I never met Ron Williams...

Dear Supporters:

I never met Ron Williams.*

I learned of him, as did thousands of others in the FBI and law enforcement, and citizens across the country, on a fateful day in June, 1975 when the media, as it is wont to do, blasted out the horrible news of the loss of two agents in a nondescript corner of South Dakota.

Learning more about him came much later through conversations with close friends and relatives and later still in an incredible video released by the Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.**

There could have been a brief moment when Ron and I may have crossed paths. We overlapped slightly as new agents and could have passed each other in the hallways at the FBI Academy in Quantico, paced each other on the running trails or even sat at the same table in the cafeteria. I'll never know.

There is a strong possibility, since we both shared a love of flying, and if the event at Jumping Bull had some how miraculously not occurred, that we would have participated together in the FBI's fledgling aviation program. Ron was a licensed pilot and enjoyed the thrill and challenge and of taking friends and family on flying adventures to share the experience he loved so much. Certainly Ron would have volunteered to become part of that program and we could have both flown on the same major cases ("Bureau Specials" as they are called) as the FBI quickly realized that aircraft and surveillances were integral components to successful investigations.

Very close and dear friends of Ron, when they all worked together in the Rapid City Resident Agency (a satellite office covering a number of SD counties and reservations out of the Minneapolis Division), gave me a box of personal items and papers they had from Ron. In the box was a little wooden toy biplane which I understood to have been Ron's from when he was a child. At the moment it's sitting on a shelf as this tribute is being typed.

I learned from another close friend that, although challenging, life and work on the Reservations was demanding, and the Bureau was always pressed to staff the larger cities with agents. It was likely that Ron's tenure in Rapid City could have ended with a voluntary transfer to his home town, Glendale, California, in the Los Angeles basin. Certainly, getting back to LA would have been fairly easy and something he apparently desired, not just to return to family and friends, but for a much wider variety of federal crimes to pursue, along with greater opportunities.

Ron, as was related as well, had plans to attend law school, which would have been a challenge while working cases in a major city, but certainly doable once he set his sights on that goal. Where he would have gone from there we don't really know, but based on what we do know, perhaps continuing in the Bureau or maybe seeking a position in a major prosecutor's office or perhaps the United States Attorney's office. Or, if we are allowed to imagine further, combining his interests and talents and maybe specializing in aviation law while continuing his flying interests. We'll never know how far that would have taken him.

Ron certainly fit the personality profile of his birth sign, a Leo; ruling warmth, generosity, faithful and always showing a great deal of initiative, combined with a handsomely charming smile and engaging personality. All of which would have taken him to untold heights and achievements.

It's difficult to look beyond and speculate on what might have been, but we can see what was, and in his short twenty-eight years Ron did leave his mark on all who touched his life.

I never met Ron Williams, but I'm sure, had I been able to, my life would have been better for it.

"In the Spirit of Coler and Williams"

Ed Woods

*SA Ronald A. Williams, July 30, 1947 - June 26, 1975: Rest In Peace: His memory, bravery and sacrifice in-the-line-of-duty will never be forgotten.

**Meet SA Jack R. Coler and SA Ronald A.Williams here:
http://www.noparolepeltier.com/meet.html

(Another Former) Peltier Supporter speaks...

Dear Supporters:

(Former Peltier supporters are welcomed to voice their opinions: please contact justice@noparolepeltier.com.)

Reprinted with permission:

On Aug 7, 2010, at 2:09 PM, Nessie wrote:

Hello Ed:

I enjoyed reading this from yet ANOTHER former supporter. I totally understand how she feels because as you know it took some searching and several emails before I finally waded through all the brainwashing the LPDOC pulled on me.

As you know my mother and aunts were treated very badly by "town folks" where they grew up because they were children of color (Cherokee) so I was very adamant that Peltier was another Native American that had been mistreated and wrongfully thrown in prison. I finally did the research and questioned the LPDOC, and all of their sister sites, until I was convinced that both LPDOC and Peltier would say or do whatever they thought it would take to solicit funds and support from anyone they came in contact with. They use some of the injustice that did occur in our history to their advantage.

Peltier did not run from the reservation that day to draw harm from "his" people and he could have cared less about the safety of the children living there. He ran because he knew he committed cold blooded murder and as he seemed to always do he ran because he was looking out only for one man--- Himself !!

I also wrote many letters protesting Peltier’s treatment and the injustice of his sentence to any official I could reach. I did not support the LPDOC with money but I did offer at one time my home for his sister and others to stay in if they needed to come to NC to fight for the release of information supposedly being held in NC.

