Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Greetings Sisters, Brothers, Friends and Supporters,

I hope everyone who has traveled long distances to be here today, to show their love and support for me has had a trouble free journey and I’m hoping that it will be the same when you return home. I want to say to all of you from the deepest part of my heart, thank you very much.

February 6, 2000, will officially mark my twenty-fourth year in prison—twenty-four hard years. A lot has happened in my life. I’ve seen my father pass into the spirit world, also a sister and a brother. Those were especially hard times for me, as I have always been close with my family. I wanted so much to be at their funerals to see them off, but of course this was denied. So all I could do was pray that they had a good safe journey into the spirit world. I was able to see some of my children grow up into fine young adults – a couple not so good, but they are all adults who have started to live their own lives.

I have been a grandfather for sixteen years. There are now seven grandchildren. I have learned from being a grandfather that it is a special gift from the Great Spirit. I have Alexandria (16) and Cyrus (14) near me, thirty miles away in Lawrence, Kansas, raised by special close friends and supporters for the past eight years. Believe me, this has been an enormous help and experience for me while I serve this time. I did not know that anyone could end up loving anyone as much as I have come to love these two kids. I am not saying that the entire eight years have been trouble-free with them. There were times when I was not sure that they would have a roof over their heads. Also, as troubled children who have not had such a great life themselves, they would make life a little hard for those caring for them and problems would arise from it – problems that I had no way of dealing with from here in a prison cell. I want to say to the people, who have opened their homes and gave me a helping hand with them, thank you very much, with a warm hug and kiss.

My health at 55 years old is not great. Most of you know what was done to me at the medical center for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. I cannot say for certain that the botched operations were done intentionally. I would like to believe that it was not and the contract doctor, Tom Collins, who was and is a good man. I do not blame him. I do blame the Bureau of Prisons as Dr. Collins did not want to do the operation there in the Medical Center, as they did not have the kind of facilities to perform this kind of operation. So I live in daily pain and am not able to eat my food properly. I do not know what can be done about this. Thousands if not millions are aware of this medical problem. Those who have written, phoned, faxed and e-mailed government authorities have had no effect. I put out a plea for lawyers to help me with this, but I never received any responses. So I filed a law suit of my own and the courts dismissed it claiming that my medical problems was not cruel and unusual treatment.

I guess, in America, this is normal treatment for prisoners. Just imagine if this was happening in a country like China or Iraq, the outcry would be enormous and deafening. I remember a few years ago when the US government was trying to free the Chinese dissidents. Because of health reasons, all we heard on TV was how ill these Chinese dissidents were and how the Chinese government refused to treat them. Knowing myself how big a liar the government is – and of course the press wasn’t any better, releasing everything that the government told them to, I began to believe that everything that was said was true. I thought, gee, they should let them go. When finally they were given their freedom and they came to the USA, they were immediately sent to Johns Hopkins Medical Center. When they were released from the hospital they gave their medical reports that they were in fine health, treated for abdominal gas and the other was given a new pair of eyeglasses. What an insult it that must have been for the Chinese government. No wonder they no longer trust or like the USA.

We did get to see and witness some positive things this year. When Clinton released my comrades, friends – the Puerto Ricans, of course this was not done without controversy and made a lot of us know this was not done in the name of humanity, but possible votes for Hillary in her Senate race. Still we must give the President credit for doing it. It was a little sad to see my good friend and comrade Luis Rosa leaving, but happy that he was leaving this hell called prison. I know that they will not disappoint anyone because if the others are like Luis then there are some good comrades out there with you.

I cannot, of course, see with my own eyes how many of you are here today. I know my staff at the LPDC worked overtime to organize this November campaign. So I hope that all who have committed themselves are standing and sitting and listening to my words are just as determined as the LPDC staff with this new energy to make something happen in my case. I still believe it can be done. As I sit here writing this, I still cannot understand that with the millions of people around the world demanding my freedom –the government can still ignore it all – and how my continued incarceration can be on a legal technicality. The Constitution of the United States says that this cannot be. One must be proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. Yet I sit here and it doesn’t appear that my will be opened any time soon. What an evil show of disrespect and dishonor this is for those, including my own family members, who have fought and died in foreign wars for equal and fair justice for all. Recently we learned that the FBI and prosecutors were caught lying tot he number one law enforcement officer, Janet Reno. This certainly was not a surprise tome or my supporters. We know this over 20 years ago in my case. Have you noticed anything about the silence of the mainstream media? What a joke that word is, mainstream media—on the Waco massacre. Nothing about it lately and that can only mean that there is another cover-up coming.

Recently a Canadian Minister of Justice released a report on the investigation they did on my extradition. Yes, it was another cover-up. If you read it, you will see how much of a joke this review is. They claim that there was enough circumstantial evidence to extradite me. If this was so, why did they have to create and fabricate Myrtle Poor Bear? Come on! How ignorant do they believe we are? The fact is, I would not have been extradited on the South Dakota first degree murder charges if they had not fabricated Poor Bear as a witness. Those are the facts in a nutshell.

I am not going to go into a lot of the legal and political issues involved in my illegal conviction. I have enough speakers who are more than qualified to cover everything there in the month of November. If you happen to miss some of these speakers, we have volumes of literature, some documentaries and books available. There is just too much to say and my time is very short. So I cannot speak on any of it today. If you want this information, please contact the organizers of this November campaign.

I know my friends, family and supporters are growing tired of this battle to win my freedom. Yes, it has been a long hard fight for me too. I guess it would not be so bid if we could see a light at the end of the tunnel, when I was gong to be released. But as of late there is no such light so I cannot truthfully say, I will be seeing you soon. I can only say, I hope, my friends, that I will see you all soon. I dream of the day that I can tell you all, thank you, in person.

So in closing, I can truthfully say, that I will never give up. I ask all of you, never to give up on me. We can and we will win this battle. That, I am very confident about. Let me shake all of your hands. Let me embrace you with my love and friendship. Thank you, my friends, for showing me all the love you have..

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse

/S/ Leonard Peltier

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