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[Nonviolenza] La biblioteca di Zorobabele. 486
- Subject: [Nonviolenza] La biblioteca di Zorobabele. 486
- From: Centro di ricerca per la pace Centro di ricerca per la pace <centropacevt at gmail.com>
- Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2022 07:37:01 +0200
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LA BIBLIOTECA DI ZOROBABELE
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Segnalazioni librarie e letture nonviolente
a cura del "Centro di ricerca per la pace, i diritti umani e la difesa della biosfera" di Viterbo
Supplemento a "La nonviolenza e' in cammino" (anno XXIII)
Direttore responsabile: Peppe Sini. Redazione: strada S. Barbara 9/E, 01100 Viterbo, tel. 0761353532, e-mail: centropacevt at gmail.com
Numero 486 del 24 giugno 2022
In questo numero:
1. Alcune iniziative in Italia e in Europa per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier
2. Carol Gokee: Rise Up For Peltier Call to Action Toolkit
3. Leonard Peltier: On solidarity with Standing Rock, executive clemency and the international Indigenous struggle (19 settembre 2016)
4. Leonard Peltier: On 41st anniversary of "Incident at Oglala" (4 luglio 2016)
5. Leonard Peltier: Message from Leonard Peltier, unjustly imprisoned for 40 years (21 febbraio 2016)
6. Leonard Peltier: Peltier thanks supporters on 71st birthday (15 settembre 2015)
7. Leonard Peltier: Fortieth anniversary of Oglala incident... (primo luglio 2015)
8. Leonard Peltier: Message on "Thanksgiving" (primo dicembre 2014)
1. REPETITA IUVANT. ALCUNE INIZIATIVE IN ITALIA E IN EUROPA PER LA LIBERAZIONE DI LEONARD PELTIER
Alcune iniziative per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier che si svolgeranno in varie citta' europee nei prossimi giorni
Venerdi' 24 giugno alle ore 18 a Lipsia.
Venerdi' 24 giugno alle ore 18 a San Didero in Valsusa.
Sabato 25 giugno alle ore 11 a Buxtehude.
Sabato 25 giugno alle ore 18,30 a Parigi.
Sabato 25 giugno alle ore 18 a Torino.
Domenica 26 giugno alle ore 17 a Berlino.
Domenica 26 giugno alle 14,30 a Chiaravalle (Mi).
Domenica 26 giugno alle ore 14,30 a Duesseldorf.
Domenica 26 alle ore 14 a Francoforte sul Meno.
Domenica 26 giugno alle ore 16 a Vetralla.
Domenica 26 giugno alle ore 9 a Viterbo.
Domenica 26 giugno alle ore 14,30 a Zurigo.
Lunedi' 27 giugno alle ore 18 a Milano.
Venerdi' primo luglio alle ore 12 a Barcellona.
Venerdi' primo luglio a Lipsia.
Sabato 2 luglio alle ore 12 a Barcellona.
Domenica 17 luglio alle ore 18 a Francoforte sul Meno.
Altre iniziative, in questo momento ancora in preparazione, sono previste anche in altre citta'.
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Per informazioni e contatti
Per contattare le principali associazioni promotrici delle iniziative italiane in corso per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier: e-mail: bigoni.gastone at gmail.com, naila.clerici at soconasincomindios.it, nepi1.anpi at gmail.com, centropacevt at gmail.com, tel. 3490931155 (risponde Andrea De Lotto, del "Comitato di solidarieta' con Leonard Peltier" di Milano), tel. 3478207381 (risponde Naila Clerici, direttrice della rivista "Tepee" e presidente italiana di Soconas-Incomindios).
In Germania: Tokata-LPSG Verein zur Unterstuetzung indigener Sozial-, Kultur-, Umwelt- und Menschenrechtsprojekte & Leonard Peltier Support Group, sito: www.leonardpeltier.de, facebook: www.facebook.com/LPSGRheinMain, twitter: twitter.com/howlingwolf123, e-mail: lpsgrheinmain at aol.com
Il punto di riferimento internazionale e' l'International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, sito: www.whoisleonardpeltier.info, e-mail: Contact at whoisleonardpeltier.info
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Allegato primo: Appello alla Presidente del Parlamento Europeo, on. Roberta Metsola: president at ep.europa.eu
Gentilissima Presidente del Parlamento Europeo,
il suo indimenticabile predecessore, il Presidente David Sassoli, si impegno' affinche' il Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America compisse un atto di clemenza che restituisse la liberta' a Leonard Peltier, l'illustre attivista nativo americano difensore dei diritti umani di tutti gli esseri umani e della Madre Terra, da 46 anni detenuto innocente nelle carceri statunitensi a seguito di un processo-farsa in cui fu assurdamente condannato per un crimine che non ha mai commesso sulla base di "prove" false e di "testimonianze" altrettante false, come successivamente ammisero i suoi stessi accusatori e giudici. Nonostante la sua innocenza sia ormai da tutti riconosciuta, Leonard Peltier continua ad essere detenuto.
Con un intervento pubblicato su twitter e una dichiarazione alla stampa di cui e' disponibile la registrazione video il Presidente Sassoli il 23 agosto 2021 espresse pubblicamente la richiesta al Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America di concedere la grazia a Leonard Peltier.
Nel suo tweet del 23 agosto 2021 il Presidente Sassoli scriveva, in italiano e in inglese:
"Inviero' una lettera alle autorita' statunitensi chiedendo clemenza per Leonard Peltier, attivista per i diritti umani dell'American Indian Movement, in carcere da 45 anni.
