JUNE 26. 1975; NPR, PELTIER UPDATE

Dear Supporters:

1) June 26, 1975; 2) “They ain’t proved nothing about me…” Part 1

1) June 26, 2013 marks thirty-eight years since the attack and brutal in-the-line-of-duty murders of Special Agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families. Their sacrifice and memory will never be forgotten.

2) On December 19, 2012, Peltier had a rare opportunity to speak publicly, sort of, at a makeshift press conference hosted by federally funded National Public Radio’s, Amy Goodman, after a Peltier benefit concert held in New York City. (The LPDOC has admitted it was a financially lackluster event…and even at that…they never divulge where any of the money really goes.

http://noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#financial

Goodman had to prompt and prod Peltier to provide answers to softball questions, but without the filter provided him by the LPDOC and their ghostwriters, or being prepared with at least intelligent talking-points, Peltier, unscripted, proved yet again how either clueless he his about the details of his own case (selective memory loss), or how far he has slipped into actually believing that people are incapable of vetting some of his outrageous claims. In other words, telling whomever will listen that all the folklore is actually true. Hardly.

When pressed by Goodman, “What is your response to the FBI that campaigns against your release? The best, on the fly, Peltier could come up with was,
“Oh, they’re full, they’re full of crap,” (which ended after a string of incredibly false statements with), “They, they ain’t proved nothing about me, they ain’t proved I did anything, let alone killed somebody,” and, adding in for good measure, “So I don’t know what the hell I’m in here for.”

Let’s help Leonard, Peltierites and the LPDOC understand exactly why he’s doing back-to-back life sentences plus an additional seven consecutive years for an armed escape.

Peltier:

““...they took the court of appeals, Judge Heaney asked the prosecutors “Just what was Mr. Peltier convicted of, because we cannot find no evidence of first degree murder in the record?” The prosecutor Lynn Crooks stated that “the government doesn’t know who killed the agents” nor does he know “what participation Leonard Peltier may have had in it.” So, in nineteen-ninety two I filed an appeal again asking what am I, what, what was I in prison for, if the government doesn’t know what I’m here for. So, they changed it to aiding and abetting. Which is illegal, illegal because I was never indicted for it; I was never prosecuted for it, and taken a whole different defense at your trial. So, I don’t know what the hell I’m in here for.””

Peltier’s  wholly inaccurate account of the questioning before the court aside, Peltier’s counterfeit allegations have been covered countless times before, but let’s give it one more solid dose of fresh air and sunshine:

On this very point the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (of which Judge Heaney was a member and author of the unanimous decision) said:

"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."

So, exactly what part of “fatally flawed,” “equally guilty,” or  “aider and abettor” does Peltier not understand?

Are we missing something here or does Peltier really take his supporters for fools? They can read, and understand, but if they choose not to accept it, that’s their problem.

The entire decision can be read here:
http://www.noparolepeltier.com/997.html

And in case there’s any doubt about how early the “aiding and abetting” issue was an integral part of  Peltier’s prosecution, take a look at Identification Order, I.O #4681, dated 12/3/75, (Peltier’s Wanted poster), which clearly states at the bottom “Federal Warrants were issued…November 25, 1975, at Rapid City, South Dakota, charging Peltier with murder-first degree, killing two Federal Officers while in the performance of their duties and aiding and abetting (Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1111, 1114 and 2…)

The wanted poster can be viewed here:

http://www.noparolepeltier.com/images/warrant.gif

(An autographed copy will be sent to USP Coleman.)

So, ignoring all the history of his own case, the legal arguments and record throughout the appellate process, hearings and decisions, Peltier still wants us to believe this fairly tale.

Another nugget of Peltier mythology from the NPR interview was “And then at the trial they had admitted racists, at the trial they had admitted racists on the jury.” Really? Can Peltier tell us who they were and what they said? Of course not. That was just an unscripted random blurt and not an uncommon tactic from the Peltier camp.

(More to follow from the NPR interview.)

This is reminiscent of a brilliant legal comment made four years ago (July 28, 2009 at a small gathering after Peltier’s parole hearing at USP Lewisburg).

Peltier’s then attorney (and he’s had a number of them), Eric Seitz stated, "The FBI did not have anything new to say."

Well, not quite, because the hearing examiner heard sufficient detail concerning Peltier's conviction and denied appeals in addition to sworn testimony from the 2004 Arlo Looking Cloud murder trial where a former AIM member testified that Peltier admitted killing one of the FBI agents while the agent begged for his life.

And, the NPPA presentation was all new material based solely on Peltier's own statements; public admissions that reinforce his actual guilt beyond all reasonable doubt.

Seitz also said that he presented "some additional evidence on Leonard's behalf to the board." Evidence? Hardly. And since Peltier will not release the transcript of the hearing, that claim remains baseless.

Seitz added that,  "…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. I don't think that's going to impress very many people who aren't already of the same opinion."

First, and we can overlook that Seitz may have misspoken-it was two agents murdered, not one, but that aside, the government doesn't have to come up with anything "new" and to even suggest as much shows a fundamental lack of insight and legal acumen. All anyone has to do is spend a little time to see just how wrong Seitz and Peltier really are. This case has been under the proverbial microscope for nearly four decades and every aspect has been reviewed, many times, and Peltier's attorney's, with their oftentimes frivolous legal arguments, have lost, not because of some grand conspiracy that Peltier whines about, but because the facts are not supportive of any of Peltier's claims of innocence.

And yes, Mr. Seitz, brutally murdering two wounded FBI agents does warrant spending the rest of one's life in prison.

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”

Ed Woods

PELTIER'S FIRST ESCAPE PLAN; Final, Part 5

Dear Supporters:

“I’m a warrior that’s why I believe I should go out, & keep under-ground.”

Peltier’s first escape plan came to the attention of  Canadian authorities with little pressure on the “mentally disturbed” (according to Peltier), courier. The note, duly transcribed and reported caused the prison authorities to double-up their watchfulness of the American Indian accused of killing two federal agents. They didn’t want or need the embarrassment of losing such a valuable commodity that the U.S. Government and the FBI wanted desperately back in the lower forty-eight to stand trial for his alleged (at the time), crimes.

The extradition to the U.S., fought hard by Peltier and his court appointed and volunteer attorneys, was moving along, so formal charges of an escape plan were not filed, but duly noted.

Peltier was extradited and much has been said about the process, but the final word rests not with the occasional liberal politicians, Peltierites, the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (which wasn’t formally created until his trial in March 1977), or Peltier himself, but with the ultimate Canadian law enforcement authority:

A four-page letter dated October 12, 1999 from A. Anne McLellan, Canadian Minister of Justice, to U.S. Attorney General, Janet Reno, reviewed the entire Peltier extradition matter and concluded, unambiguously:

"As I indicated above, I have concluded that Mr. Peltier was lawfully extradited to the United States.”

“The record demonstrates that the case was fully considered by the courts and by the then Minister of Justice. There is no evidence that has come to light since then that would justify a conclusion that the decisions of the Canadian courts and Minister of Justice should be interfered with.” http://www.noparolepeltier.com/canadaletter.html

So then, why is this first Escape Plan even relevant?

Because Peltier, perhaps for the very first time, unknown that other eyes would see it, admitted why an escape was necessary; his note contained an element of truth and undermined his later claims for his armed escape from Lompoc in July 1979. Lompoc was a totally fabricated lie of an assassination plot. This also provides the basis for negating all of Peltier’s claims of innocence and the polluted river of folklore that followed.

“I’m a warrior that’s why I believe I should go out, & keep under-ground.”

The alleged “assassination plot” was among the first of a long string of lies, disinformation and diversionary tactics unsupported by any reality or facts:

-He was in tent city when the shooting started.

-He didn’t shoot at the agents initially, but later admitted in a public interview that he did.

-He shot in self-defense, yet knowing that white guys in civilian clothes driving late model vehicles with antennas, were the Feds…no mystery there. Added to the fact that Norman Charles and Wish Draper told Peltier that they were interviewed by the same two agents just the day before, and they were looking, not for him, but Jimmy Eagle.

-“Self defense” translates, in the misshapen LPDOC world, to blasting away two wounded agents with point-blank shots to the face. Peltier’s actions was a hugely consequential act, so lets call it by its real name, murder.

-“This story is true” Peltier claimed in Incident at Oglala about the infamous red pickup truck and the phantom Mr. X. which was proven to be an outright lie by one of his own co-conspirators, Dino Butler, let alone recently from his own attorney, Michael Kuzma.

-He claims he was not provided a fair parole hearing in 2009 but steadfastly and predictably refuses to release the transcript from Lewisburg. (Or the transcript of Agents Williams’ radio transmissions.  Both of which have been repeatedly requested.)

