Where's Wardo? (Ward Churchill, that is!)

Leonard Peltier, who viciously and callously executed two young, badly-wounded FBI agents on June 26, 1975, has been denied parole.

News From Indian Country has the story and an informative page with a series of articles about Leonard Peltier. NFIC notes a really important point on that page:

Many of the most revealing updates on Leonard Peltier can be found in the Annie Mae Pictou Aquash time lines and information that has emerged since 2004.

But where's Wardo? So far, I don't think that the dishonest and discredited ex-professor Ward Churchill, reportedly a "past national spokesperson for the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee," has used his free speech to support Leonard Peltier before or after his parole hearing!

How come Wardo, who claims he is for "free speech," wasn't (and isn't) in Leonard Peltier's corner this year? Wardo's silence is especially strange since Wardo has claimed in the media and in one of his "scholarly" books that he was driving across Pine Ridge Indian reservation soon after the FBI agents were murdered and was an eywitness to the FBI manhunt.

Today (August 30, 2009), when I googled Ward Churchill and Peltier on Google News, I didn't get a single hit where Wardo supports Peltier.

This post came up first when I googled Ward Churchill and Peltier on the Web. But this article is not about Leonard Peltier at all; it's all about Wardo. It's a "Ward Churchill Trial Update" dated 3-7-09. On a Peltier site. Why do they care about Ward Churchill so much when he didn't use his free speech to support Leonard Peltier on their site or anywhere else on the Blogosphere?

In fact, when I scrolled down and searched for "Peltier" using the "find on this page" feature at the Blogspot site called Friends of Peltier, after first searching the blog for posts that mention "Churchill," I noticed that this "friends" of Leonard Peltier site seems to be constantly supporting Ward Churchill; but I can't find any posts on that site where Ward Churchill supports Leonard Peltier. [Click on this link to posts that mention Churchill, click on "edit" and seach for "Peltier" using the "find on this page" feature.] With friends like these, who needs enemies?

It seems to me that Leonard Peltier's best friend was really former FBI Agent Joe Trimbach, who suggested that Peltier might be parolled if he acknowleged his guilt, asked forgiveness, showed remorse, and cooperated fully with authorities on "other matters under investigation, including the Anna Mae Aquash murder." To bad for Mr. Peltier that he didn't listen to this good advice.

When the ignominious fraudster and discredited ex-professor Ward Churchill claimed in his dishonest book Agents of Repression (241) that the two FBI agents Peltier murdered died "Custer-like--in their self-made trap," he disparaged and denigrated these innocent young victims of terrorism in exactly the same way that he disparaged and denigrated the 9-11 victims as "little Eichmanns."

If people want to know the truth about Leonard Peltier and the leadership of the American Indian Movement (AIM), they should read American Indian Mafia: An FBI Agents True Story About Wounded Knee, Leonard Peltier and the American Indian Movement (AIM) by Special Agent in Charge Joseph H. Trimbach and his son John M. Trimbach.

Despite his big mouth, Churchill was an obscure white professor who masqueraded as an "Indian scholar" until he was catapulted onto the national stage after the media reported that he had called the 9-11 victims "Little Eichmanns" in a notorious September 12, 2001 essay called "Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens."

Churchill's propagandistic article was full of omissions, errors, and very probably deliberate falsehoods. I don't think any professor has ever really fact-checked this essay, although it doesn't take a Ph.D. to see that Wardo's essay is riddled with errors.

I have fact-checked Churchill's ridiculous essay and have noted some faulty, illogical, and propagandistic arguments. "Scholar" Churchill can't even spell the names of the politicians he demands that the American public "rise up" and lynch for alleged baby-killing!

Although the media fixated on the fact that Wardo called the 9-11 victims "little Eichmanns, calling people Nazis is nothing new for "Wardo," who has long-denigrated some Indians he doesn't like and elected Indian leaders as "Vichi Indians" and "craven puppets" with "Quisling tendancies."

