PELTIER: MATTHIESSEN'S DOUBTS

Dear Supporters:*

 

Peter Matthiessen dispels Peltier’s claims of the facts and innocence

 

For the moment set aside Peltier’s years of a tapestry of lies, falsehoods and fabrications, and focus on one significant primary source in the Peltier saga, Peter Matthiessen. 

 

Matthiessen casts his own serious doubts on Peltier’s feigned innocence and his shifting versions of what happened that June day at Pine Ridge. 

 

The late Peter Matthiessen was arguably the most ardent and influential Peltier supporter since FBI Agents Coler and Williams were brutally murdered. He had unfettered access to Peltier and all the American Indian Movement members as well as his undeniably detailed research along with a multitude of interviews on both sides. Matthiessen knew of a myriad of government details from Peltier’s trial, other AIM trials and Peltier’s many lengthy detailed and conclusively telling appeals.

 

Matthiessen compiled his extensive research into “The story of Leonard Peltier and the FBI’s war on the American Indian Movement” into a 646-page epic, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse (ITSOCH). ITSOCH, although densely documented and well-written, is often infused with manipulated and slanted suppositions. For Peltier and his supporters, however, ITSOCH literally remains the bible and chronology of the events surrounding that infamous June day. To this very moment on his website, Peltier proclaims “Much of the information contained on this site is derived from ‘In the Spirit of Crazy Horse’ by the renowned author Peter Matthiessen. The book is the definitive work on the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the Peltier case.” 

 

So, what does this really mean? 

 

Without question, Peltier, his committee and supporters must acknowledge and accept any and all doubts that Matthiessen expressed concerning Peltier’s version of what happened that day and frankly to Peltier’s obvious guilt:

 

White Flag of Surrender (Footnote 1)

 

One need ask why Matthiessen was prompted to include this in ITSOCH:

 

At some point not long after noon, the agent seen crawling through the car had passed out from shock and loss of blood, and his partner, less seriously wounded, had thrown his gun down and stripped off his white shirt. Perhaps he waved it as a white flag in sign of surrender, in any case he apparently attempted to rig it as a tourniquet on the shattered arm of the downed agent. (ITSOCH p.157, emphasis added)

 

From all the AIM members shooting at the agents pinned down in an open field Matthiessen was provided with considerable details, in essence all the dirty little facts and secrets that only those who were there, those who actually witnessed the unfolding tragedy could describe. These telling details were not part of the government’s prosecution of Peltier. Yet, Matthiessen dutifully embraced them.

 

Is it possible that Matthiessen simply made this up? 

 

Hardly, but perhaps Peltier would like to think so, however, doing that would undermine everything else Matthiessen has offered.

 

Someone told Matthiessen about the mortally wounded Agent Coler ‘crawling through the car,’ Agent Williams ‘had thrown down his gun’ and ‘stripped off his white shirt.’ There was absolutely no doubt that the “less wounded” (actually wounded three times), Ron Williams, did use his white shirt as a tourniquet on Jack Coler’s mangled arm. We know this, and other troubling details, from the crime scene photographs. 

(Fn. 2)  

 

How did Matthiessen come up with the premise that Agent Williams waved his shirt as a sign of surrender? Simple logic would indicate that the surviving Williams felt they were both in dire straits and the only option at that moment, to stop the attack and hopefully get medical aid, was to surrender. 

 

There were a number of witnesses that day, Peltier, Robideau, Butler and the others who all saw what remained after the initial shooting at the Agents stopped.

 

Matthiessen surely heard the same account from several, if not many sources from that day.

 

Matthiessen, being as thorough with his reporting as he was credited to be, likely felt a moral obligation, as he did in other instances, to report this very obvious and grave detail.

 

The Agents wanted to surrendered but Peltier and the others would have none of that.

 

I cannot find it

 

Over the years Peltier, aside from changing his version of the events, also offered any number of unprovable details: the Agents came roaring onto the Jumping Bull property shooting away; that this was the beginning of a planned para-military assault on the AIM camp along White Clay Creek; that there were dozens or hundreds of law enforcement surrounding the area, and as documented in writing and on film, the person they knew who was delivering dynamite to the camp that day, the phantom Mr. X, who first wounded and then killed the agents, driving off in the infamous red pickup. All provable lies. Peltier also claimed he didn’t shoot at the Agents, then admitted he fired in their direction, then again in an interview, that he did shoot at the Agents. 

 

Peltier’s lies are just that because there is one irrefutable fact that there was an eyewitness to exactly how the unprovoked attack began. Agent Williams, over the FBI radio, was trying to describe where they were, that they were about to come under fire, the shooing began and they heard him say “I’m hit.” 