Spero che le autorita' accolgano il mio invito. I diritti umani vanno difesi sempre, ovunque".
"I will send a letter to the US authorities asking for clemency for Leonard Peltier. A human rights activist of the American Indian Movement, he has been imprisoned for 45 years.
I hope the authorities will take up my invitation. Human rights must be defended always, everywhere".
Gentilissima Presidente del Parlamento Europeo,
gia' nel 1994 e poi ancora nel 1999 il Parlamento Europeo delibero' risoluzioni per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier.
Qui di seguito si trascrive integralmente la Risoluzione del Parlamento Europeo dell'11 febbraio 1999 (pubblicata sulla Gazzetta ufficiale n. C 150 del 28/05/1999 pag. 0384, B4-0169, 0175, 0179 e 0199/99):
"Risoluzione sul caso di Leonard Peltier
Il Parlamento europeo,
- vista la sua risoluzione del 15 dicembre 1994 sulla grazia per Leonard Peltier (GU C 18 del 23.1.1995, pag. 183),
A. considerando il ruolo svolto da Leonard Peltier nella difesa dei diritti dei popoli indigeni,
B. considerando che Leonard Peltier e' stato condannato nel 1977 a due ergastoli dopo essere stato estradato dal Canada, benche' non vi fosse alcuna prova della sua colpevolezza,
C. considerando che Amnesty International ha ripetutamente espresso le proprie preoccupazioni circa l'equita' del processo che ha condotto alla condanna di Leonard Peltier,
D. considerando che il governo degli Stati Uniti ha ormai ammesso che gli affidavit utilizzati per arrestare e estradare Leonard Peltier dal Canada erano falsi e che il Pubblico ministero statunitense Lynn Crooks ha affermato che il governo degli Stati Uniti non aveva alcuna prova di chi aveva ucciso gli agenti,
E. considerando che dopo 23 anni trascorsi nei penitenziari federali, le condizioni di salute di Leonard Peltier si sono seriamente aggravate e che secondo il giudizio di specialisti la sua vita potrebbe essere in pericolo se non ricevera' adeguate cure mediche,
F. considerando che le autorita' penitenziarie continuano a negargli adeguate cure mediche in violazione del diritto umanitario internazionale e i suoi diritti costituzionali,
G. rilevando che Leonard Peltier ha esaurito tutte le possibilita' di appello concessegli dal diritto statunitense,
1. insiste ancora una volta affinche' venga concessa a Leonard Peltier la grazia presidenziale;
2. insiste affinche' Leonard Peltier sia trasferito in una clinica dove possa ricevere le cure mediche del caso;
3. ribadisce la sua richiesta di un'indagine sulle irregolarita' giudiziarie che hanno portato alla reclusione di Leonard Peltier;
4. incarica la sua delegazione per le relazioni con gli Stati Uniti di sollevare il caso di Leonard Peltier iscrivendolo all'ordine del giorno del prossimo incontro con i parlamentari americani;
5. incarica il suo Presidente di trasmettere la presente risoluzione al Consiglio, alla Commissione, al Congresso statunitense e al Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America".
Gentilissima Presidente del Parlamento Europeo,
la liberazione di Leonard Peltier e' stata chiesta gia' da molti anni da prestigiose istituzioni, innumerevoli associazioni democratiche, milioni di persone di tutto il mondo tra cui illustri personalita' come Nelson Mandela, madre Teresa di Calcutta, Desmond Tutu e numerosi altri Premi Nobel.
Gentilissima Presidente del Parlamento Europeo,
dia seguito all'iniziativa del Parlamento Europeo e del Presidente Sassoli, e chieda al Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America di compiere finalmente l'atto di clemenza che restituisca la liberta' a Leonard Peltier.
Le persone partecipanti all'incontro svoltosi a Viterbo (Italia) il 22 giugno 2022
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Allegato secondo: Appello al Segretario Generale delle Nazioni Unite, on. Antonio Guterres: sgcentral at un.org
Egregio Segretario Generale delle Nazioni Unite, on. Antonio Guterres,
uniamo la nostra voce a quella di quanti hanno gia' chiesto un suo intervento presso il Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America affinche' compia un atto di clemenza restituendo la liberta' a Leonard Peltier attraverso lo strumento giuridico della grazia presidenziale.
Chiediamo questo suo intervento perche' la vicenda di Leonard Peltier riguarda l'umanita' intera.
Come Lei gia' sapra', Leonard Peltier e' un illustre attivista nativo americano, generoso e coraggioso difensore dei diritti umani di tutti gli esseri umani e della Madre Terra, da 46 anni detenuto per delitti che non ha commesso.
Gli stessi suoi accusatori che ne ottennero la condanna al termine di uno scandalosissimo processo-farsa basato su cosiddette "prove" dimostratesi assolutamente false e su cosiddette "testimonianze" dimostratesi anch'esse assolutamente false, hanno successivamente riconosciuto che la condanna e la conseguente detenzione di Leonard Peltier e' ingiusta e persecutoria, insensata e disumana, ed hanno chiesto loro stessi la sua liberazione.
Eppure, nonostante che la sua innocenza sia ormai certezza condivisa dall'umanita' intera, Leonard Peltier - ormai anziano e con gravi problemi di salute - continua ad essere detenuto per delitti che non ha mai commesso.