There is not a doubt in my mind that I had been supporting the wrong person. Joe Stuntz died because he was an impressionable young man who probably believed he was doing the right thing by following directions from such an important(?) AIM member. He died because Leonard led him to death. I believe without a doubt Peltier is responsible for his death as well as the death of the two FBI agents. Needless to say when I withdrew my support I was dropped from the LPDOC mailing list rather quickly. If you want to really find out what they are all about just start asking questions about where the money is going and exactly what the contributions are for and who is in charge of this money and challenge anything they say and I assure you it wont be long before they drop you from their mailing list as well.

Supporters for the LPDOC are being lied to and used to support themselves and to support Leonard. Leonard is not a Native American Icon he is no more than any other convict who committed murder and is whining and begging for some way to get out of it. If he really cared about "his People" why are they still living in poverty; where's all the money going he's supposed to be helping them with? Peltier’s followers are dropping off more and more as they learn the truth and as more information gets out to the public. Soon he will be left without supporters sending money, buying paintings and listening to his whining and I have to wonder just how faithful will his defense team be without pay?

Vanessa

GENOCIDE...PELTIER'S NEARLY FINISHED

Peltier’s nearly finished…Blogging towards the end:
July 28, 2010

A recent blog response from the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee (LPDOC) to the No Parole Peltier Association (NPPA) reinforces the observation that his message to potential supporters continues to be, even on a good day, encumbered with half-truths that have proven to be the cornerstone of the Peltier legacy .

The July 2, 2010 LPDOC (“Ain’t Buyin’ What the G-Man’s Sellin’”) blog quotes the NPPA June 26th, 2010 (“Peltier’s confused history”) statement regarding the matter of genocide in Native American.

The problem with this quote, as with so many out-of-context and inaccurate quotes and conclusions from Peltier and the LPDOC, is that it is intentionally incomplete.

The entire quote from the NPPA follows (the italicized portions are what the LPDOC repeated):

It’s not difficult to separate truth from falsehood. It is totally irresponsible to state that the United States pursued a policy of genocide toward the Indians, to cite the Washita as an example. The United States did not follow a policy of genocide; it did try to find a just solution to the Indian problem. The consistent idea was to civilize the Indians, incorporate them into the community, make them part of the melting pot. That it did not work, that it was foolish, conceited, even criminal, may be true, but that doesn’t turn a well-meant program into genocide (Stephen Ambrose).

Missing, of course, from their quotation was the critical preamble which distinguishes truth from falsehood, and the all-important attribution to the original author, noted historian Stephen Ambrose. It must certainly be obvious (except perhaps to the LPDOC) that the Stephen Ambrose reference was there for a purpose; to appropriately source the noted historian’s conclusions concerning the perception of genocide.

However, the LPDOC’s anonymous author missed the key point; the reference from this noted historian places the matter in its proper historical context. No one, Mr. Ambrose, nor this writer, denied the history, quite the contrary, Mr. Ambrose recognized and acknowledged what had happened and clearly defined why. Finding a just solution was the goal; that it was carried out the way it was does not make it genocide.

But let me be clear. This writer subscribes to Ambrose’s conclusions; they are factual and accurate, based on years of intelligent research, and properly summarize the devastation of the Native American historical experience.

*

Another critical point, as Peltier has repeatedly done, the LPDOC is also not providing supporters with accurate details. Why is that? Simply put, because it is within the details that Leonard Peltier’s guilt is unequivocal. But, of course, they do not want to discuss the fine points.

But let’s do it here anyway.

Buried within the thousands of pages related to the Incident at Oglala is just one small sentence, twenty-seven words, that precisely defines Peltier’s complicity:

“I seen Joe when he pulled it out of the trunk and I looked at him when he put it on, and he gave me a smile.” (Leonard Peltier)

For those out there, even among the most ardent Peltier supporters, picture this:

On the Jumping Bull property there are two late model government sedans. Peltier, Joe Stuntz and others are gathered around stealing whatever they can from the vehicles. Stuntz grabs agent Jack Coler’s FBI jacket from the trunk, and as Peltier tells us, smiles as he puts it on. Laying close to one another next to the vehicle—face down in the grass, were two dead FBI agents. Two dead FBI agents with their faces blown away, who had just been shot at point-blank range. Jack Coler was probably unconscious from a devastating arm injury but we know Ron Williams, although wounded three times, was conscious (from his defensive wounds) and probably begged for his life.

Follow the logic of this scene if you will…the dead FBI agents were both shot in the face, yet are laying—face down. How is that? This means that someone among the Peltier (AIM) group actually touched and moved their dead bodies, grabbing them, positioning them, and turning them over to face the ground. (We won’t dignify those actions with the concept of counting coup; that belongs to genuine Indian warriors of the past.)

Unmasked, Peltier’s raging guilt is unmistakable…his ramblings about his own connection to an otherwise proud and noble heritage is an insult to Native America.