 

But after all the research and fact-finding Matthiessen once again had to yield to a sense of conscience. Not only did he not buy the Mr. X fable from the beginning, he also could not contribute to Peltier’s versions of how the shooting began:

 

Matthiessen expressed doubt from the outset when he was first presented with the Mr. X story from Bob Robideau (Fn. 3). Late into ITSOCH Matthiessen provides us with this revelation:

 

…the agents pulled up in that vulnerable place down in the pasture because they heard a warning shot or came under fire; if there is another persuasive explanation of the location and position of their cars, I cannot find it. (p. 544)

 

Matthiessen offers some additional narrative with tedious speculation. He nevertheless, after all he had uncovered and learned could not escape the obvious truth, that Peltier’s versions of the event did not hold sway under honest scrutiny. Matthiessen knew all too well the words from one of the victims overheard by personnel in the Rapid City FBI office and those out on the Reservation. 

 

Almost Certainly

 

Matthiessen makes an appearance in the film Warrior: The Life of Leonard Peltier, and within a mere two minutes and thirty-seven seconds puts to rest any doubt (Fn. 4).

 

…the plight of a young man spending his life in 

prison for something he almost certainly did not do.

 

Almost Certainly? 

 

With the arrival of this film Matthiessen had been deeply involved in the Peltier narrative for fourteen years, promoting Peltier’s cause through his published tome as well as speaking openly in support.

 

Nevertheless, here is the very best he can offer; the strongest statement he could make in a filmed interview was a declaration about a crime that Peltier ‘almost certainly did not do.’

 

What was it that Matthiessen learned during these years that prevented him from proclaiming Peltier’s complete innocence? What collectively did Matthiessen uncover from Peltier and the others involved that prompted him to not firmly commit to Peltier’s innocence? Aside from mere speculations about what ifs, something prevented Matthiessen from standing inflexibly in Peltier’s corner while only offering speculation to the contrary. 

 

Perhaps, or let’s assume for the moment at least, that Matthiessen understood what really happened on June 26, 1975 and had enough conviction and conscience to allow a significant grain of truth to air his unquestioned and reasonable doubts. 

 

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”

Ed Woods

 

Footnotes: 

1) White flag of surrender:  http://www.noparolepeltier.com/flag.html

2) Just After Noon, June 26, 1975: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/noon.html This website would not include crime scene photographs; however, this is an artist’s rendition of what responding Agents found when they located the bodies of Special Agents Coler and Williams. Peltier was convicted of their murders by shooting them both in the face with the “Wichita AR-15.” Coler was likely unconscious but Williams was not and faced his killer as Peltier placed the muzzle of the weapon against a defensive hand, pulled the trigger, and blew his fingers through the back of his head. A horrible death and scene to anyone, excluding the cowards of Jumping Bull. Testimony at a later trial quoted Peltier saying that “The M..f.. begged for his life but I shot him anyway.” However, back to Matthiessen’s reporting; Agent Williams, shirtless, did fashion a torniquet on Agent Coler’s arm. Apart from Matthiessen’s brief description there is an obvious question to be answered. Both Agents were shot at point blank range in the face, yet their bodies were found rolled-over laying face-down. Which coward, or cowards among those present furthered the carnage by manhandling the mutilated bodies? Odds are, they all did.

3) ITSOCH p. 547: When Matthiessen was first told of the Mr. X story by Bob Robideau, this was his reaction to Robideau’s “lidded ex-con look that reveals noting.” “He gives the impression of bare honesty even when, to protect others, he is not telling the truth; that you suspect he may be lying does not bother him, since he knows that you know that he has no choice.” This is another instance where Matthiessen knows he is being lied to but continues nevertheless, thus at least, revealing serious doubts of the events and Peltier’s feigned innocence. 

4) Warrior; The Life of Leonard Peltier, 1992; https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/warrior-the-life-of-leonard-peltier-1992/ (last accessed 11/26/21)

 

*This blog was sent as follow-up letters to President Biden and many others. 

PELTIER: A NEW WEBSITE

Dear Supporters:

 

Peltier remains at USP Coleman serving the remainder of his two consecutive life sentences for the brutal murder of FBI Agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams, along with the additional seven consecutive years for his armed escape from Lompoc Penitentiary. The International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (ILPDC) has relocated, again, for about the sixth time, from Florida to a desktop in an apartment in Marshall, Wisconsin, along with an updated website.

 

The latest website is well done but still contains the same fabrications, misinformation and some provable lies that have been the bedrock of Peltier’s persona since his arrest in Canada on February 6, 1976. This website mirrors the same myth and folklore that has been promoted by the ever-morphing Peltier committees.

 

In other words, within the Peltier camp, and Peltier himself, nothing has changed;  peddle the same falsehoods repeated ad nauseam, only now in a more presentable format. These falsehoods and erroneous claims have been continually exposed through a lengthy appellate process. 

 

The appellate courts have not shied away from recognizing Peltier’s guilt as just a few examples clearly demonstrate:

 

“The direct and circumstantial evidence of Peltier’s guilt was strong…Peltier’s contention of manufactured evidence are far from convincing.”

(Direct Appeal; Eighth Circuit, 9/14/78)

 

“When all is said and done, however, a few simple but very important facts remain. The casing introduced into evidence had in fact been extracted from the Wichita AR-15.” (Eighth Circuit, 9/11/86; referencing Peltier’s AR-15)

 

“Peltier’s arguments fail because their underlying premises are fatally flawed.”