Sicuramente ricordera' che la liberazione di Leonard Peltier e' stata chiesta da milioni di persone di tutto il mondo, tra le quali figure luminose come Nelson Mandela, madre Teresa di Calcutta, Desmond Tutu.
Ricordera' sicuramente anche che la liberazione di Leonard Peltier e' stata chiesta da innumerevoli istituzioni, tra le quali il Parlamento Europeo con ben due risoluzioni fin dagli anni '90 del secolo scorso.
Ci e' particolarmente grato ricordare anche l'iniziativa del compianto Presidente del Parlamento Europeo, on. David Sassoli, recentemente deceduto, che il 23 agosto 2021 scriveva, in italiano e in inglese:
"Inviero' una lettera alle autorita' statunitensi chiedendo clemenza per Leonard Peltier, attivista per i diritti umani dell'American Indian Movement, in carcere da 45 anni. Spero che le autorita' accolgano il mio invito. I diritti umani vanno difesi sempre, ovunque".
"I will send a letter to the US authorities asking for clemency for Leonard Peltier. A human rights activist of the American Indian Movement, he has been imprisoned for 45 years. I hope the authorities will take up my invitation. Human rights must be defended always, everywhere".
Gli sforzi di milioni di esseri umani, l'impegno di innumerevoli associazioni - tra cui in primo luogo Amnesty International -, il voto di autorevolissime istituzioni, non hanno ottenuto fin qui che Leonard Peltier venisse liberato.
Occorre evidentemente un'iniziativa ulteriore.
Sia Lei, che rappresenta l'Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite, quindi l'istituzione rappresentativa di tutti i paesi e i popoli del mondo, a promuovere questa iniziativa.
Sia Lei a chiedere al Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America di restituire la liberta' a Leonard Peltier.
Le persone partecipanti all'incontro svoltosi a Viterbo (Italia) il 22 giugno 2022
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Allegato terzo: Un invito a tutte le persone di volonta' buona, alle associazioni democratiche, alle istituzioni sollecite del bene comune dell'umanita', affinche' si adoperino per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier
Fratelli e sorelle,
a tutte e tutti chiediamo un impegno, nelle forme che riterrete adeguate, affinche' sia restituita la liberta' a Leonard Peltier.
Vi proponiamo di scrivere lettere sia direttamente al Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America, nelle cui mani e' il potere di concedere la grazia che restituisca finalmente la liberta' a Leonard Peltier, sia alle istituzioni, alle organizzazioni ed alle personalita' che riterrete possano trovare maggior ascolto da parte della Casa Bianca, sia ai mezzi d'informazione affinche' cessi il silenzio sulla vicenda e sulla testimonianza di Leonard Peltier e sulla lotta sua e dei popoli nativi in difesa dei diritti umani di tutti gli esseri umani e dell'intero mondo vivente.
Ma soprattutto vi chiediamo tre cose: di informare e coscientizzare le persone con cui siete in contatto, di voler voi stessi approfondire la conoscenza della vicenda di Leonard Peltier, di mettervi in contatto sia con lui che con il comitato internazionale di solidarieta' che lo sostiene.
L'indirizzo postale di Leonard Peltier e' nel sito dell'International Leonard Peltier Defense Committe (www.whoisleonardpeltier.info). Per contattare il comitato internazionale di solidarieta' inviare una e-mail a: contact at whoisleonardpeltier.info
Grazie di cuore per quanto vorrete fare.
Le persone partecipanti all'incontro svoltosi a Viterbo (Italia) il 22 giugno 2022
2. REPETITA IUVANT. CAROL GOKEE: RISE UP FOR PELTIER CALL TO ACTION TOOLKIT
[Dal comitato internazionale di difesa di Leonard Peltier ("International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee", 428-A8 Farnham St. Marshall, WI. 53559, 715.209.4453, sito: www.whoisleonardpeltier.info, e-mail: Contact at whoisleonardpeltier.info) riceviamo e diffondiamo]
Ask President Biden for the Immediate Release of Leonard Peltier!
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Call to Action Briefing
There is no doubt that our criminal justice system is imperfect, and Mr. Peltier knows firsthand just how imperfect it can be.
"I call on President Biden to commute Mr. Peltier's sentence expeditiously. It is the right thing to do." - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), longest serving member of the U.S. Senate
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Call to Action
Contact President Biden today!
202.456.1111
Ask for the immediate release of Leonard Peliter
Call President Biden Today! 202.456.1111
Please note: The White House comment line is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Eastern, Tuesday through Thursday.
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Important Links:
Change.org Petition: https://bit.ly/3refswl
Contact your local Representatives: https://bit.ly/housereplp
New York Times Article : Clemency for Peltier:
Guardian Article Calling for Clemency:
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Graphics:
Click Here to Download Social Media Graphics
Please use these graphics to post on social media outlets.
RISEUpForPeltier Signs & Banner Art link here
Use images in this link above for signs and banners for art builds.
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Official Hashtags
#RiseUpForPeltier
#FreeLeonardPeltier
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Account to Tag
@POTUS
@whitehouse
@OfficialFBOP (Bureau of Prisons)
@PeltierHQ (International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee)
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Sample Facebook and Instagram Post (Copy and Paste)
Call-to-Action
Leonard Peltier, Anishinaabe and Dakota, has spent over 4 decades of his life behind bars, and recently, the prison system has failed to provide him adequate care and protection against COVID-19. His story is the epitome of the systemic abuse that continues to target Indigenous people and Movement Leaders.
