Dear Supporters:
(South Dakota, State
Legislator, Steve Hickey {R-District 09, Minnehaha County, Sioux Falls} has
proposed clemency for Leonard Peltier as a meaningful
gesture in celebration of South Dakota’s 125 year state history. His
underlining principle has merit, however, most of the reasoning is based on the
many falsehoods and folklore promoted by Peltier over the years. There will be
a series of factual responses in the NPPA Blog addressing these issues and
outlining why Leonard Peltier is the last person deserving of any consideration
by the good people of South Dakota. "In the Spirit of Coler and Williams" Ed Woods)
Steve:
In response to one element of your comment “(and there is no evidence he
pulled the trigger or even had the gun).”
It’s important to explore this in some detail.
Five people know exactly what happened; FBI Agents Jack
Coler and Ron Williams, AIM members, Dino Butler, Bob Robideau and Leonard
Peltier.
Two, of course had been severely wounded by AIM members,
and then murdered.
We can only hope (and pray) that Jack Coler was
unconscious and unaware of his fate. Ron Williams, however, was alive. So we
have a wounded FBI Agent who can identify at least three of his assailants.
He’s able to look them in the face and into their eyes as he raised an arm in
defense as a high powered bullet sent his fingers through the back of his
skull. (Peltier, during his escape, was later quoted as saying “the M..f…begged
for his life but I shot him anyway.”) The rifle then perhaps turned on Jack
Coler with two more shots destroying his head. Dead men make poor witnesses.
We can speculate that perhaps the three each took one
shot apiece at the wounded agents, possible, but not likely. As Peltier said,
“we gotta get out of here,” as they ransacked their vehicles, stole their
weapons and headed for the hills.
Dino Butler has remained remarkably silent, perhaps being
the only one with some semblance of a conscience.
Bob Robideau, in an email to me, said, “They died like
worms,” and to me personally in New York City, that he killed the agents and if
he was in the same situation, those agents would be dead again. This was at a
time when he was attempting to take as much of the blame off Peltier; he later
abandoned Peltier for thoroughly disgusting reasons which will not be mentioned
here nor on the website, however, is available on the Web. Reasons that cast
even deeper shadows on Peltier’s character.
Peltier has a long history of an inability to offer the
truth or at least stick with just one version of what happened at Jumping Bull:
He was in the AIM camp eating pancakes and drinking hot
coffee when the shooting first started (Prison Writings), he fired over their
heads not to hit anyone (PW), In a 60 Minutes interview he admitted, publically,
shooting at the agents. Perhaps one of the most outrageous excuses, likened to
his alibi of “self-defense,” was the claim that Coler and Williams were sent in
to draw fire from the AIM camp so hundreds of law-enforcement in the area could
come in and finish them off (PW). This was based on the alleged “sanctioned memo”
(see link below). And, of course, the two-decade long lie of Mr. X. Remember
Robideau in “Incident at Oglala’ going into detail, pointing off into the
distance describing Mr. X, whom they all knew and was delivering dynamite to the
camp that day, engage the agents, wound them, go down to the wounded agents and
shoot them to death, then driving off into the distance in the infamous red
pickup? And, in the very next scene in the film Peltier saying “This story is
true.”
Dino Butler, publically said this was a lie, and recently
Peltier’s own attorney admitted as much. So what are we to believe from
Peltier? As has been offered scornfully in the past; he wasn’t in Seattle that
day.
Peltier was indicted, charged,
tried, convicted, and appealed on the issue of Aiding and Abetting in the
murders of Agents' Coler and Williams. Peltier has tried to distance himself
from this fact but it is a matter of record and undeniable.
The Government’s argument (legal position) during the trial was
that Peltier was the killer (a premise I agree with), and the jury accepted it.
The decision addressing this issue is contained in
PELTIER v. HENMEN, cite as 997 F. 2d 461 (8th Cir. 1993), page 485, section II,
paragraph 2: "Peltier's arguments fail because their underlying premises
are fatally flawed. (A) The Government tried the case on alternative theories;
it asserted that Peltier personally killed the agents at point blank range, but
that if he had not done so, then he was equally guilty of the murder as an
aider and abettor."
I have read the entire trial transcript and all the court
decisions (more than once) and understand the testimony and the legal charges
and arguments on both sides. It takes some time, but have you had the opportunity to review those
important details? Aside from the other evidence, the testimony of the critical
witnesses is telling and what the jury had to consider placing Peltier at the
murder scene. (see link)
I hope we can engage in a civil discussion on the facts
and Peltier’s undeserved consideration for clemency or recognition by the good
people of South Dakota.
Regards,
Ed
http://noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#critic
(Sanctioned memo review)
http://noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#critical
(Critical witnesses review)
