Now that Richard Brookhiser is in remission…

He feels free to support someone who, ten years ago, would have put him in prison for trying to live.

After reading his stupid attack on Ron Paul at National Review this morning, I am reminded of his testimony before Congress in 1996. Brookhiser was recovering from testicular cancer and found that the only thing that could help him deal with the horrible nausea produced by the chemotherapy was smoking marijuana. Brookhiser explained:

“I believe in getting government off people’s backs. We should include the backs of sick people trying to help themselves.”

After reading the testimony, I called Brookhiser to join an organization I was running at the time, Republicans for the Medical Marijuana Initiative (California’s Prop. 215 in 1996). He told me he was sick of Republicans not willing to recognize his right to own his own body, and eagerly endorsed my effort.

Now that Brookhiser is cancer-free, such concerns have apparently evaporated and he is happy to trash Ron Paul and support a candidate (Giuliani) who would lock other medical marijuana patients away in prison.

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9:45 am on December 17, 2007