ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS:

LEONARD PELTIER IN DANGER:

Molly came across this appeal on the Anarkismo website. For those unfamiliar with the case of Leonard Peltier's unjust imprisonment see the Leonard Pelletier Defense Committee website.

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URGENT ALERT! Leonard Peltier's safety is in jeopardy!:
Dear LP Supporters,

I am so OUTRAGED! My brother Leonard was severely beaten upon his arrival at the Canaan Federal Penitentiary. When he went into population after his transfer, some inmates assaulted him. The severity of his injuries is that he suffered numerous blows to his head and body, receiving a large bump on his head, possibly a concussion, and numerous bruises. Also, one of his fingers is swollen and discolored and he has pain in his chest and ribcage. There was blood everywhere from his injuries.

We feel that prison authorities at the prompting of the FBI orchestrated this attack and thus, we are greatly concerned about his safety. It maybe that the attackers, whom Leonard did not even know, were offered reduced sentences for carrying out this heinous assault. Since Leonard is up for parole soon, this could be a conspiracy to discredit a model prisoner.

He was placed in solitary confinement and only given one meal, this is generally done when you wont name your attackers; incidentally being only given one meal seriously jeopardizes his health because of his diabetes. Prison officials refuse to release any info to the family, but they need to hear from his supporters to protect his safety, as does President Obama. His attorneys are trying to get calls into him now. This attack on LP comes on the heels of the FBI's recent letter, prompting this attack by FBI supporters as an attempt to discredit LP as a model prisoner. Anyone who has been in the prison system knows well that if you refuse to name your attackers or file charges against them, then you lose your status as a victim and/or given points against your possible parole and labeled as a perpetrator.

It is not uncommon, in fact is quite common for the government to use Indian against Indian and they still operate under the old adage it takes an Indian to catch an Indian. In 1978, they made an attempt to assassinate him through another Indian man who was also at Marion prison with LP. But Standing Deer chose to reveal the plot to him instead of taking his life in exchange FOR A CHANCE AT FREEDOM. When Standing Deer was released in 2001, he joined the former Leonard Peltier Defense Committee as a board member. He also began to speak on Lenard's behalf until his murder six years ago today. Prior to his murder, Standing Deer confided with close friends and associates that the same man who visited him in Marion to assassinate Peltier, had came to Houston, TX and told him that he had better stay away from Peltier and anything to do with him.

We are aware that currently, the FBI is actively seeking support for his continued imprisonment of Leonard Peltier and also also seeking support from Native People. So please be aware, and keep Leonard in your prayers. The FBI is apparently afraid of the impact we are having. If they will set him up to blemish his record just before a parole hearing, what will they do when it looks like his freedom will become a reality? We need to make sure that nothing happens to him again!

Please write the President, send it priority or registered mail. Email to Change.gov or email President Obama. Call your congressional representatives and write letters, not email, to them. Do what you can to get the word out to insure that LP is receiving adequate medical attention for his injuries.

I am asking you, supporters of Leonard and advocates of justice at this time to help. I don't know what else to do. Please Help!

Thank you

Betty Peltier-Solano

Executive Coordinator

Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info

Also call and request Leonard be treated with dignity and respect.

Canaan Federal Prison

570-488-8000
Related Link: http://www.leonardpeltier.net

FREE LEONARD PELTIER:
The latest issue of the 'Industrial Worker' had a brief notice on the upcoming 14 th annual Leonard Peltier solidarity march on Feb. 10th, 2007 in Tacoma, Washington. This item is mirrored in greater detail at the IWW website (http://www.iww.org -or see the links on this board under 'Anarcho-Syndicalist Links'). The press release from the Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group available on the website gives a brief explanation of how the case of Peltier connects with such matters as the war in Iraq and the increasing authoritarianism of the US government. It ends with an interesting quote from Chief Sitting Bull that would have made a good addition to the quotes on cooperation that we posted here some days ago,
"As individual fingers we can easily be broken, but all together we make a mighty fist."
The Tacoma group is asking for both donations in solidarity and for other help in further publicizing Peltier's case. They can be contacted via bayou@blarg.net , and donations can be sent to Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group, Box 5464, Tacoma WA 98415-0464, USA. To receive updates on helping Peltier sign up to the NW Peltier Support list by sending an email to nwpeltiersupport-subscribe@lists.riseup.net .
To learn more about the case of Leonard Peltier who has spent 27 years in an American prison for a crime that there was precious little evidence that he committed and whose case has been investigated by Amnesty International see 'The Case of Leonard Peltier' at http://freepeltier.org . For a list of other actions elsewhere that may be held in Peltier's support see 'The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee' at http://www.leonardpeltier.net .
A little Molly note here on "you can't escape the bastards anywhere". If memory serves me well, which it doesn't always, Peltier was "scooped" in Canada in the community of Fort Simpson NWT. In her eternal quest to skirt the edges of the flat Earth and skateboard across the razor thin line that separates the ends of the Earth from the chaos that lies about Molly was once there. In the dead of winter none the less. A more isolated spot could hardly be imagined. Go along a few hundred miles of logging road that is barely passable with no signs of humans anywhere to be seen. Poof, you're at the "thriving community" that actually has visitors during the summer when the Mckenzie is open for shipping. Look hundreds of miles in any direction, and there ain't no people. This was many years ago, and perhaps things have changed since then, but at that time the 'Bay Store' was king.
Yet the RCMP hunted Peltier down there and he was eventually extradited to the USA on fabricated evidence. If things have indeed changed it only goes to emphasize the fact that you can't "run away" from society and hide in a little subculture or even in an isolated area. If they want you bad enough they will find you. The struggle to make things better can't be forwarded by crawling under the covers. Peltier had very good reasons to make for the edge of the Earth, but they found him. Very few who opt to drop out into subcultures today have anything near one millionth of the reason to run that Peltier had. They even make themselves less relevant by doing same, and they exist on the sufferance of their irrelevance. Peltier was not irrelevant, and he was hunted down. Think about it.
Molly