These smears don't have a lot of credibility with me because I know that Ward Churchill is a Quisling who cut his teeth writing articles for the KGB-sponsored "Covert Action Information Bulletin" (CAIB). In this KGB mouthpiece the Quisling Ward Churchill claimed that the FBI backed death-squads that murdered 342 Indians.

I think we can all probably guess who peer-reviewed those articles!

Read this KGB-sponsored propaganda [Covert Action Information Bulletin, Number 24 (Summer 1985), pp. 16-21] for yourself and decide who is the Quisling, Indians or the white man Ward Churchill.

Read more about the C.A.I.B. in my first post.

Leonard Peltier Is Not an "Indian Activist"

"In the 1970s Peltier engaged in a string of armed violence across North America. Peltier had been charged with attempted murder in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1972, was released on bond, and failed to appear for trial in 1974, which resulted in a warrant for his arrest. He then murdered the two FBI agents in South Dakota in 1975 while a fugitive from justice.

In November 1975, when Peltier was a fugitive for the FBI agents’ murders, he fired a shot at an Oregon Highway Patrol officer following a traffic stop. Peltier then burglarized a ranch in Oregon, where he stole a rifle and a pickup truck. He later fled to Canada. He was heavily armed when arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in February 1976, and said he would have blown the Mounties out of their shoes had he known they were coming to arrest him.

In 1977 Peltier was convicted for murdering FBI agents Coler and Williams. He later escaped from a federal prison in California. Peltier fired shots at pursuing Bureau of Prison employees, committed an armed robbery, and was in possession of a semiautomatic rife and hiding in a tree when he was re-arrested by the FBI."---
United States Attorney Drew H. Wrigley
District of North Dakota (7-28-09)

The United States Parole Commission has denied Leonard Peltier parole. He cannot apply for parole again until he is 79 years old. It is a travesty to call this career criminal, this burglar and murderer an "Indian activist." "Lightfingered" Leonard very probably preyed on the poorest people in America, the Lakota Indians on Pine Ridge. According to the FBI:

There is evidence Peltier was the leader of a group of Indians who may have committed burglaries on the reservation. A British .308 rifle taken in a burglary on the [Pine Ridge] reservation was fired at the agents by Norman Charles, a member of Peltier's group, on the day of the murders.

News From Indian Country has a page with a series of articles about Leonard Peltier. NFIC notes on that page:

Many of the most revealing updates on Leonard Peltier can be found in the Annie Mae Pictou Aquash time lines and information that has emerged since 2004.

Anna Mae Aquash, a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), was murdered in December 1975 by Arlo Looking Cloud (convicted) and others on the orders of the leadership of the American Indian Movement. During the 2004 trial of Arlo Looking Cloud, Darlene (Ka-Mook) Nichols, the former wife of AIM leader Dennis Banks, testified that Anna Mae was present when Leonard Peltier bragged about finishing-off Agent Williams as he shielded his face with his hand and begged for his life:

Ka-Mook: We were sitting one day at the table in this motor home. Anna Mae was sitting by me, and my sister was on the other side, and Dennis was standing in the aisle, and Leonard was sitting on this side, he alternated between sitting and standing. And he started talking about June 26, and he put his hand like this [gesture holding a gun] and started talking about the two FBI Agents.

McMahon: What did he say?

Objection overruled.

McMahon: Tell the Court as best you remember exactly what he said.

Ka-Mook: Exactly what he said?

McMahon: Exactly what he said.

Ka-Mook (extremely upset): He said the motherfucker was begging for his life, but I shot him anyway. [Full testimony]

Read the facts of Peltier's case as outlined in the 17-page document that U.S. Attorney Drew H. Wrigley submitted on May 29, 2009, to the United States parole Commission.

FBI Opposed Parole for Leonard Peltier

"We in the Federal Bureau of Investigation vehemently oppose granting Mr. Peltier parole...Mr. Peltier’s continued appeals, his continued protests of innocence, and his continued excuse that he was the victim of the criminal justice system and of political gamesmanship have only served to stunt the healing process and to further victimize the families of these slain agents."---Thomas J. Harrington, Executive Assistant Director - Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, Federal Bureau of Investigation

On Friday, August 21, 2009, the United States Parole Commission denied parole to Leonard Peltier, who executed two FBI agents on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on June 26, 1975.