*

As for the anonymous nature of the LPDOC, what very few there are left, please show the strength of your convictions and step out from behind the make-believe wall of the LPDOC. Have some courage and sign your name to your work. If you are incapable or afraid of doing that, then there is an alternate challenge for Peltier, a challenge that has been offered a number of times over the past ten years:

Since day one, April 30, 2000, the NPPA prominently posted on the home page a direct link to the LPDOC (and formerly LPDC) with an invitation for anyone interested to go and visit, Peltier, see what he has to say, come back, and then come to their own independent, informed and intelligent decision about his guilt.

If the LPDOC has nothing to hide, if they believe that the message is clear and unmistakable and Peltier is really innocent, then what do they have to hide? If the truth as you and Peltier claim is on your side, then demonstrate some moral fiber instead of repeating allegations and claims that have not, repeat—have not—held up to scrutiny over the past thirty-four years.

Link to the NPPA if you have any sense of conviction in the Peltier cause.

Otherwise, the LPDOC’s and Peltier’s scheme of deceit, fabrications, falsehoods, fraud and theft, will continue to pollute the legacy of a proud Native American heritage that Peltier has hijacked from that storied past.

On a personal note, the LPDOC Blog also said “A former agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ed Woods…has made it his life’s mission to prevent Leonard Peltier’s release from prison…” Life’s mission? Hardly. I have a wonderful wife of forty-three years, two grown successful children, a princess of a granddaughter (spoiled, but that’s my job), a beautiful home, a productive and rewarding post-retirement career, a very active and full life, a hobby (not Peltier) and other interests, thank you.

Granted, I have devoted a good amount of personal time to Peltier, although it has been far less over the past several years (except for the Lewisburg parole hearing last year) as the entire matter is drifting into the sunset, fading with the twilight. No one really cares any longer because Peltier’s nearly finished. Those with some stamina to do some serious research soon turn away from Peltier as well.

The purpose is not to keep Peltier behind bars, but that certainly is the result of ensuring that justice continues to be served. It’s a mission then of honoring the dedication and sacrifice of two young men I never met and who were unnecessarily and brutally murdered in the line of duty at the hands of lawless AIM cowards led by Leonard Peltier. This effort entails the demystification of the Myth, laying waste to the folklore, and highlighting Peltier’s unquestioned and unrepentant guilt.

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”
Ed Woods

(Parole reconsideration hearing, July 2024)

"10 Years Later" NPPA

Ten Years Later

This decade passed quickly, but it does seem like a long time ago when I met Jack Coler’s youngest son, which led to research and twenty-seven days later launching the No Parole Peltier Association and its website. Its purpose has remained consistent and successful.

Consider this: The LPDC was formed in 1977 (and up to April 2000, and for several years on the Internet up to that point), Peltier and the LPDC’s fabrications went unchallenged. They had been essentially the only voice about the Incident at Oglala. April 30, 2000 changed that by adding a consistent presence to diminish the myth of Leonard Peltier and the folklore that festered around him.

Consistent about Peltier’s version of what happened at Jumping Bull is that it was always changing and evolving into what the uninformed followers were willing to accept as gospel from the Peltier camp. Those followers, for any number of reasons, were incapable, disinterested or unwilling to educate themselves about the facts.

Peltier supporters have heard and accepted all the versions, stories, excuses and alibis: “Pancakes and hot coffee,” “old cowboy boots,” “self-defense,” “a family caught in the cross-fire,” “pre-planned government raid,” Robideau’s alleged admissions, and the decade-long whopper, the lie of Mr. X, that was bought into by Peltier’s (on the payroll) biographer, Peter Matthiessen, and the gullible Robert Redford, and of course, the old fall back argument describing himself as a “political liability.”

All his excuses are tired, worn and have become irrelevant.

Although Peltier and his attorneys have avoided these two dirty little words over the years, ambush and assassination; taking Peltier at face value in his “press-releases,” these two words are mentioned here only to highlight the distinction that his and the other AIM members actions that day were not calculated, but those of cowards.

Over the years one of the main NPPA challenges has been to confront Peltier supporters to remove emotion from the debate; the emotion that arises too often when Native American history and issues are brought into the discussions about Peltier’s guilt. Removing the Native American issues (that Peltier has consistently used as a crutch to excuse his own criminal actions), and by examining the facts surrounding his conviction—even to the casual observer, Peltier’s guilt is unequivocal.

Peltier is not going anywhere. So says the parole commission that has listened enough, and perhaps for the last time, to his tired self-serving rhetoric and falsehoods. The biennial parole-review hearings are administrative in nature and nothing short of a total health collapse would make any difference; but then there’s the prison hospital. His consecutive life sentences, roughly thirty years each, plus the seven consecutive years for the armed Lompoc escape put his exit point somewhere in the middle of this century and realistically long past the longevity of most of us who have been personally committed to this matter; Peltier and this writer especially.

