Yuggies!

Fur Funny Friday

How Leonard Peltier could leave prison by August 18

Harvey Wasserman

July 30, 2009

For a formidable and growing global community of supporters, the prospect of Native American activist Leonard Peltier finally leaving prison inspires a longing that cuts to the depths of the soul.

So Peltier’s first parole hearing of the Obama Era—on Tuesday, July 28—inspired hope of an intensity that will have a major impact on the new presidency. A decision must come from the Federal Parole Commission within three weeks. His attorney is calling for a surge of public support that would create an irresistible political climate for Leonard’s release.

The relationship between Peltier and those who have followed his case over the decades can be intensely personal. His imprisonment has come to stand not only for five centuries of unjust violence waged against Native Americans, but also for the inhumane theft of the life of a man who has handled his 33 years in jail with epic dignity, effectiveness and grace.

Peltier’s latest parole hearing convened at the federal penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where he is currently held. According to Eric Seitz, Peltier’s Honolulu-based attorney, Peltier spoke for more than an hour “with great eloquence” about the nature of his case, his imprisonment and his plans for freedom. “The hearing officer seemed to listen carefully,” said Seitz. “We thought it went very well.”

The decision on Peltier’s parole will be made by the four sitting members of the Federal Parole Commission (http://www.usdoj.gov/uspc/ ) whose offices are in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Commissioners Isaac Fulwood, Jr., Cranston Mitchell, Edward Reilly and Patricia Cushware are all Bush appointees. One seat is vacant; Fulwood was elevated to the Chairman’s seat in May by President Obama.

According to Seitz, the hearing was taped by an officer charged with reporting to the Commissioners within 48 hours. The Commissioners are required to render a decision within 21 days—by August 18. Should they rule in his favor, Peltier could walk out of prison very soon after the decision is issued.

Should the Commssioners turn down his parole application, Seitz says the appeal would go to the federal district court in Harrisburg. The report of the hearing would become available to Peltier and the public.

Seitz said he spoke to the record for about 20 minutes on the legalities of the case. He said Peter Mattheissen, author of IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE, explained the history of the 1970s incidents that led to Peltier being accused of murdering two FBI agents. CRAZY HORSE is the definitive account of the origins of the case and of the climate of violence and repression imposed on the native community at the time of the killings. Seitz said Mattheissen emphasized “the many reasons to have misgivings about whether the system performed well and fairly in Leonard’s case.”

Mattheissen was joined by Dr.Thomas Fassett of the United Methodist Church, who testified, said Seitz, “to the negative impact of Peltier’s 33-year imprisonment on the world’s view of how the US government treats its native population. Leonard’s case is viewed in the larger community both nationally & internationally as a major embarrassment…as a gross injustice…a black mark.”

The testimony was accompanied by thousands of letters, with signees including South African Bishop Desmond Tutu, US Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), and actor Robert Redford, whose film INCIDENT AT OGALALA is the definitive documentary.

Cynthia Maleterre of the Turtle Island Clan then outlined how Peltier could meet the requirements of parole in his home community in North Dakota. Restored to his Chippewa-Dakota homeland, Maleterre explained that Peltier would have housing, a job and be surrounded by family, including great-grandchildren he has never seen.

Seitz said testimony opposing parole came from a representative of the FBI, sent by Director Robert Mueller, a holdover Bush appointee, and from the former director of the Minnesota Bureau. Two sons of Jack Coler, one of the FBI agents killed in the Ogalala shoot-out, also argued against Peltier being freed, as did a former agent named Ed Woods.

Seitz said that all those opposing parole argued Peltier should spend the rest of his days in prison, and did not deserve a new trial.

But Seitz was “guardedly optimistic” about a favorable decision from the Parole Commission. He said that a “good rapport” had been established with the hearing officer, and that the new chair of the commission is generally held “in high esteem.”

President Barack Obama does have the power to grant clemency, but Seitz said prisoners apply only when all other avenues have been exhausted. Usually, says Seitz, “presidential pardons do not come until the Chief Executive is leaving office.”

Seitz says letters to the Parole Commission and to local newspapers, calls to Congressional Representatives (202-224-3121), talk show hosts and other forms of public pressure are now of the utmost importance. The hope, he says, lies in creating a “public environment favorable to release.”

As Leonard Peltier approaches his 65th year—having spent half his life in prison—every day is now critical to lifting this burden from our collective souls.

For more information go to http://www.leonardpeltier.net.

Fur Funny!

Apologies to David Bowie

This is cool!

Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame!

I was watching Bloomberg today. Bloomberg Matt brought up Pete Rose. Yup, Charlie Hustle! Given the crap-o-la that goes on in MLB these days, ANYTHING that Pete Rose might have done is some small potatoes.

Pete Rose DESERVES to be in the Hall of Fame. Yup. Well, there are any number of players that deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Not Barry ’steroids’ Bonds and not Mark ’steroids’ McGwire and not Roger ’steroids’ Clemens and not Sammy ’steroids’ Sosa and well, you can guess at the rest.

