Leonard Peltier: Lest We Forget

Whether or not you are familiar with the story of Leonard Peltier, I recommend reading "Prison Writings: My Life is My Sun Dance". It provides a picture-perfect depiction of what it means to grow up Aboriginal in the United States. For those of you who might not know, Mr. Peltier was wrongly convicted of the murder of two FBI agents during a 1975 standoff and has been detained ever since. For more information, please consult www.freepeltier.org.

Allow me to share an excerpt with you from this particular book:

The American Indian movement through the years has sought every means possible to bring these crimes against humanity to the attention of the world, hoping that at least some of you would listen and scratch deep within yourselves for the humanity to demand that the U.S. government stop these crimes.

The destruction of our people must stop!

We are not statistics. We are the people from whom you took this land by force and blood and lies. We are the people to whom you promised to pay, in recompense for all this vast continent you stole, some small pitiful pittance to assure at least our bare survival. And we are the people from whom you now snatch away even that pittance, abandoning us and your own honor without a qualm, even launching military attacks on our women and children and Elders, and targeting - illegally even by your own self-serving laws - those of us, our remaining warriors, who would dare to stand up and try to defend them. You practice crimes against humanity at the same time that you piously speak to the rest of the world about human rights!

America, when will you live up to your own principles?

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For your viewing pleasure, "Freedom" by Rage Against the Machine