A Call for remembrance of the indigenous communities of the Americas and the freedom of political prisoner Leonard Peltier
This week has been a week of anniversaries,only one is front page news-commemorating those that died in the horrific world trade centre attacks. Still 5 years on and there are glaring ommisions in the official story, hence the growing voice of the 9/11 truth campaign. For all the talk of freedom in the United States we seem to get a very narrow range of opinion coming out from its media.
Another 9/11 anniversary is that of the United States backed (through the CIA)military coup in Chile in 1973 which saw repression and political murder on a mass scale.
President George Bush gave a 17 minute address to the nation calling for unity among the nation and worryingly told us what he had learnt from the war on terror,that the enemy was evil. The world we are told is a different place post 9/11. The president should look to the enemy in his own heart and the heart of his nation and not forget how his own government has historically supported wars of terror both internally and externally of its borders.
The day after the remembrance service, the 12th of september ,marked the birthday of LEONARD PELTIER now 62 who has spent the last 30 years of his life in prison for a crime he did not commit , and whose bravery in coming to the defence of his people during the united states government assisted ' Reign of Terror' in the mid 1970's led to his persecution and jailing. The United States showed its willingness to be complicit in murder and to terrorize into silence the voice of the indigenous through the 'neutralisation' of the American Indian Movement, a movement for native self determination that had attempted to get the government to abide by the promises made in all the various treaties between itself and indian sovereign nations , not one of which has been fully honoured by the government!. AIM and The traditional peoples were repayed with vicious victimisation and the further stealing of 1/8th of the Pine Ridge Reservation that proved to be rich in uranium (discovered by the united states govt 5 years prior to the events)
In a similar vein his predecessor President Clinton was forced to apologize for the united states government involvement in sponsoring death squads in Guatemala at their height in the 1980's that led to the deaths of 150,000 Mayan Indians over a 15 year period.
In sharp Contrast to the speechs of President Bush are the little heard voices of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, such as Sioux elder Arvol Looking Horse whos response to the 9/11 attacks was
"Attacking Nations and having to utilise more resources to carry out the destruction in the name of peace and elimination is not the answer! We need to understand how these decisions affect the global nation...to allow continual contamination of our food and land is now affecting the way we think. A disease of the mind has set in world leaders and many members of our global community with the understanding that a solution of retaliation and destruction of peoples will bring peace. In times of disaster, it is sad to say that it is the only time that we unite spiritually, but we must not taint it with anger and retaliation. We are the only species that is destroying the source of life...in the name of power, mineral resources and ownership of the lands, with methods of chemical use and warfare that become irreversible.'
former professor of the university of Colorado Vine Deloria pertinently stated 'Until the United States begins to build a moral record in her dealings with the indian people, she should not try to fool the rest of the world about her intentions on other continents. We all have a duty to call for the release of Leonard Peltier and the restitution of justice towards the native population. Our global future is in peril and the fear driven economy of the United States should not not take precedence over the moves towards global healing and justice .Events happened around the world to remember Leonard, here in Edinburgh a showing of 'Incident at Oglala' the 1988 film Robert Redford struggled to put out about the case.
Another 9/11 anniversary is that of the United States backed (through the CIA)military coup in Chile in 1973 which saw repression and political murder on a mass scale.
President George Bush gave a 17 minute address to the nation calling for unity among the nation and worryingly told us what he had learnt from the war on terror,that the enemy was evil. The world we are told is a different place post 9/11. The president should look to the enemy in his own heart and the heart of his nation and not forget how his own government has historically supported wars of terror both internally and externally of its borders.
The day after the remembrance service, the 12th of september ,marked the birthday of LEONARD PELTIER now 62 who has spent the last 30 years of his life in prison for a crime he did not commit , and whose bravery in coming to the defence of his people during the united states government assisted ' Reign of Terror' in the mid 1970's led to his persecution and jailing. The United States showed its willingness to be complicit in murder and to terrorize into silence the voice of the indigenous through the 'neutralisation' of the American Indian Movement, a movement for native self determination that had attempted to get the government to abide by the promises made in all the various treaties between itself and indian sovereign nations , not one of which has been fully honoured by the government!. AIM and The traditional peoples were repayed with vicious victimisation and the further stealing of 1/8th of the Pine Ridge Reservation that proved to be rich in uranium (discovered by the united states govt 5 years prior to the events)
In a similar vein his predecessor President Clinton was forced to apologize for the united states government involvement in sponsoring death squads in Guatemala at their height in the 1980's that led to the deaths of 150,000 Mayan Indians over a 15 year period.
In sharp Contrast to the speechs of President Bush are the little heard voices of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, such as Sioux elder Arvol Looking Horse whos response to the 9/11 attacks was
"Attacking Nations and having to utilise more resources to carry out the destruction in the name of peace and elimination is not the answer! We need to understand how these decisions affect the global nation...to allow continual contamination of our food and land is now affecting the way we think. A disease of the mind has set in world leaders and many members of our global community with the understanding that a solution of retaliation and destruction of peoples will bring peace. In times of disaster, it is sad to say that it is the only time that we unite spiritually, but we must not taint it with anger and retaliation. We are the only species that is destroying the source of life...in the name of power, mineral resources and ownership of the lands, with methods of chemical use and warfare that become irreversible.'
former professor of the university of Colorado Vine Deloria pertinently stated 'Until the United States begins to build a moral record in her dealings with the indian people, she should not try to fool the rest of the world about her intentions on other continents. We all have a duty to call for the release of Leonard Peltier and the restitution of justice towards the native population. Our global future is in peril and the fear driven economy of the United States should not not take precedence over the moves towards global healing and justice .Events happened around the world to remember Leonard, here in Edinburgh a showing of 'Incident at Oglala' the 1988 film Robert Redford struggled to put out about the case.
e-mail:
