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This Day and Every
Day: Solidarity With Leonard Peltier
Published in 2005,
revised 02 September 2009
Adapted from a statement by Arthur J. Miller,
Co-Coordinator, Tacoma (WA)-Leonard Peltier Support Group
Long ago, in 1976,
Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier was arrested and illegally
imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Why should you care about
this case? The very same government tactics used to bring about
Peltier's wrongful conviction are being applied today—not
for the sake of "national security," as is claimed, but simply to
quash dissent.
Despite the obstacles, we
must achieve solidarity... to get beyond... [oppression and
greed]... to create a better world for The People and live in
balance with Mother Earth. Although it is essential that there be
movements that organize around the different aspects of human
suffering seen around the world, as well as the plight of Mother
Earth, it also is essential that we understand that all things are
connected and... act upon that understanding in unity and
solidarity.
There are few clearer
examples of the connections between the struggles of humankind than
the case of Leonard Peltier.
Leonard’s case is all
about war and conquest, an issue of real peace and the anti-war
struggle. How can we hope to end the U.S. wars in other lands
without acknowledging the long war of conquest in this land?
Leonard’s case is all
about government corruption and falsehoods. How can we create truth
in government without being honest about what has been done to the
Indigenous People of this land? And how can we seek justice and
well-being for those who have suffered in great natural disasters in
recent years without also doing the same for the Indigenous People
who have suffered under an "unnatural" disaster since the days of
Christopher Columbus?
Leonard's case is about
greed and the abuses of multinational corporations. How can we speak
of today's abuses without also speaking of the same type of abuses
that Indigenous People have suffered and continue to suffer?
In these dangerous times,
we are all concerned about the repressive nature of "Homeland
Security" types of legislation worldwide, where a great tragedy has
been used as an excuse to strip people of their rights. But how can
we speak of our concerns about this problem without also speaking
about the repression of dissent in the 1970s, in general, and that
of Indigenous Peoples, in particular? How can we address this
problem without also speaking about Leonard Peltier?
Supporting Leonard
Peltier is not just about supporting the man, although that is a
good reason to support him. It is not just about supporting the long
continuous struggle of Indigenous People, although that, too, is a
good reason to support Leonard Peltier. Rather, Leonard Peltier is a
global connecting point of all of the struggles of The People and
all resistance to oppression, exploitation, and organized violence
perpetrated by nation states.
We do not ask people to
put aside their activism in the different social struggles of our
time. Rather, we encourage people to learn about and understand the
connections between all such struggles, and include Leonard Peltier
as a part of all of their efforts.
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Panama's
up-and-coming generation of Indigenous leaders are better
educated and more internationally connected than their
predecessors. A number of them showed up at the anti-Bush
protests to show their support for U.S. political prisoner
Leonard Peltier, an American Indian Movement activist who has
been incarcerated for more than 30 years for the deaths of two
FBI agents on evidence that Amnesty International and other
human rights groups have long since concluded was falsified by
the FBI and federal prosecutors. (Photo
taken during a visit to Panama by President George W. Bush on
November 12, 2005) |
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Women—Join us!
We need your vision, intelligence, and stamina.
Men—Join us!
We need your heart and fortitude in support of our brother.
Young People—Join us!
We need you to take up where we leave off.
Children—Join us!
We need your joy, laughter, and wisdom.
Our Latin Brothers and
Sisters—Join us!
We need your spirit, warmth, and strength.
All People of Color—Join
us!
We need your experience and determination.
All people who work hard
for a better world and who believe in human rights, social justice,
and preservation of the environment—Join us!
We need your passion
and energy for our struggle.
We ask you to actively
support Leonard Peltier for yourselves, your families, and for the
future generations. We ask that while you continue your important
social activism for peace, justice, the healing of the wounds of The
People and Mother Earth... as you work to create a better world...
that you join with us to call for freedom for Leonard Peltier. It
needs to be clear to all that this better world we seek is meant for
all. There can be no separate peace.
Reprinted With Permission of the Author
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