http://lpdoc.blogspot.com/2010/03/06-mar-2010-statement-of-leonard.html

Saturday, March 6, 2010


Statement of Leonard Peltier


Greetings,

I hope this finds you all well, and like the weather, looking towards warmer days and sunnier skies. I am excited about our upcoming art exhibit at the Trickster Art Gallery in Chicago on March 6. This event is called "Art for Haiti" and proceeds will benefit the victims of the recent earthquake there. I've been asked why we would do such a thing while Indian people remain in such a state of need. I need only direct you to history, where our people have always given to others, even when we had little.

There is a shrine in Ireland thanking the Choctaw people of Oklahoma who gave grain and money to those suffering from the potato famine in the late 1840's. These Indians had just recently suffered all manner of brutality and suffering during their own removal on the Trail of Tears, and yet they still sought to help others in need around the world. No matter our own station, we should always keep open hearts and be willing to do what we can for others who suffer. It is part of what makes us who we are. And bear in mind our own campaigns to feed and clothe the needy in Indian communities have been in place for years, and they continue as well.

I want to take a moment and mention that one of our greatest warriors, Wilma Mankiller, of the Oklahoma Cherokee, is very ill. This magnificent woman has fought for Indian rights every since she took part in the takeover of Alcatraz in 1969. Please include her in your thoughts and prayers.

As always, I am thankful to all of you who continue to keep my case in the public eye, and campaign for my eventual freedom. Your efforts are not in vain I promise you. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to speaking with you all again.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,

Leonard Peltier

From: contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info
Subject: Attention Supporters: Call to Action
Date: Wed,  3 Mar 2010 09:52:13 -0800 (PST)


Call to Action:
UN Universal Periodic Review to assess U.S. compliance with human rights obligations


The United States is a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) and will be reviewed for the first time this year by the HRC's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in November 2010. Under the UPR all 192 UN member States (countries) are reviewed every 4 years to assess compliance with their obligations to respect and implement human rights for all. The review is based on each
country's national report as well as independent submissions from "civil society stakeholders", including Indigenous Peoples.

The Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee is participating in the national report in a number of different ways, but we can't be in all places at one time. Therefore, we're asking supporters to attend the U.S. State Department's "listening sessions" around the country and speak up on Leonard's behalf. While five sessions have already occurred, there are still five locations where sessions will occur during the next several weeks. These are unique opportunities to bring attention to Leonard's case and the human rights violations to which he has been subjected by the U.S. government.


Session Schedule

• El Paso, TX, on March 8-9; Location: Camino Real Hotel

• Birmingham, AL, on March 11-12, Location: Miles College

• New Mexico, on March 16 and 17; Locations: UNM Law School (16th); Window Rock, Navajo Nation (17th). The NM sessions have been planned specifically for Indigenous Peoples and Nations, to receive input for its national report. Focus themes for the Albuquerque session will include Sovereignty and Self Determination, Nation to Nation Relations, Lands, Territories and Natural Resources, Treaty Rights and Sacred Sites among others.

• Chicago, IL, Date TBC, Location: TBC

• San Francisco, CA, on March 25-26, Location TBC (USF Law School and/or Boalt Hall, UC Berkeley)


Although these cities have been confirmed, in some cases the meeting sites and/or local contact organizations are still being worked out with the onsite hosts and Coordinating Committees. The best contact at this time for specific information about the rest of these listening sessions and who you can contact for more information about participation is Sarah Paoletti, Senior Coordinator for the US Human Rights Network UPR Project. She can be reached paoletti@law.upenn.edu . You can also contact Laura Baum, USHRN Staff Coordinator at lbaum@ushrnetwork.org.


A word from Leonard: He's pleased that supporters are stepping up to speak on his behalf this way. He thanks you and asks only that you do your homework. It's imperative that you relay complete and accurate information.

If you need assistance with preparing your statement for a session, contact us. We'll be happy to brainstorm with you. Otherwise, we recommend that you use "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse" by Peter Matthiessen as your source material.


Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
PO Box 7488 - Fargo, ND 58106
(701) 235-2206 (Phone); (701) 235-5045 (Fax)
Web: www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
E-mail: contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info

Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:17:23 -0600 (CST)
From: NRDC - Frances Beinecke biogemsdefenders@savebiogems.org
Subject: Help protect beluga whales from extinction

 
Fewer than 400 still survive
 



Dear --,

Industry giants are pressuring the Obama Administration to abandon endangered beluga whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska. We need your urgent action to help protect these rare whales from extinction.

Please tell the National Marine Fisheries Service to finalize its proposal to designate an area of more than 3,000 square miles as critical habitat for Cook Inlet beluga whales.

Cook Inlet belugas live in one of the most populated and industrialized regions in Alaska. Their health and habitat is continuously threatened by the devastating effects of development and pollution.

In fact, this genetically distinct population of beluga whales has plummeted in number from 1,300 in the 1980s to fewer than 400 today.

