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

Buddy can you spare a dime?

Dear Supporters:

The LPDOC is asking to give Peltier a helping hand for his upcoming 66th birthday by sending “funds” (no cash, checks or contraband please, just money orders) to his commissary account, c/o Federal Bureau of Prisons, Leonard Peltier #89637-132, P.O. Box 474701, Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001.

This raises two issues Peltier supporters should be wary of, and a challenge.

1) When will Peltier and the LPDOC come clean (as was promised years ago; remember there was supposed to be “transparency” concerning Peltier’s finances?),1 and tell his supporters how much money he has already scammed from unwitting supporters and how and where it was spent? The NPPA has been down this road with Peltier many times. Please see Editorial Essay #24, Peltier Donations: Scam, Fraud?2 Peltier supporters should not be shy about asking the same questions.

(By the way, any donations made are NOT tax deductible. Contrary to any opinions out there, Peltier is NOT a charity case.)3

2) It’s apparent that the money trough, along with Peltier’s support network, is dwindling and in very short supply if he has to revert to begging for commissary money. But that comes as no surprise.

Challenge: No, make it a double-dog dare (more on that in a later blog):

The NPPA will make a $500 donation to the LPDOC if:

 They post on whoisleonardpeltier.info, Peltier’s last five years (2005-2009) of federal and state tax returns, and;

 Federal and state tax returns for the LPDC (2005-2008) and the LPDOC (2009).

The check is waiting.

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”
Ed Woods

1) Editorial Essay #19: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#free
2) Editorial Essay: Peltier Donations: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#fraud
3) Editorial Essay #18: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#shambles

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