COP on the Hill: Stories from the week of March 15, 2013

COP on the Hill

Stories from the week of March 15, 2013

My wife.  I think I will keep her:  It took Karen several efforts and she finally convinced me to buy the big ticket to CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference = 12,000 rabid conservatives).  Note – it kills me to spend money, especially yours.  My sister also nudged me to invest in the VIP ticket.  It paid off.  Chats with two (2) US Senators was just the beginning.

I did stay at the Motel 6 located about 6 miles from the conference and Subway was my lunch spot.  It was a trio of 16 hour days = my voice was mostly gone as the conference ended + my energy level hovered at zero.  Too many birthdays.  Grrr.   The purpose of going was to promote this issue by being visible amongst 12,000.  Between the ‘cowboy’ persona and COP shirt, Mission Accomplished.

Sadly, no other drug reform organization sent a representative.  I can only shake my head.

Shhhh:    As Senator Marco Rubio was speaking, a cell phone went off 8 rows back.  The older gentleman was speaking Spanish quite loudly.  Finally after 45 seconds I went back to him and informed him in Spanish that he was bothering the others around him.  He immediately began whispering and soon hung up.

Later that afternoon that gentleman was introduced at a VIP reception I attended.  He was the father of Texas US Senator Ted Cruz.  The host of the event insisted I meet Cruz Sr. and we had a nice chat.  No hard feelings.

Two days later his son the Senator Cruz gave the closing speech at CPAC.  I came early enough to claim the chair closest to the speaker – about 10 meters.  After the speech he shook hands with some in the VIP section.  As he shook my hand he commented, ”Thank you for wearing that shirt.”  I floated out of the hall, thanking Karen and my sister all the way.

I attended several other receptions/soirées, including Grover Norquist’s.  All productive.  Wearing dress pants & the shirt over my dress shirt and tie, I was able to combine the message and still be relatively well-dressed.  Several said I was the most photographed person at the 12,000 person event. I passed out some 150 business cards and had my picture taken at least that much. Okay, whatever moves the needle.   I had nine (9) in camera interviews of which only one – CBS – was a major one.  Another 10 interviewed me for their paper/blog/not sure.  One was The Times of London.  Another was from Germany.

How to be quoted in Germany’s largest, daily paper?:  The reporter from the Süddeutsche Zeitung (South German newspaper) was mostly interested on my take of the Iraq war.  My quotes below are about the war.  On the positive side he mentioned I was a former police officer who wants to legalize marijuana.  Note:  I spend an hour every Saturday morning with a group that speaks German.

Auf der CPAC-Konferenz bekennt immerhin ein Mann, dass die Invasion vor zehn Jahren schlicht ein Fehler war. Howard Wooldridge, ein früherer Polizeibeamter, sagt: “Wir hatten keinen Grund, im Irak einzumarschieren.” Wooldridge kämpft eigentlich dafür, Cannabis zu legalisieren, und trägt, um Aufmerksamkeit zu erregen, einen Cowboy-Hut. Es wundert ihn nicht, dass Irak hier eher verdrängt wird. “Wir sehen uns selbst als die guten Kerle”, sagt er, “und wir geben nicht gern zu, dass wir Fehler gemacht haben.”

Aber wer ist “wir”? Die Rechten? “Ach”, sagt er, “alle Amerikaner.”

At the very bottom of this newsletter is me on the front page of the Chicago Tribune.  No, the foto does not move our issue but I have developed a relationship with the photographer who sold the foto.  Building relationships is, as you know, a large key to the overall effectiveness of COPs.

On the last day I went totally casual in shirt and jeans.

Buzz feed URL below is where the above foto came from.  For a glimpse of what CPAC is, the fotos tell the story.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/fab-or-drab-cpac-edition

http://media.talkingpointsmemo.com/slideshow/cpac-2013/1-296517        you go here, you’ll see the COP guy at the end of the second day…already tired.  COP members tell me that BuzzFeed and TalkingPointsMemo are a big deal on the Internet.

COP stats since inception: August 2009

• 1130 Presentations to Congressional staffers..05 this week
• 31 Appearances on major TV networks..01 this week(Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision)
• 22 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers or magazine this week
• 54 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 09 this week
• 71 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $70,000) =  this week
• 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning my efforts & in support of COP position
• 27 Radio Interviews..01  this week
• 34 brief chats with Members of Congress..02 this week
• 34 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc.   01 this week
• 12 major conferences attended (CPAC, LULAC, NRA, etc)
• Permanent invitation to Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders.   Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”

• 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 and want to be a part of the solution…  Go to:

• www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or send a check to:
• Citizens Opposing Prohibition
• POB 543
• Buckeystown, MD 21717