Raising Peter McWilliams

Jerry Stratton
Saturday, June 7, 2003

I don’t know who Edward Bowers is. Judging from the address he sent this to, he just got my address off of my home page. But his plan to get lots of people to buy Peter McWilliams’ “Ain’t Nobody’s Business If You Do” is a truly righteous quest, if for no other reason than that everyone should own a copy of this book.

Some of you may have seen my copy. I keep it on the bookshelf right next to my couch, where I can browse through it at any time.

I may have talked about the great religious anecdotes, such as the time Jesus healed the male lover of a Roman centurion with no recriminations, only praise for the centurion’s faith. Or his in-depth analysis of how religious intolerance has little backing from the bible. Or the hypocrisy of drug laws, sex laws, and the laws about any number of other things that really “ain’t nobody’s business” but the person doing them.

I remember when I found out that Peter McWilliams was dead. I was doing a web search on Tianamen Square for a reader of my web site. Somehow the search ended up on an obituary for Peter. It was the extremest irony. Our government killed Peter. They killed him because he was an outspoken advocate of other people’s rights. He could have quietly continued to use medical marijuana and he would still be alive today. But because he came out publicly in support of other people’s rights to use medicine that keeps them alive, our government forced him off of marijuana, and he died as a direct result of it. He choked on his vomit while trying to take his AIDS medication.

It must have been a painful and agonizing death.

If you don’t have a copy of “Ain’t Nobody’s Business If You Do,” you should buy one. If you already have a copy, you already know what I’m talking about. Even though I own a copy, I’ll still be ordering one between June 8 and June 14. I’ll find someone else who needs it. Perhaps I’ll donate it to my congresswoman.

I have never spammed you, not even to ask you to buy my own book. But ending prohibition is one of the most important issues facing our generation. The violence and the deaths caused by prohibition should have been stopped by our parents. They left the responsibility to us, and we cannot let it pass to another generation. The longer prohibition remains, the more people will die like Peter.

If you choose not to buy the book, consider sending the ten dollars to the Drug Policy Alliance, or the Drug Reform Coordination Network.

At 10:21 PM -0700 on 6/5/03, Edward Bowers wrote:

[Please consider forwarding this to all your libertarian, and Medical Marijuana advocate friends�if you already received this from me, I apologize. �According to my calculations, I have reached 957 good emails and yours might be one. �This particular sending is to any email I found when I did a Google search for the words: Peter McWilliams Medical Marijuana. �Hope you don't mind.]

Peter McWilliams Statistical Anomaly Event "Plan C": Ain't Nobody's Business

(Yes, that's right, being libertarian I can skip Plan B and go straight to Plan C.)

On Sunday June 8, I will order the book "Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do" by Peter McWilliams. �Why? �(I already have a copy; signed by Peter, even.) �I'm doing so to honor Peter and all the other sick people who have suffered because of the nonsensical and uncompassionate War on Drugs.

Why between June 8th and the 14th? �A week for "bestseller" purposes is Sunday to Monday. �June 14, 2000 is the day Peter died, losing his battles with Cancer, AIDS, and a government that would not let him use the best medicine available to complete his treatment.

I want to keep this email brief and to the point, so this and the answers to a number of Questions You Might Have are at http://homepage.mac.com/ebowers/PeteQYMA.htm

I hope you will join me on behalf of Peter, the medical marijuana movement, and (as always) freedom. Plan ahead and check your local bookstore, but you will likely have to order the book online from Barnes & Noble or Amazon (direct links available at the QYMA page above). �Order the book early in the week (as early as June 8). �Or order direct from the mcwilliams.com site (http://www.joypills.com/books.htm) or call their number 1-888-569-7455.

I hope you like this idea (better than the last one) and pass it on. �There are enough of us out there to make this work and knock some right-wing or left-wing wacko off the bestseller lists while paying tribute to our fallen hero and calling attention his cause.

Thank you.

-Edward Bowers
http://www.nojailforpot.com/founders.php
For A Hero: http://www.hazlitt.org/hero/
"What's Wrong With This Picture?"
http://homepage.mac.com/ebowers/

PS �David Nolan wanted me to know that Richard Cowan (an associate of Peter's) is writing a book about the Kubby's (possible title: Reefer Refugees). �Duly noted.

News (RSS) Feeds

prohibition

For more information:

Buy Ain’t Nobody’s Business If You Do at Amazon: Enforcing laws against consensual activities is un-American, says McWilliams. This book is mostly about American crimes and American freedom. He starts at the beginning: the enlightenment and John Locke’s writings about “the purpose of government”. Locke’s ideas about natural rights were to directly influence Thomas Jefferson’s writings a hundred years later. “No man can be forced to be rich or healthful; God Himself will not save men against their wills.”
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=192976717X/negativespaceA/
Ain’t Nobody’s Business If You Do: Well before he died, Peter McWilliams placed the entire text of his work on-line for general viewing.
http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/books/aint/
Peter McWilliams’ Trial: Drug Sense.Org has preserved the pages about Peter McWilliams’ trial from the now non-existent petertrial.com.
http://www.drugsense.org/mcwilliams/www.petertrial.com/intro-0.htm
Drug Policy Alliance: “Drug Policy Alliance is the leading organization working to broaden the public debate on drug policy and to promote realistic alternatives to the war on drugs based on science, compassion, health and human rights.”
http://www.drugpolicy.org/
Drug Reform Coordination Network: A network of “parents, educators, students, lawyers, health care professionals, academics, and others working for drug policy reform and promotion of an open debate on drug prohibition. DRCNet supports rational policies consistent with the principles of peace, justice, freedom, compassion and truth. Each of these has been compromised in the name of the Drug War.”
http://stopthedrugwar.org/
Tianamen Square and the Drug War: Peter McWilliams, outspoken critic of the war on drugs, became a casualty in that war on June 14, 2000.
http://www.hoboes.com/Mimsy/?ART=4
Federal Judge Opens Season on AIDS patients: AIDS patient dies from lack of medical marijuana. Judge King says “that was the whole point all along” and issues warning to all government critics.
http://www.hypocritae.com/?ART=32
Search for more information about Peter McWilliams’ Death on the web: From “an American hero” to “prisoner of the drug war”, Peter McWilliams’ death sent shock waves of bipartisan outrage throughout the early web.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Peter+McWilliams+dead

Mimsy Were the Borogoves