Following years of advocacy by NRDC and others, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed designated critical habitat for Cook Inlet beluga whales under the Endangered Species Act this past December.

Without these habitat protections, which are backed by decades of scientific research and data, Cook Inlet beluga whales could be wiped out forever.

Yet powerful industries are falsely claiming that designating critical habitat will hurt local development.

In truth, this designation simply helps ensure that new development projects will move forward with safeguards necessary to protect belugas and their habitat.

Please make your voice heard right now:
https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1757

Thank you for taking action to protect imperiled beluga whales.

Sincerely,
 
Frances Beinecke
President Natural Resources Defense Council

+=+=+=+
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.]

Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:18:56 -0600 (CST)
From: BioGems News biogemsnewsletter@savebiogems.org
Subject: Protect the Arctic Refuge - NRDC's Save BioGems News, February 2010

NRDC
 

 

 
America's Arctic
Shell's Drilling Threatens the Arctic Refuge

A half a century ago, the Eisenhower administration created the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge "for the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values". But reckless oil development continues to endanger the future of this one-of-a-kind natural sanctuary. The Obama administration has given the Shell oil company a preliminary green light to begin exploratory drilling off the coast of the refuge as early as this summer. Government experts have predicted that least one oil spill will occur if Shell proceeds with full-scale production. Apart from killing polar bears and their cubs on their main birthing ground, the oil could also suffocate or poison whales, including endangered bowhead and beluga whales.

-> Tell the Obama administration to reject Shell's plan and protect the coastline of the Arctic Refuge from a disastrous oil spill:
https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1707


+=+=+=+
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.]

Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:29:49 GMT
From: "Brant Olson, Rainforest Action Network" jels@ran.org
Subject: Olympic Sponsor Funds Dirtiest Oil Project On Earth


RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK
 
Ask Royal Bank of Canada to Stop Financing Dirty Tar Sands Oil
 


Dear --,

Are you tired of corporations trying to greenwash their environmental blunders? So are we. This week, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) gets the greenwash-of-the-week award for spending $105 million (USD) to become a lead sponsor of the 2010 Winter Olympics, while simultaneously bankrolling billions of dollars in investments in the dirtiest oil project on Earth - the Alberta tar sands. RBC's efforts to advertise themselves as Canada's most caring corporate citizen through their Olympic sponsorship is incompatible with financing Canada's most polluting industry.

The tar sands oil extraction project is systematically turning vast stretches of the breathtaking Canadian boreal forest into a wasteland the size of Florida, eradicating wildlife habitat and jeopardizing the health of First Nations communities across Alberta. Let's do something about it.

Email RBC's CEO Gordon Nixon and ask him to stop financing dirty tar sands oil and start funding a clean energy future:
http://ga3.org/campaign/RBC_Letter_Gordon_Nixon.


The Facts

* The United States is the single largest purchaser of tar sands oil
* Air and water pollution from tar sands oil contains 11 times more sulfur and nickel and 5 times more lead than conventional oil
* Cancer rates have increased in Indigenous communities downstream from the tar sands by as much as 400 times
* The tar sands are Canada's fastest growing source of global warming pollution

If you think this only impacts Canadians, think again. Tar sands oil, the dirtiest on earth, is coming to the United States. If we allow this massive project to creep across our border, it will lock America into dependence on yet another source of oil, just as our local, homegrown clean energy industry is beginning to thrive.

Tell RBC's CEO to create an environmental policy that respects the rights of all people living in Canada's great boreal forest: http://ga3.org/campaign/RBC_Letter_Gordon_Nixon.

Thanks for helping Royal Bank of Canada make the wisest investment decision possible- funding a sustainable future for Canada.

For the forests,
Brant Olson, Eriel Deranger and Joshua Kahn Russell
Freedom From Oil Campaign
ran.org/tarsands

___
RAN
221 Pine Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 USA
Phone: (415) 398-4404   Fax: (415) 398-2732
(c.) 2009 Rainforest Action Network. All rights reserved.


+=+=+=+
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.]

Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:24:39 -0600 (CST)
From: NRDC - Frances Beinecke biogemsdefenders@savebiogems.org
Subject: Help protect an endangered natural treasure
Organization: NRDC

 

Dear --,

The Obama Administration is deciding right now whether to grant strong protections to New Mexico's priceless Otero Mesa, the largest and wildest expanse of Chihuahuan Desert grassland left in the country.

Otero Mesa is home to 1,000 native wildlife species, including mule deer, mountain lions, black-tailed prairie dogs, golden and bald eagles, and more than 200 species of migratory songbirds. New Mexico's healthiest and only genetically pure herd of pronghorn antelope also find refuge there.

This spectacular sanctuary for wildlife has been repeatedly threatened by industrialization.

Urge Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to grant permanent protection to this 1.2-million-acre natural treasure.

In addition to its diverse wildlife, thousands of ancient petroglyphs, as well as archaeological and historical sites, lie nestled in Otero Mesa's volcanic Cornudas Mountains, including several ruins from the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach Route.

