DELANEY BRUCE — a taste of what it's like to really fight the United States government — a delicacy most Americans have never been able to swallow

Leonard Peltier

[on YouTube]

"Fighting for what’s right just may cost you something, right?
____________
Hey, having a passion for doing the right thing
is a good thing.
Embrace it.

But remember that you don’t own it until it costs you.


And by that I mean that all anyone has to do is stand up."

FBI agents Jack Coler, Ron Williams,
killed at Oglala, South Dakota, June 26. 1975

Even the prosecutors in this case have admitted
that they “did not and cannot prove”
that Peltier is guilty or even what part
“he may have played” in the deaths of the agents.
____________
The courts have acknowledged that Peltier’s
constitutional rights have been violated again and again,
but they haven’t remedied the situation.

Victims of the Reign of Terror

04.14.1973 - Priscilla White Plume

04.17.1973 - Frank Clearwater

04.23.1973 - Between 8 and 12 individuals (names unknown) packing supplies into Wounded Knee.

04.27.1973 - Buddy Lamont

06.19.1973 - Clarence Cross

07.30.1973 - Julius Bad Heart Bull

09.22.1973 - Melvin Spider

09.23.1973 - Philip Black Elk

10.05.1973 - Aloysius Long Soldier

10.10.1973 - Phillip Little Crow

10.17.1973 - Pedro Bissonette

11.20.1973 - Allison Fast Horse

01.17.1974 - Edward Means, Jr.

02.27.1974 - Edward Standing Soldier

04.19.1974 - Roxeine Roark

09.07.1974 - Dennis LeCompte

09.11.1974 - Jackson Washington Cutt

09.16.1974 - Robert Reddy

11.16.1974 - Delphine Crow Dog

11.20.1974 - Elaine Wagner

12.03.1974 - John S. Moore

12.28.1974 - Yvette Loraine Lone Hill

01.05.1975 - Leon L. Swift Bird

03.01.1975 - Martin Montileaux

03.20.1975 - Stacy Cotter

03.21.1975 - Edith Eagle Hawk and her two children

03.27.1975 - Jeanette Bissonette

03.30.1975 - Richard Eagle

04.04.1975 - Hilda R. Good Buffalo

04.04.1975 - Jancita Eagle Deer

05.20.1975 - Ben Sitting Up

06.01.1975 - Kenneth Little

06.15.1975 - Leah Spotted Elk

06.26.1975 - Joseph Killsright Stuntz

07.12.1975 - James Briggs Yellow

07.25.1975 - Andrew Paul Stewart

08.25.1975 - Randy Hunter

09.09.1975 - Howard Blue Bird

09.10.1975 - Jim Little

10.26.1975 - Janice Black Bear

10.26.1975 - Olivia Binais

10.27.1975 - Michelle Tobacco

12.06.1975 - Carl Plenty Arrows, Sr.

12.06.1975 - Frank LaPointe

12.25.1975 - Floyd S. Binais

01.05.1976 - Lydia Cut Grass

01.30.1976 - Byron DeSersa

02.06.1976 - Lena R. Slow Bear

02.26.1976 - Anna Mae Pictou Aquash

03.01.1976 - Hobart Horse

03.26.1976 - Cleveland Reddest

04.28.1976 - Betty Jo Dubray

05.06.1976 - Marvin Two Two

05.09.1976 - Julia Pretty Hips

05.24.1976 - Sam Afraid of Bear

06.04.1976 - Kevin Hill

07.03.1976 - Betty Means

07.31.1976 - Sandra Wounded Foot

June 26, 1975

On June 26, 1975, two agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)—Mr. Jack Coler and Mr. Ron Williams — entered private property on the Pine Ridge reservation, the Jumping Bull Ranch. They drove unmarked vehicles, wore plain clothes, and neglected to identify themselves as law enforcement officers. They allegedly sought to arrest a young Indian man, Jimmy Eagle, for the theft of a pair of cowboy boots. They believed, the government contends, that they had seen Eagle in a red pick up truck that they then followed onto the Jumping Bull property.

Members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) were camping on the property at the time. They had been invited there by the Jumping Bull elders, who sought protection from the extreme violence on the reservation at that time. Many non-AIM persons were present as well.

Map of the

Jumping Bull Compound.

For unknown reasons, a shoot-out began. A family with small children was trapped in the cross fire. Throughout the ranch, people screamed that they were under attack and many of the men present hurried to return fire.

