Posted February 24th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week February 15, 2013
Just like Ron Paul: This week I was able to ask two offices if their co-sponsorship of the Federal Repeal of Marijuana Act of 2011 had been a campaign issue last fall and had their support hurt them. Both said no & no. Both Members won by large margins.
Ron Paul would win his elections by numbers like 75/25. Now other parts of the country are also treating a federal repeal position as a low political risk, no-brainer.
Working conditions: Leaving the Longworth bldg close to 5:00 this week, one of the Capitol Police called out, “Good night sheriff.” As I walked the ¾ mile (1.1KM) to the train station, I reflected on the officer’s greeting. When I first started in the fall of 2005, the atmosphere of my working day was tense on a regular basis. Republican aides were often hostile, demeaning outright rude.
Now I encounter hostility maybe once a month and the vast majority of aides from both parties are openly friendly and want to help me succeed. I have had chats with many of the officers, they read my jacket and they whisper their support. From my house and back to my front door averages an 11 hour day and is no picnic. The wind at my back and the change in staff attitude sure makes the day go faster though.
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1087 Presentations to Congressional staffers..9 this week
- 30 Appearances on major TV networks (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision)
- 22 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers or magazine this week
- 44 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
- 25 Radio Interviews.. this week
- 34 brief chats with Members of Congress
- 31 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, etc.
- 11 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 February 14th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week February 8, 2013
Jumping in the boat: Below are two emails I received this week. The Member of the second signed onto the repeal bill. These letters are becoming typical of staff reaction to the COP message.
Hi Mr. Wooldridge,
Shelby forwarded your e-mail to me. I’d be happy to speak with you. I’m pretty flexible with my schedule here on the Hill, so you may call my desk at 202-226-xxxx and schedule a time when it’s convenient for you.
I’m already with you 100% on the issue, so to cut to the chase, a 1-to-3 page policy briefing for my boss would be ideal. If you have any proposed legislation in mind, bring a draft with you in writing.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Howard,
I just wanted to thank you for coming in to meet with me yesterday and explain your position. The information and data that you offered will be helpful in the future as Congress addresses some of these issues. I will make sure that Congressman xxxxx is alerted to the information that you provided in our meeting. Please feel free to contact me in the future with further information.
REPEAL Bill introduced: Congressman Jared Polis (CO-D) introduced HR 499 this week. The wording is substantially the same as last session’s clean and simple Ron Paul/Barney Frank bill to repeal federal prohibition of marijuana. It already has 11 co-sponsors. We ended up with 21 co-sponsors last session. My goal is to double that. Polis talking points are at the bottom.
Rally the troops: I drove an hour to Fairfax, VA on Thursday night to address the Northern Virginia NORML chapter. We had a good crowd and a local reporter made a story and foto of it. I did my best to give them a sense of what progress has been made in Congress and beyond. http://fallschurch.patch.com/articles/local-group-high-on-legalizing-pot#photo-13298093
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1078 Presentations to Congressional staffers..11 this week
- 30 Appearances on major TV networks (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision)
- 22 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers or magazine this week
- 44 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 1 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
- 25 Radio Interviews..1 this week
- 34 brief chats with Members of Congress
- 31 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, etc.
- 11 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:
Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013
Rep. Jared Polis (CO-2)
Section-by-Section Summary
Title I: Marijuana Decriminalization
Removes marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
Maintains the Controlled Substances Act’s current definition of marijuana.
Prohibits marijuana from being shipped into a state or territory in which marijuana
remains illegal.
Removes special law enforcement authority given to the Department of Agriculture and
the U.S. Forest Service to pursue individuals producing marijuana on federal land. This
bill does not permit growing of marijuana or hemp on federal land. Growing anything on
federal land without a permit is illegal under federal law; this bill simply reduces the
penalty for growing marijuana and hemp so that the penalties for doing so are in line with
those for growing all other plants.
Removes marijuana from the list of “dangerous drugs” for which suspected manufacture
or sale can be considered sufficient for the Department of Justice to issue permission for
a wiretap.
