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8-24-08
His Name is Leonard Peltier
As most everyone knows I have been a
spokesperson for Peltier in the past. Recently, I was asked by David Hill to
help with organizing some events.Yesterday, David was returning to Oklahoma
after visiting with Leonard at the prison in Lewisburg, PA. He said that
Leonard really needs help right now and that he wanted see if I could come up
with some ideas to focus attention on the injustices of his case. So I may
find myself involved again, and I am hoping that many others will renew their
involvement with his case.
One way to do something right now is to join
Peltier's' branches of support. You can sign up at www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/branches.htm.
And then network with your friends, campus organization, peace/social justice
groups and so on.
Leonard's 64th birthday will be on Sept.
12th, and September 6 will mark 32 and half years of imprisonment for
something the government cannot prove.His case has generated support from the
entertainment industry, religious/world leaders, 55 members of congress,
numerous human rights groups such as Amnesty International, and other
respected national and international organizations. Some 25 million letters
have been written on his behalf. U.S. Presidents have patronized his
supporters and then ignored his appeal for justice.Attempts to initiate
congressional hearings have been blocked, and the judicial system seems to
withhold justice they would have granted to others. After being released from
prison after evidence of his innocence was presented, Geronimo Ji-jaga Pratt
expressed astonishment that Peltier was still held and with more proof and
support on his side.
There have been several agents of the FBI who
have said that it doesn't matter if Peltier is guilty or not. He will never be
freed. The FBI will make sure of that and to me that sounds like a threat. It
was the FBI who threatened the life of Anna Mae Aquash if she didn't cooperate
in their investigations of who killed the agents. Standing Deer was also
threatened with the loss of his life if he revealed the assassination plot in
1978. When Standing Deer was released and became involved with working for
Peltier's' freedom, he was murdered in his Houston home in 2003.In the Aquash
case, it seems strange that all of a sudden the Justice Department and FBI are
being cast as heroes in solving the case. It is highly questionable though
that Looking Cloud got a fair trial. Graham isn't expected to see anything
better. So if Graham is convicted, then will the case be over for Indians?
Will "justice" be served on a plate of BS and greedily devoured by
anti-AIMers and the media?Will former federal agents David Price, William
Wood, Norman Zigrossi, and Richard G. Held ever be tried for their roles in
the deaths of AIM activists or the traditional people who supported them?
Women and children were murdered, some viciously, and the FBI did nothing to
prosecute.The federal agents will never stand a day in their court. It isn't
going to happen and never will. I say that because we have not secured a new
trial or the release of Leonard Peltier.
With Graham's trial coming up on October 6th
in Rapid City, S.D., it is an opportune time to remind people about who the
thugs were that perpetuated the Oglala Civil War of the 1970's. The government
has the capability and experience in fabricating their records and evidence.
They gained experience from their mistakes.
When Bob Robideau and Dino Butler were found
not guilty by reason of self-defense, Leonard would have been freed also had
he not been in Canada and later tried before a different judge. The FBI
learned after the Robideau and Butler case where their trial strategy failed
and then shopped for a different Judge. The FBI created a climate of fear
among the jurors and courtroom attendees, with SWAT teams covering their every
move.They made Leonard out to be a very dangerous man and the judge refused to
allow Leonard to present the same evidence and testimony as was allowed for
his co-defendants. With the court ruling against his defense, he had no
defense at all. And years after his conviction, evidence surfaced that would
have brought him a new trial. But the court incorrectly applied a strict
standard and a new trial wasn't granted despite the prosecutorial misconduct
in this case, that is, the withholding of evidence that would have proved his
innocence.
This information and so much more I have
spoken of since I became involved in 1991, and I've seen a groundswell of
support rise and then fade away. There have been several changes in the
leadership of the defense committee; others have misused his name for their
own gain. The coordinator for the current committee is his younger sister,
Betty.
Through their website, you can find resources
to educate yourself on Peltier's' case. If you are a student, than write a
research paper on the very criminal justice system within the colonial
occupying government called America, using Peltier as an example. Obtain
handouts on the chronology of his case, and then purchase products to keep
Leonard's name and his case in the public mind.
We have held major benefit concerts, spoken
at colleges/universities, held mass demonstrations; signed petitions and many
other activities have been held around the world. What is it going to take to
free him? I really wished I had an answer for you, and especially Peltier.
I know that a movement doesn't exist unless
we are in a state of motion. We have to be doing something everywhere. Maybe
we will need to have cross-country horse rides to publicize Peltier's case,
hold spiritual fasts, or other activities to draw people's attention. I will
see what I can come up with and if anything develops, we can get the word out.
Maybe write letters and hold public
demonstrations to bring an investigation into the FBI's activities of the
Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO) that targeted Martin Luther King, the
Kennedys and so many activists. The FBI is responsible for the false
imprisonment of so many people and the murders and assassinations of so many
others.
