[Courtesy of LEAP] AMBUSHED! The following dialog occurred between the Russell Senate Building and the Union train station. The names have NOT been changed to protect the guilty. Unknown white male about 40: “Nice Boots.” Howard: “Thank you. All the way from Texas” Unknown: I have a pair of Stewart’s and I am real happy with them. Howard: These are Tony Llama & still going strong after 10 years Unknown: You from Texas? Howard: Yes sir, Fort Worth, where the West begins. Unknown: What brings you here? Howard: I am here to change the world. You? Unknown: What part of the world you want to change? (notice he did not answer my question) Howard: end the drug war & drug prohibition..nothing serious, nothing too big. Unknown: How is it going? Howard: Blah, blah, blah…..For instance I attended Senator Biden’s hearing last week to end the 100:1 ratio of crack to powder. It was nice but he loves the drug war. He is just doesn’t get it. Unknown: How would you do it? Howard: As a starting point for discussion, I would give the 10 illegal drugs the same rules & restrictions as whiskey and cigarettes. Kevin: Hmmm. I probably should tell you my name is Kevin & I work for Senator Biden out the office of the judiciary committee. (Note: Biden is the chairman of the crime subcommittee) Howard: (sucking in deep breath, trying to remember if I directly insulted the gentleman from Delaware), Howard Wooldridge from LEAP. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Nice to meet you. Kevin: I have enjoyed our chat. Your viewpoint is interesting. Howard: good. Next recess I’ll give you a call and set up a short meeting. Kevin: okay Anatomy of a Congressional hearing or how I work one minute a day and get paid: On Wednesday Senator Biden’s Senate subcommittee on crime held a hearing on giving local police a half billion dollars to arrest drug dealers. I took the usual 7:17 train into DC. I walked to the Dirksen building where the hearing would be held and drank my giant coffee while I read the Washington Times (I read the Post on the train). From 10 to 11:30 I did work I had brought with me + answer a few new emails using my Blackberry. After lunch I got in the line outside of Room 226, promptly at noon. Taking a chair out of a pile in the phone booth, I sat down and worked another 2 hours using my laptop computer. (I expected a packed room. Indeed, a dozen chiefs of police were eventually left standing up or in the hallway.) When the doors opened just before two, I was the first one in and grabbed the best seat to be seen by the Senators. 4 Senators testified + one guy from the White House, followed by 3 police officers. Every one tooted their horn & how great their agency is, even as they said the sky was falling for the lack of fed money. Senator Chambliss of Georgia said the cut from 12 to 4 million fed dollars would allow gangs to nearly take over the state. Harkins of Iowa said about the same thing, as did Feinstein of California and Feingold of Wisconsin. ‘The sky is falling. The sky is falling’ echoed in the room for two hours. NOTE: I desperately wanted to say that if the situation is so dire, couldn’t the state of Georgia with a 15 billion dollar budget find the missing 8 million, rather than face a state controlled by gangs? When Senator Biden banged the gavel to end the session, I moved quickly to where he was shaking the hand of the police commissioner of Philadelphia. Waiting politely, we made eye contact, we shook hands and I said, ‘Senator Biden. As a police detective I agree with you that a good 60% of crime is caused by the drug war. You expressed a great desire to reduce crime. Have you ever considered the easiest way to dramatically cut crime would be to end the drug war, this new prohibition?’ “What do you mean?” He asked. I replied, ‘The same as our grandparents did in 1933. End prohibition and make the drugs legal, regulated and taxed. Having a 14 y/o die selling drugs because the policy gives him that job option has to be immoral, don’t you think?’ He blinked. ‘Yes, it is. I gave a speech on that a while back. Give me your card and I will have my office send it to you.’ I handed him my card, saying “thank you.” Leaving the hearing room, I went straight to his office where I spoke to the receptionist. She said she would double make sure I received the speech. As the train dropped me back off at 7:03 PM, my ‘one minute of real work’ day came to a close. Small steps...