-Another co-conspirator, Bob Robideau (1946-2009) who was there during those fatal moments with Peltier said the agents “died like worms.” It’s difficult for Peltierites to spin that in any other direction. But they try, by ignoring it and hoping it will be forgotten. Not likely.
http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#self

-He claimed that Jumping Bull was a set up, a pre-planned government assault on AIM, yet the infamous “Sanctioned Memo” he relies on proves just the opposite and demonstrates yet another disinformation tactic.  http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#critic

-During the escape from Pine Ridge Peltier admitted exactly what happened—to the dire detriment of one listener—Anna Mae Aquash, stating of the wounded agent, (Ron Williams), “the m….. f….. begged for his life but I shot him anyway.”

-How does Peltier’s disinformation tactics get beyond quoted statements like this (thanks to the reporting of Peter Matthiessen p.552); “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.” (This seamlessly supports to the oft-made NPPA assertion that Peltier wasn’t in Seattle that day.)

Peltier was no AIM leader, just a thug and bodyguard, a tough guy, especially with women, but low enough to attack with others, and then when two mortally wounded agents couldn’t fight back, cowardly enough to shoot them in the face. No disinformation there, just the facts. Yes, we know no one admitted pulling the trigger, Robideau in his hallucinatory state of mind tried to take the blame and credit, Dino Butler, standing there when it happened, has remained mute, and that leaves only the would-be warrior, the incarcerated coward he’s always been.

-The critical witness, even with their faults, provided the jury with what they needed to understand the elements of Peltier’s guilt. http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#critical

Peltier’s lies and disinformation appeals to the lowest common denominator: Don’t be confused by the facts, but accept Jumping Bull at face value. Believe his lies, don’t ask for proof or push the hard questions…and just send more money.

He begs for mercy now, (unlike the mercy he showed Agents’ Coler and Williams), from the President and asks for a commutation of his sentence. But the President doesn’t have to be reminded that repentance, acceptance of responsibility, is a critical factor in the consideration of clemency

The President will not be dissuaded by these tactics but has been reminded of the most damming statement Peltier has made in nearly four decades after his cowardly act ; “And really, if necessary, I’d do it all over again because it was the right thing to do.”

The failed Oakalla first escape plan destroyed yet another element of the myth and folklore of Leonard Peltier. In other words, the alleged assassination attempt at Lompoc was just another fabrication, another deception in a series of frauds to garner sympathy that in some perverse way he has become a fictitious leader of his people while being at once a victim as well. He cannot have it both ways, because to even attempt to do so, the folklore fails on both counts.

“I’m a warrior that’s why I believe I should go out, & keep under-ground.”

A “warrior,” hardly, and only in his own mind, but he is at least keeping, if not under-ground, then permanently under wraps.

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”

Ed Woods

P.S.

1) Peltier makes prime time:

The popular CBS crime show, “Criminal Minds,” gave Peltier an unwanted plug during their May 1, 2013 episode that related to crimes on a Reservation. One of the actors commented, “Peltier did kill two FBI agents looking for a robbery suspect. Hard to forget.” There it is, without the Peltier fable, spin and folklore, just the cold hard basic fact for millions of viewers to hear and understand; Peltier is a murderer and is where he belongs and will remain. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CM3OLXA/?tag=tvguideonli02-20

2) Topic of upcoming NPPA Blogs: 

On December 19, 2012, Peltier engaged in a telephone interview from prison with National Public Radio’s, Amy Goodman. Peltier made a number of implausible statements about his own case that were either patently ignorant (that he actually may believe them) or blatantly deceiving (to continue to ferment the mold that grows on the Peltier folklore). In either case we’ll explore and explain some of them in upcoming No Parole Peltier Association Blogs.

NPPA 13th Anniversary; April 30, 2013

Dear Supporters:

It’s been thirteen years since meeting Jack Coler’s youngest son (April 3, 2000), launching the No Parole Peltier Association and its website on April 30^th, because, as one obsequious and servile Peltier panderer pointed out, “someone had to do it.”