(Eighth Circuit, 7/7/93)

 

“The record as a whole leaves no doubt that the jury accepted the government’s theory that Peltier had personally killed the two agents, after they were seriously wounded, by shooting them at point blank range with an AR-15 rifle.”

(Rule 35 Motion, Eighth Circuit, 12/18/02)

 

And, “I believe he got a fair trial, not a perfect trial, but a fair trial” (Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Gerald Heaney; 1991, ’60 Minutes’ interview. Judge Heaney played a critical role in Peltier’s appellate history, and later as well. (Footnote 1)

 

* * *

 

Peltier, not likely a fisherman, nonetheless is always trolling for cash; lately through the Peltier Store or with the usual begging to help with his legal woes that all can be found in the same smelly chum bucket.

 

His, Peltier v. Joel Sacks, et. al. case, stemming from the great Tumwater, Washington paintings caper, hit a brick wall recently (Fn. 2)

 

On August 19^th a federal judge dismissed, with prejudice, Peltier’s federal civil suit.

A month later, as is his right to do so, Peltier filed an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (NCCA). So, what happens next? Another year delay, or longer perhaps (assuming the Ninth Circuit even entertains accepting the case), with two possible outcomes: The NCCA upholds the dismissal which means, literally, case closed, or rejects the lower court’s dismissal which then means probably another year or more as Peltier and Washington State continue their battle.

 

However, there is a much deeper problem. 

 

In dismissing Peltier’s civil suit, with prejudice (unquestionably a significant legal distinction), the District Court apparently accepted the State’s legal arguments, based on a factual finding, that Peltier had ‘no standing’ to bring the civil suit forward in the first place. It was undisputed that the paintings displayed in the government facility in Tumwater, Washington did not belong to Leonard Peltier; a fact that was not initially brought to the court’s attention. Peltier had given the artwork to the ILPDC and it is a hypothetical supposition whether the ILPDC could even bring similar action against Washington State.

 

Yet, Peltier appealed to the Ninth Circuit and the case will likely end there.

 

Peltier tells us he will try again for parole. Let’s hope he finds a better attorney this time because the last one made a public statement that was arguably the dumbest statement in the entire history of the Peltier saga.

 

On July 28, 2009, before a small group gathered outside the concrete walls of Lewisburg Penitentiary, the attorney made this outlandish comment:

 

“…they (the FBI and government) don’t have any creativity, they don’t come up with anything new. They don’t have any greater ability to explain their justification for their position. It’s a very wooden position, kill an FBI agent and live the rest of your life in prison.”

 

A first semester law student could recognize the fallacy of such a baseless argument. The Government, (unlike Peltier over the years changing his version of the events of June 26, 1975), has no need to come up with anything new beyond Peltier’s Fargo trial, conviction and numerous appeals. The ‘government,’ that obviously escaped the attorney’s troubled logic, repeatedly, over the course of many appeals, explained in great detail their justification for Peltier’s conviction and continued incarceration. Throughout that entire process Peltier’s conviction and sentence has never been altered. Nevertheless, the attorney did get one thing right; if someone brutally murders a law enforcement officer then logic dictates that spending one’s life in prison, is justified. 

 

Noted at the bottom of the new homepage is the repeated reminder that:

 

“Much of the information contained on this site is derived from ‘In the Spirit of Crazy Horse’ by renowned author Peter Matthiessen…He is a highly respected author and his works have received wide acclaim.”

 

To reiterate an infamous phrase; depending on what the meaning of the word is, is, perhaps the ILPDC should point out that Mr. Matthiessen passed away seven years ago, April 5, 2014 to be exact. Matthiessen did attend Peltier’s 2009 Lewisburg parole hearing, but nevertheless his seminal work was not without serious criticism. Matthiessen “is utterly unconvincing, indeed embarrassingly sophomoric, when he pleads the legal innocence of individual Indian criminals…and not only fails to convince; he inadvertently makes a strong case for Mr. Peltier’s guilt.” (Legal scholar and Harvard Law professor, Alan Dershowitz, New York Times book review, 1983.)

 

The homepage of the updated website carries forward a more recent fallacy from 2017:

 

“James Reynolds Former US Attorney said (The Guardian 01/04/2017) of Leonard, “You’re not really participating in the crime yourself. Just because you’re there, you’re going to get nailed.” Citing Peltier’s motives, Reynolds added, “He didn’t go out there with the intention to kill anybody. He was trying to protect his people”

 

The Guardian article barely scratches the surface of the facts behind the outrageous public claims made by James H. Reynolds. That could explain why the ILPDC didn’t go further into the alleged authority over the Peltier case that Reynolds’ claimed. Claims, that upon even a casual examination simply evaporated. To state that Reynolds was disingenuous, confused or distracted would be much too mild of a criticism of his public assertions, because they were transparently untrue. Rather than rehashing the Reynolds fiasco here, and to demonstrate that Reynolds, the interloper dancing on the graves of two murdered and mutilated human beings, please take a moment and see the following (Fn. 3).