We call upon President Biden to show proof of his efforts toward justice and equity by granting Executive Clemency to elder movement leader Leonard Peltier.
Call the White House and demand the release of Leonard Peltier. (202) 456-1111. Say
you support the commutation of #LeonardPeltier's sentence. He's held at USP-Coleman I in FL. Register number 89637-132
Sign the online petition: https://bit.ly/3refswl
Contact your reps. Find them here: https://bit.ly/35raR
#RiseUpForPeltier
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Here's what you need to know to #RiseUpForPeltier
On March 26, 2020 the Office of the Attorney General issued guidelines for the "Prioritization of Home Confinement as Appropriate in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic." A release to home confinement can be an immediate measure to ensure that Mr. Peltier gets the health care that he requires while the ILPDC continues to push for the commutation of his sentence.
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Mr. Peltier's home community on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota continues to plead for his return, confirming that they do not see his release as a threat to his community. Read the full letter here.
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The International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (ILPDC) is calling on the public to contact the White House and urge President Biden to take immediate action. Next, contact members of Congress and ask them to call upon the Warden at USP Coleman-1 and Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal, urging the immediate release of Leonard Peltier to home confinement.
It is time for Leonard Peltier to go home and be taken care of by his people. He has suffered for far too long and time is running out. Enough is enough!
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Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), the longest serving member of the U.S. Senate issued a statement urging President Biden to commute Leonard Peltier's sentence stating that, "His trial was so riddled with flaws that even one of the prosecutors trying him has acknowledged that Peltier was wrongfully convicted... He is exactly the kind of individual who should be considered for clemency... I have long believed that pardons and commutations are vital tools to offer clemency and relief, particularly when our criminal justice system has been contorted to propagate injustices. I call on President Biden to commute Mr. Peltier.s sentence expeditiously. It is the right thing to do."
Read the full statement here:
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Sample Tweets (Copy and Paste)
Mr. Peltier's home community on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota continues to plead for his return, confirming that they do not see his release as a threat to his community. Read the full letter here:
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The IPLDC is calling on the public to contact the White House and urge President Biden to take immediate action. Next, contact members of Congress and ask them to call upon the Warden at USP Coleman-1 and Bureau of Prisons Director Michal Carvajal, urging the immediate release of Leonard Peltier to home confinement.
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It is time for Leonard Peltier to go home and be taken care of by his people. He has suffered for far too long and time is running out. Enough is enough.
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Graphics Sharing Instructions
1. Download a graphic from one of the visual asset folders below.
2. Log on to the social media platform of your choice. Assets for Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter have been built for this toolkit.
3. Copy and paste one of the sample posts listed below or write your own post
and include one of our RISE UP FOR PELTIER hashtags.
4. Upload the image you’ve downloaded from the visual assets folder.
5. Tag or @mention @POTUS @WHITEHOUSE and post!
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For Media Inquiries, Please Contact:
Carol Gokee, International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, 715-209-4453
Jean Roach, International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, 605-415-3127
Kevin Sharp, former Federal District Court Judge & Peltier's lead attorney, 615-434-7001
3. TESTI. LEONARD PELTIER: ON SOLIDARITY WITH STANDING ROCK, EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY AND THE INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS STRUGGLE (19 SETTEMBRE 2016)
[Dal sito www.workers.org riprendiamo e ridiffondiamo questo intervento di Leonard Peltier diffuso il 19 settembre 2016]
Greeting Sisters and Brothers:
I have been asked to write a solidarity statement to everyone about the Camp of the Sacred Stones on Standing Rock. Thank you for this great honor. I must admit it is very difficult for me to even begin this statement, as my eyes get so blurred from tears and my heart swells with pride, as chills run up and down my neck and back. I'm so proud of all of you young people and others there.
I am grateful to have survived to see the rebirth of the united and undefeated Sioux Nation at Standing Rock in the resistance to the poisonous pipeline that threatens the life source of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. It is an honor to have been alive to see this happen with you young people. You are nothing but awesome in my eyes.
It has been a long, hard road these 40 years of being caged by an inhuman system for a crime I did not commit. I could not have survived physically or mentally without your support, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart and the depths of my soul for encouraging me to endure and maintain a spiritual and legal resistance.
We are now coming to the end of that road, soon arriving at a destination which will at least in part be determined by you. Along the lines of what Martin Luther King said shortly before his death, I may not get there with you, but I only hope and pray that my life, and if necessary, my death, will lead my Native peoples closer to the Promise Land.
I refer here not to the Promise Land of the Christian bible, but to the modest promises of the Treaties our ancestors secured from enemies bent on their destruction in order to enable us to survive as distinct peoples and live in a dignified manner. Our elders knew the value of written words and laws to the white man, even as they knew the lengths the invaders would go to try to get around them.
Our ancestors did not benefit from these Treaties, but they shrewdly and persistently negotiated the best terms they could get, to protect us from wars which could only end in our destruction, no matter how courageously and effectively we fought. No, the Treaties were to the benefit of the [U.S.] Americans; this upstart nation needed the Treaties to put a veneer of legitimacy on its conquest of the land and its rebellion against its own countrymen and king.
It should be remembered that Standing Rock was the site of the 1974 conference of the international Indigenous movement that spread throughout the Americas and beyond, the starting point for the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The UNDRIP was resisted by the United States for three decades until its adoption by the U.N. in 2007. The U.S. was one of just four nations to vote against ratification, with President Obama acknowledging the Declaration as an aspirational document without binding force under international law.
