Re: A Thanksgiving Message

Leonard Peltier
By cathy - Mar 20th, 2007 at 11:51 pm EDT
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Leonard Peltier is an American Indian (Anishinabe and Lakota tribes) who has spent the last 31 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit. In fact in an appeal, the US prosecutor admitted that even though the People could not prove that he murdered the two FBI agents, someone had to pay.- For this, he was sentenced to 2 consecutive life terms.

This is not how our democracy works. This is a miscarriage of justice that could as easily happen to any one of us. And it is especially possible if we happen to belong to a non-white minority or we are too poor to afford an attorney who is willing to see justice done. Whether or not Peltier pulled thhe trigger, he is still entitled to a fair trial under the rule of law. This he did not receive and continues to not receive. It is commonly held that Leonard's only crime was that he was an Indian activist who was willing to protect traditional Oglala Elders and their families from US government-supported death and torture squads, and from random acts of violence by the FBI and their cohorts.

In 2,000, there was a good indication that President Clinton would pardon Leonard Peltier. In fact Leonard was notified to have his bags packed and be ready to leave Leavenworth. In the end, Clinton bowed to intense and inappropriate pressure from the FBI and the Dept. of Justice and left the documents pardoning Leonard Peltier unsigned. While there is no substantive proof to back this up, it is speculated that the Peltier pardon formed part of a bargain that resulted in the Dept. Justice dropping charges against Clinton of perjury before a Grand Jury in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

The ACLU has labelled Leonard Peltier a political prisoner of the United States and repeatedly called for his immediate release as have notable world and national leaders including the Dalai Llama and the late Mother Teresa.

One of my greatest hopes is that if Senator Obama is elected President in 2008, he will restore justice to our Democracy and our Constitution by pardoning Leonard Peltier and calling for an investigation of the events and more than 60 political murders and assassinations that occurred on the Pine Ridge Reservation, SD between 1973 and 1977. I also pray that he calls for an investigation of the crimes and perjury committed by the FBI in order to achieve a guilty verdict. In this way, we can begin to heal the festering wounds of the past and set in place safeguards that will ensure that they never happen again.



http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/cathymccarthy/CqxF
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