“AIM in essence is a movement rather than just an organization. It is a manifestation of the desperation of our people.” PeopleMovementEssenceOrganizationAimManifestationDesperation Author:Leonard Peltier
“The America that never cared or felt guilty about portraying us as undignified people on their television screen, or in some old history book that never stated truthfully the facts of our invasion or the cruelty we had to endure for generations.” PeopleBookFactsAmericaFeltGenerationsTelevisionEndureScreensCrueltyGuiltyInvasionHistory BooksPortraying Author:Leonard Peltier
“I do not believe Federal Government fear me at all, they know the truth. They know I am not a dangerous person, they hold me as a hostage to discourage other people from possibly standing up to their valued system. In their minds, right or wrong the public is expected to lay down for them. You see examples of this, at the Ruby Ridge massacre and the Waco massacre, where they killed all those children and group members.” PeopleKnowsMindBelieveChildrenPersonsGovernmentGroupsDangerousExampleMembersStandingLaysExpectedFederal GovernmentDiscouragingHostageMassacresHold MeRubiesRidgesFear Me Author:Leonard Peltier
“This American government has become very adept at attaching labels to people who defend themselves, so that the general population in America will condone their behavior.” PeopleGovernmentAmericaBehaviorPopulationLabelsAmerican GovernmentAdept Author:Leonard Peltier
“What I am is a father, a grandfather, a great grandfather, and an artist. I am a man who loves his people and wants to go home.” PeopleMenWantHomeArtistFatherGrandfatherGreat Grandfather Author:Leonard Peltier
“There are tribes, I should say nations, which prior to the AIM movement had only ten or fifteen employees, and now have upwards of 2000. There are educational programs that didn't exist before, there are housing programs, health programs, senior citizen programs, cultural programs and the list goes on. It's all because some people stood up and said sovereignty is our right by treaty and the constitution says treaty law is the supreme law of the land.” PeopleShouldSaidLawNationsLandMovementGoes OnCitizensTenProgramConstitutionAimEducationalListsSupremeEmployeeFifteenSeniorTribesSovereigntyHousingTreatiesStood UpSenior CitizenEducational Programs Author:Leonard Peltier
“In the past, when we were initially organizing to bring about changes, our elders had little or no political experience. However, today, most of those American Indian Movement organ-izers are the elders. They are quite adept at bringing attention to the public about any attacks upon our people.” PeopleLittlesTodayPastPoliticalAttentionMovementIndianOrgansEldersAmerican IndianAdeptAmerican Indian Movement Author:Leonard Peltier
“I see, or at least it appears to me, that there is some concerted effort to discredit them, and categorize the American Indian Movement as some adverse entity, as opposed to it being a manifestation of the desperations of a whole race of people.” PeopleWholeEffortRaceMovementIndianManifestationEntityDesperationAmerican IndianAdverseDiscreditAmerican Indian Movement Author:Leonard Peltier
“I would like to say, historically, from the very beginning, our people have time and again expressed the need for people to live in harmony with the creator, the mother earth, fellow man, and respect our brother's vision. In the past and the present, we have been respon-sible for the greatest gains; cultivated foods and medicines; democratic government, and many other areas of concern.” PeopleMenNeedsHas BeensGovernmentEarthPastMotherVisionBrotherGainsAreasConcernHarmonyFellowsMedicineDemocraticCreatorFellow ManMother EarthDemocratic Government Author:Leonard Peltier
“It is a written fact that our people had warned of all these consequences of wrongful environmental behavior since our very first contact with the non-Indians. There was a time when our elders used to say to us, "You can't function with one foot in the white man's canoe and one foot in the Indian's canoe." With these extreme environmental concerns taking place on the earth, mankind is all in the same boat. Or better be.” PeopleMenFirstsFactsEarthUsedWhiteWrittenFeetMankindBehaviorConsequenceConcernFunctionEnvironmentalExtremesContactBoatIndianWhite ManEldersFirst Contact Author:Leonard Peltier
“The Government honoring our treaties and sovereignty is first and foremost. These issues are still the top priority which [Barak] Obama, if elected, has promised us. For us, we should implement the most impor-tant programs right now: they are programs to teach the children a positive sense of dignity, self-worth, and the importance of sustaining their culture, history, language and honor as a people.” PeopleIfsShouldFirstsChildrenStillsSelfGovernmentCultureLanguageTeachIssuesHonorRight NowProgramDignityImportancePrioritiesSelf WorthSovereigntyTreatiesSustainingTop PrioritiesBarak Obama Author:Leonard Peltier
“Our people still need support. Support us through writing your government officials. We are still on the verge of extinction, with continued injustices brought against us.” PeopleNeedsWritingStillsGovernmentSupportInjusticeOfficialsExtinctionVergeGovernment Officials Author:Leonard Peltier
“United States Government needs to acknowledge and respect our sovereignty, treaties, traditional Native American values, and our human rights as a people, which under the law as written we deserve, and which should be protected.” PeopleNeedsShouldHumansStatesGovernmentLawValuesUnitedUnited StatesRightsWrittenDeserveHuman RightsTraditionalAcknowledgeNativeProtectedNative AmericanSovereigntyTreatiesState GovernmentAmerican ValuesUnited States Government Author:Leonard Peltier
“A political prisoner is someone who is out fighting for his or her people's rights and freedom and is imprisoned for that alone.” PeoplePoliticalFightingRightsPrisonerRights And FreedomsPolitical Prisoners Author:Leonard Peltier
“They still don't want to admit to the world that this isn't the best and the fairest and most equal justice system. And that they are guilty of railroading people into jail. They don't want to, or never will, admit these things.” PeopleWorldWantStillsJusticeEqualGuiltyJailJustice SystemEqual Justice Author:Leonard Peltier
“Well... I still can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. These politicians are such sleazebags that you just don't know. You can't really get anything from a lot of them once they get into power. They totally forget about all their commitments. The poor people elect them, and they forget about all the poor people.” PeopleKnowsWellsStillsEndsLightForgetPoorPoliticianCommitmentPoor PeopleTunnelsLight At The End Of The TunnelEnd Of The Tunnel Author:Leonard Peltier