Thomas J. Harrington made this statement (7-28-09) to the United States Parole Commission on behalf of the FBI:

Thomas J. Harrington

Executive Assistant Director - Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Statement Before the United States Parole Commission Re: United States v. Leonard Peltier (Register # 89637-132)Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

July 28, 2009

I appear today to oppose the parole request of Leonard Peltier, who is serving two consecutive life sentences for the murders of FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams. We in the Federal Bureau of Investigation vehemently oppose granting Mr. Peltier parole.

The intentional and vicious attack by Mr. Peltier was not simply a blatant attack on two FBI special agents; it was an attack on law enforcement as a whole—an attack on the rule of law. The inevitable haziness brought on by the passage of time does not diminish the brutality of the crimes or the lifelong torment to the surviving families. Those surviving families extend beyond the Coler and Williams’ to the entire FBI family. Moderation or lenience in terms of Mr. Peltier’s sentence can only signal disregard and disrespect to the law enforcement community as a whole, and to the families of Special Agents Coler and Williams.

I was in college when Special Agents Coler and Williams were shot and killed. My dad, who was also an FBI special agent, was assigned to the Director’s Office and served as a supervisor within the FBI’s press office at the time. In that capacity, he handled media inquiries and interview requests for not only information regarding the murders, but the resulting investigation, trial, and conviction of Mr. Peltier. I remember witnessing the toll this horrific act took on my father and his colleagues, and the sorrow they felt. I also remember the pride they felt for Ron Williams and Jack Coler for their courage to stand up against evil, their service and commitment as American patriots, their commitment to the highest ideals of the FBI, and their sacrifice as law enforcement martyrs. I thought to myself, “What kind of person would do such a thing?”

We now know what kind of person would undertake such a callous and ultimately cowardly act. And regardless of the myriad of excuses proffered by Mr. Peltier, his conviction for these cold-blooded executions stands.

The facts of this case have not changed. These same facts formed the basis for Mr. Peltier’s conviction, and have been fully set forth in multiple appellate records.

These facts are discussed in some detail in the letter submitted to this commission by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of North Dakota, and dated May 29, 2009. [See here; See also Drew H. Wrigley's 7-28-09 press release, "Leonard Peltier Seeks Parole."] As such, they need not be recited in full here. But a few salient points should be made.

During the shootout with Mr. Peltier and his associates, all of whom were members of the American Indian Movement (AIM), Special Agents Coler and Williams were wounded. However, their wounds were not fatal. Mr. Peltier approached these two agents as they lay on the ground, wounded and disabled. Mr. Peltier then shot both agents at point-blank range.

Corroborating evidence confirms this chain of events. During Mr. Peltier’s trial, a witness testified that he saw Mr. Peltier standing by the agents’ cars, holding an AR-15 gun—the gun used to execute Special Agents Coler and Williams. No other individuals were witnessed holding or shooting that particular gun on that day. Several witnesses testified that the AR-15 was Mr. Peltier’s weapon.

A ballistics expert testified that ammunition components recovered from the scene of the crime matched an AR-15 that was recovered from a vehicle operated by other individuals placed at the scene of the crime.

In 1975, Oregon State Police stopped a station wagon and a motor home in which Mr. Peltier was traveling. He again evaded capture during a gun fight and fled to Canada. Upon searching the vehicles, Oregon authorities recovered from the motor home Special Agent Coler’s service revolver in a paper bag bearing Mr. Peltier’s thumbprint.

As proved during Mr. Peltier’s trial, these facts alone justify his conviction and his continued incarceration. But in addition, new evidence further confirming Mr. Peltier’s guilt has come to light since his most recent parole hearing—additional evidence that Mr. Peltier himself executed these special agents at point-blank range.

