Stories from the week of November 27, 2009

Howard on the Hill

Stories from the week of November 27, 2009

 Access to Power without Money 101:  Which is better?  When a lobbyist pays 1000 + dollars to go to a fundraiser which gives him about 2 minutes with a  Senator?  Or when a trusted staffer takes your message to the boss for free (well, nearly free)?  This from a staffer I spoke to last week.  “Mr. Wooldridge, thank you for offering your additional assistance.  Please be assured I will relay your ideas and information to Senator XXXXX.  Feel free to contact me at any time.

 Thank you,

 Daniel XXXXXX” 

The cool thing about meeting these very sharp young staffers is they process the information as it tumbles* out of my mouth.  They grasp the concepts, even though very few have heard the COP line of thinking (public safety is the task of law enforcement, not personal safety is one example).   They are ‘flipped’* on the spot. 

People are hungry for information:  This incident happened several weeks ago.   I was going to all 100 offices of the Senate to verify the legislative aide who handles judiciary.   Since they keep the buildings at 72 degrees (22C), I begin to sweat when I walk.  That fact plus I love to wear my t-shirt — I wore it all day in the Senate going office to office.

 After finishing one office I stopped to collect my notes and see where I had to go next.  After 30 seconds a young staffer approached me and asked if I were handing out information to answer the question (COPS SAY LEGALIZE DRUGS – Ask Me Why).. I replied no but I had a 30 second version.  Sure, he responded.  We ended up chatting for two minutes, leaving with the COP business card and a request he read our Vision Statement. 

 Personal Note:  these newsletters serve several purposes.  First they help me understand what I did this week.  They help me see the issue evolve in the corridors of power and then adjust my tactics to reflect a new reality.   Secondly they provide you a glimpse into the most important ‘sandbox’ in the world and thus help you understand what is needed to change policy.  Third, this is my personal diary.   As you know, I write the Good, Bad and Ugly of what goes on.  If I seem to be bragging about my ability, my accomplishments, I am not.  I need to know & appreciate those events where I made a personal difference.   My work is all in the trenches.  This is like riding a horse 23 miles per day (39/km), moving across North America.  Reaching the opposite ocean seems impossible at this speed.  So, to keep my spirits up, I write what put a big smile on my face that week. 

And this Modern Prohibition will one day be in the history books, just as one day Misty and I splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in Oregon.  Count on it.

 Consider being a member of COP at $30.00 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. 

 Howard

 *tumbles out of the mouth = wenn man spricht

*flipped = überzeugt, zu etwas bekehren