[discuss-dan] Fwd: Clemency denied, but fight far from over

[Doc Rosen <drdrdoc@dr.com>]

Clemency denied, but fight far from over



>DAY OF SHAME :
>
>WE MUST STAY TOGETHER AND KEEP ON FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE
FOR LEONARD
>
>
>January 20, 2001
>
>Dear Friends,
>
>
>Today is a grim and shameful day. We must confirm that
President Clinton,
>despite all his good words this week about racial
unity, "One America", and
>healing historical injustices, has denied clemency to
Leonard Peltier. We
>do not know why. Yet disturbing questions are
obviously raised by the last
>minute "deal" on the Monica Lewinsky perjury issue.
>
>Leonard himself has asked that we thank each and every
one of you for your
>phenomenal efforts on his behalf during the last year.
Towards the end the
>world support had turned into a literal human rights
tidal wave, with every
>high level leader and organization calling or writing
to President Clinton
>on Leonard's behalf. Yet somehow it was not enough to
outweigh the outright
>terror the FBI was able to instill in our government
leadership.
>
>We are all hurting badly just now, and we ask that you
turn your prayers
>and thoughts towards Leonard himself today. Send him
letters of support and
>stay with us. We must remain tightly organized.
>
>We will be in a huddle with lawyers and organizers for
the next several
>days working on new plans and proposals. We will have
to work out a very
>new strategy, as President Bush's government will be
quite different from
>Clinton's.(or perhaps not so different after all).
Bear with us while we
>reorganize and do some new thinking.and of course send
us your ideas and
>thoughts as well.
>
>We know you want to keep up the fight and we know that
this must be done.
>The future of our society depends on our point blank
insistence on justice
>for all.
>
>Please watch our web site and keep checking in. We
will have some new
>strategies and battle plans ready to go very soon. We
must never leave
>Leonard behind, but we can only bring him home if we
keep working together.
>
>This network has grown to amazing new levels of
strength and commitment
>this year. We must take a breather now but we must not
fall apart or give
>up. Leonard is depending on us. If he can keep up his
sacrificing then so
>must we.
>
>
>In Solidarity, LPDC
>
>
>
>(Here is a statement for the press which you can
forward to local media if
>you'd like.)
>
>
>LEONARD PELTIER DEFENSE COMMITTEE
>
>PUBLIC STATEMENT REGARDING DENIAL OF CLEMENCY : "DAY
OF SHAME"
>
>
>We were both shocked and saddened by President
Clinton's decision to deny
>executive clemency to Leonard Peltier. During the last
few days world
>support for the immediate and unconditional release of
Mr. Peltier had
>reached remarkable levels, with calls and letters
arriving from such
>renowned human rights and religious leaders as Coretta
Scott King, the
>Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Amnesty
International, Nobel
>Laureate Rigoberta Menchu and the Archbishop Desmond
Tutu, amongst many
>others. Grassroots support from people across the
country had swamped the
>White House phone and fax lines for months. Native
nations and
>organizations made their support known again and again
in powerful
>messages. Thousands of concerned citizens walked and
prayed in the streets
>of New York on International Human Rights Day. Yet
somehow none of this was
>enough.
>
>Why? The question remains for William Clinton to
answer. The fact that so
>light a penalty attached to the perjury charge in the
Monica Lewinsky case
>raises disturbing issues. We would like an
explanation.
>
>For many weeks now President Clinton had called for
national reconciliation
>and racial unity in this country. He has called for
"One America" and
>emphasized the great racial disparity and
discrimination so evident in our
>criminal justice system. He has called again and again
for respect and
>equality for all races. He has stressed the need for
righting historical
>injustices and healing long festering wounds inflicted
upon people of
>color. He has insisted that the United States take its
place as a world
>leader of human rights affairs. He has personally
visited Pine Ridge
>Reservation, the site of the tragic shoot out at
Oglala a long and bitter
>quarter of a century ago, and called for greater
respect and justice for
>our first citizens.
>
>Yet in this last and most critical test , President
Clinton has betrayed
>his own goals and ideals. Again we must ask why?
>
>Leonard Peltier has been imprisoned for 25 years
without ever receiving the
>benefit of a fair trial. The FBI forced Myrtle Poor
Bear to sign a false
>affidavit, then committed fraud upon the Canadian
government by presenting
>her statement to their courts of law. Three teenaged
boys were terrorized
>and coerced into giving false testimonies to the grand
jury and at his
>trial. A ballistics test reflecting his innocence was
concealed from the
>defense and the FBI expert gave distorted testimony to
the jury. No
>consequences for these illegal acts have ever
attached. Today even the
>United States Attorneys admit that no one knows who
fired the fatal shots.
>Yet Leonard Peltier was denied a new trial on a
technicality, with the
>judge admitting that a strong doubt was cast on the
prosecution's case.
>Even that judge now supports clemency . Meanwhile Mr.
Peltier himself is
>long overdue for parole and receives human rights
awards for the remarkable
>human rights work he carries out from behind bars. He
is now in failing
>health.
>
>Most disturbing still is the fact that Leonard's
highly controversial
>conviction is deeply rooted in one of the most grim
chapters of recent
>American civil rights history, specifically the Pine
Ridge Reign of Terror.
>Between 1973 and 1976 , FBI backed vigilantes
terrorized, battered and
>assaulted scores of Lakota traditionalists and AIM
supporters throughout
>the reservation. Houses burned and entire families
were wounded in drive by
>shootings. While the FBI stood by, some 64 AIM members
and supporters were
>murdered, their deaths never properly investigated or
vindicated. Civil
>rights organizations excoriated FBI abuses again and
again.
>
>It can hardly be gainsaid that the history of our
government's dealings
>with the first citizens of this country have been
tragic at best, and
>oftentimes shameful. It is difficult to imagine a case
more crucial to
>national reconciliation and healing that the case of
Leonard Peltier. Yet a
>door, instead of opening , has been slammed and
locked. Our society will
>pay the price.
>
>Today will be remembered as but another day of U.S.
government shame and
>betrayal of Native people.

Somos la misma familia,
Doc
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