I have a favor to ask DU - ask Biden to grant clemency to Peltier

[Algernon Moncrieff]

Hi.

If you have a moment, and the price of a stamp, write to the outgoing President Biden, wish him and Jill and Commander well, and ask him to kindly consider clemency for Leonard Peltier.

Peltier was a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) in the 70's. He was convicted in the deaths of two FBI agents in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975. He has admitted being present, but denies killing the agents. His trial has been considered questionable. Here are my thoughts:

- Peltier is an old man (80) and a threat to no one.
- The 70s were a politically fraught time.We should close that book.
- There is precedent. Jimmy Carter granted clemency to the surviving would-be assassin of Harry Truman. Oscar Collazo and his partner were Puerto Rican separatists. They killed one White House policeman and injured two others.
- Note that I never used the word "pardon." My thought is that Peltier should be paroled to the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in North Dakota and agree not to own firearms. He would have the status of a parolee.

Thanks for reading.

[mountain grammy]

1. I have and will again.

[LearnedHand]

2. I was just thinking this yesterday

Agree! Grant that man clemency! Or a pardon.

[Submariner]

3. I bet the heroin junkie asks Caligula to pardon Sirhan

if he can overrule Newsom.

Let Peltier go.

[dflprincess]

10. Sirhan was convicted on state charges

Trump can't help him.

[Mountainguy]

4. Last time he had a chance

He killed 2 FBI agents with an AR-15. He admitted to being in the shootout and their vehicles were littered with .223 rounds, which he was firing. Who actually hit them is irrelevant. Before that he was already wanted for trying to kill a police officer. Then he got into another gunfight before being captured. A few years later he escapes and immediately arms himself with another assault rifle.


80 year olds are just as dangerous as anyone else when they have a gun in their hand, and this guy has enough history to say that he is capable of any level of violence.

Let him die in prison.

[GreenWave]

7. But his words hurt them more and THAT's what they really feared.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

8. Counterpoint

1) I'm sure the families of Leslie Coffelt, Joseph Downs, and Donald Birdzell felt as you do about clemency for Oscar Collazo. Jimmy Carter recognized that the Puerto Rican separatist movement represented a place in time. I'd assert that the AIM movement represented a similarly fraught time.

2) Most of his contemporaries - Dennis Banks, Russell Means - have left for whatever comes next.

[dflprincess]

11. Pine Ridge was a war zone back then & the FBI was every bit as culpable as AIM for the violence

Last edited Fri Nov 22, 2024, 11:33 PM - Edit history (1)

The judge dismissing the charges in the Means & Banks trial really set the Feds off (and that was the last major trial involving Pine Ridge that was ever held in St. Paul as the local populace was deemed "too liberal" )

The Feds got caught in several lies during the Means & Banks trial and don't think for a minute they had changed their ways by the time Pelitier went to trial. They just had a friendler judge & jury in Fargo.

[catchnrelease]

13. As sad as it makes me

I don't think it will happen. I have also written, signed, put bumper stickers on my cars over the years. etc to no avail. I personally believe that the FBI has such a 'hard on' for Leonard that they have made it plain that a pardon will not be taken lightly. How else do you explain it that none of the Democratic presidents in all these years will pardon him? Even the judge at his trial has said he should be pardoned! I wish so much that Biden will be the one, but I'm not holding my breath. Come on Joe!!

Like the OP says, don't call it a pardon if that makes the hard liners feel better, say it's a medical/compassionate release or some such 'nice' wording. Just let him go home.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

20. That's why I make the comparison to the 50s era Puerto Rican separatists

It was a different time for both sides. Banks and Means are gone. I doubt seriously that Leonard Peltier will ever threaten anyone again.

[H2O Man]

16. No, he didn't.

The identity of the man who shot & killed the two FBI agents is fairly well known. He appeared on 60 Minutes years ago. If one reads "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse," his identity should be obvious.

[Mountainguy]

17. Participating in a shootout

makes you guilty. It doesn't matter who fired the last shot.

No reason to release this sociopath.

[H2O Man]

18. Sure it does.

It matters who shot the last shot. It matters who fired the first shot. And it matters where individuals were during the shooting.

Likewise, words have meaning. Your use of "sociopath" suggests that you are unfamiliar with the word's definition.

[Mountainguy]

21. I called him a sociopath because that's what he is

as evidenced by his long and violent past.

And by your logic Osama Bin Laden isn't responsible for 9/11 because he didn't pull the trigger. Charles Manson isn't responsible because he didn't directly kill anyone. Donald Trump isn't responsible because he didn't storm the capitol personally.

[H2O Man]

23. Don't kid yourself.

You lack the capacity to grasp my logic.

The FBI agents came onto the territory to investigate a pair of stolen boots. Perhaps you believe that is the real reason they were there -- to arrest Jimmy Eagle for stealing boots. I'd note that those charges were dropped, because there was zero evidence the theft happened.

Also arrested for killing the two agents were Robert Eugene Robideau and Darrelle Dean Butler. They were tried in Cedar Rapids, and found not guilty by a jury. Leonard was, of course, found guilty. It is worth noting that the judge from that case would later say that had evidence that was kept hidden from the defense -- an obvious Brady violation -- been know, Leonard would not have been convicted. Indeed, he advocated for a re-trial.

You also err per Usama bin Ladin -- and not just on the correct spelling of his name -- and on Charlie Manson. Although no "triggers" were pulled, he clearly was involved in the financing of that terrible attack on this country. And if you don't know that Manson did commit at least one murder, you might want to study his history.

I also strongly disagree with your stated opinion that the felon wasn't responsible for January 6.

And again, you are clueless about the meaning of the word "sociopath."

[CrispyQ]

5. Postcards get through security faster than letters.

Same with lettes to congress.

[hlthe2b]

6. I've lost count how many petitions I have signed, but I will reach out again.

Such an unforgivable situation and one that I thought Pres. Obama would address--or Biden earlier in the term.

I will reach out.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

9. Biden has very little to lose

That's what I'm hoping might make this time different.

[Mblaze]

12. I have written the White House twice

asking Joe Biden to pardon Mr. Pelletier. In my opinion, there is no good reason to deny him.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

15. I think a full pardon is unlikely, but...

... I think it's possible to say that what happened at Jumping Bull Ranch was wrong, but that mistakes and miscalculation occurred on both sides. He's served nearly half a century. Let him spend his last few years at home.

[Figarosmom]

14. Yes

[Raine]

19. Definitely YES!👍 n

[catchnrelease]

22. Found this article this morning

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amnesty-international-joe-biden-leonard-peltier_n_6740c8fae4b078cce4af26ba

[artemisia1]

24. I agree. He did NOT get a fair trial. Unfortunately, some years ago I did a deep dive into the matter and had to,

regrettably, conclude his likely guilt. "Likely" does NOT mean beyond a reasonable doubt, however, and a faulty trial should have meant a retrial -- which, if fair, would only, imho, have convicted him of much lesser offenses if that as the evidence for beyond a reasonable doubt is not there. Let him out.