In the era of homeland security, we may
receive a visit from the suits and dark glasses threatening to have us taken
in because we might be homegrown radicals and violent terrorists. If we are
terrorists, then we stand the risk of being detained alongside Al-Qaeda and
other people who may or may not be innocent.It could be something to fear, but
I know there were many nameless people who stood with that same fear against
the federal government and they called themselves the American Indian
Movement. And we have one who is falsely imprisoned and
his name is Leonard Peltier.
Ben Carnes
10-12-08
Leonard will be transferred soon.
October 11, 2008
Greetings my friends and relatives:
My parole hearing date is drawing near but there are also plans to move me to a different federal prison. I do not know when the move will occur exactly but only recently have been informed of an impending removal from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. It makes me feel good to know that you all are with me in spirit and willing to continue supporting me no matter where I am placed in the United States prison system.
The end of the Bush Administration will create tremendous opportunities for us. Immediately following the election everyone should be ready to take action to contact the president elect on my behalf. We need many more elected and appointed officials to openly take issue with the political process that put me here in prison. We must all continue to educate elected officials that their constituency is comprised of Americans who care and demand justice for not only me but all political prisoners. They need to know the global and international community is watching to see what will happen in my case so they can be aware of the possible repercussions worldwide. The most significant thing about my case is that if allowed to stand it sets a precedence, if it happened to me it can happen to anyone. It is important that you all recognize that my case isn’t just about me, it is about
justice for you and me and our children and our children’s children and their children.
I am extremely grateful to my niece Kari Ann, my sister Betty Ann and Donna Beltran who are the foundation of the office at this time. I am also extremely grateful at this time to all of you who are working with them to get the committee up and running. It has been down more or less for the past four years since they moved me from Lawrence Kansas to Lewisburg Pennsylvania. We have had some operations going but they have been minimal. And I am also thankful to those people who took part in those efforts at that time. Like Sitting Bull once said, “Like fingers of the hand, we can be broken off one by one. But altogether we make a mighty fist for justice.” It is this coalition of caring responsible and persevering individuals that have kept the visibility of the injustice perpetrated against myself and all my people.
Our committee has a campaign called “Aim for Freedom” on my behalf. By actively participating in these efforts you have and will help promote their visibility and political influence in your community, in your state, across the nation and worldwide. Thank you for taking the time to help promote the Committee, which is now known as the Defense Offense Committee. Defense because we have been reactionary for the most part to the government’s incursion upon our freedom. And the Offense part of our Committee denotes our intentions to more offensively seek justice defend justice advocate justice in a peaceful way and network with others of like minded heart who have the same concerns for justice and freedom. The Defense Committee exists because of concerned citizens like you.
The Committee has made great strides in the short time they have been in existence, however there is still much to be done. The LPDOC has fought many struggles and has worn thin from time to time, just as with any battle we have had to regroup and reorganize and I have no doubt that there are people out there who have been worn thin by the ups and downs of the Defense Committee over the past 32 plus years. But when you are working with volunteers and grassroots people, many of them with limited resources, not to mention they are fighting the most powerful government in the world and the most financially equipped bureaucracies - they have done a hell of a job with what they have gone up against.
As you know, we had both successes and disappointments over the years in our activities. But each disappointment in its own way has made us stronger, more educated, more resolute, to be more successful in the future. In my culture we are taught by the greatest creation we have to relate to, that is our Earth Mother and nature. And in that like the water we seek to flow around our opposition and wear it down. We seek to be like the stone of the Earth itself firm and resolute in our intent, yet willing to change when necessary. And like the air willing to go anywhere anytime and be a part of anything that promotes healthy life and in harmony with the Creator’s design. And like the fire of the sun try to shed light in the darkest corners of humanity. We also take teachings of the sacred trees themselves even the smallest tree that is shaded by others will persevere toward the light.
If all of this sounds too dramatic try sitting in a cell for 32 years, that’s dramatic.
I am sorry if I have gotten too wordy, I sat out to talk to you a little bit about our need for help in terms of donations and so forth. We need monetary donations; we need physical help from individuals who can help with their time, helping the Committee with different projects. We need in-kind donations of workshops and personnel training for office and organizing skills.
Every decision that the government makes on my case is a legal precedent for someone else to look at and avoid. You know the cause is just and the need is great. Our adversaries are very powerful, but likewise our determination is just as resolute. Our resources have run thin on both monetary and material fronts but our hearts are still strong. But to carry on the fight we absolutely unequivocally and desperately need your help.