During the 2004 murder trial of Arlo Looking Cloud, an AIM member, for the murder of Anna Mae Aquash, also an AIM member, a witness testified that Mr. Peltier admitted that he shot one of the FBI agents. This witness, Darlene Nichols, is a former AIM member who had associated with Mr. Peltier and other AIM leaders on various occasions.

Ms. Nichols testified that in the fall of 1975, while she was traveling westward from South Dakota in a motor home with Mr. Peltier and several other AIM members, Mr. Peltier began to talk about Agents Coler and Williams. He stated that one of the agents “was begging for his life, but I shot him anyway.” Shortly thereafter, the motor home was stopped by the Oregon State Patrol and a gun fight broke out and Mr. Peltier escaped and fled to Canada.

Per federal statute, parole may only be granted where the release of the prisoner would not depreciate the seriousness of his offense or promote disrespect for the law, and where that release would not jeopardize the public welfare. A primary factor in any decision to grant parole rests on a sincere expression of remorse and accountability for the crime for which a prospective parolee was convicted.

To this day, Mr. Peltier refuses to recognize his role in the murders of Special Agents Coler and Williams. He has shown no remorse in the more than three decades he has been imprisoned. Rather, he has distorted the evidence, he has manipulated the media, and he has resorted to lies and half-truths in order to sway public attention from the facts at hand. Time and again, he has appealed his conviction. Time and again, he has requested parole, while continuing to maintain his innocence, or while blaming the government for the circumstances surrounding his conviction. And all to no avail. His conviction, rightly and fairly obtained, still stands, and has withstood multiple appeals to multiple courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Granting Mr. Peltier parole would only serve to minimize his responsibility and depreciate the seriousness of these crimes.

Nor can Mr. Peltier legitimately claim that he poses no threat to society or to the public welfare. This act of brutality was not an isolated incident in Mr. Peltier’s history. Mr. Peltier had been charged with attempted murder in Wisconsin in 1972. He jumped bond prior to that trial, and was a fugitive when he murdered Special Agents Coler and Williams. He again fled the scene. In 1975, when the Oregon State Patrol stopped the motor home in which he was riding, he shot at the state trooper and escaped on foot. He then broke into a nearby home and stole a rifle and a vehicle. He was later arrested in Canada in 1976, while in possession of multiple firearms. After he was convicted on the murders of Agents Coler and Williams, Mr. Peltier escaped from a federal prison in 1979, armed himself with a rifle, and shot at prison staff members.

In short, these are not the actions of a citizen who respects and abides by the law. These are not the actions of an innocent or wronged person. These are actions that show a total disregard for the safety of others, and a complete disrespect for the rule of law.

Finally, we cannot forget the lifelong impact of Mr. Peltier’s actions on those most affected. The families of Special Agents Coler and Williams have borne pain and loss that few can understand. Ellen Williams lost her only son. Peggy Coler lost her husband and the father of her two young sons—sons who would never know their father apart from the telling of his life and his death. Mr. Peltier’s continued appeals, his continued protests of innocence, and his continued excuse that he was the victim of the criminal justice system and of political gamesmanship have only served to stunt the healing process and to further victimize the families of these slain agents.

Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were in the prime of their lives, each just 28 years old. They were dedicated family men and equally dedicated public servants. The facts surrounding their deaths cannot and should not be forgotten or put aside, by the FBI family, by their families, or by the American public.

We must never forget that Mr. Peltier callously and intentionally took the lives of two young men, and took those men from their families and from the FBI. No amount of prison time served can make these families or the law enforcement community whole, particularly given Mr. Peltier’s lack of remorse and responsibility.

I know for myself and most of my colleagues, our desire to become FBI special agents and serve the American public was built on the history of the work, legends, and sacrifices of those who have gone before us. The short productive lives and ultimate sacrifice of Jack Coler and Ronald Williams have inspired thousands of FBI special agents and their families. To grant parole to their unrepentant murderer would only inflict more pain and suffering. For these reasons, I and the FBI families respectfully request that Mr. Peltier’s request for parole be denied.

Leonard Peltier Denied Parole!

