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Dear Supporters,<br><br>
It has become clear that certain factions are maliciously and
wrongfully<br>
framing Leonard Peltier as a patsy to be falsely blamed for the death
of<br>
Anna Mae Aquash. First and foremost, let us be clear that Leonard had
no<br>
involvement in the murder.<br><br>
Leonard Peltier has never voiced an opinion as to the innocence or
guilt<br>
of those charged with Anna Mae's murder. That is fact. Leonard's<br>
statements in the past year have not given support to Arlo Looking
Cloud<br>
or John Graham specifically (or anyone else alleged to have taken
part<br>
in Anna Mae's murder), but have been solely in support of fairness
and<br>
due process.<br><br>
Leading up to the Looking Cloud trial and then in reporting the
trial,<br>
the media has embraced the false statements made by Kamook (Banks)<br>
Ecoffey and others. It should be noted that Mr. Ecoffey was a key<br>
investigator in the Looking Cloud case and carried on a
relationship<br>
with a key witness prior to trial, a witness who made falsely
damning<br>
statements about Leonard at trial. By sensationalizing testimony
given<br>
in that trial, the media has made outrageous accusations about
Leonard<br>
Peltier that have no foundation in the truth.<br><br>
Indeed, the reporting is becoming more outrageous as a host of a<br>
Canadian television program recently stated:<br>
"At his [Cloud's] trial the question was raised that Leonard
Peltier<br>
ordered the execution fearing that she was an FBI informer."
This<br>
statement was an intentional misrepresentation of the facts and is
not<br>
at all supported by the Looking Cloud trial transcript. This is part
of<br>
a larger conspiracy to smear Leonard in the press and make him the
patsy<br>
for the wrongs committed by the FBI and others, some of whom have<br>
purported to have been long time supporters of Leonard. We cannot
stand<br>
and let shadows gutlessly utilize the media to skewer Leonard Peltier
to<br>
protect themselves, in some instances, and, in other instances,
simply<br>
to make sure that Leonard remains in prison.<br><br>
This has not been the only media attack. In a recent settlement in
a<br>
civil suit Leonard filed against Paul DeMain (editor of News From
Indian<br>
Country) - who had also aligned himself with the FBI against
Leonard<br>
Peltier in implying his involvement in the Aquash murder - DeMain
was<br>
forced to admit what is common knowledge in The Movement, i.e.,
that<br>
Leonard "had no authority to order the murder," and that he has
no<br>
evidence that Leonard had any involvement in any way in the murder
of<br>
Anna Mae. That is fact.<br><br>
The recent attacks on Ward Churchill - who has contributed vastly to
our<br>
knowledge on the FBI's COINTELPRO activities (specifically on how
the<br>
FBI worked to destroy the American Indian Movement) and who has
also<br>
served as a spokesperson for Leonard Peltier for many years - is
another<br>
example of gross media manipulation. Remember that speakers,
teachers,<br>
writers, and publications themselves were targets of the FBI's<br>
counterintelligence program during the 60s and 70s in an attempt to<br>
interrupt or prevent the exchange of free ideas and to adversely
affect<br>
public opinion on activists and dissident groups. These attacks on
Mr.<br>
Churchill are designed, in part, to discredit Leonard Peltier and
the<br>
work that has generated vast interest in his case, as well as efforts
to<br>
win his freedom. People, such as Ward Churchill, have exposed the
FBI's<br>
disruption of AIM, the Black Panthers, and virtually any person who<br>
dares commit the heinous crime of domestic dissent.<br><br>
The FBI maneuvered in a very calculated fashion to disrupt AIM and
other<br>
organizations, and it continues to do so today, as we witness the<br>
Kafkesque trial of Leonard Peltier for the death of Anna Mae Aquash
in<br>
the media. The motives underlying Anna Mae's death were planted by
the<br>
FBI as part of its co-intelpro activity. It started by the
infiltration<br>
of AIM by Douglas Durham who infiltrated AIM at its highest levels.