The Cost

When the skirmish ended, the two FBI agents were dead. The U.S. government claims they had been wounded and then shot through their heads at close range.

A young Native American named Joe Stuntz (above) also lay dead, shot through the head by a sniper bullet. His killing has never been investigated.

The more than 30 men, women, and children present on the ranch were then quickly surrounded by over 150 FBI agents, Special Weapons and Tactics (or SWAT) team members, Bureau of Indian Affairs police, and local vigilantes. They barely escaped through a hail of bullets.

An innocent man, Leonard Peltier was wrongfully convicted and illegally imprisoned in connection with the shooting deaths on June 26, 1975, of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Delaney Bruce, with Cyrus Peltier, Leonard Peltier's grandson, 2003,
appellate hearing in Denver regarding parole.

Friends of Peltier
http://www.freepeltiernow.org/welcome.htm

More:
Ten Reasons, by Delaney Bruce
12,000 Days, by Delaney Bruce

The New American
Dream Interview

[Interview conducted Jan. 7, 2009]



Update:

Leonard Peltier has a parole hearing July 28. Go here to learn how to write a letter in support.



DELANEY BRUCE is a freelance writer and PR/media consultant formerly affiliated with the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (2001-2003).

She also provided writing, research, Web, and media services to the Peltier legal defense team (2003-2006).

She is a founding member of the group Friends of Peltier (www.FreePeltierNow.org), established in 2007.

Delaney, age 55, currently lives in Portland, Oregon.




NAD: Delaney, hello. Thank you for taking the time for this.

DELANEY BRUCE:
No problem.




NAD: Are you a Native American?

DELANEY BRUCE:
(Smiles) By whose definition?

If you’re asking if I have Indigenous blood running through my veins?

Yes. Mvskoke (Creek Nation).

No more significant than my Scots-Irish roots, though ...

If we have to use a label, let’s just say I’m “tribal,” and the sum of all my parts.



NAD: How did you first hear about Leonard Peltier?

DELANEY BRUCE:
The way everyone did back in the day... On television.

I was in Washington, D.C., so the reporting was pretty immediate, as well as extensive — just like the reporting on the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) takeover in ’72 and the siege at Wounded Knee in ‘73.

I remember, too, the “60 Minutes” piece that was done on the Peltier case some years later.

That was really the first time anything other than the government version of events was delivered into peoples’ living rooms.

I remember that everyone was talking about the case the day after that segment aired.

But I was reminded of the case again by a friend — in 1999, I think it was.

That’s when I finally read “In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,” by Peter Matthiessen.

Today, Peter’s book remains the definitive work on the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the Peltier case. If they haven’t already read the book, folks should give it a look over.




NAD: Were you with the then Leonard Peltier Defense Committee around the time that there was hope of an offer of clemency by Clinton?

DELANEY BRUCE:
Like millions of folks worldwide, I was a supporter during that time ... you know, just trying to do my part.

I didn’t come to the Committee until about six months after Clinton left office.

Clinton was giving signals that Leonard would go free. To have the rug pulled out from under them in the final hours of the Clinton Administration ... Man, that was devastating — for Leonard, in particular.

He picked himself up, though — and dragged everyone else to their feet, as well.
____________
It was a pretty amazing thing to witness.

NAD: What was that like, for the Committee, to go through?

DELANEY BRUCE:

The Committee folks had put their hearts and souls into that clemency effort. They thought it was going to happen.

Clinton was giving signals that Leonard would go free. To have the rug pulled out from under them in the final hours of the Clinton Administration ... Man, that was devastating — for Leonard, in particular.

He picked himself up, though — and dragged everyone else to their feet, as well.

It was a pretty amazing thing to witness.




NAD: Why do you think clemency was not given by Clinton?

DELANEY BRUCE:
People make all kinds of claims about what happened.

I don’t think there’s a simple answer to this question, you know? Lots of different players, all kinds of maneuvering. It’s hard to know what actually happened.

Bill Janklow loves to take credit for Clinton’s decision. Right?

But while Janklow and others of his acquaintance may have contributed to the president’s decision, I very much doubt such folks actually caused it.

Had Janklow been as effective as he claims, I think Clinton would have denied clemency.

He didn’t. (Note: Former Governor and Congressman Janklow, South Dakota, was convicted of manslaughter in 2003, jailed, and forced to resign his congressional seat in disgrace.)

