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Nine Months Later: The past nine months I have gone to a coffee shop to read my daily dose of bad news and wake up with coffee. Nearly every morning 2-7 sheriff’s deputies sit in the back and chat. This week one finally asked me why cops want to legalize drugs (I always wear The Shirt LOL). The four of us had an excellent 20 minute discussion. Talking cop to cop, one remained unconvinced, while two conceded on ending marijuana prohibition + some changes on hard drugs. No doubt they will relay to their colleagues LEAP reasons. Small steps. Un sens de rythme est tous: (Timing is everything): On Wednesday I was sitting in my chair out side Senate Hearing Room – Dirksen 226 (Subcommittee on Crime), waiting for the door to open and reading a French book. {I rotate between my 3 foreign languages}. A ‘typical’ tourist family of four approached and stopped next to me. The dad asked, “You are reading the Little Prince?” As I detected a French accent I replied, “Oui, je lis le Petit Prince.” He responded in French. I spent the next five minutes explaining LEAP and our position en français. He and his wife agreed with the LEAP position as we exchanged business cards. It was fun. It was not fun attending the hearing. America’s top internet detective specializing in child pornography painted a horrendous picture of 600,000 personal computers in the US which have downloaded child porn and child rape videos. A US attorney estimated that law enforcement has the resources this year to investigate and arrest about two percent of them. Everyone asked for more money. No one spoke about re-directing current agents and officers to the problem. The testimony was graphic & I flashed back on the dozen or so child victims of criminal sexual conduct I investigated as a detective. I was upset & angry walking out of the building. BTW: the hearing had nothing directly to do with prohibition. However, I want to have Senator Biden and Sessions to see me on a regular basis. Sessions left before hearing ended but eventually I will be able to have a 30 second conversation with him after a hearing. I spoke to Biden about two months ago. Of possible interest: Below is what I send to each staffer after a presentation. As you can see, Repubs receive something quite different then the Dems. For a Republican Office: Ms. Showers, I would like to thank you for your time last week. I enjoyed our chat. I hope Congressman Linder will one day see the wisdom of a drug policy based on the principles of: Liberty Personal Responsibility Limited/Effective Government States’ Rights Drug prohibition is a policy which neither Georgia nor the United States can longer afford. Georgia spending a billion of its general fund money on prisons this year will not help produce a 21st century workforce. Howard For a Democratic Office: Ms. Kapoyos, I would like to thank you for your time last week. I enjoyed our chat. I hope Congressman Kind will be a leader in making drug issues a medical rather than criminal justice issue. Drug prohibition is a policy which neither Wisconsin nor the United States can longer afford. Howard PS. I speak fluent Spanish, French and German. If I can ever be of service on a volunteer basis to help, just ask. Officer Howard J. Wooldridge (retired) Education Specialist, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (www.leap.cc) Washington, DC Hablo espanol, je parle francais, Deutsch auch