Friday, November 1, 2013

Discussions with S.D. Legislator Steve Hickey; Part 1


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