Posted December 10th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week of December 6, 2013
Are you really a cowboy? I spent the better part of Wednesday at Grover Norquist’s meeting room. After the usual meeting, a new international group convened. This group of about 20 will meet once a month.
After the meeting I met the assistant to the group leader. Upon learning her first language was French I naturally began speaking her language. She was fascinated about the trip across America & I was telling her some stories, when another guy listened in for a moment. He then remarked that cowboys don’t usually speak fluent French, “so are you really a cowboy?” I smiled and whipped out my foto of Misty and me on the beach in Oregon at the end of our first coast to coast. “Yes sir. The cowboys in Texas gave me permission to call myself a cowboy, since I rode one horse 3100 miles.” Grover was listening in to the last part of the chat & smiled. Always a positive to make the host look good.
I had a good chat after the first meeting with a gentleman who is running for the US Senate. All good.
A member of the Republic National Committee taught me the Spanish word for ‘very drunk/shit-faced.’ Another former staffer for Bush 43 joined us in a chat in Spanish…Grover’s meetings continue to produce…………….
I also attended a seminar of the Federalist Society which brought in the asst. Attorney General from Colorado + 4 other prosecutors and lawyers. The topic was marijuana stores opening in 2014. All good.
Two whole days were spent contacting the 140 offices that need a presentation. I booked 15 for the next two weeks….the rest never write/call back..grrrr.
- 1452 Presentations to Congressional staffers.. 02 this week
- 47 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 01 this week
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 36 Radio Interviews.. 0 this week
- 51 brief chats with Members of Congress.. this week
- 65 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. this week
- 23 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers or magazine… 00 this week
- 17 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)
- 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
- Weekly attendance at 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:
Posted November 27th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
Below is a RARE (conservative blog & radio) 4.5M report on COP efforts to spread the word on the NAACP endorsement…either read the transcript or listen to the radio interview… either way, your support for COP is making an impact.
Kurt Wallace report; http://rare.us/story/the-naacps-support-for-states-powers-on-pot-legalization-is-historic-find-out-why/#sthash.LHAzC8Q9
Posted November 27th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week of November 22 & 29, 2013
Portugal at dinner: While in Denver at the DPA conference a gentleman from Portugal asked to sit at our table. Turns out, he was receiving an award. He was THE architect of the Portugal Decrim Program. I was able to have all my questions answered. Fascinating.
Getting the word out: I forgot to mention last week that besides making sure all in Congress knew of the NAACP endorsement of the bill to repeal federal marijuana prohibition, I sent an email to every journalist I had met in 17 years….some 150..
On the boat last week I had an average of 12 people a day ask me why. Since the ship sailed from Puerto Rico, a fair number of those were in Spanish. Leaving the ship, I was truly relaxed and refreshed. Answering the why question in an informal setting is a pure joy & not work.
I also encouraged all the islanders to be the first Caribbean nation to legalize marijuana. That island would become a Mecca for tourists, like Amsterdam. It was fun to see their reaction to my proposal.
Below is a RARE (conservative blog & radio) 4.5M report on COP efforts to spread the word on the NAACP endorsement…either read the transcript or listen to the radio interview… either way, your support for COP is making an impact.
Kurt Wallace report; http://rare.us/story/the-naacps-support-for-states-powers-on-pot-legalization-is-historic-find-out-why/#sthash.LHAzC8Q9
Footnote: Thanksgiving week was spent trying to catch up on several hundred emails, etc.
Wishing you and yours and good Turkey Day….howard
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1450 Presentations to Congressional staffers.. this week
- 36 Radio Interviews.. 0 this week
- 51 brief chats with Members of Congress.. this week
- 65 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. this week
- 46 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 00 this week
- 23 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers or magazine… 00 this week
- 17 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)
- 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:
Posted November 15th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week of November 15, 2013
Calvary Division: At Grover Norquist’s brunch I met a person who will be running for the US Senate in 14. Besides a few words on drug prohibition, I demonstrated the power of the horse to win the votes. I use the excuse of ‘horse power’ to introduce myself and my politics.
New Ally: I spent the week hand-delivering the NAACP endorsement of HR 1523 to all 535 offices in the Congress. I had brief chats with two dozen aides whose reactions ranged from “this is helpful” to “this is important” to “this is huge.” I was able to have 1-3 minute chats with a record five (5) Congressmen.