Title II: Regulation of Marijuana Like Alcohol
Adds a “Marijuana” section to the Federal Alcohol Administration Act, ensuring that the
law distinguishes between individuals who grow marijuana for personal use (and are not
subject to any federal registration or permitting requirements) and individuals who are
involved in commercial sale and distribution.
Requires that commercial producers and distributors of marijuana (in states in which
commercial production and distribution is legal) register for a permit with the Department
of the Treasury. Permits will only be available to producers and distributors who have not
committed a crime within the past five years (unless the crime was for a marijuanarelated
activity that was legal under state law at the time).
Requires that Treasury charge a fee for each permit. This fee, which closely emulates the
permit-and-fee system for commercial alcohol manufacturers, will be used to offset fully
the cost of all federal oversight and regulation of marijuana.
Title III: Transfer of Federal Marijuana Jurisdiction
Removes jurisdiction of marijuana regulation from the Drug Enforcement Administration
and gives it to the newly-renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Firearms and
Explosives.
Renames the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau the Alcohol, Tobacco, and
Marijuana Tax and Trade Bureau.
Requires the Government Accountability Office to review all parts of the U.S. Code
referring to the Controlled Substances Act or other federal drug laws, and to make
recommendations to Congress of any sections that may need to be amended in light of
this legislation.
Allows a federal agency to continue to set its own drug policy.
Posted February 13th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week February 1, 2013
Boot Leather: The House was in recess (AKA working in district) and thus was the most opportune time to meet with legislative aides. I had 29 meetings. I will spend almost two days next week catching up on the paper work that the meetings generate.
Quelle surprise: I was having lunch with three staffers, when an aide I knew came up to say hello. I rose and as I was shaking his hand, he began speaking French. We chatted for two minutes, en français, and he left. Fortunately, I keep up my French skills at a café on Saturday mornings where about 8 of us chat in French for an hour. I can only imagine the staffers were fairly shocked that the ‘big buckle’ cowboy speaks fluent French. It was fun.
NOTE: When the aide and I met a year ago, I mentioned speaking French to police officers in Switzerland in the context of the describing the Swiss Heroin Assisted Treatment (HAT) program. He broke into perfect French and we ended the last five minutes of the presentation en Français.
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1067 Presentations to Congressional staffers..29 this week
- 30 Appearances on major TV networks (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision)
- 21 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers
- 43 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, etc
- 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
- 23 Radio Interviews..1 this week
- 34 brief chats with Members of Congress
- 30 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, etc.
- 11 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 February 12th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week January 25, 2013
The Good:
I had a 30 second ‘elevator’ chat with an R Congressman from the Southeast. I told him I represented police officers who did not want to waste time chasing a green plant and guys like Willie Nelson. His response? “And it is a horrible waste of tax dollars.”
I met with the chief legal counsel to Congressman Polis who will introduce the bill to repeal the federal prohibition of marijuana. The bill will be clean and simple, much like in the last session.
Two R offices this week who sat on the fence last session said they will now co-sponsor the repeal bill, citing the robust wins in Colorado and Washington.
One day this week I had an average day of six presentations. The good was in four of the five R offices the staffer said he agreed completely with the COP mission and ‘what can I do to help?’ Such comments are coming more and more frequently this session. Wow and what a change from 2005, when I rode into town.
The Bad:
The new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee (Goodlatte from Virginia) has almost the same mentality as Lamar Smith the former chairman. Do not expect a hearing/vote on the new bill.
Short of a miracle, I agree with Keith Stroup of NORML. A vote by the Congress on total repeal will not take place for at least 6 years. However, if present trends continue, the vote to repeal will pass.
The Ugly: Besides urging the Members to support the repeal bill, I am asking them to starve the beast. “Stop giving law enforcement any money.” This is direct off the sheet I give each aide:
China & others will loan us 6 billion of the 15 billion spent on prohibition by Congress in FY 2014. 3B just for marijuana war. Return on that investment after a trillion dollars? Drugs are cheaper, stronger, and readily available to anyone in the USA per federal reports.
