COPs on the Hill: Stories from the week of August 13, 2010

COPs on the Hill

 Stories from the week of August 13, 2010

 Just smile and not complain:   While on vacation the IRS sent their letter approving COPs as a 501 c 3 non profit organization.   Your donations are now officially tax deductible.   Major donors will receive a copy of the IRS letter via the mail.   If you also need a copy, just ask.   The process per IRS guidelines should have taken three months.   Our process took just over eight months. Still just smile and be happy.

Just keep knocking on the door:  I am down to the last 74 offices in the House not done.   These are the ones where the legislative aide never answers my email request and deletes the phone message requesting a 10 minute meeting.   Therefore, I am reduced to going door to door & ask for a few minutes of their time (think door to door vacuum cleaner salesman).   One day this week I struck out in 34 of 34 offices in the Rayburn building.  Ouch.   The next day I was able to see 7 of those 34, including 2 that I had not seen since 2006!!  Ups and downs of the job, though my cowboy boots need to new leather bottoms.

Building relationships:  This week I made a presentation to an Illinois office to the newly assigned legislative aide.  It went well.  Checking my records for that Congessman, the person I spoke to in 2006 is now the chief of staff and the person I spoke to last year is now the legislative director.    I  know that is one office that will ‘lobby’ their boss for the marijuana prohibition repeal bill which will be introduced in January.  Big smile as I left the office.

14  presentations to Congressional staffers (start of new statistical year)

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  

Your support for COPs meant–

Final COP First Year Stats 2009-2010:

 443  presentations to Congressional Staffers 

535 Congressional offices contacted

7 presentations to VIPs (elected officials)

37 published Letters to the Editor 

Numerous conferences, hearings & briefings attended.  C-Span broadcast my question at a Senate briefing. 

12  radio shows 

8  TV interviews (Colombian TV, Fox and Univision, NBC, cable)