 

According to the new website, Peltier’s thirty-three week effort to raise cash for his legal fund has reached an astonishing 36% of its goal, which pretty well demonstrates the continued lack of interest within his support structure. Maybe folks like bantering his name about, waving some posters and banners, but when it comes down to it, hands seem to get stuck in pockets and although Peltier has had some very capable attorneys, good pro bono attorneys are hard to find, and keep.

 

At least in the begging arena Peltier has avoided the previously repeated canard that giving money to him was “tax-deductible.” That is gone, finally, or for now at least, by the wayside. Perhaps those prior attempts at tax-deductible donations were finally noted by the I.R.S. 

(Fn. 4)

 

The last thing Peltier may be is a charity case. What he is though is a convicted felon who remains, despite his personal travails and alligator tears of innocence, guilty and an unrepentant convicted murderer. (Fn. 5)

 

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”

Ed Woods

 

 

Footnotes:

1)The Heaney factor: http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2017/10/

2) Leonard Peltier, Chauncey Peltier v. Joel Sacks, et. al., #C17-5209-JCC.

Review of early history of the Washington State case:

http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2018/09/

See also ‘Reply in support of State Defendants motion for summary judgment,’ noting date, January 22, 2021, 3:17-cv-05209-JCC, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington at Tacoma.

3) James H. Reynolds: Part 1

http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2017/01/peltier-reynolds-false-claims.html

Part 2 http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2017/12/james-reynolds-part-ii-letters-public.html

Part 3 http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2018/01/peltier-james-reynolds-part-iii-dancing.html

Reynolds follow up: http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2021/06/

4) I.R.S. and 501(c)3: http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2019/01/peltier-public-charity-part-2-inurement.html

Tax deductible issues:

http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2017/10/peltier-tax-deductible-legal-issues.html

5) Why Peltier is the worst: http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2019/03/

PELTIER: WANTS HIS OWN CELL, AGAIN & SOME LIES

Dear Supporters:

On 2/4/19 the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (ILPDC) distributed the following message on behalf of Leonard Peltier. (The ILPDC message is indented and italicized with NPPA comments and emphasis added):

The National Office and Board of Directors, are asking that you e-mail the following Bureau of Prison officials requesting that they re-assign the cellmate of Mr. Leonard Peltier 89637-132 to his own cell for the following reasons:

COA/publicinformation@bop.gov

SERO/ExecAssistant@bop.gov    Jcdinicola@bop.gov

It is with incredible concern that I learned that Leonard Peltier 89637-132 was assigned a cellmate. This is highly unusual as Leonard has had a single cell for a considerable amount of time, making this sudden assignment suspect. 

This isn’t the first time Peltier whined about cellmates. Goodness gracious, imagine the horror that on March 24, 2011 at USP Lewisburg “another prisoner was moved into Leonard’s cell.” (Fn. 1)

Practically since day one (and we’ll consider Day One as February 6, 1976 with his arrest by the RCMP), Peltier has marketed himself as an exceptional case, an allegedly privileged character—a wrongfully convicted political prisoner—or so the then developing folklore and myth would have us believe. 

But what happened to Peltier the tough guy? 

Peltier is a tough guy when he and others are shooting at two agents pinned down in an open field. He’s the tough guy participating in cold-blooded murder, blowing away the faces of two wounded and defenseless human beings. He’s the tough guy when he sticks a gun in a woman’s mouth and threatens her life and he’s the tough guy when he and others steal government property and make a run for it (well maybe not that tough as a fleeing felon thief).*

But apparently he has been pampered considerably over the years with a cell to himself, painting his days away and running a business against prison rules. But that’s another story.

There has been an unfortunate historywith Leonard being negatively impacted by the actions of cellmates. The time he had a cellmate in USP Lewisburg, he received disciplinary action including a transfer to USP Coleman, for contraband Leonard had nothing to do with and he is concerned this could happen again.

Let’s examine this “unfortunate history.”

On 6/27/11 at USP Lewisburg Peltier received two “Shots” (inmate jargon for prison infractions) that put him in the “hole” for six months (solitary confinement, which by Peltier’s own admission he’d spent in excess of five years worth).  One was minor for claiming (for which he had no proof) that he had received a 20-pound Scottish note through the prison mail system and was attempting to send it to someone else. A minor infraction perhaps, but the significant event was that Peltier’s then cellmate was transferred two weeks prior and during a subsequent routine cell inspection a guard received an electrical shock.  Please see the following for an explanation of Corrections Officer Hamilton’s report and details of this incident (Fn. 2).  Peltier was playing dumb that in that tiny cell he didn’t see the exposed wires, and that’s hard to believe, but what’s not hard to believe is that he did at least see or know about the exposed wires but chose not to do the right thing and advise Officer Hamilton. 

This pattern of the BOP against Mr. Peltier is similar to the time that the BOP used another Native prisoner, Standing Deer in a plot to assassinate Mr. Peltier. 

The Standing Deer (true name, Robert Hugh Wilson) claim as the alleged catalyst for Peltier’s escape from Lompoc Penitentiary has as little truth as the decades long lie of Peltier’s only alibi, that Mr. X killed the Agents and drove off in the infamous red pickup. Both assertions are ludicrous.

Rather than repeat here—again—all the fallacies surrounding the Standing Deer nonsense, a previous Editorial Essay devoted considerable details calling out Peltier on this outrageous lie and his lame excuse for the armed Lompoc escape. (FN. 3)

That the ILPDC believes and spreads the Standing Deer drivel is understandable, they are clueless to the facts, blinded by folklore, and besides, these are the great warrior/victim’s claims that they best not ignore. But even the mentor and Peltier scribe, Peter Matthiessen and the deceased Bob Robideau help defuse the babble that Standing Deer was drafted to kill Peltier. (Sorry for using the wrong verb, kill, we’re talking about the “innocent political prisoner” Leonard Peltier, who prefers assassinate! More nonsense.)  

(Without attribution this ILPDC appeal was simply signed, Sincerely.)

No Parole Peltier Association supporters are entitled to do the same, contact the Bureau of Prisons and express their opinion that Peltier is neither entitled to nor deserves any special treatment. It can be pointed out as well that Peltier should be given as much compassion as he showed to Jack Coler and Ron Williams; and that would be none.

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”

Ed Woods

* 1) Remember, that during Peltier’s escape from Pine Ridge he was in the front passenger seat of a motor home pulled over by Oregon State Troopers. Under the seat was Agent Coler’s revolver in a paper bag that had Peltier’s thumbprint on it.

2) In early 2009 Peltier was transferred from USP Lewisburg to USP Caanan in Waymart, PA. He wasn’t there long before he, to use the phrase from a real tough guy, caught a beating, from two inmates, reportedly gang members who likely weren’t buying into the great warrior, privileged political prisoner tripe or perhaps weren’t impressed that he was a cop killer. Maybe they didn’t care for him because of the reputation that preceded him or maybe they just wanted the bragging rights that they kicked the snot out of the self-proclaimed legend and protector of his people. Don’t know if the gang members were prosecuted or wound up in solitary themselves, but at any rate they should have been. Picking on a then sixty-five year old man, who at least on July 28^thof that year was a bloated figure staring at his sneakers in front of the parole board hearing officer, Peltier wouldn’t have put up much of a fight. In stark contrast to this warrior was the infamous Teflon Don, John Gotti who was severely beaten while serving his life sentence at USP Marion. Gotti didn’t whine or complain, he simply told the guards that he “fell.”

Footnotes:

1) Peltier wants his own room…. http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2011/04/

2) The Peltier shot… http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2011/08/

3) Please take a little time to learn about Standing Deer: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#standi

            Peltier’s alibi lie of Mr. X: (Mr. X the Interview), (Mr. X the Movie), 

            Mr. X The Lie: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/lie.html

            Peltier: Important Reminders: http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2018/03/peltier-important-reminders.html

PELTIER: 40 YEARS OF LIES & FABRICATIONS

Dear Supporters:

Predictably, every February 6^th Peltier sends a message noting the anniversary of his arrest and beginning of his incarceration for the brutal murder of Agents Coler and Williams.

This year’s story is no different and it would be too kind to call most of it just fabrications. Since the creation of the first Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (LPDC) in 1977, Peltier and Peltierite’s goal has been to create an ongoing myth and folklore that twists the facts and ignores the truth of what happened that fateful day at Jumping Bull.

Observations on Peltier’s latest message:

--What can I say that I have not said before?

          Nothing really, because Peltier has been repeating the same fabrications for four decades.

--(Peltier, speaking of those who have passed on…) We Natives don’t like to mention their names. We believe that if we speak their names it disrupts their journey. They may loose (sic) their way and their spirits wander forever. If too many call out to them, they will try to come back. But their spirits know we are thinking about them, so I will say safe journey and I hope to see you soon.

          This is a wonderful recitation, if completely accurate, of native beliefs, but we would imagine Peltier never mentions two names, Jack Coler and Ron Williams.

          Another native belief is that if a vanquished enemy is rolled over to face, Mother Earth, they will not meet the Creator in the afterlife. Jack and Ron were both shot in the face, yet were found rolled over and face down in the dirt.* So, which one of the AIM cowards at Jumping Bull, counted coup, and touched the lifeless bodies? Peltier, or one of the other brave warriors that sorrowful day? Or maybe all of them? But this journey may take Peltier some time, considering whether any Native Americans believe in the interim stopping ground called purgatory (a fundamental Christian belief to which some Native Americans may or may not ascribe). But it’s a certainty that Peltier, as each of us, will face their Creator at some point and he may even face his victims. They would be whole again, ageless, dedicated, vibrant young men who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line-of-duty and not the mutilated lifeless bodies Peltier left at Jumping Bull. Perhaps, they would then offer forgiveness.

          However, Peltier has remained a remorseless and unrepentant coward and adulterator of what otherwise is a proud and noble heritage. The family and friends and all those who identify with their fallen brothers would just as soon show Peltier the exit. It may be debatable whether or not there is a devil in Native beliefs, but there is a hell, and that elevator will take him straight to it.

--On February 6^th I will have been imprisoned 40 years. I’m 71 years old and still in a maximum security penitentiary. At my age, I’m not sure I have much time left.

          The clock is ticking for everyone. Deal with it. Jack and Ron would have chosen and deserved to live out their lives and face the predictable issues of aging. You stole that from them.  

--I have earned about 4-5 years good time that no one seems to want to recognize.

          Let’s dig a bit deeper here. Yes, prior to the abolishment of parole in 1984 (and Peltier falls under the old sentencing guidelines), the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that good-time is the equivalent of 87.1% (about 54 days/year) of the sentence. However, there was this little incident called Lompoc in 1979, so, let’s do the math. Assuming 1979 as a starting point, there would be about 5.3 years of good-time credit allegedly due Peltier. But, and it’s a big but, the armed escape from Lompoc brought with it a sentence of seven (7) consecutive years. (A fact that Peltier and Peltierites always avoid.) That could possibly amount to roughly 1,944 days, after Lompoc. But, and there is another but to poke a hole in the folklore: there was a little incident on June 27, 2011 that put Peltier in the “hole” and probably contributed to his ultimate transfer to another maximum facility. Peltier will cry foul over this one but the details are readily available.[i] From that 2011 date there’s roughly 1,623 days of incarceration that could count toward good-time of about 242 days, roughly eight months. To give Peltier the benefit of the doubt (a real stretch for sure), let’s petition the Bureau of Prisons to reduce his consecutive seven (7) year sentence from Lompoc by eight months. (Seems fair enough.)

--And when I was indicted the average time served on a life sentence before being given parole was 7 years. So that means I’ve served nearly 6 life sentences and I should have been released a very long time ago.

          Wait just a second. This is total Peltier B.S. and doesn’t even rise to the level of qualifying for folklore but just plain fabrication (i.e. yet another lie). Historically a life sentence was considered to be, on average, 30 years (with a possible eligibility for parole consideration at 25 years). So let’s pose the question (it’s been asked before, of course): Peltier, please provide any proof or documentation or statistics that when you were convicted in 1977, a life sentence meant seven (7) years. (The silence from the Peltier camp is deafening.)

--Then there’s mandatory release after serving 30 years. I’m 10 years past that. The government isn’t supposed to change the laws to keep you in prison—EXCEPT if you’re Leonard Peltier, it seems.

          OK, now you got it. The magical 30-year sentence. And that’s where you’re much closer to the mark. But, for all those wide-eyed Peltierites out there in Disneyland, Peltier received…gosh, repeating this for the umpteenth time, is getting old…not one, but TWO CONSECUTIVE LIFE SENTENCES. (In other words, serve one, then the other.)

          For the mathematically challenged Peltier supporters, that’s 30 plus 30 for a grand total of 60 (plus the additional 7 for Lompoc, but we’ll let that go for the moment).

          So, another question for Peltier: exactly what law was it that somehow morphed into your understanding of the 30-years-and-out scenario? Please, impress us with your acumen: provide something, anything that supports this spurious mythological claim. (Hopefully, Peltier isn’t suggesting that there was a bill passed in Congress entitled, Special Sentencing Guideline for Inmates EXCEPT Leonard Peltier that was signed into law by the then President.)

--Now I’m told that I’ll be kept at USP Coleman 1 until 2017 when they’ll decide if I can go to a medium security facility—or NOT. But, check this out, I have been classified as a medium security prisoner now for at least 15 years, and BOP regulations say elders shall be kept in a less dangerous facility/environment. But NOT if you’re Leonard Peltier, I guess. 

          Lots of great Peltier propaganda here:

First, prove it. No only “check this out,” but please post on the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (ILPDC) website any proof that you’ve been classified as a medium security prisoner for 15 years. Really, it’s quite simple. Have the folks at the ILPDC in Hillsboro, Oregon create a .pdf file and put it on the website.[ii] (See, we’re not intimidated or shy about referencing the Peltier website…matter of fact, it’s been on the NPPA home page for almost sixteen years. Of course, its changed a bunch of times and has had to be repeatedly updated.)

While they’re at it, to further support your contention that you’ve been such a model prisoner, have them also post on the website the transcript (certainly one exists) of the July 28, 2009 parole hearing at Lewisburg. There should be plenty for Peltierites to digest there…things you certainly don’t want them to know or ever hear about. I was there, so I know some of the particulars.[iii]

          Well, true enough, Peltier is old, and a Native American (of French lineage), so maybe he considers himself an Elder. Elders though, in Native American culture, are not only just old, but wise, possessing great wisdom, guidance and leadership for younger generations to emulate. Peltier is elderly but a far cry from anyone’s role model, let alone young Native Americans who are struggling on the Reservations to find their own identity.