While some of the leaders of this movement are veterans of the 1970s resistance at Pine Ridge, they share the wisdom of our past elders in perceiving [that] the moral and political symbolism of peaceful protest today is as necessary for us as [it] was necessary for the people of Pine Ridge in the 1970s. The 71-day occupation of Wounded Knee ended with an agreement to investigate human rights and treaty abuses; that inquiry and promise were never implemented nor honored by the United States. The Wounded Knee Agreement should be honored with a Truth and Reconciliation Commission established to thoroughly examine the U.S. government's role in the "Reign of Terror" on Pine Ridge in the 1970s. This project should be coordinated with the cooperation of the many international human rights organizations that have called for my immediate and unconditional release for more than four decades.
I have to caution you young people to be careful, for you are up against a very evil group of people whose only concern is to fill their pockets with even more gold and wealth. They could not care less how many of you they have to kill or bury in a prison cell. They don't care if you are a young child or an old grandmother, and you better believe they are and have been recruiting our own people to be snitches and traitors. They will look to the drunks, the addicts and child molesters, those who prey on our old and our children; they look for the weak-minded individuals. You must remember to be very cautious about falsely accusing people based more on personal opinion than on evidence. Be smart.
I call on all my supporters and allies to join the struggle at Standing Rock in the spirit of peaceful spiritual resistance and to work together to protect Unci Maka, Grandmother Earth. I also call upon my supporters and all people who share this Earth to join together to insist that the U.S. complies with and honors the provisions of international law as expressed in the UNDRIP, International Human Rights Treaties and the long-neglected Treaties and trust agreements with the Sioux Nation. I particularly appeal to Jill Stein and the Green Parties of the U.S. and the world to join this struggle by calling for my release and adopting the UNDRIP as the new legal framework for relations with Indigenous peoples.
Finally, I also urge my supporters to immediately and urgently call upon President Obama to grant my petition for clemency, to permit me to live my final years on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. Scholars, political grassroots leaders, humanitarians and Nobel Peace Laureates have demanded my release for more than four decades. My Clemency Petition asks President Obama to commute, or end, my prison term now in order for our nation to make progress healing its fractured relations with Native communities. By facing and addressing the injustices of the past, together we can build a better future for our children and our children's children.
Again, my heartfelt thanks to all of you for working together to protect the water. Water is Life.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Doksha
Leonard Peltier
4. TESTI. LEONARD PELTIER: ON 41ST ANNIVERSARY OF "INCIDENT AT OGLALA" (4 LUGLIO 2016)
[Dal sito www.workers.org riprendiamo e ridiffondiamo questo intervento di Leonard Peltier diffuso il 4 luglio 2016]
Sisters, brothers, friends and supporters:
June 26 marks 41 years since the long summer day when three young men were killed at the home of the Jumping Bull family, near Oglala, [S.D.], during a firefight in which I and dozens of others participated. While I did not shoot (and therefore did not kill) FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, I nevertheless have great remorse for the loss of their young lives, the loss of my friend Joe Stuntz, and for the grieving of their loved ones.
I would guess that, like me, many of my brothers and sisters who were there that day wish that somehow they could have done something to change what happened and avoid the tragic outcome of the shootout.
This is not something I have thought about casually and then moved on. It's something I think about every day. As I look back, I remember the expressions of both fear and courage on the faces of my brothers and sisters as we were being attacked. We thought we were going to be killed! We defended our elders and children as they scattered for protection and to escape.
Native people have experienced such assaults for centuries, and the historical trauma of the generations was carried by the people that day - and in the communities that suffered further trauma in the days that followed the shootout, as the authorities searched for those of us who had escaped the Jumping Bull property.
As the "First Peoples of Turtle Island," we live with daily reminders of the centuries of efforts to terminate our nations, eliminate our cultures, and destroy our relatives and families. To this day, everywhere we go there are reminders - souvenirs and monuments of the near extermination of a glorious population of Indigenous Peoples.
Native Peoples as mascots, the disproportionately high incarceration of our relatives, the appropriation of our culture, the never-ending efforts to take even more of Native Peoples' land and the poisoning of that land all serve as reminders of our history as survivors of a massive genocide. We live with this trauma every day. We breathe, eat and drink it. We pass it on to our children. And we struggle to overcome it.
Like so many Native children, I was ripped away from my family at the age of nine or so and taken away to get the "Indian" out of me at a boarding school. At that time, Native Peoples were not able to speak our own languages for fear of being beaten or worse. Our men's long hair, which is an important part of our spiritual life, was forcibly cut off in an effort to shame us. Our traditional names were replaced by new European-American names.
These efforts to force our assimilation continue today. Not long ago, I remember, a Menominee girl was punished and banned from playing on the school's basketball team because she taught a classmate how to say "hello" and "I love you" in her Native language. We hear stories all the time about athletes and graduates who face opposition to wearing their hair long or having a feather in their cap.
With this little bit of my personal history in mind, I think it is understandable that I would then, as a young person in the 1960s and 1970s, be active in the Indigenous struggle to affirm our human, civil and treaty rights. Our movement was a spiritual one to regain our ceremonies and traditions and to exercise our sovereignty as native or tribal nations.
For over 100 years some of our most important ceremonies could not be held. We could not sing our songs or dance to our drum. When my contemporaries and I were activists, there were no known sun dances. Any ceremony that took place had to be hidden for fear of reprisals.