Peltier’s only hope is clemency, and this President, who has demonstrated respect for the rule of law, is not likely to even consider Peltier once he examines the facts of the case and certainly understands how Peltier hijacked, diminished and discredited a proud Native American culture and tradition. Claiming, as Peltier did as recently as February 6, 2010, that, “I’d do it all over again, because it was the right thing to do,” will not sit well with this President or those who later occupy that office.

As stated on the home page from the creation of the NPPA ten years ago, its goal will continue for as many years as necessary to “Honor the sacrifice of Special Agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams who were brutally murdered in the line of duty,” and to respond to the erroneous statements and allegations made by Peltier and his network; in other words, to continue to set the record straight by dismantling the folklore surrounding Peltier.

And along the way, following and exposing the money trail to curtail Peltier’s sham fund-raising and alleged charitable activities by preventing him from profiting from his crimes.

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”
Ed Woods

OPERATION PAYPAL...

Operation PayPal

Dear supporters:

We are engaging in a program to persuade PayPal (AGAIN) to enforce their Acceptable Use Policy and remove the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee (LPDOC) from their system.

1) Please email and write PayPal, and Scott Thompson, PayPal President at:

compliance@paypal.com

sthompson@paypal.com

Mr. Scott Thompson, President, PayPal
2211 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95131

2) Please see the letter below to Mr. Thompson.

3) Please don’t cut and paste like Peltier supporters do; summarize your concerns and provide them with factual information and a request for PayPal to enforce their own Acceptable Use Policy (see the AUP on paypal.com; search for acceptable use policy).

4) If you know or discover other avenues to contact PayPal with our concern, please do so.

5) Please spread-the-word and share this request with others and any relevant organizations for assistance.

6) Additional background information concerning Peltier’s finances and questionable fundraising activities, conviction(s) and guilt, can be found at:
http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#fraud
http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#concise

7) Please bcc me with any correspondence.

As always, thank you for your continued support honoring the memory and sacrifice of Agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams and to prevent Leonard Peltier from continuing to capitalize on their brutal murders.

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”
Ed



Mr. Scott Thompson
President, PayPal
2211 N. First Street
San Jose, CA 95131

Re: Compliance Violation
Leonard Peltier Defense
Offense Committee (LPDOC)

Dear Mr. Thompson:

I have attempted on numerous occasions to bring a serious violation of PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy to the attention of PayPal’s compliance department concerning “the financial exploitation of a crime” and illegally “collecting donations as a charity or non-profit organization.”

Leonard Peltier is serving consecutive life sentences for the 1975 murders of two FBI agents. He also received an additional seven-year consecutive sentence for an armed escape from Lompoc penitentiary in 1979. Peltier’s case has received more appeals and legal reviews than perhaps most inmates, twice reaching the U.S. Supreme Court and each time his conviction has been upheld. The legal history of his case can be seen here: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/court.html
In June, 2004 PayPal recognized Peltier’s violation of the Acceptable Use Policy and removed the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (LPDC) from the PayPal system because Peltier was “notorious for committing murderous acts.” As a result, Peltier called upon his supporters to boycott PayPal, Amazon and eBay.

The LPDC has since reorganized as the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee (LPDOC) and is a PayPal subscriber, and although their name and location have changed, their purpose has not.

The LPDOC is a North Dakota non-profit corporation, however, they have repeatedly solicited unlawful donations; according to their website “As with any nonprofit, your donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed,” which is contrary to state laws concerning charitable organizations. They have recently removed that language quite possibly because of IRS actions. The LPDOC also claims that their 501(c)3 exemption is “pending,” (for almost two years now), however they have already solicited allegedly tax-deductible donations and their application will most certainly not be approved because a “donation” cannot go the benefit of one individual. The fact that the LPDOC is acting as a Political Action Committee (PAC) on behalf of Peltier should also be an issue.

Peltier and the LPDOC attempt to hide their purpose behind the guise of providing educational information concerning the case of Leonard Peltier, however, they clearly state on their website whoisleonardpeltier.info that “All proceeds benefit Leonard’s defense fund.”

It would not be possible that the LPDOC has been able to comply with PayPal’s requirements to “authenticate the status of (their) account” or to prove their “tax-exempt status or registration under the applicable country specific regulatory body or laws, and to conduct due diligence,” as PayPal requires.

The fact that the LPDOC is a North Dakota, non-profit corporation is irrelevant because they have not secured charitable, tax-deducible status and are not 501(c)3 approved, and never can be; they are violating the law and using PayPal as their mechanism for collecting these funds for the benefit of a convicted murderer.

I hope you have the time to address this serious matter and abuse of PayPal’s policy.

Sincerely,

Ed Woods