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VoteGamble * KucinTexasPeace. * PeltierJustice
23 June 2004
"I have never ordered torture."
George W. Bush
(22 June 2004)5) Rhino Blog's bottom line - Gambling on Voting- - Black Box Backlash
- - One Million Black Votes Didn't Count in the 2000 Presidential Election
6) Kucinich: Amazing Results from Texas- - Kucinich visits Browning and Montana's Indian reservations
7) Leonard Peltier - eagle soars in the circle for freedom- - Message from Leonard
- - Leonard Peltier: America's Political Prisoner
- - Oglala and other June 26 Commemoration Events
- - Amherst MA Peltier Circle June 26 gathering
- - Now to the opposition for a pseudo reasoning of justice
- - Leonard Peltier for the Nobel Peace Prize
Editor's Notes:Originally heard Election Day 2000 – the Democracy Now! interview with then-sitting president was recently re-broadcast.".. They discussed many topics you won't likely hear raised this week: Leonard Peltier, racial profiling, the Iraqi sanctions, Ralph Nader and the Israeli-Palestinian situation. At one point Clinton accused Amy of being "hostile and combative." On the next day the president's aides threatened to ban Amy from the White House. Amy and her brother David Goodman wrote about the interview in their new book, The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them."
For excerpts see this link to part of the Chapter titled:
"Not On Bended Knee."Following is the segment regarding Amy's question on Leonard Peltier -
Amy Goodman Interviews Bill Clinton
GOODMAN: President Clinton, what is your position on granting Leonard Peltier, the Native American activist, executive clemency?
CLINTON: I know it's very important to a lot of people, maybe on both sides of the issue. And I think I owe it to them to give it an honest look-see. . . . And I pledge to do that.
GOODMAN: And you will give an answer in his case?
CLINTON: Oh, yeah, I'll decide one way or the other.*
[*Clinton did not act on Peltier's application for clemency. The
Native American activist, who is serving two life sentences for
the shooting death of two FBI agents, has been imprisoned
since 1977. Peltier continues to maintain his innocence.
Amnesty International has appealed for his release.]
People don't realize the significance of Bill Clinton's mentioning the name "Leonard Peltier" in public. Leonard was the only one named, too, for executive clemency consideration prior to his granting the last wave of about 100 pardons in his last day in office. Clinton wanted to give Clemency to Leonard Peltier and sought the public and activists' support for this decision. We had 3,000 marching in the streets of NYC, with little media, the FBI had 500 agents march to the White House to encourage Clinton's consideration of their serious feelings on this case. This march by law enforcement, though they said they were off-duty, was praised by superior FBI members as a good deed. Well, how else will you know who to promote to continue a load of scandalous hidden-affairs? This distortion of national security interests goes against the heart of the US Constitution. This is why Leonard Peltier being free is so important – he represents a turnaround from the current state of illicit affairs, which have many of their roots in COINTELpro and the National Security Act of 1947. It was on the day of Lord Bush's inauguration that President Clinton signed an agreement for four conditions to avoid possible prosecution for lying under the oath in the Clinton-Lewinsky affair. The FBI and "Justice Department" had plenty of leverage to get what they wanted out of Clinton before the Bush Neocons took over. Based on the evidence this group is more than just ruthless, but reckless, and connected to the nuclear weapon oil congress media pharmaceutical industry – which leads in to our first item on this issue of nuclear hypocrisy and the danger it represents.
Please note events on June 26 in commemoration for Leonard Peltier - and update on Congressman Dennis Kucinich – congratulations, too, to the Texas Democratic legislature - that chose to endorse the Department of Peace Department as a Plank in the Party's Platform for the 2004 Presidential Election. If all the good people unite, we can lead John Kerry in the direction of peace, and in the importance to free Leonard Peltier. Kudos to Michael Moore and John Pilger for their flicks – please note the important drive to help your neighbors and friends register to vote at the movies. Don't let them be cynical. We are aware of the vote fraud, but it is time to call them on it! We can join in such great numbers that no one will dare question the majority of real votes - - increasing the nonvoter turnout is critical and Michael Moore's movie may be just the best ticket to amass the multitudes. Take Action!
"The world is a dangerous place,
not because of those who do evil,
but because of those who look on and do nothing"
-- Albert EinsteinThank goodness for Bev Harris!
Thanks for everyone contributing to such critical campaigns.
