Posted November 12th, 2018 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the weeks of October 19 & 26 + November 2 & 9, 2018
Tired and Happy: or Dbl shot of Crown and Swiss Chocolate: My new horse is in the barn and I am back home in Maryland after four weeks of campaigning in Michigan. I continued my street scene + a solid amount of earned media, both print and TV. Prop One passed by a 56/44% vote of the people. I was happy to play a small part in that victory.
My double bonus came after I attended the victory party at a downtown Lansing hotel on Tuesday night. The foto in the URL below has been pinging all over the internet. My good friend saw the shirt in his daily paper in Honolulu, etc. Seeing your name/shirt in the Chicago Tribune is a hoot. Much more importantly, it signals that main stream media is openly & fairly presenting our side of the issue.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chapman/ct-perspec-chapman-marijuana-pritzker-michigan-medical-1108-20181107-story,amp.html?fbclid=IwAR3M7x1NA-G2hHCbwamet5VVjdGqhTdaNpRGoxziKFYfTEBxc5IizPs7FC4
Analysis: UT, MI & MO passed their MJ initiatives…even ND’s loss of 40/60 was impressive, in that it was a total Libertarian, no restrictions on anything vote. Experts agree that a MI type language would pass in ND in 2018. Also, this week, the Mexican Supreme Court declared MJ prohibition to be unconstitutional. The incoming President of MX said he will bring up legalization. Au Canada is now legal for adults.
I believe we are on the first page of the last chapter in North American marijuana prohibition.
For my donors – I am so grateful for your support to pay COP expenses. Thank you for your faith in me. I will repeat that my time in Michigan was on my own dime, as this was politics vs education. My dear friend, Cheri Kellerman of Lansing, allowed me to use her home as a base which reduced expenses and greatly increased my comfort level. It really does take a village.
Personal: I am very pleased to be back in the saddle and I feel complete again for the first time, since I put Misty down three long years ago. I rode a dozen times in Michigan and my back and knees never barked…I am taking the next month off, including a week cruise in early December to mingle with 800 rabid conservatives in the Caribbean.
This week’s stats:
99 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 18 This week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) this week was -Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribute, Honolulu Star Advertiser { foto and caption}
153 interviews and reports in minor media = 01 this week.
357 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 01 this week -A State Senator from Michigan
COP stats since inception: August 2009
2926 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 0 this week
0 Meetings – meetings, hearings, etc.
276 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 0 this week (Cman Higgins R-LA, Cman John Lewis, D-GA)
30 major conferences attended – (UN drug conference, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week -ALEC
84 Radio Interviews. 0 this week
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
84 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $83,000) 0 this week
43 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
* Consider being a member of COP at $40.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 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. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
Posted October 15th, 2018 by hiwayhowie
Stories from the weeks of October 5 and 12
Mundane: Street sign-holding is important and I believe effective, whether the press comes or not. People see my sign, read the Prop One signs and it all helps make them aware. A survey on October 1 showed 72% of likely voters knew about the ballot proposal to legalize MJ.
Teamwork: 3 TV interviews and one print interview in the first 9 days… Great start….all from the organizers here in Michigan. I was told that my street presence in front of the theater used by the Prohibition Crowd and subsequent 30 seconds on TV – have had a chilling effect on our opponents. = They realize if they hold an “informational” public event, I show up and our message receives as much air time as the the other side. Woohoo!!
Thoughtful Discussions Continue: In Michigan I am super strict on only wearing my POT shirts. This weekend I traveled to and bought a new cycle in Wisconsin…and so I was wearing my heroin shirt. A cycle shop employee asked why & we had a great 10M chat. I told the owner who sold me the bike that if Pam showed up high on heroin next week, he could blame me. Taking the high speed ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon, MI, at the terminal I had a super chat on heroin in Spanish. On the ferry I had a chat with the regional manner of a major beer distributor. All good.
PS…it is just a joy to be away from the Swamp and interact with real people.
Posted September 21st, 2018 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week of September 21, 2018
Winding Down: I am packing my bags and preparing to ‘move’ to Michigan next week. MI has an adult-use, MJ legalization initiative vote coming up in November. At the moment they have no police person, active or retired, who will speak for Prop One. It will be a five-week effort. A friend in Lansing will host me for the sojourn. Unfortunately, I don’t have a horse. I am taking my trailer and expect to buy one ASAP upon arrival. Recall Misty and I were on TV 4 times in Colorado, one of which – Fox – went national. BTW, nothing going on in Congress till next year (except for SCOTUS nomination).
You can lead a horse to water but..: At the Grover Norquist meeting I had a good chat with a senior staffer from the House committee which deals with our opioid epidemic. I explained the Swiss system, leaving him the Swiss-approved summary. I have low confidence the House will touch it, since it would wreck the business model of the countries’ 35 billion treatment industry.