In a dramatic court victory last year, we struck down a Bush-era scheme to hand over Otero Mesa to the oil and gas industry. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the Bureau of Land Management approved the plan without considering its full potential risks to the region's fragile wildlife and drinking water resources.

As the Bureau of Land Management reconsiders protections for Otero Mesa, we must make our voices heard.

Please help protect Otero Mesa forever:
https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1737


Thank you for taking action to protect this thriving desert grassland.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President Natural Resources Defense Council


 
+=+=+=+
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.]

From: contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info
Subject: Appeal Denied
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:36:06 -0800 (PST)

LP-DOC - PO Box 7488 - Fargo, ND 58106
Phone: 701/235-2206; Fax:701/235-5045
contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info

February 24, 2010


Appeal Denied!

Today we received word that the parole decision has been affirmed by the U.S. Parole Commission. The Parole Commission made no concessions except for one -- to finally recognize Leonard's "recent prison record of good conduct". The Parole Commission went on to say that Leonard's age, health, and release plan were all considered, but that these elements "don't warrant his release at this time". All legal arguments made by the Peltier attorney Eric Seitz were rejected.

Once again, we're told that innocence is no defense. Yet again, the government has singled out Leonard Peltier as a scapegoat. As has always been the case, they intend to force Leonard Peltier to pay the price for the killings of their agents despite the lack of evidence against him. This is nothing short of politically motivated vengeance.

Leonard won't receive another full parole hearing until he is nearly 80 years old. Already at risk for blindness, kidney failure, stroke, and certainly premature death given his diet, living conditions, and health care, this parole decision is also nothing less than a death sentence.

Don't accept the unacceptable. Demand Leonard's freedom. Call the White House comment line every day to express your outrage. Call: (202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1112. You also can send an e-mail to the White House. Go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/. Mail or fax a letter to President Barack Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20500; Fax - (202) 456-2461.

- - - -

Benefit for the Children of Haiti

Moved by news reports about the earthquake in Haiti, Leonard Peltier has organized an art auction to help with relief efforts. Asked recently why he would do this, he said the children -- whether red, white, black or yellow -- are the future. We must care for them equally. Leonard has donated his work for the event and has reached out to other Indigenous artists to join him in this effort to give aid and comfort to earthquake victims. As of this writing Billy Warsoldier, Faron Blakely, Joanne Bird, Jo Ellis, Leslie Thunderhawk, Kenneth Hari and Chad Brady have answered the call. The benefit will be held at the Trickster Gallery at 190 South Roselle Road in Schaumburg, Illinois, on Saturday, March 6, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Both a live and silent auction will occur and paintings will be on exhibit beforehand.

The auction will be held in conjunction with Trickster Gallery's 5th Anniversary Benefit for the Arts. The public is invited to join Native Folk and Blues musician Keith Secola, the Mark Cleveland Band, Guia Rivera, Aztec Dancers, Native American Drum and Dancers, Native Artist Andrew Morrison, and others in a celebration of First Peopes' art.
Call 847-301-2090 or send an e-mail to trickstergallery@aic-chicago.org for ticket information.

- - - -

Solidarity

Read: Leonard Peltier Solidarity Statement with Mumia Abu-Jamal

____
www.whoisleonardpeltier.info

From: contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info
Subject: A Call to Action: Fair Reconsideration for Parole of Leonard Peltier
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 2010 22:18:04 -0800 (PST)


A Call to Action

February 8, 2010


Attention, Supporters! February 6 has come and gone. We've had a day of rest, too. It's time to get busy once again.

As you know, Leonard's application for parole was denied in August 2009. Leonard has appealed that decision and needs our support. Leonard has not given up. We can't give up, either. In fact, let's intensify our efforts on Leonard's behalf.

Actively support the parole of Leonard Peltier as you did last summer. Insist on a fair reconsideration of Leonard's application for parole.

Write a brief and to-the-point letter to the U.S. Parole Commission at 5550 Friendship Boulevard, Suite 420, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815-7286, Re: Leonard Peltier #89637-132.

You can fax your letter to (301) 492-6694, if you wish.

The Commission has no public e-mail.

Once you've sent off your letter to the Commission, please also call President Obama's comment line at (202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1112. Tell the President to support the parole of Leonard Peltier.

There was a crippling snow storm in the Washington metropolitan area this past weekend. Service at the White House may be disrupted as a result. Be patient and keep calling until you get through to the comment line. Generally, the White House comment line is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., EST.

Remember also that if the lines are busy, you can call the switchboard at (202) 456-1414. Ask for the comment line. You may be placed on hold until the next available staffer can take your call.

We thank you in advance for your attention to this urgent matter -- as well as your time, effort, and commitment.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,


The Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

Contact:

LP-DOC - PO Box 7488 - Fargo, ND 58106
(701) 235-2206 (Phone); (701) 235-5045 (Fax)
www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
email: contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info