"[U.S Attorney Drew] Wrigley said Peltier's past criminal conduct while behind bars was a factor in the Parole Commission's decision. In 1979, Peltier escaped for a time in California, and he also has had numerous infractions in prison, some of them drug-related.

Wrigley also said that Peltier 'has neither accepted responsibility for the murders nor shown any remorse.'"--LA Times (8-21-09) [See also U.S. Attorney Wrigley's press release "Leonard Peltier Denied Parole" (8-21-09).]

UPDATED on August 22 and 23.

Leonard Peltier, who viciously and callously executed two young FBI agents on June 26, 1975, has been denied parole. News From Indian Country has the story and a page with a series of articles about Leonard Peltier. NFIC notes on that page:

Many of the most revealing updates on Leonard Peltier can be found in the Annie Mae Pictou Aquash time lines and information that has emerged since 2004.

So far, I don't think that the dishonest and discredited ex-professor Ward Churchill, reportedly a "past national spokesperson for the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee," has commented on the parole commission's ruling against Leonard Peltier. In fact, when I scrolled down and searched for "Peltier" using the "find on this page" feature at the Blogspot site called Friends of Peltier, after first searching the blog for posts that mention "Churchill" (early AM on Saturday, August 22, 2009), I noticed that this "Leonard Peltier" site seems to be constantly supporting Ward Churchill; but I can't find posts where Ward Churchill supports Leonard Peltier. [Click on this link to posts that mention Churchill, click on "edit" and seach for "Peltier" using the "find on this page" feature.]

When the ignominious Ward Churchill claimed in his dishonest book Agents of Repression (241) that the two murdered FBI agents died "Custer-like--in their self-made trap," he disparaged and denigrated these innocent young victims of terrorism in exactly the same way that he disparaged and denigrated the 9-11 victims as "little Eichmanns."

The No Parole Peltier Association describes that horrible day when Leonard Peltier and others ambushed and then executed two badly wounded FBI agents by shooting them at close range. Here is the official FBI account of the murders and pictures of the two young men. I have written about this vicious double murder in several posts, but especially here and here.

This video posted on YouTube by Ed Wood's No Parole Peltier Association tells the truth about what happened and exposes Peltier's lies: Peltier damns himself right out of his own mouth because the moronic, murdering sociopath keeps changing his story.

This video by Richard Two Elk [see also his media company OG Productions] and a commentary are also posted at No Parole Peltier, which explains:

Richard Two Elk is a direct descendent of Oglala Dakota Chief Two Elk and has devoted much of his life to research, education and lecturing on Native American traditions, history and social issues. To learn more about Richard Two Elk and the American Indian Movement, see the definitive history of AIM, Wounded Knee II and Resmurs in American Indian Mafia by Joseph H. Trimbach and John Trimbach.

Two Elk's video was originally posted at American Indian Mafia under the title "Leonard Peltier: In His Own Words." The Realplayer video is titled "Ima Thug" and the artist is identified as Richard Two Elk.

Here is the story in the Los Angeles Times (8-21-09). U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley said:

"Leonard Peltier is an unrepentant, cold-blooded murderer who executed FBI special agents Williams and Coler, and in doing that he tore them from their families and from their communities forever...Leonard Peltier is exactly where he belongs — federal prison, serving two life sentences."

The former FBI agent Joseph H. Trimbach also testified eloquently at Peltier's parole hearing. Mr. Trimbach and his son John are the authors of American Indian Mafia: An FBI Agent's True Story ABout Wounded Knee, Leonard Peltier, and the American Indian Movement (AIM).

The official response of the FBI (8-21-09) follows:

FBI Responds to United States Parole Commission Decision to Deny Parole to Leonard Peltier

Statement of Thomas J. Harrington, Executive Assistant Director, FBI Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch:

The FBI family has never forgotten the ultimate sacrifice made by FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams, and we fully support the decision of the United States Parole Commission to deny parole to Leonard Peltier. His callous criminal acts demonstrated a complete disrespect for human life and for the law. His time served in jail for their 1975 murders has not diminished the brutality of his crimes or the pain and sorrow felt by the families of his victims or the FBI family.

