Leonard Peltier Denied Parole

As you all know by now, I'm sure, Leonard Peltier was denied parole. According to Eric Seitz, Leonard's parole lawyer, the parole board took the FBI's side which basically states you kill an FBI agent, you get life in prison. This comes as no surprise to me. I would have been shocked and surprised had they let him out.

In my opinion, folks whose lives are put on the line for their work should not be considered more valuable than those who don't. Their is always the potential that FBI agents will get killed in their line of duty. They likelyhood is minimal for most, but it is there and they know it. They know they could be putting their lives on the line. Would there be as much fanatical fervor for a rock climber who falls to their death? Would folks want to tear down the rock the climber fell from for killing their friend?

That said, truth is, Leonard didn't kill those agents, but the coppers needed to put someone behind bars and he was the only one they had left. You see, the other two who went through a trial were found not guilty for reasons of self-defense. Truth is, they don't know who killed those agents. Truth is, during the firefight, the folks in the camp assumed the folks shooting at them were goons and had no idea they were FBI agents until after they checked their wallets after they were dead. Truth is, U.S. government supported goons were terrorizing traditionalists like those in the camp at that time. Truth is, there were over 400 federal agents and other heavily armed U.S. government types at the camp within 45 minutes, the first arriving 15 minutes after the first shots. The truth is, the Jumping Bull Ranch where the firefight took place is hours from anywhere so why were all those heavily armed assholes in the area? Truth is, heavily outgunned, 13 of the campers escaped and one was killed. Truth is, the bullets didn't match Leonard's gun. Truth is, Lynn Crooks, the prosecutor, stated that they couldn't prove Leonard did the killing, nor what role he played in it, but someone has to pay for the crime. Truth is, there are millions of crimes that have been committed that someone should pay for and yet no one does, guilty or innocent. There are thousands of crimes many innocent pay for.

You can read all about this in, "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse," by Peter Mathiessen.

I saw a documentary about a Chechen terror action in Russia. It took place at a childrens school. One Chechen rebel/terrorist was standing on a switch in the open. The switch was to a bomb that would go off if he was taken from it. A Russian sniper shot the Chechen, thus setting off the bomb and killing many children. Many of the children who were killed with bullets were killed by Russians in the ensuing firefight. The official Russian story is something like the fella on the switch got tired and stepped off the bomb and the Chechen's then killed all those children despite the fact that a shot was heard and the window in front of him broke prior to him stepping off of the switch. However, the parents of the killed children don't buy the story. They seek out the truth. They want to know who really killed their children and why the Chechen rebel/terrorists did what they did. Of course, it isn't America over there. In the U.S., most governmental stories are accepted without thought. These Russian parents want the truth, unlike in the U.S. The truth is hard, complicated, and can paint the U.S. government and its employees in a rather ugly light. Such as the case of Leonard Peltier and, truthfully, so many others.