One of our roles as activists for the welfare of our Peoples was to create space and protection for Native Peoples who were trying to reconnect to our ancient cultures and spiritual life. This was dangerous and deadly. It meant putting our lives on the line because people who participated in these ceremonies, and people who stood up for our elders and our traditional way of life, were brutally beaten, killed or disappeared. Paramilitary groups and death squads ruled some reservations and each day was a battle.
If an uninvited, unknown or unrecognized vehicle pulled up to your house, the first reaction was that you were being visited by someone who meant to do you harm in some way. This was learned behavior on the reservations. This was excruciatingly true in the 1970s.
Hey, I don't want to be all doom and gloom here. I see over the decades that in some important ways, life has improved for our Peoples. President [Barack] Obama's extraordinary efforts to forge a strong relationship with our Tribal Nations is good cause for a new sense of optimism that our sovereignty is more secure. By exercising our sovereignty, life for our people might improve. We might begin to heal and start the long journey to move past the trauma of the last 500 years.
But what will we do if the next administration rolls back those gains made over the past eight years?
I often receive questions in letters from supporters about my health. Yes, this last year has been particularly stressful for me and my family. My health issues still have not been thoroughly addressed, and I still have not gotten the results of the MRI done over a month ago for the abdominal aortic aneurysm.
As the last remaining months of President Obama's term pass by, my anxiety increases. I believe that this president is my last hope for freedom, and I will surely die here if I am not released by Jan. 20, 2017. So I ask you all again, as this is the most crucial time in the campaign to gain my freedom, please continue to organize public support for my release, and always follow the lead of the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee.
Thank you for all you have done and continue to do on my behalf.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse...
Doksha,
Leonard Peltier
5. TESTI. LEONARD PELTIER: MESSAGE FROM LEONARD PELTIER, INJUSTLY IMPRISONED FOR 40 YEARS (21 FEBBRAIO 2016)
[Dal sito www.workers.org riprendiamo e ridiffondiamo questo intervento di Leonard Peltier diffuso il 21 febbraio 2016]
Greetings friends, supporters and all Native Peoples.
What can I say that I have not said before? I guess I can start by saying, "See you later," to all of those who have passed in the last year. We Natives don't like to mention their names. We believe that if we speak their names it disrupts their journey. They may lose their way and their spirits wander forever. If too many call out to them, they will try to come back. But their spirits know we are thinking about them, so all I will say is safe journey and I hope to see you soon.
On February 6, I will have been imprisoned for 40 years! I'm 71 years old and still in a maximum security penitentiary. At my age, I'm not sure I have much time left.
I have earned about 4-5 years good time that no one seems to want to recognize. It doesn't count, I guess? And when I was indicted the average time served on a life sentence before being given parole was seven years. So that means I've served nearly six life sentences and I should have been released on parole a very long time ago. Then there's mandatory release after serving 30 years. I'm 10 years past that. The government isn't supposed to change the laws to keep you in prison - EXCEPT if you're Leonard Peltier, it seems.
Now, I'm told I'll be kept at USP Coleman I until 2017, when they'll decide if I can go to a medium security facility - or NOT. But, check this out: I have been classified as a medium security prisoner now for at least 15 years, and Bureau of Prisons regulations say elders shall be kept in a less dangerous facility/environment. But NOT if you're Leonard Peltier, I guess.
As you'll remember, the history of my bid for clemency is long. My first app was with Jimmy Carter. He denied it. Ronald Reagan promised President Mikhail Gorbachev that he would release me if the Soviet Union released a prisoner, but Reagan reneged. George H.W. Bush did nothing. The next app was with Bill Clinton. He left office without taking action even though the pardon attorney did an 11-month investigation (it usually takes nine months) and we were told she had recommended clemency. George W. Bush denied that petition in 2009. And in all of the applications for clemency, the FBI has interfered with an executive order. That's illegal as hell!
Today, I'm facing another dilemma - an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). It's the size of an AAA battery. The doctor told me if it bursts, I can bleed to death. It's also close to my spine and I could end up paralyzed. The good news is that it's treatable and the operation has a 96-98 percent success rate. BUT I'm in a max security prison. We don't get sent for treatment until it is terminal.
As President [Barack] Obama completes the final year of his term, I hope that he will continue to fight to fulfill his promises, and further the progress his administration has made towards working in partnership with First Peoples. It gives me hope that this president has worked hard to affirm the trust relationship with the Tribal Nations. With YOUR encouragement, I believe Obama will have the courage and conviction to commute my sentence and send me home to my family.
Looking back on the 40 years of efforts on my behalf, I am overwhelmed and humbled. I would like to say thank you to all the supporters who have believed in me over the years. Some of you have been supporters since the beginning. You made sure I had books to read and commissary funds to buy what I may need to be as comfortable as one can be in this place.
You made donations to the defense committee so we could continue fighting for my freedom, too. You all worked hard - are still working hard - to spread the word about what is now being called the most outrageous conviction in U.S. history. There are good-hearted people in this world, and you're among them. I'm sorry I cannot keep up with answering all of your letters. But thanks for the love you have shown me. Without it, I could never have made it this long. I'm sure of it.
I believe that my incarceration, the constitutional violations in my case and the government misconduct in prosecuting my case are issues far more important than just my life or freedom. I feel that each of you who have fought for my freedom have been a part of the greater struggle of Native Peoples - for treaty rights, sovereignty and our very survival. If I should be called home, please don't give up on our struggle.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse...
