LEAP on the Hill: Stories from Weeks of July 11 & July 18, 2008

Soirée in the Land of Enchantment: Karen and I flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico on the 9th at the invitation of Sallie Bingham. Good food and conversation flowed for 3 hours as like-minded citizens met to share stories and support the Drug Policy Alliance. (http://www.drugpolicy.org/homepage.cfm) Misty donated about 14 books to anyone who contributed. Her hoof print signature graced the inside cover. Karen and I enjoyed 2 and one half days traveling by car in New Mexico. We enjoyed the magnificent landscape as we played tourist and scouted possible retirement locations. Me retire??!! Yikes!! Booked: I am scheduled to make a presentation to ‘by invitation only’ group of VIP conservatives this July 30th. Grover Norquist, Executive Director of Americans for Tax Reform (www.atr.org) made the arrangements. I am excited. Howard – radio host: My brother Frosty has a twice weekly, one hour radio program. As he went on vacation, he asked me to host it on the 8th. I had two guests, Richard Mack and Paul Armentano. LEAP speaker Sheriff Mack spoke passionately of his opposition to policy & specific problems it causes in Arizona. NORML deputy director Paul Armentano educated the audience on the practical uses of medicinal cannabis. I have been interviewed over 100 times by radio. It is fun. However, it is definitely a separate skill to be the interviewer. It is work. Concerned Senator: Jim Webb (D-VA): Bob in Colorado sent me the link to Senator Webb’s remarks, as Webb opened the 2nd Senate hearing on Mass Incarceration. The link follows: http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/540/congress_joint_economic_committee_jim_webb_drug_policy_hearing. Senator Webb is the first MOC to call for hearings on our issue, EVER. Boy Scout motto: be prepared: Upon my arrival in DC, my mentor Eric Sterling advised me to always be ‘camera ready.’ In this town one never knows where or when a camera will shine on you or you meet a VIP unexpectedly. Thus I was in coat and tie on Wednesday evening at the Heritage Foundation event, though half the 100 gathered were w/o coat and tie. I engaged in conversation a person who had asked a question during the Q& A session. An hour later we exchanged business cards & a commitment to go to a shooting range and target practice (pistols). He was a fellow Texan and an advisor to President Bush. Thanks Eric. Note: before the program began, I was chatting with a retired oil executive. Upon learning I had been in Egypt, he asked, “Enta tatkallem Arabi?” I whipped off two decent sentences in Arabic. He wants me to speak to his Republican Club in Virginia. It was fun. Like riding Misty, speaking foreign languages is fun, a pleasant diversion and helps me from burning out.