          Less dangerous facility? Last time we checked Peltier is a convicted double murderer in a prison of his peers, with an armed escape added to his prison résumé. Just because he’s gotten long-in-the-tooth doesn’t make him eligible for the white-collar criminal country clubs (that are also inappropriate for those who stole from the unsuspecting). But…there was that incident where some gangbangers weren’t buying into the notoriety of the big-shot wannabe Indian Chief and beat the snot out of him. Proving only that he’s not as much the tough, ruthless thug he was back at Jumping Bull or when he stuck a gun in Anna Mae Aquash’s mouth to force her to confess to being something she wasn’t. She didn’t, she wasn’t, but was ordered killed by AIM anyway.[iv]

--Ronald Reagan promised President Mikhail Gorbachev that he would release me if the Soviet Union released a prisoner, but Reagan reneged.

          Wow! Exactly in which alternate universe or on what planet did this happen? Uranus? (No pun intended.) Not even the dimmest Peltier sycophant can believe that load of donkey dung. Imagine, President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev dithering over Leonard Peltier?  Although, there is a grain of truth to this tall tale: Actually, it was radical leftist attorney William Kunstler’s brilliant idea to engage the communist nation in April 1988 for possible political asylum. As a result “signatures of twelve million Soviet citizens have been sent to the White House demanding clemency for Peltier…”

          Perhaps Peltier or Kunstler didn’t get it, but Peltier biographer Peter Matthiessen sure did. He recognized that Peltier was just being used as a propaganda tool against the United States. Engaging the Soviets in issues of alleged political prisoners is the proverbial pot-calling-the-kettle-black and backfired anyway because the U.S. Media paid little attention. But it is worth reminding everyone about it at this point.[v] (Enough said.)

--George H. W. Bush did nothing. The next app was with Bill Clinton, He left office without taking action even though the Pardon Attorney did an 11-month investigation (it usually take 9 months) and we were told she had recommended clemency. George W. Bush denied that petition in 2009. And in all the applications for clemency, the FBI has interfered with an executive order. That’s illegal as hell.

Houston, we have a problem. President George W. Bush served from January 2001 to January 2009. The long standing Pardon Attorney Roger Adams was transferred in January 2008. His successor, Ronald Rodgers was appointed in April 2008, serving until November 2014. So, we have an obvious gap of only three months. Peltier claims his clemency investigation took 11 months. (Research was unable to identify whether there was an acting (female) pardon attorney between Adams and Rodgers or perhaps a (female) deputy who may have just assumed at least the administrative role in the interim.) A question perhaps Peltier can easily answer is: since 11 months doesn’t fit into 3 months very well, then aside from the timeliness issue, who exactly was the “she” Peltier refers to who allegedly recommended clemency? A simple question, prompting an even simpler answer. (Or like the New York wiseguys were fond of asking: “Give me a name.”) The real answer? Just more Peltier pandering (fabrications, also known as lies) to the dramatically dwindling supporters. (So, prove us wrong.)

By Department of Justice administrative process the agencies (investigative and U.S. Attorney) involved in a case that is being considered for clemency are entitled to provide their response either for or against the petition. The completed application is then either denied by the Pardon Attorney or sent to the President for consideration. Occasionally, the system is adulterated. Perhaps the most notable instance involved Eric Holder and Bill Clinton and the despicable, unprecedented mockery of the pardon of Marc Rich.[vi] Obviously Peltier didn’t have that kind of pull with President Clinton. (No pun intended.) The FBI has every right to voice its opposition to a bid for clemency, as does the non-governmental associations of current and former FBI agents.[vii] Notwithstanding that, let’s not forget Peltier’s seminal comment on politicians: “These politicians are such sleazebags that you just don’t know.[viii] 

--“…the FBI has interfered with an executive order, That’s illegal as hell.”

Really? Once again, it’s very simple, exactly what Executive Order are you talking about? If there is such an animal out there (that animal would more likely be on the order of a Jackalope), have the folks in Oregon post it on the website. (Not likely to happen either.)

--You made donations to the defense committee so we could continue fighting for my freedom.

          This remains Peltier’s dirty little secret. Do Peltierites ever wonder why he and the ILPDC no longer beg for “tax deductable” donations? (We know why.) Truth is that the fundraising and charitable activities have the appearance of a front. Fact is, no one knows how much they’ve taken in or where that money has gone, no matter how many times Peltier has been challenged for proof (even from his own people[ix]). This has been going on for a very long time. For some relevant details, see this footnote.[x]

--I believe that my incarceration, the constitutional violations in my case and the government misconduct in prosecuting my case are issues far more important than just my life or freedom.

          Come on! All Peltier wants is crystal clear, out of FCI Coleman, and he’ll say and do just about anything, tell any lie, create any fabrication to help bolster a lost cause. And there’s a concept that Peltier ignores and Peltierites either forget or don’t understand, that if there was just one (1) constitutional violation in his case, he would have been out a long time ago and this conversation would have never taken place. The fact remains that Peltier’s case has arguably received more scrutiny than inmates on death row. Every aspect and allegation concerning Peltier’s conviction has been under the proverbial microscope for decades, and its outcome never altered. The legal history is here along with a concise history of his guilt.[xi]

--With YOUR encouragement, I believe Obama will have the courage and conviction to commute my sentence and send me home to my family.

