The Red Nation Film Festival has chosen Leonard Peltier to receive its
first annual Red Nations Humanitarian Award for his lifelong commitment
to indigenous and human rights, as well as his leadership in efforts to
alleviate poverty and domestic abuse among Native peoples. As a
political prisoner for nearly 34 years, Peltier has helped focus world
attention on government repression of Native resistance throughout the
Americas, while the United States continues to make an example out of
him of the consequences of seeking freedom.
www.rednation.com
A message from Lakoda Robideau
Thank
you all for your support. I’m going to do every thing in my power to
help free my uncle and inform others. But also I’m here to help
everyone work together and unite, as this will have a bigger impact.
This is important, we need to stay in touch, we need to have meetings,
at least once every week and talk about the next action that we need to
take and strategize. That is where I will be able to help inform you.
We
need everyone working together and there is not much we cant do with
help from everyone. I understand some of you are public speakers or
letter writers, some of you can organize, many of you are leaders.
Please do whatever you can do to help raise public awareness, and help
funds for the LPDOC! Example; set up a table at next powwow or go speak
to educate the youth at the community center or colleges. For example,
the Portland support group and I are going to have tables at a powwow
there. The Fargo Moorhead support group is organizing a showing of the
film Incident at Oglala to raise local awareness and activism.
I
will also be going to Washington D.C., where I hope the support group
in Washington plans to go before the 5th and talk to the tribal
officials. We can all go talk to our tribal official and just ask them
to say three words: “Free Leonard Peltier”!! Second, go ahead send
letters to the Bureau of Prisons and Attorney General Eric Holder and
ask for transfer to medium security. Leonard has more then he needs in
points to qualify for a transfer to a medium security prison based on
BOP system. He has 16-points and has been a model prisoner, grandpa,
father, elder and chief; he needs all of us to unite and work together.
E-mail me; I look forward to meeting my uncle’s warriors.
Thank
you all for what you are doing. Take the time to learn more about my
uncle’s case. Don’t stop learning and searching for the truth, I too
have been seeing more and more lies.
Aho take care,
Lakoda Robideau
Circle For Clemency For Leonard Peltier - My Take On The Day
People
from all four directions gathered as the sun rose. Before The Tribal
Conference began, we greeted the day with prayers for the health and
well being of all the people that we may live, that we may all be free
from bondage of any kind. We had seen the morning star and humbly asked
that we be allowed to carry the knowledge and truth that it represented
with us in all our dealings throughout the day. The sun rose bathing us
in the warmth and illumination of its sacredness - reminding us of All
Who Had Gone Before and the sacrifices they had made and continue to
make.
We had come to Washington DC to ask that the Tribal
chairs, chiefs, supporters and representatives from all across the land
consider carrying with them a request for clemency for our brother,
Leonard Peltier. As these representatives arrived, we mingled among
them and greeted them as warmly as the sun had greeted us. We handed
out literature and explained our purpose. We unfurled our banners and
carried our signs. We escorted many of them to the places they needed
to be and were able to talk to them one on one about why we were there
and what they could do to help us.
As the day went on, our
friends Mark Silent Bear, Jacqline Wolf Tice and Drummer Joe Hough led
us in song and prayer that we might send our voices in a sacred way
that would be heard by all things and for all things. Many of the
Tribal leaders made their way across the road and told us of their
intent to carry our message with them. At one point, a Redtailed Hawk
circled three times over the Department of the Interior building. We
took this as a sign that Leonard's spirit was with us and watching out
over us.
This was especially true when, shortly afterward, we
were confronted by [John] Trimbach - a struggling "author" of
unwarranted, unpublishable lies. He attempted to create a publicity
event for himself by engaging members of our group in a confrontational
way. I asked him several times to desist as this was not a forum for
debate. He continued and I even found myself being drawn into argument
with him until a bystander approached and innocently asked me "what was
going on" inside the DOI building. At this point, Mr. Trimbach, in his
pomposity and rudeness, answered that it was a "some kind of hearing to
request clemency for Leonard Peltier." I nearly fell on the ground
laughing when I realized he didn't have a clue what was going on. He
was even ignorant of the historical significance of the Tribal Summit.
It struck me that it might be ironically amusing to have Mr. Trimbach
escorted from the scene by the police. While I was making arrangements
for that, Lakoda Robideau continu ed to speak with him. Trimbach stated
that he wanted to see Leonard free as much as we did.( in his own
Caligulan way) Lakoda handed him a sign with a picture of Nixon, J.