I tend to think that if anyone can claim the credit for sinking the clemency effort, it’s likely then FBI Director (and J. Edgar Hoover clone) Louis Freeh.

Like Hoover, he operated with a “by any means” mentality.

Ruby Ridge and Waco occurred on Freeh’s watch, remember.

It’s said he was a total renegade ... notoriously insubordinate to Janet Reno, the then Attorney General.

He also was known to have carried on a bitter feud with Bill Clinton. Seems like the guy was out of control.

Do you know about the 2002 Freedom of Information Act request that was made to the Buffalo FBI field office on Leonard’s behalf?

That request yielded a heavily excised 1975 teletype that indicated an informant was trying to infiltrate Peltier's defense effort.

Understand that, if infiltration was achieved, this information could have a potentially explosive impact on the Peltier case.

It would provide grounds for a new trial or even an outright reversal.

Well, at the same time, a similar request was made to the FBI Field Office in Manhattan (New York, New York). And guess what?

To this day, that office alleges that its file on Leonard Peltier is “missing”.

What generally isn’t known is that Freeh was an FBI Special Agent in the New York City field office during the 1970s.

He also became a federal prosecutor and even a judge in New York prior to becoming the director of the FBI.

(Note: If you want to know what Freeh is up to these days, see http://news.muckety.com/2008/05/26/former-fbi-chief-louis-freeh-sells-his-services-to-corporate-elite/3001.)

What happened to that file? I don’t know.

All I know is I’m not a big believer in coincidence — in particular as regards the Peltier case.

And why is it that 30-plus years after the events in question, the FBI still resists releasing the over 100,000 documents they have on file regarding the Peltier case?

What are these folks afraid of?

Clearly, they have something to hide. I mean, that’s the only conclusion I can come to.




NAD: Some folks think it was the unprecedented FBI march on the White House (December 15, 2000) that prevented Clinton from granting clemency to Peltier.

DELANEY BRUCE:
Yeah, I know, but in the scheme of things, the agents who marched that day had no real political clout.

I mean, Clinton was leaving office; he wasn’t running for re-election.

There’d be no political fallout if he ignored either or both sides on the clemency issue. So I think folks have given the march far too much weight.

The march wasn’t at all necessary, either — to pressure Clinton, I mean — because Freeh had already applied (and formally) plenty of pressure.

Freeh vehemently opposed Peltier’s release.

He even admitted in his autobiography that he had made it official Bureau policy, a top priority, to interfere with Peltier’s petition for clemency.

He did anything and everything he could to ensure that Peltier remained in prison.

Such things don’t happen in Washington, you know?

A march like that ... It just isn’t done.

More than that, it’s prohibited. The reaction inside the Beltway... nobody ever reported on that, but folks were generally shocked by what these agents did.

Any of the active duty agents who participated in that march knowingly engaged in politically motivated conduct in direct violation of the FBI’s manuals on administrative and investigative policy.

In fact, the agents’ behavior was grounds for disciplinary action but, as far as anyone knows, none was taken. In particular in light of the ongoing feud between Freeh and Bill Clinton, or even between Reno and Freeh, one has to ask why not?

Here’s something I know for certain: The FBI is notorious for media manipulation as regards the Peltier case ... all cases against AIM members, in fact.

A 1993 FBI memorandum shows that the FBI actually developed a media plan by which former and active agents made scurrilous claims in print and on radio and television programs throughout the United States with the intent of preventing Peltier’s release through an award of Executive Clemency: http://www.FreePeltierNow.org/LEGAL/uploads/FBI_clemency_plan.pdf.

I think the White House march was played out for the media, frankly — the same media that failed to report on the larger march five days earlier in support of Peltier.

(The march was held at United Nations headquarters in New York City.)

The FBI created a media event, got nighttime news coverage on every television network, and delivered the “package” to every American home.

Supposedly this was done for the purpose of influencing public opinion against Peltier’s release.

Of course, there was no call to action, so to speak, so this would have been and likely was completely ineffective. The Bureau’s spin doctors would have known that, too.

So why do it at all?

Well, it provided the rationale for Clinton’s handling of the clemency petition, didn’t it?

But, at the same time, it concealed what was really going on ... I mean, someone took a page out of J. Edgar Hoover’s book, if the rumors are true.

