One man named Howard and one horse named Misty are making a cross America ride to to bring attention to America's failed drug war. He may be coming to a town near you. If you want to read about his journey and find out who this man is and why he is doing what he is doing, and read his blog of his travels, check out this web site: http://leap.cc/howard/index.html

The following is his progress so far and his expected dates of arrival in various places across America.

Hermosa Beach, CA (just s/o LA) - March 4
Hermosa Beach, California, US

Chiriaco, CA and rest week
County: Riverside County

Blythe, CA
County: Riverside County

Brenda, AZ
County: La Paz County

Wickenburg, AZ - March 29
County: Maricopa County

Phoenix, AZ - April 6
County: Maricopa County

Payson, AZ
County: Gila County

Heber, AZ - April 18
County: Navajo County

Show Low, AZ - April 20
County: Navajo County

Springerville, AZ – April 22
County: Apache County

Socorro, NM – April 26
County: Socorro County

Belen, NM – April 28
County: Valencia County

Albuquerque, NM – April 29
County: Bernalillo County

Santa Fe, NM - May 3
County: Santa Fe County

Taos, NM – May 10
County: Taos County

Raton, NM – May 15
County: Colfax County

Pueblo, CO – May 20
County: Pueblo County

Colorado Springs, CO – May 22
County: El Paso County

Denver, CO - May 27-June 10 County: Denver County

Fort Morgan, CO – June 11
County: Morgan County

Estimated dates of arrival in these locations:

Kearney – June 22

Grand Island – June 24

Lincoln – June 28

Omaha – June 30

Des Moines, IA – July 5

Cedar Rapids – July 9

Dubuque, IA - July 11

Madison, WI - July 16

Milwaukee - July 20...then back to Madison to rest and speak till July 27

Chicago – July 31

Gary, IN – Aug. 2

Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, MI – August 5

Kalamazoo, MI – August 7 & 8

Lansing, MI – August 11, speaking thru 18

Dearborn – August 22 ( I will be there to support him at Dearborn !!!! )

Toledo – August 25

Cleveland – August 30

Erie, PA – September 4

Rochester, NY - Sept. 11....360 miles to NYC = 2 weeks

Syracuse

Utica

Albany

Poughkeepsie

New York City – October 1

FORMER POLICE OFFICER URGES DRUG LEGALIZATION
Gazette, The (Cedar Rapids, IA)

CEDAR RAPIDS - A former police officer is riding across America on horseback in an effort to convince people drugs should be legalized.

Howard Wooldridge, a former detective from the Bath Township Police Department in Bath Township, Mich., is due to arrive in Cedar Rapids on Saturday.

Wooldridge, a founding member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition ( LEAP ), said the organization's members believe drugs should be a public health matter, not a law enforcement one, freeing police to pursue crimes like drunk drivers or sex offenders.

On Thursday, Wooldridge drove ahead to Cedar Rapids to speak to Cedar Rapids Sunrise Rotary at the Elmcrest Country & Golf Club. He then returned to his horse to continue his cross-country ride.

"As a taxpayer, I object to ( putting people ) like Rush Limbaugh or Willie Nelson in prison," Wooldridge said in a telephone interview. "As a former policeman, I would rather go after a drunk driver and have them put in jail."

Wooldridge has been speaking across the country for the past eight years on what he sees as America's failed drug policy.

Legalizing drugs, he said, would control them and put the drug dealer and his black market -- "the single biggest evil in America, which is responsible for so much death and crime" -- out of business.

"Up until three years ago, the message was falling on deaf ears. People would say, 'You're crazy. Drugs will destroy America.' But people are figuring out that politicians aren't always telling the truth, and they are beginning to understand that building new prisons is pretty much worthless."

He allows not all the feedback is positive.

"I had one person tell me that I should be put in Guantanamo Bay for life without trial," he said.

While the cross-country trip by horseback is long and exhausting, it is not without its humorous moments.

When he and one of his horses stopped to rest outside a Wal-Mart, as many as four people called 911 to report him.

"When a horse falls asleep, it's tough for even an experienced horseman to tell whether or not the horse is sleeping or dead, and since I was sleeping with my 9mm ( handgun ), people thought I had shot the horse," he said.

Wooldridge will be riding "Sam" through Cedar Rapids on Saturday (July 9) along Highway 151 on his way to Dubuque. He hopes to reach New York City by Nov 1.


Error in article: He is hoping to arrive in NYC by Oct 1st