Remember, too, about Flyby News, if you can afford to help us catch up and advance news resources for life's survival in the 21st Century. Check the bottom of our homepage for making any contributions. Thank you too for reading and networking too.
In the solstice to free Leonard Peltier and all our relations..
Let's find the way to END THE WAR.
"A very great vision is needed and the [one] who
has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the
deepest blue of the sky."
– Crazy Horse
5) Rhino Blog's bottom line - Gambling on Voting- - Black Box Backlash
- - One Million Black Votes Didn't Count in the 2000 Presidential Election
Gambling on VotingThe New York Times, June 13, 2004
If election officials want to convince voters that electronic voting can be trusted, they should be willing to make it at least as secure as slot machines. To appreciate how poor the oversight on voting systems is, it's useful to look at the way Nevada systematically ensures that electronic gambling machines in Las Vegas operate honestly and accurately. Electronic voting, by comparison, is rife with lax procedures, security risks and conflicts of interest.
For the complete article, see:
nytimes.com/2004/06/13/opinion/13SUN1.html?ex=1088124814&ei=1&en=aa202ef340a7bdb4= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
- - Black Box Backlashby George Howland Jr., Seattle Weekly, 3/10/04
Bev Harris of Renton created a firestorm with her national Internet campaign against electronic voting. Now she's trying to persuade people in the real world that their democracy is on the line... Since September 2002, Harris has battled a U.S. senator, large corporations, and election officials across the country in her effort to ensure our votes are counted fairly and accurately. At first, she focused on the problems with computer voting. Since then, the name of her Web site (
blackboxvoting.org) and her book devoted to the subject-Black Box Voting-have become shorthand for concerns about computers and elections. Moreover, her astounding discoveries on the subject have resulted in damning research by distinguished computer-science professors and numerous articles in major newspapers across the country. Secretaries of state, including Republican Sam Reed of Washington and Democrat Kevin Shelley of California, have responded by proposing key changes in how we will cast our ballots in the future...
MORE:
seattleweekly.com/features/0410/040310_news_blackbox.php= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
- - One Million Black Votes Didn't Count in the 2000 Presidential ElectionIt's not too hard to get your vote lost --
if some politicians want it to be lost
by Greg Palast,
GregPalast.com, June 21, 2004
In the 2000 presidential election, 1.9 million Americans cast ballots that no one counted. "Spoiled votes" is the technical term. The pile of ballots left to rot has a distinctly dark hue: About 1 million of them -- half of the rejected ballots -- were cast by African Americans although black voters make up only 12 percent of the electorate. This year, it could get worse. These ugly racial statistics are hidden away in the mathematical thickets of the appendices to official reports coming out of the investigation of ballot-box monkey business in Florida from the last go-'round. How do you spoil 2 million ballots? Not by leaving them out of the fridge too long. A stray mark, a jammed machine, a punch card punched twice will do it. It's easy to lose your vote, especially when some politicians want your vote lost...
MORE:
commondreams.org/views04/0621-11.htm= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Indians Face Obstacles Between the Reservation and the Ballot Box
By ADAM COHEN, NY Times, June 21, 2004
...South Dakota has a long history of anti-Indian voting rights violations, involving many of the same tactics that were employed against blacks in the pre-civil-rights-era South: county officials who try to prevent Indians from registering, district lines deliberately drawn to keep Indians from being elected to public office, and harassment and intimidation of Indian voters and candidates. These battles have traditionally been local, but they have begun to reverberate beyond South Dakota. The state's roughly 16,000 Indian voters, who lean heavily Democratic, have become an improbable national political force. Tim Johnson was elected to the United States Senate in 2002 by 524 votes, on the strength of late returns from Pine Ridge. Another Democrat, Stephanie Herseth, won a hard-fought battle for the state's at-large Congressional seat this month by less than 3,000 votes. This fall, when the re-election battle of Tom Daschle, the Senate minority leader, will likely be the highest-profile Senate race in the country, the Indian vote will again be pivotal.
The Indians' struggle for voting rights in many ways parallels the experience of black Americans. In the Dakota Territories, the law originally restricted the franchise to white men. After the 15th Amendment was passed, removing racial barriers to voting, the Dakotas still regarded most Indians as noncitizens, and therefore ineligible to vote. As late as 1939, South Dakota law prohibited Indians from voting or holding office. Even when the laws changed, South Dakota still found ways to deny Indians political rights...
