you agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow…  Go to: www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or send a check to: 

COP

POB 2902

Washington, DC  20013

If you have questions or comments, please send an email to: howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org

COP total stats in first two years:  August 1, 2009 thru July 31, 2011)

 649 Presentations to Congressional staffers

22 Appearances on major TV networks

10 published interviews in newspapers

12 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, etc

57 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $56,000)

19 brief chats with Members of Congress

13 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, etc.

6 major conferences attended (CPAC, LULAC, NRA, etc)

Permanent invitation to Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 140 conservative VIPs.

Stories from the week of November 4, 2011

COP on the Hill

November 4, 2011

Your Voice in the United States Congress

What keeps me going:  While away this week at the bi-annual, international drug conference (Drug Policy Alliance’s), I received this from a Senate staffer I met last week.

Hi Howard,

 Thank you very much for your time as well.  It is definitely a delicate subject, but I will bring it up with the Senator and see if we can find some common ground.  Keep in touch and please let us know of any new developments.

 Thanks,

xxxxxxx

Another aide I have known for three years ended our follow-up meeting saying, I was doing ‘yeoman’s work’ defined by Webster as = exceptionally good, useful or loyal service or assistance. ..  I had to look it up.

Good to see you again:  Karen and I flew to Los Angeles Wednesday morning for the four day, bi-annual drug conference of the Drug Policy Alliance.  Meeting those I knew and chatting to new attendees lifted my spirits, knowing that so many are involved in the struggle.  A new record -1500 – filled the rooms. 

Amongst several interviews and filming for documentaries, Karen and I attended an anti-drug rally in MacArthur Park.  Univision (national, Spanish TV) interviewed me and I was pleased, when they put me on for a 9 second sound bite on the evening news.  Many thanks to the person who told them I spoke Spanish.

 Stats for COP’s third year, started on August 1, 2011:

180 presentations to Congressional staffers:     this week

3 Letter to the Editor:   this week

2 Television appearance:  1 this week

5 Other media (blogs, cable TV, etc): 3 this week

3 radio shows:  1 this week

8 (Member of Congress) contacts:    this week

2 Major conferences attended: Drug Policy Alliance International,  Congressional Black Caucus annual

Consider being a member of COP at $30.00 or more per year.   All contributions are tax-deductible.   Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal prohibition.  COP provides that voice.   If you agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow…  Go to: www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or send a check to: 

COP

POB 2902

Washington, DC  20013

If you have questions or comments, please send an email to: howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org

COP total stats in first two years:  August 1, 2009 thru July 31, 2011)

 649 Presentations to Congressional staffers

22 Appearances on major TV networks

10 published interviews in newspapers

12 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, etc

57 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $56,000)

19 brief chats with Members of Congress

13 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, etc.

6 major conferences attended (CPAC, LULAC, NRA, etc)

Permanent invitation to Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 140 conservative VIPs.

Published LTE: Albany (OR) Democrat-Herald: Let’s quit chasing plants

Speaking as a retired detective, thank you for calling for a rational approach to marijuana, that is legalize, regulate and tax. It has always been a horrific waste of our time to chase a green plant, while pedophiles lurk in Internet chat rooms and drunk drivers threaten those on the highway.

As the Thin Blue line shrinks in Oregon, our leaders need to have us focus on public safety, not the personal safety of adults in their home. During my time on the streets I learned the government cannot fix stupid.

Howard Wooldridge, Adamstown, Md. (Oct. 30)