Sunday, 16 September 2012
Friday, 14 September 2012
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse Doksha Leonard Peltier
http://files.mail-list.com/m/freepeltiernow/Peltier-Birthday-12_PELTIER-BIRTHDAY-12.pdf
Greetings my relatives and supporters,
and, we are all truly relatives
in one way or another,
First of all I want to thank all of
you for remembering me on this
day, as many of you probably
suspect and some know, that
when you are in prison you have
a lot of time to reflect and think on
how things are, and how they
were and perhaps how they
should be. Having said that, I was
thinking about how on your birthday
the person who really should
be celebrated is your Mother, for
she carried you for 9 months and went through the pain of giving
you life. So truly a person’s birthday should be another
Mother’s Day. So if a woman has four children, she should
have four Mothers days. All too often people talk about the exploits
of men and what they said and what they did, and all too
often give no thought to the women who gave them life, the
women who supported them, the women who cared for the children
while they did what they did, who kept the home fires
burning and families fed. There is a certain adrenaline flow that
takes place when you are involved in movement activities and
trying to make a difference, a satisfaction in doing the right
thing and sometimes being successful in righting what’s wrong.
However, the really true heroes in this are the women who do
day after day what needs to be done, and give their children
the values they need to stand up for what is right in this world.
Again, I want to thank you, you can’t imagine how much it
means to a prisoner to be remembered. When a person goes
to prison their immediate family, relatives and friends are attentive
on some level but as time goes on, it’s almost as if you had
died and you are only remembered on certain occasions. There
are a multitude of people in prison that they have forgotten
about that were movement people, people who stood up for the
earth, the animals, nature, water rights, human rights, civil
rights, all of those things, and have been forgotten. They are
only remembered by a few. I am really truly thankful and I have
to be thankful to all of the movement people throughout the
world who have recognized the injustice that has been perpetuated
against Indigenous people. And I am fortunate that there
are those who have found me to be evidence of that injustice
because of all of the legal recognition from the courts of the improper
proceedings that took place. My case as many of you
well know probably has more recognition of improprieties than
most, and I recognize that I am an ordinary man who has been
cast into an extraordinary situation, and have served as legal
evidence of their wrongdoing. Forgive me if I am getting too
wordy and singing to the choir, but I have probably had too
much time to think. I do want to encourage all of you to keep
standing up for what is right to keep trying to right what is
wrong, and I want you to know there are those who appreciate
what you do, and oftentimes you may find yourself the only one
standing up. And more often than not, whether you realized it or
not, it was your Mother that directly or indirectly gave you that
strength, that woman you should celebrate on your birthday. I
encourage all of you to have fun, enjoy your freedom, enjoy
your life and have some cake and ice cream, or pemmican, or
hotdogs or dog stew for me. And remember when you stand
up, wherever you are, I’ll be standing with you even though it’s
some distant place.
In closing again I want you to enjoy and know that I am thinking
of you and appreciative and may the Great Spirit Bless you with
all you need and enough to share with others.
I’ll close for now, got some thinking to do, Ayee.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse
Doksha Leonard Peltier
An open letter about my son, Gary McKinnon, to Theresa May and David Cameron My son has spent 10 wasted years awaiting extradition to the US on computer hacking charges. Please help end this daily torture. Janis Sharp guardian.co.uk, Friday 7 September 2
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/07/open-letter-gary-mckinnon
An open letter about my son, Gary McKinnon, to Theresa May and David Cameron
My son has spent 10 wasted years awaiting extradition to the US on computer hacking charges. Please help end this daily torture
-
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 7 September 2012 14.20 BST
Gary McKinnon … 'He has no life and is broken, like a wounded animal with no outlet and no hope' Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian
Dear Theresa and David,
As you are aware, my son Gary McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, was arrested in London in March 2002 for computer misuse and has now been under virtual house arrest for over 10 years while fighting extradition to the US.
People find it hard to believe that this can be happening in Britain in the year 2012, but it is.
Gary was arrested more than 10 years ago for allegedly hacking into Nasa and Pentagon computers from his bedroom in London while searching for evidence of UFOs and free energy that Gary believed was being suppressed by the US government. It's true that Gary left cheeky cyber notes telling the US that their security was virtually nonexistent and that he'd continue disrupting by leaving cybernotes until someone at the top listened to him and installed passwords and firewalls that should have been there in the first place to protect their systems, but weren't.
To his detriment Gary also left a cyber note saying that American foreign policy was akin to state-sponsored terrorism. Had this been scrawled on a wall few would have noticed and to a young man with Asperger's syndrome, telling the truth as he saw it was as natural as getting out of bed in the morning. However Gary had now not only embarrassed the US by highlighting their lack of any basic security, but he had angered them.
No one, but especially someone with Asperger's, could ever have realised the horrendous consequences that would arise from a country whose first amendment is one protecting free speech. Or that an extradition treaty with America, yet to be written, could allow him (without any evidence being presented to a British court) to be forcibly removed from his home, his family and all that he has ever known, to be taken to a foreign land where he could be incarcerated in a foreign prison for up to 60 years. All for a crime that according to the Hi-Tech Crime Unit in 2002, would have attracted a sentence of six months community service in Britain.
My son has now been under arrest for longer than any British citizen ever has. He hasn't raped anyone, he hasn't murdered anyone, so can't understand how this can be happening to him, as no matter how much anyone may choose to exaggerate his crime, the fact is that his crime was tapping on a keyboard in his bedroom in north London in search of information on aliens from outer space.
Gary rarely ever leaves his home as he is traumatised to the core. A boy who cycled, swam, composed music and sang, now sits in the dark with his cats and never wants to see or speak to anyone.
He has no life, and is broken, like a wounded animal with no outlet and no hope, seeing only the dark side and the cruelty that exists in the world.