Read Harrington’s July 28, 2009 request for denial of parole for Leonard Peltier.

U.S. Attorney Drew H. Wrigley Opposes Parole for the Unrepentant Killer Leonard Peltier

"Ka-Mook: We were sitting one day at the table in this motor home. Anna Mae was sitting by me, and my sister was on the other side, and Dennis was standing in the aisle, and Leonard was sitting on this side, he alternated between sitting and standing. And he started talking about June 26, and he put his hand like this [gesture holding a gun] and started talking about the two FBI Agents.

McMahon: What did he say?

Objection overruled.

McMahon: Tell the Court as best you remember exactly what he said.

Ka-Mook: Exactly what he said?

McMahon: Exactly what he said.

Ka-Mook (extremely upset): He said the motherfucker was begging for his life, but I shot him anyway.--Testimony of Darlene (Ka-Mook) Nichols, the former wife of AIMster Dennis Banks, at the murder trial of Arlo Looking Cloud

This is a picture of Leonard Peltier, the convicted, unrepentant murderer of two FBI agents. I recently posted the testimony of the retired FBI agent Joseph H. Trimbach at Peltier's July 28, 2009 parole hearing.

On May 29, 2009, Drew H. Wrigley, the U.S. Attorney for North Dakota, sent a 17-page letter to the United States Parole Commission and provided evidence showing why Leonard Peltier should not be paroled. The letter includes links to documentation about Peltier's case. [See also Drew H. Wrigley's 7-28-09 press release, "Leonard Peltier Seeks Parole."]

Here is the opening of the Mr. Wrigley's detailed 17-page letter:

Our office has learned that Leonard Peltier has requested that he be paroled from his
consecutive life sentences for the murders of FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams, and that his 15-year parole reconsideration hearing will be held before the Parole Commission during the week of July 27-31, 2009.

We strenuously oppose granting Peltier parole. To do so would depreciate the seriousness of Peltier’s heinous crimes and promote disrespect for the law. This is
especially true in light of the newly acquired additional evidence that Peltier himself executed the agents at point-blank range. (See Section III of this letter, pp. 12-14; App.16, pp. 144-45) Furthermore, the release of this unrepentant, violent, armed
criminal into society would jeopardize public welfare and safety.

We submit this letter and enclosed Appendix (1) (two copies) in opposition to Leonard Peltier’s request for release on parole and hereby notify the Parole Commission of our decision to have a representative present at Leonard Peltier’s parole hearing. Please advise us of the exact date, time and location of the hearing. [Full text]

Richard Two Elk: "The Stolen Legacy of Wounded Knee"

"The Wounded Knee segment of [the PBS series] 'We Shall Remain' is arguably the most massaged documentary in history, and far from being one of the best ever made. I know this because I was there, at Wounded Knee. At the age of 19, I backpacked weapons and supplies into the village with my AIM brothers. I remember it was near Easter, because that's when our leader, Dennis Banks, ordered us to 'take care' of a young white guy, suspected of being an informant. We knew what that meant. We strung him up on a cross in a mock crucifixion, and beat him. After we took him down, they led him away and I don't think he was ever heard from again. This story is one of too many dirty little secrets that producer Stanley Nelson certainly was told about, but decided not to use in this sugar-coated tribute to AIM thugs. I am sorry to say I once followed AIM leadership. But now I spend a lot of time exposing them."--Wounded Knee Veteran Richard Two Elk

The Indian radio journalist Richard Two Elk of Two Elk Enterprise and OG Production Services has made a video that criticizes the depiction of the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee in the last episode of the PBS series "We Shall Remain." I hope readers will listen to Mr. Two Elk's informative presentation a few times. (Hat Tip My Two Beads Worth)

At the end of his presentation, Mr. Two Elk provides some links to further information about the 1973 occupation. [I will add these in soon.]

Mr. Two Elk wrote the introduction to the book American Indian Mafia and was an important source for the book's authors Joseph and John Trimbach.