Stories from the week of November 19 and 26, 2010

COPs on the Hill

Big Apple for an evening:   Eric Sterling of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation (www.cjpf.org) and newest COPs member of the Board put a seminar together in New York City at the NYC Bar Association on the 16^th.   Luckily the drive is not too long and I was able to stay with my son-in-law to keep expenses down.    Experts from North America and Europe shared their vision of where to go from here.     We still have a long ways to go, even as we feel the wind at our back.

Prep* work done, time to saddle up* and get back to work:  The spread sheets have eliminated the  100 who either lost their vote or retired.   The new Members have been put in the spreadsheets(all they need now is a room #).   The Sunday cowboy hat has been brushed, the Sunday belt buckle polished and the boots look like new.   Monday the 222^nd COPs will again be in the halls, talking to staffers.

On a personal note, let me say it also took me a month to recover both mentally and phsyically from the California effort.   Too many birthdays for sure.

Where did eveyone go?:  Monday was chaotic in the halls of the three House buildings.  Nearly 100 Members who lost their election or retired had to be out of their offices by Wednesday.  Boxes, tables, chairs and desks cluttered the hallways.   Sullen* faces of staffers indicated who did not have a job.     I was able to make five presentations on Monday but only one on Tuesday.    Hope your Turkey Day was a good one.

Prep = preparation

• Saddle up = wieder was im Gang setzen
• Sullen = traurig

COPs 2^nd year stats to date:

TV appearances: 12 (ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, cable) 

Newspaper stories: 6 dailes, 3 weeklies

Radio appearances: 6

Published LTE:

20 presentations to Congressional staffers (six this week)

Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year.    Add your voice to those who 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 check.

Howard