READ IT ALL AT:
nytimes.com/2004/06/21/opinion/21MON4.html-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
These above links compiled by "RHINO'S BLOG" -
rhinosblog.infowhich is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com)
Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged.
RHINO'S OTHER WEB SITES:
www.dreamcatchers.org (Indigenous assistance & Intercultural Dialog)
www.kifaru.com (Native American Relations Video Documentaries)
6) Kucinich: Amazing Results from Texas- - Kucinich visits Browning and Montana's Indian reservations
Kucinich: Amazing Results from Texas
The following is the transcript of a recording by Dennis Kucinich on June 22, 2004
We've had an extraordinary weekend and I want to share what's happened. In Texas, the Texas State Democratic Party has included in its platform
the Department of Peace.
It was a major development brought about by the work of hundreds of our volunteers on the floor of the state convention in Texas, and it's a real credit to their work and also to the rising sentiment across this country that America MUST take a new direction - that it's no longer adequate to just approach these problems with the same mind-set with which the problems were created.
That is, that we have to get out of Iraq. We have to bring our troops home. And we have to take a new direction in our society that turns away from violence as an instrument of policy, that works to make non-violence inevitable, that works to make war a thing of the past.
And so, when Texas stood up and approved the Department of Peace in the Texas State Democratic Platform it marked a milestone in our efforts. Texas has joined Oregon, Washington and Colorado in passing resolutions in favor of the Department of Peace.
And it's significant that it comes at a time when this great debate is still going on in America about the direction our Democratic party should take. You know and I know that it's been our efforts that have kept alive the debate. And you know that it's just a little more than a month to the Convention.
I want you to know that your efforts have been so important in helping us guide this entire campaign. As we move towards the Convention we're hearing from people all over the country who are expressing their appreciation for our continuing in the race.
So what I'm asking you to do is this: help us send more people to Boston. Help us to get volunteers from all across the country to participate in a week of rallies and workshops so that we can keep organizing, so that we can help our Democratic Party be strong for peace. Help us get ready for the hearings in Miami on the 9th and 10th of July.
You know, we still need to raise about $300,000 from now through the end of the Convention. And you can help us do that. So whatever you've given before, please continue to help us to complete our work here. I'm so proud of everything that each of you has done to help make this campaign possible. And as you know my ongoing commitment is steadfast. I'm there for you. I need you there for me. Please continue your efforts. As you go to the web site now, go to that part that discusses contributions, and please make a contribution. Help us continue our efforts.
I'm ready to continue to stand up and speak out, not just all the way through to the Convention, and at the Convention, but afterwards, and long into the future. But let's continue our successful efforts here.
Texas should be congratulated. Let's show our appreciation for the great work that everyone there has done. And my thanks to Oregon, Washington, Colorado and all the other states where people have strived to have the Democratic Party stand for something that is not just meaningful, but presents a broad vision of a future that can be.
So I thank you. I'm in Washington [D.C.] right now. I've got a week of activity on a number of issues. I'll be reporting to you a little bit later. But I wanted to make sure that you knew about the great success that we've had in Texas.
I want you to know that these continuing efforts are resulting in the changing direction in this country. Keep making it happen, keep helping us and keep helping America.
So thank you! Have a wonderful day, and I'll look forward to speaking with you very soon.
This is Dennis, from Washington.
Thank you so much! Bye!
kucinich.us= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
PETITIONS DUE IN 8 DAYS!
kucinich.us/petitions/= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
- - Kucinich visits Browning and Montana's Indian reservationsKucinich visits Browning and Montana's Indian reservations for Presidential votes
By John McGill Glacier Reporter Editor
It was a whirlwind tour of Montana and its Indian reservations, but Dennis Kucinich, Democratic candidate for President of the United States, still found time to visit Browning at Blackfeet Tribal Headquarters Monday, June 7, just hours before primary elections were slated to begin the following day. Kucinich's entourage flew into Starr School from Salish-Kootenai College and arrived at the Tribal Conference Room around 5 p.m., to be greeted by an assembly of Tribal Councilmen, singers and candidates for Glacier County Commission and the BTBC.