Hoover’s power over presidents? There’s been a lot of talk about Clinton bowing to threats from the FBI (Freeh) over his possible prosecution for this or that.

I think it’s just as plausible that Clinton put the deal on the table himself (he’s known for being the consummate deal maker), but all that aside ... The march may have been nothing more than one big smokescreen.

In the end, I think Clinton may have had the last laugh.

If you look at the guidelines followed by the Pardon Attorney’s Office at the DOJ, you’ll see that a president’s failure to act on a petition for clemency is viewed as concurrence with the Pardon Attorney’s recommendation regarding that petition.

If the Pardon Attorney recommends against clemency, the matter is dropped.

Case closed. I find it interesting that, according to correspondence Peltier supporters have received from the Bush White House, the Peltier petition for clemency is still pending.

Pretty slick.

Now Obama is coming into office and hope for Peltier is very much alive.




NAD: You have hope in Obama?

That he will have an open mind about Leonard Peltier? Why?


DELANEY BRUCE:
Well, stating the obvious, Obama is a person of color.

He’s experienced racism in this country — up close and personal. He’s not in denial about it, okay?

He’s even said publicly that the courts are not color blind.

It just seems likely that he’ll have a better grasp on some of the issues surrounding the Peltier case.

Obama also is a proponent of social justice and an activist in his own right.

That’s bound to give him some insights about the culture of activism, as well as personal knowledge of the tactics those in power can and often will use to resist change.

But Obama is a former constitutional law professor, too.

Leonard has never been able to get the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case.

Getting a constitutional law professor to take a look ... Maybe that’s the next best thing.

If Obama thoroughly reviews the Peltier case, he’ll come to the same conclusion that any number of excellent attorneys have — that Peltier was illegally imprisoned.

If he’s the honest man he claims to be, Obama shouldn’t be able to ignore the illegal extradition.

He shouldn’t be able to ignore that crucial aspects of Peltier’s trial were manipulated to favor the prosecution and, consequently, cause a conviction.

He shouldn’t be able to ignore the exonerating evidence — the ballistics evidence found in the FBI’s own documents — and the fact that this evidence was hidden from the defense team and, consequently, the jury.

The evidence proves that Leonard Peltier was not the shooter.

(See http://www.FreePeltierNow.org/java/ballistics.htm.)

Even the prosecutors in this case have admitted that they “did not and cannot prove” that Peltier is guilty or even what part “he may have played” in the deaths of the agents.

The courts have acknowledged that Peltier’s constitutional rights have been violated again and again, but they haven’t remedied the situation.

As president, Obama has the power to do what the courts have failed to do. And if he’s truly above politics, as he claims, Obama will do the right thing. He’ll free Leonard Peltier.

But, you know, the Peltier case has always been about something far greater than just the one man. In like manner, my expectations for Obama go far beyond the Peltier case.

When a candidate or sitting president lets the word sovereignty cross his lips and seemingly understands the true meaning of the word ... when he also references Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution which establishes the Constitution and treaties (not excluding those made with the First Nations) as the supreme law of the land ...

That’s big. That creates a lot of hope for Indigenous Peoples.

Obama must understand, though, that empty apologies for the genocidal policies of the government will do absolutely no good.

If he’s going to fulfill the promises he has made to Indigenous Peoples, he must create real change. If Obama truly recognizes tribal sovereignty, he must ensure that the United States becomes a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

If Obama truly recognizes tribal sovereignty, he must ensure that the government’s treaty obligations are met.

He also should order that the heads of executive departments and federal agencies recognize tribal sovereignty and act accordingly in all their dealings with the First Nations.

And while he’s at it? Maybe Obama should get rid of the BIA.

The Department of the Interior, the BIA, the Indian Health Service ... lots of harm has been done to Indigenous Peoples through the years and together with the Department of the Army back in the day and the Department of Justice (in particular, the FBI) ever since, these are the agencies most responsible for the evildoing.

If Obama is for real, this must be a brand new day — one where the Indian Nations are brought fully to the table to discuss the important issues of our time, including but not limited to energy concerns and the environment.

If I could speak directly to the President-Elect, I’d remind him of this: That in the western United States, from the Texas-Mexico border in the south to the Canadian border to the north, lays a corridor of rich deposits ... oil, natural gas, uranium, precious metals ... even water ...

Some call this the NAFTA Superhighway. The establishment in Washington, DC, denies that such a highway exists.

