COP on the Hill: Stories from the week of September 27, 2013

COP on the Hill

Stories from the week of September 27, 2013

 Hat trick:  Besides 5 regular presentations on Thursday, I bumped into three Congressman for short chats.  I simply mentioned how the Holder decision for CO and WA had made my job/life a bit easier.

Marketing:  As I reported many years ago (yikes!!), I have my hair cut in the House Barber Shop.  Joe has been cutting hair there since the 60s.  On the walls of the shop hang the fotos of about 35 famous Congressmen thru the ages whose hair he cut.  He asked for my foto which now hangs in a prominent spot on his wall.    He insisted the horse be included, naturally.

Adjust the sails:  After discussing this with a lot of smart folks, I have made the following changes in how I approach Congress: A. for the rest of this session I will focus almost exclusively on Republican offices.  As Dan Riffle (MPP.org) said, we need more Rs on the Rohrabacher bill to balance out the Dems.  Besides the general R offices, I will make sure every Judiciary Member has been educated to the COP viewpoint.

This week’s stats:

• 1395 Presentations to Congressional staffers..12 this week
• 43 brief chats with Members of Congress.. 03 this week

I need your help >>Reminder:  have you sent your Congressman a letter in support of HR 1523?  Sample here:

Dear Congressman XXXXXX

I hope and trust you will become a co-sponsor of Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013: HR 1523

I hope we can agree that the 10^th Amendment should be employed in many more areas.  Our state should be allowed to set its own path regarding Industrial Hemp, Medicinal Use and Personal Use of Marijuana.  Highly-trained federal agents are needed to find the terrorists that attack us at every opportunity, not fly around in helicopters looking for a green plant.

Moreover, the federal government currently wastes about 4 billion dollars looking for a green plant and its users.   The Congress is also missing about a billion dollars in lost tax revenue.   I challenge you to tell me one, substantive advantage of our prohibition approach.  We all know the disadvantages (funds The Taliban, Mexican Drug Cartels, kids hurt selling, less money to education, easier for kids to buy pot than alcohol, etc).

And please, no wishy-washy letter that says thanks for your views.  Take a position.  Silence equals you will vote no & thus help The Taliban buy weapons which kill our troops in Afghanistan.

Sincerely,

COP stats since inception: August 2009

• 42 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc.  this week (OK State Senator)
• 63 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 01 this week
• 33 Radio Interviews.. this week
• 16 major conferences attended..  this week (CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions.  etc)  this week
• 34 Appearances on major TV networks..this week(Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision)
• 22 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers or magazine… this week
• 72 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $70,000)
•  2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
• 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.  30 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year.   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