OMG: On Tuesday I put on my Heroin shirt and – by invitation – attended a rally for our Governor Hogan at the Republican Party HQ for my county. The Governor shook every one’s hand. I took the opportunity to give him the one-minute COP summary on policy.
For those of you saw the movie, The Graduate, recall the end scene as the church – wedding congregation was unhappy with Hoffman trying to take Elaine off the altar. Fast forward to 2018 and that was the look of about a 100 serious Republicans in that room. = Priceless.
This week’s stats:
2924 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 03 this week
2 Meetings – meetings, hearings, etc.
354 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 01 this week (MD R Governor Hogan)
COP stats since inception: August 2009
276 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 0 this week
30 major conferences attended – (UN drug conference, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat, ALEC etc.) 0 this week
78 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 00.. This week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio)
84 Radio Interviews. 0 this week
152 interviews and reports in minor media = 0 this week.
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
84 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $83,000) 0 this week
43 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
* Consider being a member of COP at $40.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 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. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
Posted September 16th, 2018 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week of September 14, 2018
Boy Scout motto: In the hallway of the Senate office building (Hart) I noticed a camera crew setting for an interview. I noted the ‘Univision’ on the bags. I had a good chat in Spanish with the reporter, offering a view that the kids at the border were, ‘drug war refugees.’ The chat ended with me asking her network to speak out on the macro policy of the drug war. BTW, I spend a good ten hours a week studying my three languages. One never knows which language will come up tomorrow; Be Prepared.
Micro efforts, macro efforts: Have I ever said I genuinely enjoy answering the ‘why’ question on the shirt. Even on vacation, it’s a joy to engage in a thoughtful chat. These one on one averages out to 1,000 per year, making this micro effort an audience of 20,000 since 1998. Including TV and newspapers, several millions have seen the message. It all counts.
New place to wait for the train: I had an hour to kill before the train home. I found myself on the third floor of the Russell Senate Building, studying Spanish. A few minutes later a camera crew set up for an interview – RFD TV was about to interview Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA). Upon conclusion of the interview, I introduced myself and the Senator and I had a solid, hallway chat. Note for young readers – RFD stands for Rural Free Delivery of US mail (prior to 1900, rural folks had to pay extra to have mail delivered to their home).
This week’s stats:
2921 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 03 this week
276 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 01 this week (Senator Ernst (R-IA)
1 Meetings – meetings, hearings, etc.
353 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 01 this week (R candidate for Congress and a senior staffer from HHS (Health & Human Services)
COP stats since inception: August 2009
30 major conferences attended – (UN drug conference, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week -ALEC
78 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 00.. This week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio)
84 Radio Interviews. 0 this week
152 interviews and reports in minor media = 0 this week.
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
84 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $83,000) 0 this week
43 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
* Consider being a member of COP at $40.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 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. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
Posted September 6th, 2018 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week of August 31 & September 7, 2018
So mistaken and Happy to be So: My new HEROIN shirt has been in public now for 10 days. I was so sure I would have serious, upset people pushing back on it. Mistaken, I was. Even as I know that those who disagree will rarely ask why, I have had two dozen people engage me in constructive chats on why we should legalize heroin. The tone was mostly quizzical and two minutes later, many handshakes and “bless what you do.”
Make my Day: On Tuesday I left an office and entered the hallway perfectly to nearly run into Senator Joe Manchin (WV-D). I asked to walk him to the stairwell and he agreed. We spent a minute and a half, mostly discussing the opioid epidemic and ended with him receiving the Swiss Program Summary. The guy is as genuine as a rising sun.
Blood and Treasure: I have employed a brand-new topic in my 30-minute presentations to Senate staffers these past two weeks. Of course, we all know about the trillion dollars spent to date on our lovely war on drugs. What is the cost in the blood of our young people, I ask. Since the issue of teens shot due to their employment in the drug trade, the question is nearly rhetorical. I am asking each office to call for an over-sight committee hearing to explore the issue. Law makers should make decisions, based on ALL the costs, not just the money.
Next week will be spent on a fun trip to my sisters’ and driving Karen to the doc for a routine procedure.
This week’s stats:
2918 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 12 this week
275 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 01 this week (Senator Manchin, D-WV)
1 Meetings – meetings, hearings, etc.
351 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 01 this week (R candidate for Congress)
COP stats since inception: August 2009
30 major conferences attended – (UN drug conference, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week -ALEC
78 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 00.. This week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio)
84 Radio Interviews. 0 this week
152 interviews and reports in minor media = 0 this week.
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
84 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $83,000) 0 this week
43 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
* Consider being a member of COP at $40.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 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. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