Well, the government is being literal. Right? Figuratively speaking, it does exist and the tract cuts right through Indian Country.

If this fact doesn’t concern Obama, it should.

We all know what mega-corporations do when they want what they’re told they can’t have.

The land, sacred places, cultures, health and well-being of the First Nations are at grave risk.

There’s no denying that.

These are the very same conditions that helped to create the events on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the 70s ... except that, now, our need to end our dependence on foreign resources will serve to intensify the conflict that is surely to develop.

I look to Brother Black Eagle to be responsible for and protect The People.

Should he fail to do so, the result will be catastrophic.

(Note: Obama was adopted into the Crow Tribe in Montana in May 2008 by the Black Eagle family. He was given the name Awe Koota Bilxpaak Kooxshiiwiash or “One who helps people throughout the land.”)




NAD: Would you like to choose one of these to answer, elaborate on?

— Are UFOs real?
— Did we land on the moon in 1968?
— Did Bush knock down the towers?
— Was Paul Wellstone's death an accident?
— The Oklahoma City bombing? Wasn't that just another U.S. government terrorist exercise? Or not.
— Waco. We burned kids, right? You can see flames shooting out of the tanks. Or not.
— Is Bigfoot real?
— Is there a God?

... What makes you think that?


DELANEY BRUCE:
(Laughs)

Most of these questions, except the last ... the government is present. Right?

Listen, I lived in Washington, DC, for most of my life.

I affectionately refer to D.C. as the land of smoke and mirrors.

I learned a long time ago that when it comes to the government nothing is ever how it seems.

God ... religion ... First, I don’t adhere to any religion per se.

That’s a man-made construct ... and I do mean man-made.

To exclude the feminine is to bring things out of balance.

Most religions are necessarily flawed for that very reason.

But to answer the question ... Yes, Creator is ... I don’t believe this; I know it. And I don’t think it. I sense it ... with all six senses.




NAD: What is your opinion of America, given what you know about America, about living in America [being involved with Native American issues], about dealing with the FBI — that middle class white America perhaps does not know?

DELANEY BRUCE:
I don’t think it’s a matter of the middle class not knowing.

What we’re dealing with is a diminished sense of responsibility and personal foibles related to fear or the perception that the work is just too hard.

These are the building blocks of the wall of denial that exists with things like the Peltier case.

Lots of folks seem to feel a responsibility for their own, but no one else.

Our struggles, ourselves ... it’s all connected.

And what’s the saying? “Rain doesn’t fall on the one roof alone.”

We are all responsible and part of our responsibility, I’ve always thought, is about always looking behind the curtain.

You know?

You can’t find the truth if you never look for it, right?

“I didn’t know” is no excuse.

But folks need to understand the truth, too.

The government’s actions against dissidents ... the FBI’s counterintelligence tactics ...

What must be understood is these agents believe they’re right to do what they did, what they DO ... They think they’re justified in breaking the law if democracy is preserved.

Have you listened to Dick Cheney, lately?

Did you know he sat on the Church Committee?

He didn’t like what went down back then and he’s apparently never gotten over it.

(See http://www.FreePeltierNow.org/COINTELPRO.htm.)

Folks continually want to make all of this stuff be about politics only — you know, left versus right — when it’s really about right versus wrong.

Like Malcolm X said, "You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or who says it."

I think many Americans close their eyes because once you know the truth, you know, you may not be able to turn your back on what you know.

What then?

Fighting for what’s right just may cost you something, right?

Hey, having a passion for doing the right thing is a good thing. Embrace it. But remember that you don’t own it until it costs you.

And by that I mean that all anyone has to do is stand up.

Most of the time, all that’s going to cost you is five minutes of your time — the amount of time it takes to write a letter, send an e-mail, or have a conversation with someone.

And understand that ... well, sometimes you just may have to give more, but don’t concern yourself over much with that. It is what it is.

Americans often expect things to be easy, too.

That’s unrealistic. No change comes about without struggle and it’s not called “struggle” for nothing.

We tend to fear failure, as well, and whenever folks take on issues, try to create change ... It’s really easy to get discouraged if things don’t go our way.

Concentrating on the value and truth of the work itself helps. It’s also important to accept that barriers, detours happen.

But one mustn’t grieve over the failures. Or confuse “acceptance” with “surrender”.

Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, make the necessary adjustments, and carry on. Don’t ever give up.




NAD: What is happening now in the efforts to free Leonard Peltier?

