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Tue Dec 02 2008
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Departments International Issues
Anniversary Statement from Leonard Peltier
by Leonard Peltier
January 25, 2004
Hau Kola, Hello my friends, my relatives:
You can never imagine the heartfelt comfort it brings to know you're not
forgotten in prison. This is my 28th year, and I've seen others come and
go and return again. I can't help but feel a great sorrow for many of
these young men who keep coming back for one reason or another; most of
which are alcohol related offenses. So much has changed since I came here
and yet, in many ways, it's still the same.
The government, under the pretext of security and progress, liberated us
from our land, resources, culture, dignity and future. They violated every
treaty they ever made with us. I use the word "liberated" loosely and
sarcastically, in the same vein that I view their use of the words
"collateral damage" when they kill innocent men, women, and children.
They describe people defending their homeland as terrorists, savages and
hostiles, and accuse us of being aggressors. We have never fought a battle
or war that was not on our own land; we never fired the first shot ...
ever. My words reach out to the non-Indian: Look now before it's far too
late - see what is being done to others in your name and see what
destruction you sanction when you say nothing. Your own treaty, the one
between yourselves and the government, is being violated daily; this
treaty is commonly known as the Constitution.
With us, they started a little at a time, encroaching on our rights until
we had none at all. It will be the same for the Constitution; this is not
conjecture, but fact. We are not embattled with the color of man, but with
the weakness of man, a mindset that lusts for power and wealth at the
expense of life.
Men of all colors, cultures and religions must stand together to oppose
the genocidal policies that face us all as the corporate world seeks to
enslave all, and pit one nation against another.
If you avoid breaking laws and do what you're told and ignore the poor,
the oppressed and the downtrodden - you probably won't be bothered. If you
try to right what is wrong, however, you will surely meet great opposition
and run the risk of imprisonment or death.
I am a Sun Dancer. I took a vow for my people. I chose to seek the
Creator's will and to follow it to the best of my ability. I WILL NOT
STAND DOWN FROM THAT VOW. I will continue to speak, write and organize
until Grandfather himself quiets my life. If I can do this in prison, I
have no doubt you can do much better from where you stand.
I encourage you to do your best, be kind to one another, seek harmony and
balance with all natural life, enjoy what freedom you have left, and most
of all, never, never give up.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
Mitakuye Oyasin
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Don't forget to check out articles from 2007 and 2008International Issues
"Resistance, Hope, and Joy in the face of empire" December 19, 2004 Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
"Play It Again Bush And Blair" November 15, 2004 Sam Bahour and Michael Dahan*
"Mordechai Vanunu" November 11, 2004 Rayna Moss
"GW Bush and the Death of Diplomacy" October 19, 2004 Larry S. Rolirad
"Sharon and Arafat Should Step Aside" October 8, 2004 Am Johal
"Madonna, Mr. Big and Richard Gere" September 28, 2004 Am Johal
"Destruction of National Monuments" August 24, 2004 Steve Gligorov, J.D. and Metodija A. Koloski
"Time to apply South Africa remedy to Israel " July 28, 2004 Mazin B. Qumsiyeh
"The Echo of Vietnam: a Call for Withdrawal" July 15, 2004 Daniel Rose
"A Real Road to Peace in the Middle East " June 29, 2004 Green Party USA
"Genocide By Public Policy " May 21, 2004 Sam Bahour and Michael Dahan
"Twice the human?" May 21, 2004 John Janney
"Lawyers Delegation Documents Continuing Grave Human Rights Problems in Haiti " May 15, 2004 James Wong
"USA, Narcissism & Follies aux Beaucoup" May 13, 2004 Paul Recher
"Elections in El Salvador" April 29, 2004 Martin Mowforth
"Tibetan boy kidnapped by PRC " April 21, 2004 Glenn Freeman
"Settlers Guarded By Israeli Soldiers Continue To Destroy Ba'qaa Valley " April 10, 2004 Jerry Levin
"One Treaty the Bush Administration Supports: Long Live NATO" April 1, 2004 Tom Barry
"IDF Continues Using Civilians as Human Shields to Make Arrests " March 29, 2004 B'Tselem
"Soldiers Beat Ambulance Driver and Medic Transporting Patients" March 29, 2004 B'Tselem
"IDF Soldiers Gather and Fingerprint Residents of Two Villages " March 29, 2004 B’Tselem
"Ground Down in the Fields: Coffee and State Authority in Colombia" March 24, 2004 Josh Frank
"VP Cheney Helped Cover-Up Pakistani Nuclear Proliferation In '89 So US Could Sell Country Fighter Jets" March 8, 2004 Jason Leopold
"Spying On UN Sec General Part Of Larger Campaign To Undermine UN Missions In Iraq " February 27, 2004 Jason Leopold
"Anniversary Statement from Leonard Peltier " January 25, 2004 Leonard Peltier
Related Journal articles:
"Morality massacred at Mogr el-Deeb" July 11, 2004
"A nuclear bazaar" March 15, 2004
Read Articles by Year: 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

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