Edgar Hoover and Leonard that said "Which One Is Innocent?" and said to
him "Then you won't mind holding THIS for us." The police officer even
had to grin when he looked over our paperwork and then proceeded to
escort Mr. Trimbach from the area. We all had a bit of a laugh and
smudged with sage to cleanse the negativity that had been brought by
this unwanted visitor.
When President Obama was leaving the DOI
building after the morning speech, we made ourselves quite visible. So
visible, in fact, that he rolled down the window of his limo and
positively acknowledged us as we drummed and sang when he passed by.
Throughout
the day, we had the opportunity to make many new friends from all
across the country. The intimacy and good spirit of our small group
brought strangers, family, elders, youth, warriors, old time supporters
and those who had just become supporters together in unity.
Each
time the meeting would break and the representatives exited or entered
the building, they were greeted by our drumming and our singing. We had
several tribal leaders remark to us that they could not help but carry
our spirit and the heartbeat of our drum inside with them. We were
determined that Leonard would not be forgotten.
In September,
Ben Carnes invited me to come to Washington, DC. We fasted for seven
days and sent our humble, sometimes whispered prayers to The Creator
that President Obama hear our pleas of clemency and justice for Leonard
Peltier. We had faith that The Creator heard every word and on November
5, 2009. We and The Circle for Clemency took the next right step on the
path that He had lain for us. In its essence, this Gathering was an
opportunity to send many more humble and whispered prayers that became
One Great Voice heard not only by The Creator but by All The Nations
and all The People. A prayer of solidarity, hope and gratitude that our
voices have been heard and that our message of freedom for Leonard
Peltier would be carried in the hearts, words and deeds of our tribal
representatives, President Obama and the United States government from
this day forth.
In our singleness of purpose, we shared food throughout the day that nourished each other physically.
In our singleness of purpose, we carried with us our personal prayers and sacred objects that nourished each other spiritually.
In
our singleness of purpose, we shared information & conversation
that educated not only our people but others who had been drawn to the
event and nourished each other mentally.
At the end of the day,
we were blessed by the Creator with a beautiful double rainbow as if to
acknowledge our singleness of purpose - FREEDOM FOR LEONARD PELTIER
I
personally owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to ALL the members of The
Circle For Clemency For Leonard Peltier, from its inception to the
completion of this event and beyond, for all of their hard work,
dedication and prayers.
Robert Fife
Continue Calling the White House
CALL THE WHITE HOUSE ~ 202-456-1111 ~ ASK PRESIDENT OBAMA TO FREE LEONARD PELTIER.
"The Tragedy of Leonard Peltier vs. the US" by Peter Mattiessen
Peter
Matthiessen's op-ed in response to the parole decision, "The Tragedy of
Leonard Peltier vs. the US," appears in the current issue of the New
York Review of Books (Volume 56, Number 18 · November 19, 2009). We
encourage all supporters to read the article. A link is provided at our
home page at www.whoisleonardpeltier.info.
Please also write a letter to the editor of the Review to express
thanks for publishing the op-ed, but also to comment on its content.
The editor's address is Robert B. Silvers, Editor, The New York Review
of Books, 435 Hudson Street, Suite 300, New York, NY 10014. Mail your
letter or fax it to 212-333-5374. You may also send your comments by
e-mail: editor@nybooks.com.
The LPDOC Raffle
We
are raffling a beautiful cedar wood flute hand crafted by gifted artist
Leslie C. Thunder Hawk. Leslie is an enrolled member of the Rosebud
Sioux Tribe from the Rosebud Reservation.
Leslie comes from a
long line of noted artists. He began making flutes and drums in 1987.
The flute is made from airomatic cedar wood or red heart redwood. His
own style is very original and his work has been displayed at museums
because of the craftsmanship he put into it.
The Indians Arts
& Crafts Act of 1990 states, a person must be an enrolled member of
a federally recognized tribe to label their arts and crafts as Indian
made. His work has been in a number of galleries and has been displayed
at the U.S. Dept of Interior Sioux Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota,
and The Elizabeth M. Watkins Community Museum in Lawrence, Kansas.
Thank you Leslie for giving the gift of tradition.
We ask everyone to please buy a ticket to support our ongoing efforts for Leonard’s freedom.
Raffle
tickets are $5.00 for one and $20.00 for five tickets. Please pay
through PayPal or through postal service. Include your name, address
and phone number.
Also, There are many paintings available,
which vary in price and size. All of his paintings are original native
expressions of portraits of his visions. Leonards oil paintings are
collected by various people, including well known names, such as
Chelsea Clinton, Oliver Stone, Val Kilmer, Jane Fonda and so many more
admirers. His work will be enjoyed for centuries to come and we
encourage everyone to purchase an original painting or a lithograph of
Leonards work.
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info
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