He<br>
earned the trust of Dennis Banks, Vernon Bellecourt and others whom
he<br>
used to get information for the government. Because Anna Mae saw
through<br>
Durham, she became a threat to Durham because, she, like many others
did<br>
not trust him. Leonard did not trust him and voiced his opinion to<br>
Dennis Banks who disregarded it during the first International
Treaty<br>
Council Convention on the Standing Rock Reservation in 1974.<br><br>
The FBI then began targeting and setting up Anna Mae because she
had<br>
become a threat to Durham's cover and they began a campaign to
"bad<br>
jacket" her. We know that both the FBI and people within AIM
targeted<br>
Anna Mae Aquash because of the connection which the FBI created
between<br>
her and Durham. Shortly after Durham was exposed as an agent of the
FBI,<br>
Anna Mae became a target because AIM leaders believed she was
working<br>
with Durham. At this time, AIM leaders resolved to rid AIM of
so-called<br>
"rats." The fact is that Anna Mae never was a "rat,"
but the FBI played<br>
people and maneuvered to create fear among AIM leaders that she
was.<br>
This caused great concern to certain members of AIM because she was<br>
deeply involved with AIM Leaders. The fear and suspicion became so<br>
overwhelming, certain factions decided something had to be done
with<br>
Anna Mae. Leonard was not involved in any way with the decision
making<br>
and the death of Anna Mae. In fact, Leonard at this time was a
fugitive<br>
on the run into Canada, incommunicado with the group that he
worked.<br><br>
Now we have the John Graham Defense Committee inappropriately using<br>
Leonard's statements to bolster support for Graham and also
manipulate<br>
the media. Indeed, John Graham has falsely associated himself in a<br>
relationship with Leonard that does not and never did exist. In an<br>
interview with David Melmer on March 02, 2004, Graham falsely
stated<br>
that shortly after the Oglala firefight, he and Anna Mae ". .
.connected<br>
with Leonard and them, and they were in the hills there..." However,
Mr.<br>
Graham did not, at any time, meet or join with Leonard's group. In
fact,<br>
Leonard Peltier has never met and doesn't know John Graham
personally.<br>
We now know that Graham's lies are part of a conspiracy and attempt
to<br>
implicate Leonard in the killing of Anna Mae.<br><br>
Four requests were sent to the John Graham Defense Committee asking
that<br>
all links to Leonard Pettier Defense Committee Web sites and all
Peltier<br>
statements be removed from the John Graham Defense Committee's Web
site.<br>
When the private attempts to have these materials removed was
ignored,<br>
we publicly demanded the removal of all links to the Leonard
Peltier<br>
Defense Committee Web sites and all Peltier statements. Still,
contrary<br>
to Leonard's express demands, the John Graham Defense Committee has<br>
failed to honor Leonard's wishes.<br><br>
Let us be clear. Leonard Pettier had no involvement in the murder
of<br>
Anna Mae and it has become clear to Leonard that he must distance<br>
himself from anyone alleged to have played a role in her death.
Leonard<br>
must protect himself from unfounded accusations. It is important that
we<br>
not stand still while Leonard is made the fall guy for yet another
crime<br>
he did not commit. Leonard has suffered 29 years and we will not
stand<br>
by and allow him to suffer any further injustice. We have already
seen<br>
the United States Government present patently false evidence both
in<br>
Leonard's case and in the Looking Cloud case. Baseless accusations
are<br>
being made against Leonard and associations being alleged that
never<br>
existed. It is important that we stand behind Leonard and not let him
be<br>
framed for yet another incident in which he had no part. It has
become<br>
clear to Leonard and those close to him that he must remove himself
from<br>
anything or anyone who has been allegedly connected to Anna Mae's<br>
murder. Most importantly is that certain factions be stopped from
lying<br>
and implicating Leonard. We will not rest until that is done.<br><br>
Robert Robideau<br>
LPDC<br>
International/National Spokesperson<br>
And Legal Assistant to Leonard Peltier and Barry Bachrach<br>
Phone: 01134938150425<br>
Email: americanindianm@telefonica.net<br>
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