Pete Rose? Yup and oh hell yup. Rose’s gambling misdemeanors are ancient history now. Not relevant and not even pertinent. MLB stands at the precipice of demise. That is directly the fault of Bud Selig. Baseball’s ‘high commissioner’ and current douche bag-in-chief. Got steroid scandal? See Bud Selig.  Pete Rose NOT in Baseball’s Hall of Fame? See Bud ‘douche bag’ Selig.

Time’s up Selig. Time to give Mr. Rose his proper and deserved spot in the Hall of Fame. Selig will never see the Hall of Fame and that is rightly so. Pete Rose EARNED his place. So Selig you douche bag fraud, put Pete in and then bow out!

Damn Selig doesn’t even deserve to be called a ‘rosin bag’. Nope. Put Pete in and quit playing games and I’m not taking baseball. Then Selig for the good of the game, quit!

gort

acting stupidily

Oh yes, you will!

You will buy the insurance. There’s a “mandate” that says exactly that. Doesn’t matter if/and/or/why/why not/when/or able, you will buy that insurance. Why, it’s the new and “reformed” insurance and the big corporate insurance concerns gots that Congress in their pockets to “mandate” their influence.

Oh yeah, and the Obama too. Why nothing says “health care reform” like several trillion dollars and the insurance concerns penning that ‘reform’ up for Congress and just anybody that is anybody in Congress is right down on those congressional knees sucking ‘reform’ dick.

Have you ever seen those Congressional knee-pads? Plush baby, plush by design. Why, those knee-pads are specially designed by corporate concerns with congresspersons in mind. Yup.

Corporate insurance concerns even tooled up an “extra special presidential pair.” Yeah, even the Obama sucks dick. Yup, Dick Cheney dick. Let’s ask Eric Holder how that prosecution of the Bushco boys is moving right along. Can you say treason?

I still can’t figure out how federal government thinks the American people will pay for this “reform?” Why, it’s only multiple trillions of dollars and that’s chicken scratch, right?

Health care reform? Bullshit! This is not reform. Reform is changing the system and all that’s come down the congressional pike so far is cost, cost overruns, tax, tax and spend, and “mandated participation.” Oh yeah, that’ll work.

YOU WILL PARTICIPATE AND YOU WILL LIKE IT! Or maybe not. I can guarantee Congress and the Obama right now, you can stick that “reform” directly up your ass! Won’t do it, can’t makes me, won’t apologize for that position, and there you go!

How about the Obama start the war crimes tribunals? How about the Obama pull America’s boys and girls out of the Afpakisnam, the Iraqnam, and forget about Iran? Yeah, that shit is important. Health care reform is obfuscation and inordinately expensive obfuscation at that.

How about some explaining what the hell happened to all the freaking money Congress gave the Wall Street vermin? You know like Goldman Sacks. Collective of stagnant testicles if ever there was. What happened to the cash our glorious Congress sank into Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, GM, Chrysler, the gaddanged airlines, the bullshit wars of naked aggression that drag on and on and on in that quintessential quagmired fashion?

Health care reform? Yeah, follow the money! As that money disappears down some special corporate interest black hole. Bung hole? Either way.

Did you know that a seriously huge number of American farmers aren’t planting this year? It’s true. Farmers can’t afford to plant and can’t afford to grow and that is hardly the farmers fault. It’s the economy stupid. Or, it’s the stupid economy. You know, all that freaking money that Congress flushed down the Wall Street sewer hole. Health care reform in a dead pig’s eye.

You know what? It’s okay to be absolutely furious about the bullshit. Congressional bullshit. The Obama bullshit. Which by the by, the Obama bullshit is fucking outrageous. Remember all that “promise of change” that rang out from the Obama pre-landslide? Seems to be mysteriously missing in action. Which by the by, remember when Bush’s Iraq weapons of mass destruction went missing? Yeah, the bullshit never ends. It just morphs into some other type of bullshit and it’s still galling bullshit.

America? ‘We the people’ are running out of time here. We’re running out of Constitutional rights. You know, like the freedom to be the American people without the goddamned tyranny of Congress and presidential mandates. Where in hell does Congress and the Obama think the money is going to come from. I mean, the answer to that is glaringly obvious. The money comes from you, me, our children, our grandchildren, our great grandchildren, and then their grandchildren. America passed the point of painful ridiculousness a ways back. We ARE in some serious trouble here. That’s obvious.

So one could suppose the American people will simply take another ass-screwing like the American people have taken all the other ass-screwings that are become part and parcel of our modern existence. Remember, it is post 9/11 early twenty first century sheepdom.

Hmmm, it can be construed and past the theoretical that ‘we the people’ have grown to love that sodomy. We get sodomized by our government each and every day and we, evidently, like it.

Yikes, we are in so much trouble.