For the complete article and related resource links, see:
goldentrianglenews.com/articles/2004/06/09/glacier_reporter/news/news2.txt
7) Leonard Peltier - eagle soars in the circle for freedom- - Message from Leonard
- - Leonard Peltier: America's Political Prisoner
- - Oglala and other June 26 Commemoration Events
- - Amherst MA Peltier Circle June 26 gathering
- - Now to the opposition for a pseudo reasoning of justice
- - Leonard Peltier for the Nobel Peace Prize
- - Message from LeonardLeonard Peltier #89637-132
USP-Leavenworth
PO Box 1000
Leavenworth, KS 66048-1000
May 6, 2004
Hello friends and supporters,
As I sit here writing and rewriting this response to the Supreme Court denial of my appeal, I can't help but remember you, my supporters, friends and allies.
Many people have come and gone in my life, some I may never see again in this lifetime and some have left and come back again. I have come to recognize that true relatives aren't always related by the blood that flows in your veins, but by the blood, sweat and tears that is given for the common good of all.
It is never easy to deal with these setbacks and as you get older and the realities of mortality set in, time becomes increasingly important. It goes so exceeding slow waiting for justice and so fast when you look at what's left.
From inside this prison I have done my best to help raise my kids and grandkids and yet maintain a level of commitment to raising awareness to the plight of my people and all Indigenous Peoples who face on a daily basis the cruel realties of a technological world where might makes right and morality be damned.
I want you to know that whether we win this battle for me or not, you my relatives have my heart always. I am almost 60 years old, but I'll tell you now the oppressors will know we're here. They'll know they are challenged at every turn. Sometimes it's not up to us to decide whether we are winning or losing; it rests within the will of the Creator. What is up to us is our will to continue the battle. The battle will never be over so long as one person is a victim of this oppressive, exploitive mind-set that has engulfed so much of the world.
I'm a realist; I know that I'm not the cause; I'm only a focal point of the cause. The cause is the cause of all, and with the latest turmoil in government you will soon become acutely aware of the ramifications of these illegal decisions in Washington for as they have done to me, they'll do to others and have done to others. There are other prisoners that you haven't heard of because the misdeeds of the FBI and other governmental entities aren't as well documented. This government has literally passed retroactive laws that have prevented the legal release of myself and others, but I also want you to know that we have other strategies that we are working on. We have a Habeas Corpus filed in Washington that will soon be in litigation regarding these constitutional violations.
I want to encourage you to help in whatever way that you can. We need funds for the preparation of legal briefs, legal research, filing fees, attorneys and travel expenses as well as for the ongoing cost of maintaining our committee and info center.
Those that can't contribute on a monetary basis can pass out pamphlets, hold meetings, and help the staff organize events. Any and all help is so much appreciated.
My relatives - stay strong and remember: for the sickness of the world, we are the antidote.
In The Spirit Of Crazy Horse,
Mitakuye Oyasin
(signed)Leonard peltier
LeonardPeltier.org= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
- - Leonard Peltier: America's Political PrisonerBy David R. Hoffman *
PRAVDA.Ru
July 18, 2003
[Excerpt]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
In America, is there justice for all? In a special editorial written for Pravda.ru, David R. Hoffman explains how the American legal system works and does not work.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
America's criminal justice system is built upon many myths. Among the most prominent are that justice is blind; that America is a nation of laws, not men; that nobody is above the law; and that political prisoners do not exist in the United States. But such myths are obliterated when one examines the abuses committed under the auspices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) infamous COINTELPRO operation during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Individuals who held "unpopular" political opinions during this era (particularly those seeking social change) were targeted for "neutralization" through a variety of methods..
..There are undoubtedly some in a self-centered world who will ask, "What does the Leonard Peltier case have to do with me?" The answer is simple. Peltier's case demonstrates that there are agencies in America with the power to corrupt, manipulate or intimidate the legal system, and thus all the erudite law books, treatises and journals simply camouflage the frightening reality that people's futures, fortunes, freedoms and very existence are governed not by law, but by the arbitrariness of a power structure that is largely unaccountable for its actions. Perhaps most disturbingly, the extent of this arbitrariness, under the patronage of the ludicrously named "Patriot Act," is now being enhanced with little more than verbal assurances that past abuses will not be repeated. And considering that Peltier was convicted and remains in prison despite having access to all the alleged "processes" and "protections" of the civilian criminal justice system, one must wonder how many injustices the "military tribunals" of the Bush administration will produce.
David R. Hoffman
An attorney and university instructor in the United States
The complete article with following links can be viewed at:
www.freepeltier.org/pravda_ru_editorial.htmLinks:
(1) Read Book Online: "The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI's Secret Wars Against Domestic Dissent," by Ward Churchill, James Vander Wall
(2) COINTELPRO: The Untold American Story
Compilation by Paul Wolf with contributions from Robert Boyle, Bob Brown, Tom Burghardt, Noam Chomsky, Ward Churchill, Kathleen Cleaver, Bruce Ellison, Cynthia McKinney, Nkechi Taifa, Laura Whitehorn, Nicholas Wilson, and Howard Zinn.
