Peter Isaac Diamondstone Essay

Peter Isaac Diamondstone, co-founder of and perreniel candidate in Vermont’s first alternative political party - Liberty Union - died Wednesday, in his home, surrounded by loved ones, after a long illness. Peter was born in the Bronx, in 1934, to Mildred and Jess Diamondstone. He met Doris Lake in 1953 and was quoted many times, as saying that his “...life began when he married Doris.” Together they raised Aaron Dimitri, Jill Denise (Jessica), Ian Garth, and Paula Jean. Besides his devoted wife and children, Peter is survived by 14 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, his brother Kenneth and Kenneth’s life long partner, Joe Kopitz, and cousins, John Block, Barry Diamondstone, ??, and ??.

Peter’s life of service in the struggle to protect
human rights and our nation’s Constitution began at an early age and continued through his last weeks. As a child he worked for Franklin Delanor Roosevelt, delivering leaflets. He often recalled a book his mother gave him when he was still “a kid”: The Fine Art of Propaganda: A Study of Father Coughlin's Speeches. During his last months, Peter saved his strength to attend monthly Liberty Union meetings where he helped to up-date the party platform (see www.libertyunion.com.)

Peter was never able to condone the concept of concentrating wealth and dedicated his life to the vision of a classless society where people own the goods of their labor and no one has the right to profit from another’s labor.
After graduating from Flushing High in Queens, NY, Peter worked as a cab driver and a short order cook to put himself through college. He attended 2 years at Queens College before his conscience would not allow him to continue to participate in a system where privileged college students were spared the draft while working class men were off fighting, so he upped his draft to serve in the Korean war. After his honorable discharge, Peter completed his BA in English and history, and continued on to to earn his ???????at the University Of Chicago Law School and opened a private law practice on Long Island. He then moved to Vermont to be a Legal Aid attorney and to write a book, which was never written, never ceasing his work as a civil rights activist. After refusing to be re-licensed on the Vt Bar, due to the unconstitutionality of the licensing process, Peter worked as a Vista Volunteer trainer, a teacher, truck driver, pre-school bus driver, and alcohol rehab counselor for the Vt Veteran’s Association. He was arrested numerous times, protecting our constitutional rights. One person wrote of Peter, ”When you look up the word "Mensch" in the dictionary, you find a picture of
Peter.”

Peter keenly felt the pain in the world and served with compassion to ease suffering wherever it showed. He shared his home with the homeless, shared family holidays with strangers from halfway houses, bartered legal advice for firewood and garden vegetables. He and Doris loved animals and rescued all sorts of critters from hurt pigeons to cats, dogs, even turtles.

Peter lit up when he thought of two of the most influential people in his life: Pete Seger, and Bill Meyer. Bill, a good friend and inspiration, was Vermont’s first elected Democrat to the Vt House and a co-founder of Liberty Union. Pete Segar was one of Peter’s childhood camp counselors. One of Peter’s childhood delights was sitting under a tree with Pete Segar singing songs of peace and justice, and fun songs, too. Peter loved to sing! Some of his last words, as he thought about his own life and the world at large were, “maybe we can all be a little nicer to each other.”