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Richardson-Taylor
Reunion News

December 3, 1994

Yes, just when you thought you would never hear from any of us again, it is time to start planning for the next major debacle, the family reunion of 1995. I did not attend the last reunion in Washington myself and I understand that the turnout was lower than any time in recent memory, primarily because of a persistent rumor that Bill Henry would show up. He did not show up, to the great relief of everyone in the family and Washington's farm animals, too. Laurence is the organizer of the 1995 reunion and says that he has taken steps to have guards posted to prevent Bill Henry from showing up. Therefore, he says, we will not have to worry about Bill Henry's ugly mug spoiling any of the group pictures. He probably would have spent most of his time doing the Morris Moon anyway.

Laurence, as you all know, is now a married man which just goes to prove that the laws against such things are not tremendously effective. He wrote me to tell me that he had been laid up recently due to a heart bypass operation (apparently the doctors found that his heart served no useful purpose) and an operation for a blood clot in his leg. Both of these problems, he said, were the result of what could be politely described as an overly strenuous honeymoon, which he related at great length, and was obviously confused with some things which actually happened in high school. Men really don't need drugs because they have women. Barbara, his bride tells a somewhat different story, with considerably fewer disgusting details. In any event, he says that he is recovering nicely now and will be just as gross and disgusting as we all have gotten used to, and even come to cherish. Like Don Morris, he is something of a gem in his own right.

I have not been in touch with many of you so I cannot relate a lot of news about other people. I can assure you it is a great relief. However, on my own front, some significant things have happened. As far as my campaign to get our drug laws changed, there has been more success than we had dared hope. Far too much has happened, even in the last six months, for me to relate it all so I will stick to some of the highlights.

• Both the California Medical Association and the Department of Health and Human Services have issued major reports stating that the undertreatment of pain in the United States is a major national tragedy. They said that narcotics such as morphine are the cheapest, safest, and most effective treatments for pain and the reason doctors do not prescribe them is because they are afraid of prosecution if they do. Both organizations recommended that narcotics be used as soon as the patients request them and that patients be allowed to control their own dose. They both said that the risk of addiction is so small that it is of no practical concern. As the Department of Health and Human Services said, "Addiction (as the result of medical use of narcotics) almost never happens."

• The head of Interpol, the British Association of Chiefs of Police, the Attorney-General of Colombia, and many other major law enforcement officials have called for either decriminalization or legalization of drugs and it is apparent that several law enforcement officials and organizations are now mounting a major push to get drugs decriminalized in all of Europe.

• There have been two TV specials and several radio shows in the last six months which were based at least in part on the things I have written, one by MTV which aired in September, and another by the BBC titled "The Drug War, R.I.P.", which aired on the Arts and Entertainment Channel in September. There will also be a one-hour television special coming up on ABC which, I understand, will be based largely on the points I have made and taught others to make.

• Our campaign for a Federal commission to review drug policy has been successful. Language establishing such a commission was included in the recent Crime Bill, which everyone made such a fuss about. In all the hullabaloo about banning guns, Representative Don Edwards of San Jose was able to slip the language in during the Conference Committee and it went unnoticed in the final vote, even though a number of members of Congress had said they were deadset against it. The commission is due to start its work in 1996 and is supposed to issue its report by 1998.

• A couple of years ago I published a pamphlet I called Persuasive Strategies. The purpose of it was to teach anyone how to beat the snot out of drug warriors in a debate and do it so completely that there would be no question in anyone's mind who won the debate. These strategies were probably the primary reason for the success of all the things we have done. A lot of other people saw them, liked them, and started using them, including a lot of fairly famous people. As a result, The Drug Enforcement Administration and their allies have found that they have been getting their butts kicked every time they showed up to discuss the subject in public -- all across the nation. They called an emergency meeting in August, calling in drug warriors from all across the country to discuss what to do about it.
  It must have been an interesting meeting. I can just imagine the conversation, "I got my butt kicked in LA." "I got my butt kicked in Buffalo", "I got my ass kicked in Albuquerque" and so forth. Unfortunately, they did not invite me or I could have given them a few tips myself.
  In order to try to combat what I have been doing they have issued a 40 page booklet called "How to Hold Your Own in a Drug Legalization Debate" which attempts to train their people how to debate people who are using my tactics. They even lifted paragraphs from my pamphlet and slightly altered the wording. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I thought one paragraph from their booklet was particularly flattering:
  

Legalization proponents are formidable opponents. The group acknowledged that proponents of legalization are generally well-prepared and credible people whose arguments, though compelling, are faulty. Proponents effectively use lawyers and public relations firms to espouse liberalization of drug policies.

Shortly after their booklet was published I got a call from a publisher asking me to do a book in reply to theirs, which you should see in the bookstores next year.

But enough about politics. Now we will go on to the sordid details of the next reunion.

Reunion Details

When           July 8 and 9, 1995                                          
Saturday and Sunday                                         
                                                            

Where          Picnic Area C                                               
               Finley Park, at the corner of Stony Point Road and College  
               Avenue                                                      
               Santa Rosa, California                                      

Directions:    From Highway 101, take Highway 12 west one mile and turn    
               north on Stony Point Road.  The park is at the fourth stop  
               light.                                                      
               There is a map attached to this newsletter, but it was      
               based on something drawn by Laurence so I cannot verify     
               its accuracy.                                               

 
               Any child who is not living within thirty feet of you is    
               considered a separate household.  That's you, Alyssa.       

Bring          Locals should bring one main dish such as beans, salad,     
               etc.  Laurence always recommends that somebody bring beans  
               and says that, despite his recent medical problems he will  
               be "in tune".                                               
               Out-of-towners should bring appetizers and desserts.        

Where to       Sandman Motel -- (707) 544 8570                             
Stay:          Super 8 -- (800) 800-8000                                   
               Days Inn -- (800) 325-2525                                  
               Los Robles -- (707) 545-6330                                
               Laurence says they are all close and have restaurants       
               nearby.                                                     

Supplies:      Safeway, Albertson's, and Longs Drugs are a half milefrom   
               the park.  Safeway has an excellent deli.                   

Other:         The park has swimming pools, which Laurence says cost a     
               bundle.  It also has volley ball, horse shoes (for those    
               of you who don't have your own shoes), tennis, covered      
               pavilions with barbecues, handicapped access and restrooms  
               (I'll bet you are all glad of that!)  It also has a very    
               nice playground.