Congressman Cooper was headed out the door with his golf clubs and I asked if I could have 20 seconds. He nodded as he waited for the elevator. He is on our side and voted last year to cut-off DEA money to states with medical marijuana. He agreed to take a look at the NAACP endorsement upon his return.
NOTE: I spent all day Monday sending out an email of the endorsement to all offices. I wanted to make sure they had a copy. Moreover, by hand-delivering usually at least two more aides (in the reception area) knew of the event:
To an R office I would announce: (try doing this 200 times in a day)……… ‘I have cheerful news if your boss likes the 10th Amendment/States Rights. The NAACP has endorsed a 10th Amendment approach to pending legislation. So your boss has a new ally of the 10th. The issue is federal prohibition of marijuana. If your office doesn’t like the 10th, you have a new adversary.’ (my voice would have a hint of irony at this point)
To a D office: ‘I have cheerful news if your office doesn’t like the war on drugs. The NAACP is your new ally. They have endorsed the bill to make marijuana a states’ rights issue. This is not an April Fool’s joke. Please give this to your chief legal counsel or the LA (legislative asst) who handles judiciary.
It took 3 days to hand-deliver a copy to 535 offices. My feet need medical marijuana, they do. Thus my being on vacation next week is good timing. I am pooped.
This week’s stats:
- 1450 Presentations to Congressional staffers..24 this week
- 36 Radio Interviews.. 01 this week
- 51 brief chats with Members of Congress.. 05 this week
- 65 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 01 this week
-
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 46 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 00 this week
- 23 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers or magazine… 00 this week
- 17 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)
- 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:
Posted November 14th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
The nation’s oldest civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), wants “swift enactment” of a Republican proposal to nullify federal drug laws.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s (R-Calif.) “Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013” would protect marijuana users from federal prosecution in states where the drug is permitted for medical or recreational use. The bill has bipartisan support — 20 co-sponsors as of Wednesday — including tea party associated Republicans like Reps. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Don Young (R-Ak.), Dan Benishek (R-Mich.) and Steve Stockman (R-Texas).
The NAACP’s support might seem curious for an organization perhaps best known for battling “separate but equal” Jim Crow laws that were prevalent in Southern states until the 1960’s. Today, the organization sees states’ tolerant of marijuana use as more humane toward minorities than federal law, particularly “mandatory minimum” drug sentencing laws that have done disproportionate harm to minorities.
In a press release, the civil rights group said, “700,000 people annually are arrested in the United States for the possession of marijuana” but also that “60 percent of the people in prison are now racial and ethnic minorities.” The release also noted that “though numerous studies demonstrate that whites and African Americans use and sell marijuana at relatively the same rates, studies also demonstrate that African Americans are, on average, almost 4 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession.”
Some have called mandatory minimum sentencing laws the “new Jim Crow” including Howard Woolridge, co-founder of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).
“The great evil in America has been drug prohibition and now the NAACP is working on this issue also. I expect much greater collaboration going forward, now that we are on the same page,” Woolridge told Rare in an email.
Woolridge added, “The NAACP’s endorsement of this bill is historic. Not only are they endorsing a bill which will lead to more states legalizing/regulating marijuana, they are urging the Congress to employ the 10th Amendment (States’ Rights) to do so. Both are firsts I am very certain.”
If the NAACP’s firm states’ rights position represents realignment in American politics, a similar shift may be happening within the GOP. Not only have some of the most conservative Republicans in the House supported Rohrabacher’s bill, but other liberals have taken notice that the most outspoken member of Congress on the issue of drug law reform is a Republican.
Tea party and libertarian hero Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was hailed by The Daily Beast’s David Freedlander in September as “one of the nation’s most articulate defenders of progressive values” specifically for his agreement with the NAACP on these issues. Reflecting on Paul as a potential 2016 presidential contender, Freedlander wrote “if you are a liberal yearning for a Democrat to speak out against the War on Drugs or the voting rights of felons, Paul is, at the moment at least, the only candidate you’ve got.”
Mr. Wallace is the host of Rare talk radio, and is a father, writer and “liberty propagandist.” He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Follow him on Twitter @KurtWallace
– See more at: http://rare.us/story/naacp-backs-republican-states-rights-pot-proposal/#sthash.xcHKQeH8.dpuf