Year twelve revisited many folklore topics, like the perennial ‘dirty-little-secret’ of Peltier’s finances, which was answered with a public NPPA financial disclosure along with a complaint to the I.R.S. for what certainly hinted at (another) money laundering scheme. (NPPA Blog 3/28/13 and 3/25/13)

Last year’s NPPA anniversary was concurrent with the formal ceremony of the FBI Minneapolis’s headquarters’ building dedication which was named in the honor, memory and sacrifice of FBI Agents, Jack R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams, along with some speeches about Peltier and what really happened at Jumping Bull, and subsequently, to fairly large (and admittedly understanding) audiences.  (NPPA Blog 5/6/12, 6/26/12)

There was still haggling over the Wichita AR-15, the family (not) caught in a crossfire, and Peltier’s ongoing attempts to play at once the poor-victim and brave-warrior scam. It’s apparent that whenever new personalities (and it happens often) rise to the LPDOC’s surface, they try to refloat tired fabrications that have been disproved countless times, believing that a new audience will ignore the past. They can’t grasp that recirculating old myths just doesn’t work, at least not for very long. The LPDOC also asked supporters “for something special,” they want them “to hand-write a letter or postcard” because “The electric petition medium has not proven very successful, for Leonard, and in ways easier to ignore.” Really “special?”

Peltier lamely tried to equate the tragedy at Newtown, Connecticut to Manifest Destiny and the horrible treatment of Native Americans and the First Nations in the 19^th century. Although, correctly, a homicidal coward was present at both Newtown and Jumping Bull.

And then there was the growth of other Blogs (Rezinate for one) that further lay waste to the social disaster called the ‘American Indian Movement’ while holding Peltier’s feet to the campfire.

We spent some time digging into a significant event that Peltier kept secret for many years, his first escape attempt. The cat’s out of the bag (no pun intended) and the final chapter will be concluding soon.

A major development, but coming as no surprise to either Peltier detractors nor supporters, was Peltier attorney Michael Kuzma, who proverbially really stepped in it big time, and admitted, publically, on the record, and forever emblazoned in the lexicon of Peltier mythology that...and here it is again...Mr. X, was a lie. Shocking, an alibi that never existed. Thanks Michael for clearing that up for everyone. (NPPA Blogs 12/5/12, 12/15/12)

And on April 11^th the LPDOC started hawking a sideshow art sale to raise money (that they never account for) of “White Tiger,” Peltier’s latest creation. The Giclee reproductions will “help to contribute to many exciting projects we have going on currently as well as future events, but only those who purchase this will be eligible for the next offer we will have on another of Leonard’s amazing paintings.” The costs range from $75 for a tiny 8x10 to $175 for a large 16x20.

Of course these are unframed, shipped in a tube, and guess what, they’re not numbered or autographed by the artist. Would it be great though if Coleman authorities allowed him to actually sign these prints, who knows how much they could garner from avid collectors? Does anyone hear the calliope from the merry-go-round or the carnival barker yelling, “Hey folks, get ‘em while they’re hot, you don’t want to lose out on this great opportunity to line the pockets of…Well, I don’t’ know who’s pockets are getting lined because Peltier ain’t talkin’ about that stuff.” 

This brings to mind one of Peltier’s statements. “Dreamer that I was, I wrote to an art school I’d heard of in Santa Fe and tried to get a scholarship. They said no but try again. I tried again a while later. Same reply: no. I often wonder what my life would have been like if I’d have just gotten that scholarship.” (Prison Writings p. 85)

Perhaps so, maybe Peltier could have become an accomplished Native American artist, which would likely have removed him from a life of incarceration and Jack and Ron would be enjoying retirement about now.

“White Tiger.” The black and white blend goes well enough although the background is not balanced. Its face is distorted, out of proportion, head too small, a snout shaped more like a canine than a feline, with unrealistically drooping whiskers. Cat’s eyes (big cats down to domestics) are probably their most intriguing feature, but White Tiger’s are too small and lifeless. (Yes, everyone’s a critic.) Although, with plenty of practice behind him, perhaps Peltier would have done better with some formal art education.  Which brings to mind a take on the old saw: One man’s art is another man’s garage sale item.

Of the many thousands of statements made by Peltier a few stand out and will haunt him forever, perhaps the most significant at this point being “And Really, if necessary, I’d do it all over again, because it was the right thing to do.” (2/6/10)

A public statement that the parole board, prosecuting attorney, Pardon Attorney, Attorney General, and most of all, the President, are aware of. This is the final nail in the clemency-coffin if Peltier thinks for a moment that he should be shown any more mercy than he showed Jack Coler and Ron Williams.

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”

Ed Woods

P.S.

The NPPA is fortunate have many loyal supporters who not only support the cause to honor the memory and sacrifice of Agents’ Coler and Williams but go further. On the walk at the legendary motorcycle museum, Sturgis, South Dakota is a brick inscribed

“In Memory of FBI Agents Coler and Williams 6-26-75.” Thanks, Dan.

PELTIER'S FIRST ESCAPE PLAN............PART 4

Dear Supporters:

A brief review:

In 1979 Peltier claimed that a government assassination plot followed him from Leavenworth to Lompoc penitentiary in California and that he had no alternative but to escape, which he did, with shots fired at prison guards, only to be captured five days later, disoriented, in the woods.

Flash back to February 1976; Peltier fled to Canada after the murders of FBI Agents Coler and Williams in June 1975, narrowly escaping being caught, (and was slightly wounded), by an Oregon State Trooper, but eventually made it to Small Boy’s camp near Hinton, Alberta where he was ‘snitched-out’ by the old man “Yellow Bird” and arrested by the RCMP. Peltier was housed in the ‘observation ward’ at Oakalla Prison, Burnaby, British Columbia where he tried desperately, and did get the attention of, Amnesty International, which was gaining some traction in an effort to be moved into general population to make an escape more feasible. (Please see previous Blogs dated, February 5^th, 19^th,  & March 12^th.)

Peltier has not responded to requests to answer a few simple and straightforward questions about his first escape plan, so we’ll continue from here:

Peltier hatched a plan, neatly writing out the details in a small note; he needed a jeweler’s wire snuck into the prison, maybe through “some good Indian brothers who get open visits,” and added some codes; that if successful with obtaining the escape tool, “your baby has got a new tooth,” and when someone was found who could get the jewelers saw into the prison, “your baby has two new teeth,” and finally when the escape plan was in place a final message that Peltier was “going to buy me a pizza tonight.” He also needed a “car (placed) south of the parking lot on a residential street, just in case.”

Presumably, some of the ‘coded’ messages would be sent with the regular mail. Imagine the mailroom screening personnel seeing that Peltier would be buying a pizza? Like that wouldn’t raise a flag or two? Inmates generally don’t have pizzas delivered. Anyway…great secret code.

The next problem was how to sneak the note out of Oakalla to someone he trusted.

AIM at that point, and with what’s left of that motley crew still to this day, are a paranoid lot and suspected many in their ranks as being ‘agent provocateurs’ (informants). AIM justice was simple; suspicion, put a gun in her mouth as a polygraph substitute; still not convinced, a ‘trial’ of opinionated guilt, a fatal sentence and then getting shot in the head and dumped in a ditch on the Reservation. They suspected Anna Mae Aquash as such only to find out she remained loyal to her AIM brothers and was not an informant. Too late though.

 

Now, how to get the escape plan note out of Oakalla to someone he trusted, a brother perhaps, a real family member, yes, maybe, Russell Peltier.

Actually, this had been Peltier’s second attempt to get word to conspirators on the outside. Peltier added a request to contact the other person with the first note to make sure it didn’t get into the wrong hands.

Prison inmates are being transferred in and out all the time, and Oakalla was no exception. Peltier found a willing courier and the neatly handwritten note was slipped to a fellow ‘observation ward’ cellmate. Maybe the guy was a “little mental(ly) disturbed, (but) slip him a $5.00 bill so he’ll have some pocket change,” the note suggested.

Another question for Leonard Peltier: 

Is any of this starting to sound vaguely familiar?

And the best part is yet to come…

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”

Ed Woods

P.S.

In a 4/2/13 release Peltier and the LPDOC are showing exactly how desperate they’ve become:  “We are asking for something special. We want you to HAND-write a letter or postcard, put your voice, your prayer, your demand in physical evidence form. The electric petition medium has not proven very successful, for Leonard, and in some ways easier to ignore.”

Very special…handwritten notes…making demands? Physical evidence? The evidence of Peltier’s guilt is already well documented in the public record and it’s not easy to ignore.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: NO PAROLE PELTIER ASSOCIATION

http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#financial

#58 Financial Disclosure: No Parole Peltier Association

Dear Supporters:

Please see the following affidavit regarding the No Parole Peltier Association’s (NPPA) financial disclosure. The original notarized affidavit can be seen here. Copies of checks, invoices and receipts can be viewed here.*

It can be clearly seen that the NPPA’s goal and purpose has nothing to do with money or funding, only honoring the memory and sacrifice of Jack and Ron and dismantling the myth and folklore surrounding Leonard Peltier.

Peltier’s finances have been their dirty little secret since about March, 1977. “All proceeds benefit Leonard’s defense fund” (Betty Solano), and who else and how much?  Peltier’s trial and appellate attorneys were paid by the kindness of the American taxpayers. The vast majority of money raised and spent by Peltier and the LPDOC (LPDC) was on anything but defense costs and attorneys fees.

So, Leonard, now it’s your turn for a full financial disclosure.

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”

Ed Woods

*A subsequent typo was noted in the following and attached original affidavit; the 3/18/11 donation to the FBI Memorial Scholarship Fund was listed as $25.00, but it was actually $50.00. Also, which should have been noted, none of the donations made in the name of the No Parole Peltier Association were claimed as tax deductible donations.

AFFIDAVIT

Affiant, Edward P. Woods, resident of Hamilton County, Ohio, founder of the No Parole Peltier Association (NPPA,), an unincorporated organization, and its website, www.noparolepeltier.com, under penalty of perjury, provides the following:

1) What follows is a complete accounting of all monies associated in any manner with the No Parole Peltier Association (NPPA) and related website since its inception on April 30, 2000.

2) Where indicated, “O-P” represents money spent “out-of-pocket” in support of the NPPA’s stated goals to honor the memory and sacrifice of Special Agents, Jack R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams, killed in the line-of-duty on June 26, 1975:

Source/Purpose                                                                                                Amount           

Miscellaneous expenses

Webmaster                                                                                                            No cost

The NPPA webmaster created the website, April 2000, updated it in August 2000 and has made numerous changes and updates adding some 70 Editorial Essays and additional features. The Webmaster has been a victim’s rights advocate for many years and has donated her time, talents and expertise to the NPPA’s efforts. Much gratitude is owed to

http://www.matschca.com/.

Web Hosting                                                                                                            $1,950.00

O-P hosting costs of $150/year for 13 years

Lapel Pins (Purchase)                                                                                                   $641.64

O-P 250 NPPA logo lapel pins including die charges from Business Innovations

Norcross, Georgia, 4/12/01

Lapel Pins (mailings)                                                                                                  $71.00

O-P padded envelopes and postage ($1 each)

NPPA Plaques                                                                                                            $238.50

O-P five at $47.70 each; NPPA appreciation plaques for organizers of

December 15, 2000, Washington D.C. procession to White House

Donations

SA Lenny Hatton Memorial Fund                                                                        $150.00

O-P donation, 10/3/01

FBI Agent’s Association Memorial Scholarship Fund                                    $750.00

10/4/01. Entire proceeds from the sale of NPPA lapel pins

Salvation Army in Memory of Lloyd Williams                                                $25.00

O-P donation; father of SA Ronald A. Williams, 10/29/01

Red Cloud Indian School, Pine Ridge, SD                                                            $ 555.00   

O-P total donations, 10/1/04, 12/8/04, 1/29/05, 2/24/05,

7/4/06, 1/21/07, 4/4/07, 1/15/08, 7/14/08, 3/29/09

Society of Former FBI Agents                                                                        $25.00

O-P SA Nelson B. Klein fund; gravestone restoration, 4/19/08

Society of Former FBI Agents Foundation                                                            $25.00

O-P donation to memorial scholarship fund, 3/18/11

National Multiple Sclerosis Society                                                                        $50.00

O-P donation for fund walk by injured FBI Agent Tom Hannigan, 3/11/13

3) Notwithstanding any allegations to the contrary, at no time did affiant or the NPPA accept, receive or solicit any funds from any other source. All monies spent by affiant on behalf of the NPPA, in support of its stated purpose, have been from personal income.

 Edw. Woods          3/23/13

Edward P. Woods               Date

 Notarized, Cincinnati, Ohio, March, 23, 2013

PELTIER: MONEY LAUNDERING; 101

Edward Woods

P.O. Box 54667

Cincinnati, Ohio 45254-0667

March 24, 2013

Director, E.O. Examinations

Internal Revenue Service

1100 Commerce St., MC 4910 DAL

Dallas, Texas 75242-1198

                                         Re: Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee (LPDOC)

                                                PO Box 7488, Fargo, ND 58106

                                                Illegal charitable donations-activities/money laundering

Dear Director:

I am writing to bring yet another example of the fraudulent practices of the LPDOC to your attention. Please reference my previous letters and IRS replies, and the several other times the LPDOC (and formerly the LPDC) have appeared to violate the law.

To be clear, Leonard Peltier is serving two consecutive life sentences (plus an additional seven consecutive years for an armed escape) for the brutal murder of two wounded FBI agents on June 26, 1975. His case has undergone well-over a dozen judicial reviews, twice reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. His conviction and sentencing have never been altered or overturned. Peltier’s lack of remorse for his crimes is confirmed in a 2/6/10 public statement:

“I never thought my commitment would mean sacrificing like this, but I was willing to do so nonetheless. And really, if necessary, I’d do it all over again, because it was the right thing to do.”  

Clearly, Leonard Peltier is not a charity case.

Please find attached a widely distributed email from the LPDOC dated March 19, 2013 with the notation highlighted “If you are interested in making a donation that is

tax deductible, please use the following:”

“Wind Chases the Sun, Inc., N5679 Skylark Drive, De Pere, WI 54115. This is the

non-profit arm of the LPDOC.”

“The non-profit arm of the LPDOC” Wind Chases the Sun, Inc., EIN #45-2364127, is a nonprofit corporation in Wisconsin, however, as previously noted, the LPDOC is NOT a charitable organization and according to IRS regulations “...must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, such as the creator’s family…or persons controlled directly or indirectly by such private interests.” And that “No part of the net earnings of a section 501(c)3 organization many inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.”

However, currently from the LPDOC website, their purpose is unmistakable:

Our staff and volunteers plan and coordinate an ongoing international freedom campaign to win Leonard’s release. Our activities include outreach and networking; local, as well as national and international organizing; public education; media relations; and political lobbying.

We work closely with Leonard’s attorneys who, with Leonard, decide on the legal actions to be taken to win his freedom. 

The former director of the LPDOC, Betty Ann Peltier-Solano, Leonard Peltier’s sister, stated publicly that:  “All proceeds benefit Leonard’s defense fund.” When in reality all his trial and appellate attorneys were paid for by the taxpayers. The vast majority of money raised and spent by Peltier and the LPDOC and LPDC was on anything but defense costs and attorney’s fees.

In other words, donations inure to the benefit of one individual, convicted murderer, Leonard Peltier.

Using “Wind Chases” in such a manner is akin to money laundering; they are collecting allegedly “tax-deductible” funds under a pretense, filtering it through another organization when that money is clearly for other, possibly illicit, purposes.

Notwithstanding his incarceration, Peltier and his organization continue to solicit funds for the benefit of one individual (Leonard Peltier) and his family. Whether Peltier or the LPDOC has claimed legitimate income and paid applicable taxes is for the IRS to determine. In addition, even if the income is lawful, Peltier’s assertion of benevolent and charitable activities do not withstand scrutiny. For a review of these activities, please see the online reference at http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#fraud.

Thank you for your time and attention in this very serious matter.

Sincerely,

Edw. Woods

Edward Woods

cc:

1- Barack Obama, President, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20500

1- Brown County District Attorney, 300 E Walnut St., Green Bay, WI 54301

1- State’s Attorney, Cass County Courthouse, 211 9^th St. S., Fargo, ND 58103

1- Warden, USP Coleman, PO Box 1027, Coleman, FL 33521-1027

1- Leonard Peltier, Inmate, USP Coleman 1, PO Box 1033, Coleman, FL 33521

1) Mo Money! 2) First Escape Plan, Part 3

Dear Supporters:

1) Mo Money:

In an announcement entitled “What do we do next?” dated 2/28/13 the LPDOC tried to shore up its flagging support and thinning support groups. To answer their question: Maybe…Punt? They say that one of their ongoing efforts has been with Amnesty International. Yes, the same U.N., UN-American group that provides support provided that they have neither used nor advocated violence. Go figure! The LPDOC ends with a startling comment, and for once perhaps an honest one (but no way of really knowing): “the New York concert was not successful financially.” So much for the great plans of mice and men AIMed (no pun intended) at fringe elements and convicted murderers. Truth is, nobody is admitting how much the concert really made, but it comes as no surprise that maybe it was a complete flop as they beg again for ‘mo money’ from unwitting supporters, and then embarrassingly advertise the price of Peltier T-shirts have been drastically reduced. What a bargain. Maybe they should just give them away. They would make handy dust rags.

2) Escape plan Part 3:

Since Mr. Peltier hasn’t responded to the first two straight-forward questions (see Blogs 2/5 and 2/19) regarding any first escape plan that didn’t involve phantom assassins and government plots, we’ll have to pursue this a little further to seek some answers, or at least get to the bottom of the issue.

After being arrested in Canada on February 6, 1976 Peltier was housed at the Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre, Burnaby, British Columbia, previously known and still then locally referred to as Oakalla Prison (although it closed in 1991 and was replaced by pretrial services and a correctional center, or ‘centre’ as our northern neighbors call it).

Peltier was in the “Observation Ward” along the certifiably criminally insane and some IRA terrorists (same category, different causes and titles), which kept him under constant security surveillance.

Peltier’s first priority to move forward with any alleged first escape plan was to get out of “observation” and into general population where the opportunities for escape would be considerably better.

* * *

But first a little more history:

Peltier and the others fled Pine Ridge after the murders of Agents Coler and Williams and was nearly captured, and slightly wounded, during his escape from Oregon State Troopers on November 14, 1975 while riding in Marlon Brando’s motor home.  Peltier was helped by a doctor who was sympathetic to the American Indian Movement (AIM) and participated during the pillaging and murders of WKII in 1973 (one has to wonder if he provided any assistance or had knowledge of the injuries and death of Perry Ray Robinson). Apparently—the killing of FBI agents be damned—the good doctor was an aider and abettor, after-the-fact to felony murder. Anyway, Peltier eventually made his way over the border into British Columbia and later over the mountains to Alberta to Smallboy’s camp way out in the bush near Hinton where the Mounties finally nabbed him. No secret about who gave him up…concerns about Anna Mae Aquash notwithstanding. Peltier said “the person who was responsible for our arrest was the old man Yellow Bird who we learned later was paid for his work by the R.C.M.P.” (Footnote #1) Peltier was on the run in Canada for approximately 2 ½  months and another five months prior to that.

Why is this relevant? Because Peltier said “I’d been in and out of Canada a half dozen times…I wasn’t running to Canada just to hide…I (spent) most of my time in the Untied States.” (Fn. 2)

This could very well be empty boasting but also significant timing.  AIM activist Anna Mae Aquash was killed in December 1975 because she was suspected by AIM hierarchy, in their raging paranoia, of being an informant—let alone that during the escape she heard Peltier’s admission and details of the agents’ deaths, including the key admission, “The m... f... begged for his life but I shot him anyway.” She was in jeopardy at the hands of those she had faithfully supported. She already had a warning as Peltier previously put a gun-in-her- mouth to make her confess and prove what a tough guy he was with Indian women. Although two are now serving life sentences for her murder, Peltier’s participation—or contribution to the orders to kill her—have yet to be unearthed;

Peltier’s shallow laments over her death do not sit well with Anna Mae’s family. (Fn. 3)

Yet, ironically, even the sleazy, ponytailed, wannabe, “I’ll take the 5^th” AIM lawyer, Bruce Ellison, (at least according to Matthiessen’s reporting), didn’t believe Anna Mae was an informant, but his actions then and later indicate otherwise. (Fn. 4)

* * *

Peltier’s scheme to work his way into general population was through winning support from Amnesty International...playing them like Nero’s fiddle, which points to one of the greatest ironies in the entire Peltier matter; had his name been John Smith and the killings took place in Indiana, no one would even know his name; or care.

Another, slightly  lesser, but significant irony was a November 1976 letter from the A.I. visitor to Oakalla lamenting poor Leonard Peltier’s treatment at the hands of the Canadian prison authorities that demanded, or at least proffered, “Once again I must urge you to transfer Mr. Peltier into the general inmate population.”

A third irony was at the bottom of this letter, on official stationary, a statement of Amnesty International’s mission, which said in part, “Amnesty International works, irrespective of political considerations, for the release of men and women who are in prison because of their beliefs, ethic origin, colour or language, provided that they have neither used nor advocated violence.”

Ooops. Yes, Peltier was, in fact a Native American (part French though), and was apparently successful in selling the A.I. visitor a bill of goods that he was being discriminated against because of his ethnicity and beliefs. Or, less likely, but just as evident , that Amnesty International speaks out of both sides of it’s mouth, or to put it colloquially, with forked tongues.

Maybe they just forgot or overlooked that Peltier was in jail suspected (at that point) of a brutal double murder.

So, Mr. Peltier, please answer these questions: Was your whining to Amnesty International to get into general population just a ploy to help facilitate an escape? And, was this step-one of the first escape attempt that was devoid of assassins but had some other, more obvious, motive?

“In the Spirit of Coler and Williams”

Ed Woods

Postscript:

Unrelated to the one’s above, yet one more irony in the Peltier saga is that Peltier is serving time in Coleman, Florida with Melvin Guyon, the murderer of yet another FBI agent.

Footnotes

1) Matthiessen, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, pp. 250, 403

2) Trimbach, American Indian Mafia, p.457; Footnote 8: Unpublished interview provided to News From Indian Country by the late Yakima journalist Richard LaCourse.

3) http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#right

4) ITSOCH, p.252