Doksha,
Leonard Peltier
6. TESTI. LEONARD PELTIER: PELTIER THANKS SUPPORTERS ON 71ST BIRTHDAY (15 SETTEMBRE 2015)
[Dal sito www.workers.org riprendiamo e ridiffondiamo questo intervento di Leonard Peltier diffuso il 15 settembre 2015]
U.S. political prisoner Leonard Peltier released the following statement from prison on his 71st birthday.
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September 12, 2015
Greetings everyone,
Well, today is another b-day for me - my 71st. I had hoped I would not be here [in prison] at this age, but that's not to be. So I have to take a deep breath and slowly let it out... and prepare myself for yet another day in here.
February 6th marks my 40th year in prison. How many of you know that when I was indicted a life sentence was seven years? I was sentenced to two life sentences, so with good time I have served six-plus life sentences. I suppose all of this time has taken its toll on my body. I have a number of different health issues that come with old age. The one I'm most concerned about is my prostate.
Otherwise, I'm still getting compliments on how good I look for my age (smile). People can be nice and say things that make me feel good once in awhile. But I'm told this so often that I'm starting to believe it (smile).
DID YOU KNOW THAT THE LAST TIME I WENT BEFORE THE PAROLE COMMISSION (2009), I WAS DENIED BECAUSE I LOOKED YOUNG AND HEALTHY... AND A REASON GIVEN FOR DENYING ME PAROLE WAS THAT I MIGHT BE TOO MUCH OF AN INFLUENCE ON THE YOUNG NATIVES? YEAH, ONLY IN AMERICA.
And get this: In October 1984, when the Parole Commission was repealed by Congress, the commission was given six years to give me a parole date - all of us "old time" prisoners really (those convicted prior to 1984). Yes, this is all true. All you have to do is research it, and I bet you will come away shocked as hell that this can happen in your country. The Parole Commission is the only government agency that has been repealed and reinstated 35 days later without having to go through the normal congressional channels and signed into law by the president. How does this happen in a democracy?
I've been encouraged by things I've read recently though. And looking back... it's been over 60 years, maybe a little longer. I was around seven or eight years old when I heard the old people talking about taking care of Mother Earth. But for me anyway, as with all young people, I did not really understand what they were trying to tell us. But I see today the traditionalists were correct and [American Indian Movement] People were right when we took it up as a rallying cry to the world.
Still, when we spoke out against the destruction of Mother Earth, we were called a bunch of nuts. Well, today, it is called climate change, and there are now millions of us crying out against the destruction of our Mother Earth. Amazing, huh? Thankfully I have lived this long and can see we just might win this war. I know it's not over - far from it - but the world is waking up and talking about it now. So it can be won in our lifetime.
Well, People, I don't know how much longer I have left on Mother Earth - or if I will even be around for the next few years - but I always hope and pray that I can be out there to spend my last few remaining years with you. If not, so be it. I have been in here too long to cry now. I just wish for more time to give to my People and to all freedom-loving People in the world.
Thanks again for all of the love you have shown me over these 40 years. You have all been worth it.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse...
Doksha,
Leonard Peltier
7. TESTI. LEONARD PELTIER: FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF OGLALA INCIDENT... (PRIMO LUGLIO 2015)
[Dal sito www.workers.org riprendiamo e ridiffondiamo questo intervento di Leonard Peltier diffuso il primo luglio 2015]
Following are excerpts from a statement written by Native political prisoner Leonard Peltier on June 26, 2015. Peltier has been falsely imprisoned for 40 years. In a July 5, 2007, Workers World article, Brenda Ryan wrote: "In Native American history, June 26th is a day of anguish. On that date in 1975, two FBI agents in unmarked cars drove onto a ranch on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. More than 150 agents, vigilantes and law enforcement surrounded the property and opened fire. In the resulting shootout, a young Native man and two FBI agents were killed.
"This assault has not ended. For 31 years, Leonard Peltier, a Lakota/Anishinabe organizer of the American Indian Movement (AIM), has been in prison, falsely accused of killing the FBI agents. U.S. prosecutors have publicly admitted that they do not know who actually fired the shots that killed the agents, but they have refused to consider Peltier for parole or to turn over thousands of pages of documents that could prove his innocence." Go to Int'l Leonard Peltier Defense Committee at tinyurl.com/ngy72uf to read the entire statement and for more information on the struggle to free this heroic freedom fighter.
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This year I am most concerned with our children and the taking of their own lives. This is very sad to me, as it is to you, and I know there are many reasons for them to feel such despair and hopelessness. But I can only ask and encourage all of us to double our efforts to show them love and support, and let them know that we will always look after them and protect them. That includes asking big brothers and sisters to look after the younger ones. They are our future and have to be protected and to learn to be the protectors. This is not something we can live with, we need to all work to change this.
And this year it is even more urgent that we come together to protect our sovereignty. There are so many issues to face and fight. We continue to fight for our Black Hills and to stop the XL pipeline from poisoning our water and our land, and I stand with the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Nations, and all people of like mind in this fight.
The destruction of our Mother Earth by the heavy and toxic Tar Sands oil, fracking, gas and oil drilling and uranium mining is unacceptable to me and to us. We are supposed to be protecting these things even as others try to push us aside. I honor all of our relatives who are on the front lines of this fight.