Presented to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa by the members of the Congressional Black Caucus attending the conference: Donna Christianson, John Conyers, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Barbara Lee, Sheila Jackson Lee, Cynthia McKinney, and Diane Watson, September 1, 2001.
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- - Oglala and other June 26 Commemoration Events2004 OGLALA COMMEMORATION EVENT SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 26.
Oglala—The 5th Annual Oglala Commemoration Event is set to begin on June 26, 2004 at the Jumping Bull Property south of Oglala South Dakota.
Annually, normal activities scheduled for this event include a prayer service near the gravesites of Jun Little and Joe Stuntz. A memorial walk for justice follows from the gravesites to the Jumping Bull Property. This is followed by a special memorial and giveaway for deceased relatives, sponsored by the Jumping Bull Family. Finally, a concert for youth awareness is held, concluding this special day.
The Lakota Student Alliance and Oglala Commemoration Committee jointly sponsor the event to honor and remember the lives lost during the 1970s civil conflict on the reservation and to also raise awareness toward the unjust imprisonment of AIM member Leonard Peltier, currently jailed in Leavenworth Kansas. Peltier's imprisonment resulted from a Shooting battle between AIM members and Federal Agents at the Jumping Bull property which was precipitated by numerous unjust deaths of AIM supporters during the tumultuous 1970s on Pine Ridge Reservation.
This year's event focuses on Indian Voting Issues for Native Youth and Grassroots people. The upcoming 2004 National elections require the active participation of Native voters.
Speakers for the 2004 event include important figures that played a vital role in the justice movement for Peltier's freedom. They include: Thomas Doxtater, Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Chairman; Bruce Ellison, Peltier Attorney; Vernon Bellecourt, principal spokesperson for American Indian Movement; Alfred Bone Shirt of DLN Coalition; Tom Poor Bear, of Camp Justice; and Rosalyn Jumping Bull of Oglala.
Musical Guests Include: Nammy Award Winner Wayquay, Nammy Nominated Steel River Band from Pine Ridge Reservation; Oglala Lakota Hiphop artists Native Era and Storm; Folksingers Jim Page and Dale Alan; Indian Contemporary artist Robbie Romero of Red Thunder and more to be announced as they arrive.
We invite the public to this free event. For more information on this event you can visit the website at
www.geocities.com/oglala_commemoration/index.html.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
- - Amherst MA Peltier Circle June 26 gatheringThe public is invited to join with the Leonard Peltier Support Group of New Eagleland at the south end of Amherst Common on Saturday, June 26th, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pmt.
For more information, contact: Chris Groden, (413)549-4882
by email: < cgroden@hotmail.com >
The Boston Area Leonard Peltier Support Group will mark June 26th, 2004 with a meeting perhaps also in Amherst, MA. Attorney Barry Bachrach will update us on the work the legal team is engaged in on behalf of Leonard Peltier. A discussion will follow.
If you are interested in attending this meeting please email peltiersupport@riseup.net
For more on this and other international events in solidarity with Leonard Peltier, see:
www.peltiersupport.org/Events/June262004.html= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
- - Now to the opposition for a pseudo reasoning of justiceWelcome to the Official NPPA Web site
No Parole Peltier Association (NPPA)
The stated purpose of the NPPA is to respond to the erroneous statements and allegations made by the International Office of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (LPDC)* The NPPA opposes parole or clemency for Leonard Peltier.
noparolepeltier.com= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
- - Leonard Peltier for the Nobel Peace PrizePlease consider taking the time to write a letter on Leonard's behalf recommending Leonard Peltier for the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize
You can send a brief, poignant, personal letter via snail-mail to:
The Norwegian Nobel Institute (not to the Committee !!!)
Drammensveien 19
NO-0255 OSLO
Norway
And please email a copy to Ward Dossche at wd@skynet.be , info@leonardpeltier.org , psgsuisse@yahoo.com
For more info on Leonard, visit:
leonardpeltier.org&
haveyouthought.com&
Flyby News archives on Leonard Peltier
For items 1-4, see:
NuclearHypocrisy * BushTorture * MooreVOTES
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