Free Peltier 2004

[ellie]

Please send this letter to the presidential candidate of your choice to free Leonard Peltier:

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To Presidential Candidate_____________

Leonard Peltier is a political prisoner who has been unjustly incarcerated for 28 years in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Mr. Peltier’s freedom is a critical issue in determining my vote in the upcoming presidential elections. At the height of clemency, more than a million citizens per day were voicing their support of Mr. Peltier’s freedom. I add my voice to these supporters when I say:

Want my vote in 2004? FREE PELTIER

Sincerely ______________

******

Thanks to the Spirit of Crazy Horse newsletter.

-ellie

[northzax]

1. well, I would have more sympathy

if he hadn't been involved in the killing of federal agents. Even Matthison didn't make the case persuasively enough for me. Peltier took up arms against the US government, leading to fatalities, sorry, you don't get bonus points from me for having the right politics and using violence.

[JailForBush]

2. Good for Peletier.

Fuck the federal government. Where's the outrage against Jackalope Janklow.

By the way, did you see the video of FBI agents marching to demonstrate against freeing Peletier just before President Clinton pardoned all those crooks? I wish I had a copy of it; my memory is probably exaggerating, but I could have sworn they were goose stepping.

[Red_Storm]

5. I always have sympathy..........

for anyone sent to jail based on a trial that produced fabricated evidence, key evidence proving innocence suppressed, witnesses coerced into giving false testimony, ballistics evidence withheld.......but of course one federal agents life is worth more than 100 Native American lives........investigating the murder of a fed is more important than investigating all the murders of Native Americans that have occured on Pine Ridge.........we really are lucky to have the FBI as our beacon of justice..........

[Elidor]

3. I heard a song about Peltier just yesterday

By Robbie Robertson, I don't know the name. It featured Peltier talking about his case. He said the prosecutor said (this is not an exact quote, I'm working from memory) 'We don't know what part Leonard Peltier played in the killing of the agents, but someone has to pay.'

Several other Indians were acquitted on grounds of self-defense. I don't have much trouble believing Peltier has been railroaded. Unlike some, I'll at least reserve passing judgement until I'm acquainted with all the facts.

[ellie]

4. A good reference is the DVD

"Incident at Oglala," which was produced by Robert Redford. There are interviews with all of the people involved, including FBI agents and Leonard himself. I bought it off Amazon and I also got signed up for the Spirit of Crazy Horse newsletter that keeps readers up-to-date on the latest regarding his case.

Also, visit www.freepeltier.org for more info. The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee continues to petition the government for release of documents. I believe the last count was that the government was withholding approximately 100,000 documents concerning his case. It's a classic case of the deny, stall, and threaten dance that the FBI likes to play. Most damning is the admission by the FBI that it cannot prove that Leonard killed those two agents. Although he was found guilty by a jury, does this conviction hold up if witnesses were threatened, were lying, and evidence was planted? I would hope not.

But don't take my word for it. I urge you to do more research and learn about the case and make your own conclusions.