For that reason I am personally asking you to make donation today to help the Committee operate effectively for our freedoms. We need help to meet our operating costs. And your donation will help pay the significant legal expenses associated with case-filing fees, cost recovery fees, attorney travel, etc. You can make a contribution at www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/donate.htm or send a check or money order made payable to "LP DOC" to PO Box 7488, Fargo, ND 58106. The Committee will accept gas cards, phone cards, office products, equipment, and materials as a donation too, please call the office at (701) 235-2206 to discuss it.
By donating financially, materially and contributing of your own time and effort to speak up on my behalf makes a statement to the world about activism in the face of adverse conditions. At the very least it will serve to show that we are not afraid to stand up in opposition to those who would wrongfully imprison us for disagreeing with them about their oppressive policies. Thank you for your active support of this important work. May the Great Spirit bless you with all that you need and answer your prayers in a kind and gentle way and your greatest sorrow ultimately bring to you great joy in this world of uncertainty.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse
Mitakuye Oyasin (All My Relations)
Leonard Peltier
1 1-28-08
NO THANKS GIVING DAY STATEMENT
Greetings to my relatives, friends and supporters:
As the National Day of Mourning commemorates it 39th anniversary, I find myself approaching my 33rd year and I can’t but help to see the striking similarities between why you are there, and I am here in this prison. And it is the denial of the truth by people who can make a difference. And it doesn’t help matters any that those who do know, enable the myth of “Thanksgiving”. But we must continue to change that.
I hope that this will be the last statement I will have to write to you from prison on this National Day of Mourning. I tell you this because I want to believe that I can stand here with you next year a free man.
It would be an honor for me to stand in your circle to mourn the people who have fallen in the path of colonization. I carry many names and memories of friends and relatives who have passed on in defending the people. Many people whom I want to remember their sacrifice for me. Those names begin with Joe Stuntz and hopefully have ended with Standing Deer. In between I want to remember Rocky Duenas, Dallas Thundershield, Bobby Garcia, and Standing Deer. Many of my family and friends who have passed on and I could not be there weighs on me because they have suffered also through the years of my living nightmare.
We’ve been through a lot, but we are still here and we are the evidence of the Western Hemisphere being populated before the first real immigrant arrived on our shores and they have a holiday for him. And all we have is a Day of recognition tomorrow. So lets use the Native American Heritage Day as another page in writing the truth of our history. My Sister Betty Ann and others will be carrying the truth in Fargo where I was railroaded by the manipulations of the FBI. It is another day they will pay attention to us. This is how we will keep the faith and remain strong.
So I offer my most humble gratitude to you for being here today and every year. And I would ask everyone to work with my new committee as we prepare for a push to bring me home. Right now the two most important things I would like for everyone to concentrate on is the 30-year mandatory parole law and my transfer. There are plans being made, and they will be released when it is time. You can subscribe to our list serve at the website to stay updated on what we are doing and what you can do to help. I look forward to seeing you here next year.
In the Spirit of crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier’s Statement at the Day of Justice
Fargo, N.D. Nov. 28th, 2008
It is ironic that in April 1977, I was tried here in Fargo. And then 31 years later to the month, my newly formed defense offense committee was founded here. It is no coincidence, and it may surprise people that I believe we are coming full circle and that my time of freedom is near.
I know that 31 years ago, many people in this town were mislead into believing that the American Indian Movement was a communist-infiltrated organization and that they were going to launch a massive military styled assault upon the federal courthouse.
Everyone knows that hindsight is 20-20, and since then many of the jury members learned the government with held evidence from them. Federal Appeals Court Judge, Gerald Heaney said that had the withheld evidence had been presented to the jury; it is possible they would have rendered a different verdict. This piece of evidence exonerated me from being the killer because the gun did not match the shell casings found at the scene. Without any evidence, the prosecutor admitted that they did not know who killed the agents and they can’t prove who did. But it was due to a legal technicality that the court did not grant me a new trial.
Since then books pointing out the FBI misconduct is well documented, supported by documentaries. I would ask the people of Fargo to take a close look at what all transpired in my case and is this the kind of justice you would want for yourself or your family member? Millions of people worldwide have looked at the same information and have called for my right to Justice. Today here in Fargo, N.D., on Native American Heritage Day and a Day of Justice, my friends and family want to remind you that long ago, my good friend, the late Lew Gurwitz said, “this is a case that is not going to go away.” And it hasn’t.
We are here to create awareness and educate the people of Fargo and the world that my continued imprisonment is wrong. If they can look at all the facts, I would hope that this community would support my committee in this campaign.
I want to thank the people in the committee, my sister & niece, Betty Ann & Kari Ann. I want to thank Russell Means and my daughter Lisa for being here. As well as everyone present, this means so much to me to have everyone here where this travesty started and I know that each and everyone of you will work hard and loyally, but always remember that you also do this for yourself and your loved ones. My case has proven to what lengths beyond the law of what a government will do if they want to target someone. If it wasn’t me, it could be any one of you. Mitakuye Oyasin – All My Relations!