          Not so fast. The President has made it clear that he does want to and will exercise this sole Constitutional authority but has laid the groundwork to grant clemency to those serving long incarcerations for minor drug offenses and excluding crimes of violence. Slaughtering two federal agents pretty much falls outside of that benchmark. Clemency, like parole, is off the table.

* * *

Peltier’s 40^th Anniversary Statement is just what is outlined above, worn-out efforts to spew the same tired drivel hoping that the dwindling myths and folklore will remain alive for just a while longer. Peltier is now at a crossroad. The clock is ticking loudly and will stop around noontime on January 20, 2017. Peltier is also getting desperate as witnessed by a recent development that will be the topic of subsequent NPPA blogs.[xii]

Peltier believes that repeating the same fabrications (and adding some astonishing and unbelievable ones along the way) will eventually take hold and miraculously become fact. Let’s, at least for the President’s sake, establish that Peltier had his days in court and over many years none of his claims have been anything more than terminally defective. It’s not a foreign concept in the Peltier legal history that “Peltier’s arguments fail because their underlying premises are fatally flawed. (A) The Government tried the case on the 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 their murder as an aider and abettor.” [xiii]  “…the direct and circumstantial evidence of Peltier’s guilt was strong.” [xiv]  To add another overlooked indication of Peltier’s character and demeanor, even during his own trial: “The two witnesses testified outside the presence of the jury that after their testimony at trial, they had been threatened by Peltier himself that if they did not return to court and testify that their earlier testimony had been induced by F.B.I. threats, their lives would be in danger.” [xv] (Shades of the ghost of Anna Mae.)

But, more so for the President’s understanding of the issues beyond Peltier’s conviction is that of an individual who has remained unrepentant and remorseless for his crimes. Anyone who would state, as Peltier has, “I seen Joe when he pulled it out of the trunk and he gave me a smile.” (As told by Peltier to his biographer relating to the crime scene on June 26, 1975 while two dead and mutilated FBI agents lay at his feet.) After thirty-five years, in a 2010 public statement, showing his true heart and nature, “And really, if necessary, I’d do it all over again because it was the right thing to do.” And as late as 2014, thirty-nine years after the murders, “I don’t regret any of this for a minute.”

One more important element of Peltier’s character to consider is that an innocent person would have no need to create an alibi that has been a proven an outrageous lie. For almost two decades, even on film[xvi], Peltier claimed that someone they knew, the phantom Mr. X in the infamous red pickup, killed the agents.[xvii]

How do we separate the Peltier lies and fabrications from the truth? Simple, with some fundamental facts.

Rhetoric, myths and folklore aside, Leonard Peltier is exactly where he belongs and shall remain until he eventually faces that day of reconning.

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”

Ed Woods

*The crime scene and Mr. X http://www.noparolepeltier.com/just.html

---

[i] http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2011/08/peltier-shot-in-prisonbruce-smith.html

[ii] http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/ (Last accessed 2/12/16)

[iii] http://noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#paroledenied

[iv] http://wwwnoparolepeltiercom-justice.blogspot.com/2016/02/peltier-bruce-ellison-esq-co.html

[v] Peter Matthiessen, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse (New York: Penguin Books, 1991) 572-573

[vi] Congressional Report, 107^th Congress, Committee on Government Reform, March 14, 2002; https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-107hrpt454/html/CRPT-107hrpt454-vol3.htm (Last accessed 2/13/16)

[vii] Society of former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation http://www.socxfbi.org/default.asp?, FBI Agents Association https://www.fbiaa.org

[viii] http://www.noparolepeltier.com/speak.html

[ix] Bob Free calls for “transparency” in Peltier’s finances http://noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#free

[x] http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#fraud http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#financial

[xi] The legal history: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/court.html

And a Concise History of Guilt: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#concise

[xii] As a convicted felon, Peltier is still entitled to his First Amendment right of freedom of speech and expression as he and his supporters have freely exercised. So to, others have that same right to respond to Peltier’s public statements, especially those that are inaccurate, false or demean the sacrifice and memory of two young men murdered in the line of duty.

[xiii] Eighth Circuit, 997 F.2d 461, 1993 http://www.noparolepeltier.com/997.html

[xiv] Eighth Circuit, 585F 2d 314, 1978, http://www.noparolepeltier.com/585.html

[xv] Eighth Circuit, 585 F 2d 314, 1978, http://www.noparolepeltier.com/585.html

[xvi] “This story is true.’ Leonard Peltier, Incident at Oglala, http://noparolepeltier.com/lie.html

[xvii] Mr. X the Movie, the interview, the lie: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/movie.html, http://www.noparolepeltier.com/interview.html, http://www.noparolepeltier.com/lie.html