On the night of the Texas Inaugural Ball I ran into the Chief of Staff of a name you would recognize = extra big cheese. In a ten minute chat I asked him why the Republicans don’t just cut say a 100 billion from our 1 trillion dollar budget deficit…. just to show the world they are serious about cuts. He sighed and gave me a brief lesson on how the world of Congress works. = Members have obligated themselves (to special interests) to spend 3.8 trillion next year. The lobbyists/special interests would hurt (politically) the Members, if they did not spend all that money. Thus, though the Republicans talk about cutting spending and have the power to send those cuts to the Senate, they don’t and they won’t. Drug Prohibition spending will not be cut.
I was seriously impacted by this chat. I kind of knew the ‘way of the world’ before he explained. Now, ain’t no doubt. As a USA citizen, it was a painful 10 minutes.
Personal Note: Many of you have asked about Karen. Please know she is 100% in body and spirit. Lucky boy I am.
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1038 Presentations to Congressional staffers..13 this week
- 30 Appearances on major TV networks (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision)
- 21 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers
- 43 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, etc
- 71 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $70,000) = 1 this week
- 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning my efforts & in support of COP position
- 22 Radio Interviews
- 34 brief chats with Members of Congress
- 30 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, etc.
- 11 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:
This LTE was published by the Dallas Morning News on January 6, 2013
Pot laws a danger to kids
Re: “Which way on marijuana? — Legalization movement is gambling with our children’s futures, says Richard Roper,” Wednesday Viewpoints.
I’m writing as a retired street cop. I saw the prohibition of marijuana reduce the safety of our children. Nearly 1 million teens are selling drugs like marijuana today, since prohibition creates a job option. Every week, kids are shot because of their prohibition employment. Moreover, while detectives are in helicopters looking for a green plant, pedophiles are more able to contact and rape our children.
Roper fears an increase in teen use when marijuana is legal. Maybe. Or they might use less, as the attraction of a forbidden fruit is gone. I am not an expert. Is Roper?
Last, bear in mind that law enforcement may want to keep prohibition because they fear a loss of jobs and easy overtime. They have a conflict of interest.
Howard Wooldridge, Dallas
Posted February 11th, 2013 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week January 18, 2013
I had a modest week on the hill with 12 presentations to staffers. Lots of changes of personnel in the offices which = more work at home to record who is the right staffer in 535 offices.
Ron Paul Legacy: On Tuesday evening I was invited to address the local chapter of a group called C4L = http://www.campaignforliberty.org the umbrella organization for the Ron Paul efforts. About 40 were attending and we had a robust 30 minutes. I was surprised by how many Republicans attended.
KING for a day: When I presented last week at Grover Norquist’s brunch, I was quite surprised to see my name on the back of a chair at the main table where the VIPs sit. The info at the bottom of last week’s newsletter was the sheet I gave to the 150 in the room. Sorry for not stating that. Money can buy anyone access. Good ideas/presentations count at Grovers.
My published LTE in a Florida paper is at the bottom.
COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 1025 Presentations to Congressional staffers..12 this week
- 30 Appearances on major TV networks (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision)
- 21 published interviews in major (daily)newspapers
- 43 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, etc
- 71 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $70,000) = 1 this week
- 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning my efforts & in support of COP position
- 22 Radio Interviews
- 34 brief chats with Members of Congress
- 30 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, etc.
- 11 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:
DRUG PROBLEM NO EASY FIX
As a retired detective, I heartily agree with Kingsley Guy’s Jan. 13 column, “Time to re-think our War on Drugs.” We need to end this drug prohibition.
Our children have a job option to sell drugs and nearly 1million are employed in sales, some of whom are shot every day. Pedophiles are not caught, as my colleagues are flying around in a helicopter looking for a green plant.
After 41years, and a trillion dollars spent, the DEA’s own brochure states: “Drugs are readily available to America’s youth…” The police and courts cannot fix stupid. Have a drug problem? See a doctor.
Howard Wooldridge, Buckeystown, Mass.
PUBLISHED in the Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) January 18, 2013
