COPs on the Hill: Stories from the weeks of February 4, 11 and 18, 2011**

Your voice in the United States Congress 

Don’t need no stinkin booth:  NOTE:  I spent three long days (10,11,12) at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) = 11,000 rabid conservatives come together once per year).  All the stories are from the conference.

 I made an appointment with Justin to discuss strategy at 3PM at the atrium  = center of the hotel.   An hour later he gave up, saying we would have to meet later in a more private area.  Almost without pause, someone would  approach me, ask why cops want to legalize pot and often wanted a foto.   Even my Maryland House Delegate waited patiently five minutes to introduce himself (he had met Karen via her t-shirt late last year).   Even I was impressed with the traffic/number of contacts.   As Justin said, ‘Why spend $5,000  for a booth, when you can just stand in the middle of the room?’ 

 Note:  I hope to duplicate that ‘don’t need no stinking booth’ concept at the NRA (National Rifle Association) conference in April and the LULAC (League of United Latino American Conference) gathering in June.

 This week at Grover’s Brunch a VIP in the conservative movement  Colin Hanna  www.letfreedomringusa.com came up to me and said I was “omnipresent” at CPAC.   Everytime he looked across the room, he could see my Stetson hat. 

 Don’t go home!:   Sharing a table with another couple,  the Senate staffer stated he knew me from the years I had spent in the Senate.   Though crime was not his issue and we had never met, nonetheless, he knew exactly who I was and my mission.  Perhaps the several beers he had drunk loosened his lips.   Either way, he became quite loud as he proclaimed I was winning and exhorted* me not to give up.  And then repeated himself several times, as drinkers often do.   Still, I believe he was speaking from the heart.   I assured him I was staying until drug prohibition was over. 

 Special Thanks:    Thank you to COPs member Ethel Rowland of Fort Pierce, Florida who attended CPAC in her LEAP ‘cape.’ (she took two shirts and nicely made them into a cape so the ASK ME WHY COPS SAY LEGALIZE DRUGS was visible front and back)   Many persons asked us if we were married. J  Ethel shared her dinner tickets with me, allowing me to be with the most important 400 people at two dinners.   Next year I will spend the big bucks to repeat that.   I believe the ‘see and be seen’ effect warrants the expense.  

 CPAC in review:    I had just over 100 conversations with a listening audience  of about 350.  Numerous (about 12) interviews by radio, TV and bloggers kept me busy.  Thursday and Friday were simply crazy busy.  CPAC continues to grow more Libertarian & Ron Paul won the straw poll vote for President the second year in a row.   Gary Johnson (R-NM and former two term governor) gave an excellent speech.   I met a recently retired DEA agent who wants to do all he can to put prohibition in the history books.  And many, many others. 

 *exhort = ermahnen oder ermutigen

 Below are the major media events that I made:

 Washington Post – paper edition on 2-11 on page four : { A tall, middle-aged man in a cowboy hat wore a T-shirt with the words “Ask Me Why Cops Say Legalize Pot” on his back. }
From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-yn/content/article/2011/02/10/AR2011021007407.html

1.  Reason TV: in this video, FYI — http://reason.com/blog/2011/02/10/reasontv-gay-wars-what-we-saw

 at the 1:55 point for 3 seconds…simply allowed the viewer to read the shirt

  Technorati – first page of the blog:

CPAC attracts all sorts of unique folks. There was Howard Wooldridge, wearing a shirt that said “Cops say legalize pot. Ask me why.” He was dressed in Friday-night cowboy – sturdy, well-worn boots; a heavily tooled belt; and a wide-brimmed, cream-colored, Stetson 4X. His cell phone whinnied like a cow pony. Except for unwrinkled skin, he looked every bit the ranch hand. Nice guy too; I liked him. It turns out he was a retired cop from a Midwestern city.

http://technorati.com/politics/article/cpac-2011-was-a-carnival-of/

** As you know, this newsletter also doubles as my personal diary.  The reason I have combined 3 weeks into one newsletter is due to a death in my family.   On January 31 while making the rounds in the House, I learned my 50 year old brother had died after shoveling snow in Michigan.  I spent the next 10 days taking care of my mom, getting her to the funeral in Michigan and back home to Georgia.   I arrived back in DC to spend three, long days at CPAC.   All this week as been spent catching up on mountains of emails and other such stuff.  Thank you for your understanding.   I will be back in ‘action’ next week beginning with testifying before the House of Delegates in Annapolis.

COPs 2nd year stats to date:

TV appearances: 11 (ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, cable) 

Newspaper stories: 7 dailes, 3 weeklies (one this week)

Radio appearances: 7 (one this week)

Published LTE: 7 ( none this week)

Other media (bloggers, cable TV, minor publications, etc): 9

67 presentations to Congressional staffers: (1  this week)

5 (Member of Congress) contacts :    

2 other VIP (MD state Senator & Rep):  (1 this week)

Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year.    Your support keeps the COPs voice loud and strong in the halls of the United States Congress.   We 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 send a check to:

COP

POB 772

Buckeystown, MD  21717

Howard

Detective/Officer Howard  Wooldridge (retired)

Drug Policy Specialist, COP – www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org

Washington, DC

817-975-1110 Cell

howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org

Domino el español

Ich verstehe mich gut auf Deutsch

Je parle français assez bien pour un petit, timide, moyen cowboy

Citizens Opposing Prohibition – Become a Member

PO Box 772

Buckeystown, MD  21717-0772

Modern Prohibition/The War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional &  immoral  domestic policy since slavery  & Jim Crow.