LEAP on the Hill: Stories from Week of April 11, 2008

Free Super Bowl Ticket: I was drinking my coffee and reading my daily dose of bad news (newspaper), when a Senate staffer greeted me and asked to join me to wolf down his breakfast. I described my education campaign on why spending ‘free’ fed money to arrest drug dealers was harming state budgets (after the arrest the states must spend hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to lock up the drug dealer for XX years). Bill (not his real name) offered a super bowl ticket analogy. …your best friend gives you a Super Bowl ticket worth 400 dollars & you jump for joy. Wow!! You love football & decide to go. You buy a plane ticket, book a hotel, add in misc. extra monies & suddenly the ‘free’ ticket will cost you 1200 dollars out of your pocket….. I used this pitch during 7 presentations & urged the staffer to have the boss (MOC) call their governor (as a courtesy) and ask privately if the State can afford to be given ‘free’ federal money. I was very pleased with the reaction (all non-verbal = seen on their faces). Thanks Bill. Let me tell you why it did not work: Riding the train home, a fellow traveler asked how my campaign was going. I talked about reading a report in the US Army War College that stated that 70% of al Qaeda’s operating budget came from drug trade sources. Suddenly, an Army major plopped down in the seat next to me. He had over heard our conversation and wanted to share his direct experience. In the next 10 minutes we listened intently as he described how he had in 2006 participated in an eradication (Ausrottung) effort in southern Afghanistan. A long story short…after they paid the tractor drivers to plow under the poppy plants, our troops would go out to the edge of the river flood plain to provide security…the Taliban would come in and pay the drivers more NOT to plow under the poppies. At the end of the 6 weeks campaign almost no poppies had been plowed under. We exchanged business cards before he hopped off the train. As a doctor, he had a professional curiosity to learn more of the Swiss Treatment Program which I sent him. His actions were symptomatic of how many citizens are with us on this. Almost every time someone engages me on the train or metro subway, a passenger nearby will, on their way out, say how they agree with me and wish me luck. After I missed the #$%!@ Party of the decade: Just before I was about to join the celebration of the first victory in years (2nd Chance Act) at the Capitol at 5 PM on Wednesday, Aaron Houston (MPP lobbyist) said don’t bother. The room was entirely too small, packed with people and hotter than hell. Chatting on the sidewalk, several other reformers stopped to chat. The chief lobbyist for the ONDCP (Drug Czar) strolled on by without stopping (LOL). I was disappointed not to attend but I took Aaron’s advice. I called Jodi James the new Big Boss of our Speaker’s Bureau and asked her to email me the details of another event that started in 30 minutes. (I now carry a Blackberry aka Crackberry+ by staffers. Every Staffer has one & several offices have signs above the exit door “Do you have your Blackberry?”) So yes, you may call me a High-Tech, Red-Neck++ cowboy. LOL Anyway, I attended a 100 person reception nearby & being bold, had 1 minute conversations with one US Senator & 3 Congressmen. Afterwards, I got all excited at such wonderful turn of events. +++ I called Jodi and thanked her profusely for her initiative and turning the evening into the best & in some ways most productive two hours I have spent in DC. WTG Jodi!! We do have a great team at LEAP. Apropos important persons…if you know of a VIP (elected state-wide or fed official) who has stated publicly that the WOD is a failure or ineffective, let me know please. If possible, provide the source of the quote. I am putting together a list.