Posted July 15th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the weeks of June 7 & 14, 2013
Sheriff. You have a minute? Almost late for my next appointment, a staffer with four interns in tow called out to me. Remembering my name is nearly impossible, so in such a moment they use either sheriff or cowboy.
The staffer wanted these four college students to meet me. The staffer’s 20 second bio of me included riding my horse across America and representing the police who did not want to waste time on marijuana. With the clock ticking I answered a question or two and zoomed off.
Mr. New York. How are you? Leaving a presentation, I spotted Congressman Charlie Rangel walking to the elevator. I greeted him and thanked him for his co-sponsorship of the marijuana repeal bill from last session. I left him at the elevator and kept going. Etiquette allows me to ‘walk’ with a Member of Congress to the door or the elevator and then the chat is over.
Es un placer a conocerle, Señor embajador: I missed a Grover Norquist meeting to attend a seminar at a think tank American Enterprise Institute (www.aei.org). The Mexican ambassador spoke and answered questions the first hour.
Arriving early and sitting in the front, I was able to ask the first question. When the event ended, I was able to meet the ambassador and have a one minute chat in Spanish. In diplomatic speak he said he and his country do understand that it is American drug prohibition causing the massive violence and suffering. (not the use of drugs)
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1233 Presentations to Congressional staffers..16 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
- 56 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 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
- 31 Radio Interviews..1 this week
- 36 brief chats with Members of Congress.. this week
- 39 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 1 this week
- 13 major conferences attended.. this week (CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, 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:
Posted June 6th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the weeks of May 24 & 31, 2013
Can’t talk = can’t work: Thru several days of rain and cold, I pedaled without becoming sick. As I left Georgia, I had my worst case of laryngitis ever. It lasted the whole first week = I did paperwork and attended one seminar at The Urban Institute. The drug czar, a chief of police and an expert in why prison sentences should not be so long made up the panel. Questions from the audience were screened which meant that nothing allowed which questioned the concept of drug prohibition. Except for some networking, it was a wasted half a day.
Purpose driven life: Last week the Congress was “working in district” = recess and I was able to do 20 presentations. It felt extra good to be walking the corridors of Congress.
Marketing strategy: At the end of the day walking back to Union Station I spotted a Senate aide I have met several times…and his two colleagues moving toward me. He recognized me and asked how the legalization was going. I replied, ‘Ever better since I began passing out free samples after my meetings! Would you like a free sample?’..pointing to my briefcase. He laughed and said not today. I imagine he took a minute to explain to his companions who I was, etc…. All this was done at a walk, never breaking stride. Everyone here is in a hurry and has something to do/ accomplish, EXCEPT it seems Members of Congress.
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1217 Presentations to Congressional staffers..20 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
- 56 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 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
- 30 Radio Interviews..0 this week
- 36 brief chats with Members of Congress.. this week
- 38 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 0 this week
- 13 major conferences attended.. this week (CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, 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:
Posted May 29th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the Spring of 2013
Prepping the rookies: In my travels in the car and on the bicycle I spent a pre-arranged two hours with a sitting sheriff who would like to go public with his view that marijuana should be handled like alcohol. I provided him with a number of articles, my published opeds and government produced documents.
What I wanted most, was to give the sheriff the toughest questions that reporters ask, when a VIP goes public. Luckily, my friend Tom Angell of the www.MarijuanaMajority.com provided me the link from the Marijuana Policy Project (www.mpp.org).. It is an excellent 20 minute read containing 20 of the toughest questions and answers.
Here is the link: http://www.mpp.org/assets/pdfs/library/Effective-Arguments-for-T-R.pdf
NRA Convention: I interrupted my bicycle journey in Nashville and flew down to Houston for five days. I had many good chats with about 80 of the 70,0000 attendees. Whether they agreed with the COP position or not, ALL agreed that it should be a 10th Amendment controlled/States Rights issue. I also picked up a new summer, cowboy hat which I badly needed. The assault weapon I handled at the show – I did not buy.
Make someone smile today: I was near Dublin, Georgia on my bike in the morning, when a large van carrying prisoners passed me and stopped at the light. I hurried to catch up and stop at the light also. I turned my body so the inmates could read the shirt… smiles broke out and one guy flashed the 4-20 salute which I returned. I imagine that the chain gang work was a bit easier that day, knowing that at least one cop would end the Drug War.
Trail’s End: On Thursday the 16th of May I touched the Atlantic Ocean ending the journey of 3100 miles and 7 weeks of pedaling. The Savannah NBC station did a short piece on my ride, combining the footage of this trip with the first Misty ride from 10 years ago. Brought a tear to my eye (the TV station was the first to film my horse trip).
The clip is a minute long: http://www.wsav.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8937079#.UaY-bh1T5f4.gmail
Karen met me and we drove home together. What stroke? Now it is back to work!
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1198 Presentations to Congressional staffers..this week
- 34 Appearances on major TV networks..01 this week(Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision)
- 22 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers or magazine this week
- 56 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 02 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
- 30 Radio Interviews..01 this week
- 36 brief chats with Members of Congress.. this week
- 38 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 0 this week
- 13 major conferences attended.. 01 this week (CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, 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:
Posted April 11th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week of April 5, 2013
See Karen shaking her head: I made the mistake of whining to Karen I had 11 appointments on Wednesday….7 is my usual maximum, since it become very difficult to make all my points and not say the same thing twice…after 7. Oh well. I was able to speak clearly the whole day and survived a week of 33 appointments. I had a splash of Crown this week, as I was able to meet and chat with two Members of the House.
I was wrong: During my first year on the Hill a staffer informed me that his office was against my proposal for several reasons; one was that the marijuana industry would eventually want subsidies for their crops of hemp and MJ. I disagreed with him. He was right. I was wrong.
Recently an enthusiastic supporter of industrial hemp said we in reform should ask for cash supports for the hemp crop, until it could make a profit on its own. Oops. Right. Borrow more money from China to support sugar, cotton and HEMP growing.. Yikes!
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1193 Presentations to Congressional staffers..33 this week
- 33 Appearances on major TV networks..0 this week(Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision)
- 22 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers or magazine … 0 this week
- 54 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 0 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
- 28 Radio Interviews..0 this week
- 36 brief chats with Members of Congress..2 this week
- 38 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 0 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:
Posted April 9th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week of March 29, 2013
Doin’ the work: This was the first of two weeks of Easter recess. Five days on the Hill and 29 presentations later I am pooped. I could nearly feel the leather falling off my boots. The lovefest with our issue continues, though I can report hearing the first full-throated defense of marijuana prohibition of 2013 (out of 164 presentations this year).
Making an impression: Twice this week I gave my presentation in Spanish. Good practice for me and certainly surprised others in the office (the aide and I spoke in the common area of one office with people coming and going).
I don’t communicate this to brag, rather to point out that our message and messenger being remembered is the ‘coin of the realm’ in Congress…with 25,000 full-time lobbyists and more than that citizen lobbyists coming in for a week at a time, being remembered is crucial.
Apropos, I made contact with one aide asking for the usual 15-20 minutes to introduce myself etc. He gently reminded me that we had met 4 years ago, when he was an aide in the Senate. THAT is what I am talking about.
Of note: After Grover’s brunch this weekend I had a brief chat with Reince Priebus, the head of the National Republican Party.
For those who have contacted me this week and I have not responded, please don’t hate me. I’ll catch up …someday.
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1160 Presentations to Congressional staffers..29 this week
- 33 Appearances on major TV networks..0this 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.. 0 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
- 28 Radio Interviews..0 this week
- 34 brief chats with Members of Congress..0 this week
- 38 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 1 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:
