Looking towards 2010

Urgent Plea for the New Year

Well, no more beating around the bush. No one likes asking for money, but the LPDOC needs a surge of financial support going into the new year. Among the projects we have on the table is a full-page ad we have prepared for an influential national news magazine signed by prominent activists, writers, and editors. It calls on President Obama to grant Leonard immediate and unconditional release and proposes a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the Reign of Terror on Pine Ridge in the 1970s. But it will remain on the table unless we can raise $3000 in the next week or so.

There are now several ways to contribute through paypal on the website, from one-time donations to monthly or quarterly pledges. Please consider pledging a monthly contribution for the upcoming year to give us the financial stability to move forward and, hopefully, complete our task. We also have raffle tickets and gift certificates available for Christmas presents that send a message of justice and reconciliation.

Whatever your faith or beliefs, this is a season of homecoming, of giving, and of reflection upon the past year and planning for the new one. For Leonard Peltier, 2009 was a year of raised hopes and shattered dreams. On Jan. 13, Leonard was brutally assaulted in an incident that the Bureau of Prisons refused to acknowledge or release information on in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by an AP reporter. Despite obtaining thousands of letters from around the world in support of his parole, the U.S. Parole Commission on Aug. 20 denied Leonard his well-deserved release on the basis of false and unsubstantiated claims by the FBI and the Justice Department.

It is time to take a stand.

Help us give Leonard hope for a homecoming in the new year by contributing what you can to his committee. The President has made Afghanistan his war, and Leonard Peltier is now Barack Obama's political prisoner. Also, please call the White House (202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414) and demand a Christmas pardon for one of the longest-serving political prisoners in the world. If President Warren Harding could free political prisoners for the holiday season in his first year in office after World War I, we can expect no less of a president who promised us changes for peace and human rights but now seems to be delivering more of the same. If you contributed to the campaign of Barack Obama or any member of congress, tell them you will instead send the money to the LPDOC unless and until they get on board to help end the persecution of an indigenous freedom fighter whose only crime was to defend human rights and self-determination in Indian Country.

In the Spirit of Leonard Peltier,

Betty Ann Peltier-Solano
Executive Director
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

Continue Calling White House

CALL THE WHITE HOUSE ~ 202-456-1111 ~ ASK PRESIDENT OBAMA TO FREE LEONARD PELTIER.

The LPDOC is offering another raffle

The LPDOC is offering another raffle.



We are raffling a beautiful cedar wood flute hand crafted by gifted artist Leslie C. Thunder Hawk. Leslie is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe from the Rosebud Reservation.



Leslie comes from a long line of noted artists. He began making flutes and drums in 1987. The flute is made from airomatic cedar wood or red heart redwood. His own style is very original and his work has been displayed at museums because of the craftsmanship he put into it.



The Indians Arts & Crafts Act of 1990 states, a person must be an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe to label their arts and crafts as Indian made. His work has been in a number of galleries and has been displayed at the U.S. Dept of Interior Sioux Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota, and The Elizabeth M. Watkins Community Museum in Lawrence, Kansas.



Thank you Leslie for giving the gift of tradition.



We ask everyone to please buy a ticket to support our ongoing efforts for Leonard’s freedom.



Raffle tickets are $5.00 for one and $20.00 for five tickets. Please pay through PayPal or through postal service. Include your name, address and phone number.

Also, There are many paintings available, which vary in price and size. All of his paintings are original native expressions of portraits of his visions. Leonards oil paintings are collected by various people, including well known names, such as Chelsea Clinton, Oliver Stone, Val Kilmer, Jane Fonda and so many more admirers. His work will be enjoyed for centuries to come and we encourage everyone to purchase an original painting or a lithograph of Leonards work.


 

"The Tragedy of Leonard Peltier vs. the US" by Peter Mattiessen

Peter Matthiessen's op-ed in response to the parole decision, "The Tragedy of Leonard Peltier vs. the US," appears in the current issue of the New York Review of Books (Volume 56, Number 18 · November 19, 2009). We encourage all supporters to read the article. A link is provided at our home page at www.whoisleonardpeltier.info. Please also write a letter to the editor of the Review to express thanks for publishing the op-ed, but also to comment on its content. The editor's address is Robert B. Silvers, Editor, The New York Review of Books, 435 Hudson Street, Suite 300, New York, NY 10014. Mail your letter or fax it to 212-333-5374. You may also send your comments by e-mail: editor@nybooks.com