   Please help keep me out of federal prison by writing a
    letter to the judge.

    My name is Peter McWilliams. I am a cancer survivor
    living with AIDS. I was arrested in July 1998 on
    federal medical marijuana charges, even though I
    live in California, a state that approved medical
    marijuana use in 1996.

    In November 1999, the federal prosecutors
    success fully obtained an order prohibiting me from
    mentioning to the jury that I have AIDS, that
    marijuana is medicine, that the federal government
    supplies eight patients with medical marijuana each
    month, or that California has a law permitting the
    very act that I was accused of violating.

    As I never denied my medical marijuana cultivation,
    that left me with no defense whatsoever. To avoid
    an almost certain guilty verdict and a ten-year
    mandatory-minimum sentence, I pled guilty to a
    lesser charge. (The whole story is at
    <http://www.petertrial.com>.) My sentencing for
    this charge will be on March 27, 2000. The
    deadline for turning in letters of support is
    February 20, 2000.

    Would you please take the time to send a letter, or
    a fax, or even an e-mail, to the judge on my
    behalf? It would make all the difference in my
    world.

    The letter need not be long or eloquent. One
    sentence is sufficient.

    The judge can sentence me to 0 to 5 years. The
    federal sentencing guidelines place my recommended
    (but not mandatory) sentence in the 5-year range.
    It is probably unavoidable that I get a sentenced
    to some time -- perhaps the full five years.

    What I am asking the judge -- and what I am asking
    you to ask the judge -- is that I be able to serve
    my sentence under "home detention," also known as
    "electronic monitoring." (An electronic
    transmitter would b permanently fastened to my
    ankle and my whereabouts would be monitored 24
    hours a day. I would not be able to leave my home
    except for medical or court appointments. As I
    live in Los Angeles, this will allow me to write
    my books, including Galileo LA.)

    In writing the Judge King, please observe these
    commonsense guidelines:

    1. Please be respectful. The judge owes me, or
        you, nothing. You are asking for a favor.
        When Judge King was asked to allow me to use
        medical marijuana while out on bail, he said to
        the attorneys on both sides, in a voice
        trembling with compassion, "I am struggling
        mightily with this. Please, struggle with me."
        Alas, there was nothing in federal law that
        permitted him to allow me to break federal law,
        even to save my life, but I believed the
        sincerity of his struggle. Personally, I don't
        want judges rewriting law as they see fit.
        Judge King is a good judge upholding a bad law.
        My sentence, however, is at his discretion. I
        believe he will be fair, that he will read
        the letter you send, and he will be moved by
        your heartfelt request. I believe we owe
        courtesy to the King.

    2. Please focus on my health
        (http://www.petertrial.com/undetectable.htm)
        and my contributions to society (through my
        books -- http://www.mcwilliams.com/books) as
        reasons why I should receive home detention or
        electronic monitoring (the term can be used
        interchangeably). The legal arguments will be
        made by my attorney.

    3. If you know me, please say so, and state any
        positive character traits you may have noticed
        wafting by from time to time. (This letter is
        not written under oath, so you will not be
        arrested for perjury.)

    4. If you have read any of my books, please say
        so. If they helped you, please say how.
        (Exception: Please do not mention "Ain't
        Nobody's Business If You Do." See 5.)

    5. Please do not give your opinion of the War on
        Drugs (unless you're in favor of it), how the
        government treated me in this case (unless you
        approve), your views on medical marijuana
        (unless you're against it), or anything else
        critical of the status quo. Save those
        remarks, however well-reasoned and accurate,
        for letters-to-the-editor. Such comments may
        be counterproductive in a letter to a federal
        judge.

    6. If you can, please keep the letter to one
        page, and no longer than two.

    Actual letters (those things made popular in the
    last millennium, printed on paper, put into
    envelopes, and sent through the Post Office) are
    best. Typed is better, but handwritten is fine.
    Please use the most impressive letterhead to
    which you have legitimate access. (Your business
    stationery is better than your personal
    stationery, for example.) If you don't have
    stationery, you can create a letterhead on any
    word processor in about two minutes.

    Please address the letters to "The Honorable
    George H. King" and begin the letter "Dear Judge
    King,". Please mail the letters TO ME at:
    Peter McWilliams, 8165 Mannix Drive, Los Angeles,
    CA 90046.

    If you know you're probably not going to get
    around to writing a letter (and I know just how
    you feel -- I don't know where to find an
    envelope any more, much less a stamp -- please
    send a fax (signed, on letterhead, if possible,
    but if not, that's fine) to (323) 650-1541.

    If you think you might not get around to sending
    a fax, please send an e-mail. Please write at
    the bottom of the e-mail "You have my permission
    to reformat this letter, print it, and sign my
    name at the bottom." Your name will be signed
    for you, next to which will be the initials of
    the person signing it. Please include your
    complete mailing address. The e-mail address is
    peter@mcwilliams.com.

    Finally, please circulate this request as widely
    as you can -- post it on bulletin boards, send it
    to receptive people on your e-mail list, send it
    out in newsletters, put it on your web page.
    Kindly use your creativity, but, please, no
    spamming.

    If you cannot post the entire message of this
    missive, the online address of this request is
    <http://www.petertrial.com/letters.htm>.

    Thank you from the bottom of my weary but very
    grateful heart.

    Peter McWilliams
    peter@mcwilliams.com