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THE KRAT BARON
one-eyed willie
Registered: 07/08/03
Posts: 42,409
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"Cop Rides Against War On Drugs"
#4701095 - 09/23/05 03:03 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Headline title in my local paper yesterday. This is the stuff I like to see!
Found an article online:
Retired Cop Rides For Change To Nation's Drug Policy By Rebecca Dudley Return to Drug War News: Don't Miss Archive
Horseback riders on Hwy 6 between Brush and Hillrose are as common as muck in a barnyard and usually don't rate a second glance. However, on Monday, the sight of a cowboy wearing a t-shirt emblazed with the words Cops Say Legalize Drugs was definitely an attention-getter.
Howard Wooldridge, a retired police detective from Fort Worth, Texas, is riding from Los Angeles to New York City to raise awareness that the U.S's drug policy is not working.
Has it reduced crime? Has it curbed the rates of drug related death and disease? Has the War on Drugs done anything to keep drugs away from our kids? Has it made America better in any way whatsoever? I Didn't think so, Wooldridge said, ticking off his points on this riding glove-clad fingers.
Calling it his Paul Revere ride because he is spreading the word Wooldridges message is that the country must end the failed war on drugs and the attitude of prohibition that spawned it.
Everyone knows we are throwing good money after bad, but no one in Washington is willing to say those three hardest words in the language: I was wrong.
I don't know if it is ego or apathy, but no matter how long we have been traveling in the wrong direction, it should never be too late to turn around, he said.
Wooldridge, who was once known as "Hiway Howie" for his fierce efforts to combat drunk drivers, said legal access to drugs for users and treatment facilities for addicts, would free up $70 billion annually in local, state and federal dollars.
Think about what good that money could do, instead of flushing it down the toilet of waging an unwinnable war, he said.
Since his retirement in 1994, Wooldridge became a bi-lingual speaker for the drug-policy reform movement, advocating an end to all drug prohibition. In 2003 he became a lobbyist in the Texas legislature where he and others were able to help pass a bill that mandates no jail time for persons arrested for personal amounts of any illegal drug.
Currently, he has joined forces with 44 other current and former members of law enforcement, in 30 states, calling themselves: LEAP: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.
Founded in 2002, LEAP is a non profit organization whose members believe the existing drug policies have failed in their intended goals of addressing the problems of crime, drug abuse, addiction, juvenile drug use, stopping the flow of illegal drugs into this country and the internal sale and use of illegal drugs.
They contend that by fighting a war on drugs the government has increased the problems of society and made them far worse. And, that a system of regulation rather than prohibition is a less harmful, more ethical and a more effective public policy.
The mission of LEAP is to reduce the multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from fighting the war on drugs and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ultimately ending drug prohibition.
LEAPs goals are to, first, educate the public, the media, and policy makers, to the failure of current drug policy by presenting a true picture of the history, causes and effects of drug abuse and the crimes related to drug prohibition; and second, to restore the publics respect for law enforcement, which has been greatly diminished by its involvement in imposing drug prohibition.
LEAPs main strategy for accomplishing these goals is to create a constantly enlarging speakers bureau staffed with knowledgeable and articulate former drug-warriors who describe the impact of current drug policies on: police/community relations; the safety of law enforcement officers and suspects; police corruption and misconduct; and the financial and human costs associated with current drug policies.
For his part, Wooldridge is speaking at as many service clubs as possible during his cross-country trek. On Monday, he was enroute to Sterling, where he was scheduled to speak to the Sterling Rotary Club on Wednesday.
"I've had a good life so far, and this country has been good to me. I decided early on in my career that, after I retired, I would give my time and volunteer for a worthy cause or two, because there is so much that needs doing.
"This is a worthy cause, maybe one of the worthiest", he said, climbing back up on his horse and figuratively riding off into the sunset.
http://www.november.org/stayinfo/breaking3/HowardinCO.html
-------------------- m00nshine is currently vacationing in Maui. Rumor has it he got rolled by drunken natives and is currently prostituting himself in order to pay for airfare back to the mainland but he's having trouble juggling a hairon addiction. He won't be back for a long while.
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Boom
just a tester
Registered: 06/16/04
Posts: 11,252
Loc: Cypress Creek
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: THE KRAT BARON]
#4701100 - 09/23/05 03:06 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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That's cool. I mean, it makes perfect sense
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mycogirl
goddamn
Registered: 07/03/05
Posts: 1,135
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: THE KRAT BARON]
#4701104 - 09/23/05 03:06 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Its about time! It has to suck arresting people for stupid shit like having a joint on their persons.
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FL_accciD
Jack's Paranoia
Registered: 11/04/04
Posts: 1,665
Loc: midwest
Last seen: 15 years, 8 months
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: mycogirl]
#4701108 - 09/23/05 03:08 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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im sure that there are hundreds of people in law enforcement who feel the same,
cheers to this dude!
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Cowgold
Bullshit
Registered: 04/04/05
Posts: 12,486
Loc: .