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
1-1-09
A Message from Leonard Peltier:
re: MY
LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE
Family, Friends and Supporters, I'm happy to announce
that a powerful one-man stage play MY LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE portraying my
life in words and music. Touring the States, Canada and Europe beginning in
the spring of 2009. My co playwright Harvey Arden and producer, friend and
long time supporter Keith Rabin of In Peace Productions are beginning a 4
week road trip across the western and south western states introducing
audiences to the play with the spoken word performances by Harvey Arden.
Artwork created for this tour by Keith and others along with copies of my
book Prison Writings, MY LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE and other sale items to raise
money for the upcoming tour of the full stage performance. Im told the
play is absolutely haunting, and, with luck and your prayers - along with
President Obamas mercy - I myself may be sitting there a free man in
the audience with you in 2009. I urge theaters throughout the world to
contact Producer Keith Rabin at keith@mylifeismysundance.com
for a spot in our 2009 tour. If you havent already done so, please help
in sponsoring this spoken word performance by Harvey, supporting the
projects of In Peace Productions by going now to www.mylifeismysundance.com
. For more information concerning the road tour and play visit www.mylifeismysundance.com
See Harvey and Keith on the upcoming tour or to schedule a day during the
trip write keith@mylifeismysundance for the days schedule. Note also that In
Peace Productions,LLC. as one part of its outreach, will continue to archive
and document the living, breathing personal stories and essential knowledge
of the First Nations people. These are the stories that for generation our
ancestors gave to all of us as enduring gifts. These stories that have been
told and retold so that the next generations will carry with them in their
blood the seeds of the Original Instructions that make us human. Again I
encourage you to support this noble endeavor so that stories of Indigenous
Peoples, all of our stories, will not be forgotten. Please PRE-ORDER TICKETS
for the 2009 performances at www.mylifeismysundance.com
Support the tour if you support my causes....
In Solidarity And In the
Spirit of Crazy Horse, (signed) Leonard Peltier
USP 89637-132 PS: In Peace Productions,LLC fully supports, as do I, the
following Organizations: LPDOC, the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense
Committee; www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info
Oglala Commemoration every June 26th at Pine Ridge; www.oglalacommemoration.com
oglala_commemoration@yahoo.com
KOLA [international Peltier Forum] http://users.skynet.be/kola/index1.htm
kolahq@skynet.be
1-2-09
~ An Open Letter to
President-elect Barack Obama on Leonard Peltier ~
Dear President-elect Obama:
A Great Act of Mercy by you can help heal the still raw wounds of Indian
people and their continuing confrontation with the 'Dominant Society' of the
United States. I don’t know if you know the Leonard Peltier case
personally; nor will I argue it here. Please talk to Secretary Bill
Richardson and Sen. Inouye about this great injustice now in its 33rd year;
they both know it well. Leonard was 31 when he was framed; he's now 64.
A poll a couple of years ago asked thousands of people, "Who Is the
Greatest American Indian in History?" The winner, yes, was
Leonard Peltier. Crazy Horse, as I recall, was 2nd; Sitting Bull, 3rd.
All Lakota ('Sioux') incidentally.
Mr. President-elect, I ask from my deepest heart that you grant a
brief audience to me and Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th-Generation Keeper
of the Sacred White Buffalo Pipe of the Great Lakota Nation, so that we may
deliver a message to you on behalf of millions of good souls around the
earth who plead for Leonard’s freedom, who see Leonard’s freedom as The
Sign that Democracy and Love and Prayer and Justice still have a meaning in
America.
I ask to read to you from Leonard’s book PRISON WRITINGS: MY LIFE IS MY
SUN DANCE, of which I am privileged to be the editor. A wondrous stage
play MY LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE has been produced from Leonard's words to rave
audiences, and we will be delighted to bring the soon-to-tour
words-and-music production to the venue of your choice, for you to
experience the power and poetry and compassion of it. It wrings the soul.
I would welcome the presence of VP-elect Biden, Sec.-designate Hillary
Clinton (and Bill, of course), Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Inouye, your new
FBI director and any other persons you'd like to be on hand. I also
ask to have Leonard Peltier himself standing beside me in the Oval Office as
I read his wordswords Leonard would read to you himself if his locked jaw
would allow him to. Leonard also asks me to invite Mumia Abu Jamal--another
political prisoner, to whom we also ask you to grant executive clemency.
Freeing these two men would be an act of intrinsic greatness, I daresay a
Holy Act.
Mr. President-elect, we await your strong hand in bringing these enormous
and glaring injustices to an end.
Respectfully,
/ (signed) Harvey Arden
Washington, DC
12/23/2008
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