And after all that I have seen in these 40 years behind bars, I was still shocked to see what they are trying to do to the Apache people at Oak Flats. This cannot be tolerated. It is not only a blatant money grab at the expense of a tribe’s Sacred site, but it is an effort to push us back in the direction of termination by ignoring our rights as sovereign nations. This we will not tolerate. Nothing is sacred to these people and they will continue to try to bulldoze us out of the way without even a single thought to our coming generations if we do not continue to stand up and oppose them. We must be ready for anything or we will lose all that we have gained in the last 40 years.
The continued use of racist mascots is something that we can never accept as Indigenous peoples and we need to all continue to push to end that racist practice.
Time is something I have learned a lot about in these years in prison. And now I can see that time is slipping away from me and I know that if I do not get out under this President I will almost certainly die here in prison.
I have been able to survive with the hope you have given to me and your prayers and I am grateful for that support from all of you.
I continue to pray for the family of my brother Joe Stuntz [killed by the FBI] and for all those who paid such a dear price in those bitter times 40 years ago.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse.
Doksha,
Leonard Peltier
8. TESTI. LEONARD PELTIER: MESSAGE ON "THANKSGIVING" (PRIMO DICEMBRE 2014)
[Dal sito www.workers.org riprendiamo e ridiffondiamo questo intervento di Leonard Peltier diffuso il primo dicembre 2014]
The following greeting from political prisoner Leonard Peltier was read at the 45th annual National Day of Mourning in Plymouth, Mass.
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Greetings my relatives, friends and supporters:
I was thinking about the national holiday, "Thanksgiving," the other day. I won't even go into what a horrible shame this American holiday is based on. Instead, I will just let it remind me of the common bond I have with all my brothers and sisters of the Earth. Even if Thanksgiving, the holiday, is based on an incorrect portrayal of history, the concept of being thankful is a universal truth. I mean, let's face it, being thankful/grateful has been part of Indian Nations much longer than the invention of a holiday.
I admit there are days in here when I find it very hard to be thankful, but it does not take much to bring it back for me. Most days, I get cards and letters from people all over the world. Sometimes I can even smell the soil, the pines, and sometimes even fry bread, in the paper that is sent to me. I hear stories of your lives, your troubles, your children, your jobs. Oh, there is some word for what I am trying to say but I don't remember it. But I get a sense of life through all of you, and I am thankful for that. I often want to reach out and help you sometimes. I would love to come work on your cars or help you build sweat lodges or even just mow the lawn. I miss helping people, and I hate asking for help, which it seems, is all I do.
In here, I am able to focus on the simple things in life. You have no idea how cool it is to just get a new pair of socks. In the last few months, I have really been feeling my age, and I am so very thankful for all the support you have all given me. I won't lie. It has been a rough time lately, but I am hopeful that is changing.
My people have always had a deep and connected relationship with the Sun, and I realized the other day just how much I miss the Sun. When I had the Sun's light upon me, I felt stronger. These walls hold out the Sun's energy, and it weakens me. When you miss something, it is easier to be thankful for things you do have.
My friend and spiritual advisor, Lenny Foster, visited me recently, and he reminded me of some basic things I have to be thankful for. I have watched him age over all these years too, and I am thankful for him and his wisdom. He sang with me and prayed with me, and I felt a bit of the Sun again.
I guess my point is that we can find the things we need in places we may not expect. I can always pray. This can never be taken away from me, and through that prayer, I can keep the Sun and hope alive.
And so, on this day, "Thanksgiving," I will choose to be thankful and not to celebrate tyranny.
I also want to pray with and for you.
I pray for each and every one of you, whether you support me or you do not.
I pray that your lives will be full of meaning, and you will find new ways to learn.
I pray for your strength and that you will always stand up for the things you know are right.
I pray that each one of you will find a way to protect our Mother Earth. She is crying out for us to hear her.
I pray that you will listen to your inner wisdom and let it guide you to make choices that will help each other, and that you will be examples for those still learning their way in this life.
I pray that you will be present with the moments you have, enjoy the simple things in life - like the Sun, the Dirt, the Air, the Water, and that you would protect them as you would your own children.
I pray that you will look for opportunities to lift up your sisters and brothers and not to bring them down.
I pray that you will grow and enjoy good, natural foods.
I pray for you to savor the attention of your loved ones.
I pray for you to build productive bridges of peace with those you oppose.
I pray that when others make bad choices you help them find positive solutions.
I pray for understanding in times of misunderstanding.
And yes, I pray very deeply and honestly that I can go home for a little while before I cross over to the Spirit World.
I am with you always, and I feel your prayers too. I am always grateful for your support, your love, your friendship, your letters and the contact you give me with life.
It is harder for me to physically see well enough to write letters these days, so please forgive me if I don't write you back. It is not that I don't want to. Know that I am often sitting and thinking of you, and being thankful for all of you.
Your old, thankful friend, and brother.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
Mitakuye Oyasin!
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LA BIBLIOTECA DI ZOROBABELE
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Segnalazioni librarie e letture nonviolente
a cura del "Centro di ricerca per la pace, i diritti umani e la difesa della biosfera" di Viterbo
Supplemento a "La nonviolenza e' in cammino" (anno XXIII)
Direttore responsabile: Peppe Sini. Redazione: strada S. Barbara 9/E, 01100 Viterbo, tel. 0761353532, e-mail: centropacevt at gmail.com
Numero 486 del 24 giugno 2022
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