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: Boom]
#4701110 - 09/23/05 03:08 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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FUCKIN HELL YEAH FORT WORTH IS THE BEST
Won't you take me to Funky Town
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dblaney
Human Being
Registered: 10/03/04
Posts: 7,894
Loc: Here & Now
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: THE KRAT BARON]
#4701113 - 09/23/05 03:09 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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All the awareness we can get is important. This is guy is far and away doing a good thing.
-------------------- "What is in us that turns a deaf ear to the cries of human suffering?" "Belief is a beautiful armor But makes for the heaviest sword" - John Mayer Making the noise "penicillin" is no substitute for actually taking penicillin. "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." -Abraham Lincoln
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THE KRAT BARON
one-eyed willie
Registered: 07/08/03
Posts: 42,409
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: dblaney]
#4701129 - 09/23/05 03:11 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Indeed! He's taking the battle from coast to coast on horseback. I've got a lot of respect for this man. He must have just reached NY recently or close by seeing as it made headline news here.
-------------------- m00nshine is currently vacationing in Maui. Rumor has it he got rolled by drunken natives and is currently prostituting himself in order to pay for airfare back to the mainland but he's having trouble juggling a hairon addiction. He won't be back for a long while.
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dblaney
Human Being
Registered: 10/03/04
Posts: 7,894
Loc: Here & Now
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: THE KRAT BARON]
#4701145 - 09/23/05 03:14 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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LA to NY...that's quite a ride! Too bad he hasn't made national news
Have you ever read the book "Under The Influence"?
-------------------- "What is in us that turns a deaf ear to the cries of human suffering?" "Belief is a beautiful armor But makes for the heaviest sword" - John Mayer Making the noise "penicillin" is no substitute for actually taking penicillin. "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." -Abraham Lincoln
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THE KRAT BARON
one-eyed willie
Registered: 07/08/03
Posts: 42,409
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: dblaney]
#4701155 - 09/23/05 03:16 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
dblaney said: LA to NY...that's quite a ride! Too bad he hasn't made national news
Have you ever read the book "Under The Influence"?
Yeah that is bullshit he hasn't made national news. Hopefully he will get a little louder.
Never heard of that book before. Is it a good read?
-------------------- m00nshine is currently vacationing in Maui. Rumor has it he got rolled by drunken natives and is currently prostituting himself in order to pay for airfare back to the mainland but he's having trouble juggling a hairon addiction. He won't be back for a long while.
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License_to_Chill
Stranger
Registered: 11/12/04
Posts: 4,979
Last seen: 3 years, 3 months
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: THE KRAT BARON]
#4701185 - 09/23/05 03:25 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Cheers to Rebecca!
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"I sat on the bus next to God once, he told me about the true meaning of life... then he gave me a pretzel..."
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dblaney
Human Being
Registered: 10/03/04
Posts: 7,894
Loc: Here & Now
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: THE KRAT BARON]
#4701196 - 09/23/05 03:27 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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It's really good, yeah I'd recommend it. It's a collection of essays by all sorts of people on cognitive freedoms and propaganda and laws and politics surrounding drugs. It's where I first learned about LEAP and that movement.
I would very highly recommend it. In fact, I think it's almost essential for anyone who seriously wants to further the cause of legalization and help restore a small amount of sanity in the insanity of the modern world.
-------------------- "What is in us that turns a deaf ear to the cries of human suffering?" "Belief is a beautiful armor But makes for the heaviest sword" - John Mayer Making the noise "penicillin" is no substitute for actually taking penicillin. "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." -Abraham Lincoln
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Locus
Registered: 03/11/04
Posts: 6,112
Last seen: 2 years, 11 months
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: THE KRAT BARON]
#4701207 - 09/23/05 03:28 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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this is refreshing.. very cool.
-------------------- The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity. ~ Albert Einstein "Fear is the great barrier to human growth." ~ Dr. Robert Monroe ~~~*Dosis sola facit venenum*~~~ *Check my profile to listen to my music*
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THE KRAT BARON
one-eyed willie
Registered: 07/08/03
Posts: 42,409
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: dblaney]
#4701258 - 09/23/05 03:38 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Sounds like a very good book. I'll have to check it out. Hopefully I can find a copy of it right online. That would be nice.
-------------------- m00nshine is currently vacationing in Maui. Rumor has it he got rolled by drunken natives and is currently prostituting himself in order to pay for airfare back to the mainland but he's having trouble juggling a hairon addiction. He won't be back for a long while.
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dblaney
Human Being
Registered: 10/03/04
Posts: 7,894
Loc: Here & Now
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: THE KRAT BARON]
#4701273 - 09/23/05 03:43 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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It's edited by Preston Peet.
I've looked online but haven't seen it. It may be available on P2P programs though...haven't looked there.
-------------------- "What is in us that turns a deaf ear to the cries of human suffering?" "Belief is a beautiful armor But makes for the heaviest sword" - John Mayer Making the noise "penicillin" is no substitute for actually taking penicillin. "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." -Abraham Lincoln
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CaptainH13
Scum
Registered: 10/29/04
Posts: 10,287
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Re: "Cop Rides Against War On Drugs" [Re: dblaney]
#4701357 - 09/23/05 03:59 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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have you checked?
online-literature.com
it's got a massive collection of books....i've read a ton from their...
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