I haven’t seen The Iron Claw but it certainly looks like a good movie. It receives 88% and 94% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie is about the von Erich brothers, who became famous in the world of professional wrestling in the 1980s.
As I was reading a review of the movie, I discovered that U.S. drug warriors were able to place another notch on their belts by having the drug war contribute to the suicide of one of the von Erich brothers, Kerry von Erich.
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In 1986, Kerry suffered a terrible accident while riding his motorcycle. The accident severely injured one of his legs, which ultimately led the amputation of his foot.
In the process, Kerry became addicted to pain killers. He was later arrested, prosecuted, and convicted of forging drug prescriptions. He was given a ten-year probated jail sentence.
In 1992, Kerry showed signs of suicidal tendencies, expressing a wish to join three of his brothers who had passed away, two by suicide. Additionally, his marriage was falling apart.
The clincher came when he was indicted for possession of cocaine as part of the much-vaunted “war on drugs” that both state and federal governments have been waging for decades. That was the factor that sent Kerry over the edge.
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Threatened with the revocation of his probation, Kerry was facing ten years in jail on the previous charge and additional jail time for the drug-possession charge. He decided it was time to check out. He died in 1993 at the age of 33 by suicide by shooting himself in the head.
Jut another victory in the war on drugs. After all, from the standpoint of a drug warrior, what could be better than eliminating a drug addict from society without having to pay the costs of imprisonment?
In 2009, the Von Erich family, including Kerry, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Reprinted with permission from The Future of Freedom Foundation.