DELANEY BRUCE:

(1) A transfer — The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has changed the mission of the penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where Leonard is currently imprisoned.

He’ll be transferred soon. What a lot of folks don’t know ... well, there’s a couple of things.

First, BOP is supposed to keep prisoners within a 500-mile radius of their homes so that prisoners can maintain their ties to their families and communities.

That’s not something the government has ever done in Leonard’s case, though, and each time Leonard is moved, his family members have to pick up and resume their lives elsewhere or else travel a greater distance to visit with Leonard.

This creates an extreme hardship on folks with very limited means. It also means that Leonard doesn’t have many opportunities for contact visits with his family members anymore.

Individual “removal” isn’t a new government policy, though. The federal government has routinely removed prominent Indian prisoners from their communities — like Geronimo, for example — and the intent has always been to prevent such individuals from “stirring up the Indians”.

There is a very clear political motive for keeping Leonard as far way from home as possible. And, frankly, this is a situation where racism rears its ugly head, too.

Also, over these many years, Leonard has been a model prisoner. This has led the BOP to greatly reduce his security rating. Based on his current security rating, he shouldn’t even be in a maximum security prison anymore.

So the new Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee is asking for public support to get Leonard transferred to a low-or medium-security institution closer to North Dakota.

I also understand that the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota (Leonard’s Nation) has now asked the Bureau of Prisons to release Leonard to their custody.

To my way of thinking, this transfer has now become an issue of tribal sovereignty. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

(2) Parole — We’ve known for a long time that the U.S. Parole Commission has far exceeded its congressionally mandated guidelines in denying parole to Peltier. There’s a good argument for the claim that Peltier should have been released over a decade ago.

The Parole Commission gets around that claim by relying on its discretionary powers as regards prisoners with the highest security classification. As I mentioned, though, Leonard’s security rating has been greatly reduced. The Parole Commission’s argument just doesn’t wash anymore.

At issue now, too, is the fact that the Parole Commission is supposed to automatically parole someone who has served 30 years of a life sentence.

This is mandatory, by the way, not a matter for discretion. Under the guidelines that existed when Leonard was sentenced — the only guidelines that matter — the parole authorities also are supposed to combine multiple sentences, not treat them as separate as the Parole Commission has done in Peltier’s case.

The bottom line here is that, at the latest, Leonard should have been released three years ago.

The Parole Commission has been making things up as they go along, ignoring the law for years. Leonard will have a full parole hearing in 2009. Folks need to watch this one very closely and make a BIG noise if Leonard isn’t released.

"It’s still like a Third World country.

People are starving.

The winter weather has been brutal this year.

People are freezing to death.
____________
You don’t hear about it outside of Indian Country, though, do you?"

NAD: To your knowledge, how has life changed or stayed the same on the Pine Ridge Reservation since 1975, when the firefight at the Jumping Bull place happened?

DELANEY BRUCE:
It’s still like a Third World country.

People are starving.

The winter weather has been brutal this year.

People are freezing to death.

You don’t hear about it outside of Indian Country, though, do you?

No.

Nothing new in that.

Nobody pays attention to genocide unless it’s happening in a foreign country.

All those celebs that work against genocide in Dafur, or to end world poverty, or to address the AIDS crisis in Africa ... I admire their work, but I can’t help but marvel at their inaction when it comes to conditions right here in their own backyard.



NAD: What else would you like to add? What else should I have asked?

DELANEY BRUCE:
How folks can help.

If people want to get involved with freeing Leonard, and I strongly encourage active participation, they can visit the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee at www.whoisleonardpeltier.info.

The Committee was created in 2008 by Peltier family members and is headquartered in Fargo, ND. Folks also can visit Friends of Peltier at www.FreePeltierNow.org.

As I indicated, blizzard conditions and subzero temperatures have created a crisis on the reservations in South Dakota. Donations are desperately needed to meet the demand for heaters, heating oil, wood, etc. Please do what you can. Send a check or money order to:

Link Center Foundation
P.O. Box 576
Firestone, CO 80520-0576

Make your check or money order payable to the Link Center Foundation Utility and Heating Fund.

You also can donate securely online at http://www.linkcenterfoundation.org/id25.html.

Mvto. (Thank you.)

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Friends of Peltier is an independent coalition that supports freedom for Leonard Peltier.

Visit www.FreePeltierNow.org.