Flag Day and Peter McWilliams

Tomorrow, June 14, is Flag Day.

It would be appropriate if all flags flew at half-mast. Or upside-down.

That's because it's the tenth anniversary of the death of Peter McWilliams, one of the most prominent victims of the War on Drugs, precisely because he was a strong advocate for drug legalization and the repeal of all consensual crimes - behavior that does not do involuntary harm to anyone.

Five years ago, the Gonzales v Raich Supreme Court decision was handed down, which ruled that federal medical marijuana raids in states where it's legal was a valid application of the Constitution's Commerce Clause. (Justice Stevens, we will NOT miss you, and kudos to Sandra Day O'Connor and Clarence Thomas for their dissents.) The ruling was yet another kick in the teeth for the friends of liberty, and "defiled Peter McWilliams' Corpse." (see below.)

The ruling came a week short of the fifth anniversary of Peter's death. When I was reminded of the exact date, I decided to learn more about Peter and post about what I learned. I posted the following items from June 8 through June 14, 2005:

Peter McWilliams

Supreme Court Defiles Peter McWilliams' Corpse

Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do is Online!

Peter McWilliams Case - In His Own Words

A Conversation With Peter McWilliams

Conversation With Peter McWilliams Part 2

Conversation With Peter McWilliams, Part 3

Harry Browne on Peter McWilliams

We Miss You, Peter McWilliams

R.W. Bradford on McWilliams

Video of Peter's Speech at 1998 LP Convention

Champion of Liberty

How Did Peter Die?

Winding Down

Stay tuned: there will be more material this week. Also, in January a tribute page to Peter McWilliams was created. It doesn't just dwell on Peter's activism, but on his entire life and work. No need to create a MySpace account to read and learn: http://home.myspace.com/petermcwilliamstribute