My only child has lost 10 years of his youth and has aged and died before my eyes.
Ten years of being in a constant state of fear while fighting to stop my son Gary being taken from his home and family has made the days, months and years indistinguishable from each other, as hopes raised to the heavens come crashing down to Earth on a regular basis.
We were elated when in a bid to have Gary tried in the UK, you, our prime minister, raised Gary's case with President Obama during your first televised joint press conference in America in 2010. When President Obama said an appropriate solution would be found, we were moved to tears. We waited and waited and waited, but the months passed and nothing happened.
We were again ecstatic when you raised Gary's case with President Obama for a second time during your second joint press conference in London in 2011, but in spite of President Obama stating that it was a British decision that America would respect and despite great expectations from all who heard it, and constantly being congratulated by strangers in the street, nothing happened.
When Gary's MP David Burrowes asked the American ambassador why the US was still pursuing Gary, his response was: "He mocked us".
I wrote to the Queen during her diamond jubilee to ask her to bestow the gift of mercy on my son who was arrested before even her golden jubilee 10 years previously, but in a response from Buckingham Palace, it seems only our government is privy to the Queen's powers which she herself is unable to use.
I constantly write letters in the hope that the pen really is mightier than the sword and that I can reach souls of courage and compassion in the heart of our government, who can put an end to this decade of mental torture.
Whether the rain falls or the sun shines means little anymore, as we live in this unreal world where Gary sits in the dark and I spend each day and night until the early hours of the morning working on trying to save my son from virtual death. I no longer have any other conversation as I'm unable to escape from this mental imprisonment, grounded in fear.
I am hoping with all my heart that Theresa May our home secretary, who I believe is a strong woman, will have in her heart the courage and compassion that will allow her to do what is right and to give my son his life back.I pray that one day I will see the light return to my son's eyes and that this seemingly never-ending torture will soon come to an end.
If our government is afraid to make a right and just decision for fear of upsetting our friends, then something is wrong with that friendship which must be put right, or we as a nation are allowing our people to be enslaved, making us unable to command respect that by its very nature has to be earned.
We are now at the final hurdle and it takes strength and courage to make that final jump, but jump it we must, if we are to emerge with dignity and self respect.
Our government's first duty is to protect British citizens, including our most vulnerable. Please have the strength to do what is right and to give my son his life back.
With deepest respect,
Janis Sharp
• This article was amended on 7 September 2012. It originally stated that the Crown Prosecution Service had said in 2002 that a crime like Gary McKinnon's would have attracted a sentence of six months community service in Britain. It was actually the Hi-Tech Crime Unit that made that assessment. This has now been corrected
Court Appearance Sparks Protest Posted by Gold FM on 10/08/2012 A Waihi woman facing charges related to cannibis cultivation has said she's humbled by the support she's receiving from people pledging to protest against her charges next Tuesday at the W
Gold FM - Hear the difference!
Frequencies - 96.4 Waihi, 88.3 Waihi Beach, 96.4 Coromandel
http://www.goldfm.co.nz/general-news/2012/court-appearance-sparks-protest/
Court Appearance Sparks Protest
Posted by Gold FM on 10/08/2012
A Waihi woman facing charges related to cannibis cultivation has said she's humbled by the support she's receiving from people pledging to protest against her charges next Tuesday at the Waihi Court House on Kenny Street. Supporters are rumoured to be coming from Auckland and Wellington to attend the protest.
Ann Vernon, who is a medicinal cannabis user and activist for cannabis reform, was busted when an Armed Offenders Squad was called out on the 26th of July, after the Waihi Police received reports of a gun being fired in Clarke Street. Two youths who were preparing to go hunting had loaded a high powered rifle which went off and went through three walls in a neighbouring house causing major concern. The young hunters went off on their hunting excursion oblivious to the damage they'd done and only realised what they'd caused when they returned from their hunting trip the next day.
During the course of the AOS call-out several houses in Ann Vernon's street had their doors kicked in and were searched, including hers. The police had received information that a firearm had been discharged in a residential street and mobilised an urgent response to protect the community. As a result of that cannabis was discovered on her property.
The 39 year old says she "uses cannabis for a number of health issues, including chronic intractable pain and post traumatic stress disorder".
Ann's supporters are asking for anyone who supports the use of cannibis for medicinal purposes to take placards to the Waihi Court House next Tuesday and use the court appearance as a chance to send a strong message to the government to change the laws and allow for it's use under certain conditions.
They say "their desire is to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our society and also raise the issue that it is a human right for people to choose what goes into their body".
Thursday, 13 September 2012
UNIVERSITY FOR PEACE - Free Sara Kruzan Jesaka Sekmet September 12, 2012
Free Sara Kruzan
Jesaka Sekmet
September 12, 2012
Jesaka Sekmet, co-founder of Free Sara Kruzan, explains the details of Sara's story and the circumstances around her conviction to life in prison. On September 18, 2012 Riverside District Attorney Paul Zellerbach will decide whether Sara will be released with time served. The National Campaign to Free Sara Kruzan is currently petitioning, educating and demonstrating for Sara’s immediate release.
International Peace Builders & Human Rights Activists,
Since my time at UPEACE (Peace Education, Class of 2009) I have come to work with the Global Human Rights Campaign to Free Sara Kruzan. You've never heard of Sara? I'm not surprised. See, she's been locked up on a life with no possibility of parole sentence in the United States, since she was a child in 1994. I remember that day, when I first saw her on the news. I was 12 and in state custody. Sara was 3 and 3/4 years older than me, yet I related to Sara to a T. Sara had been a victim of child sex slavery, more commonly known as child prostitution. Sara had been pushed to the limit and had let off the shot that ended the life of her sex captor. Then at that age, I knew how it felt to have to hurt someone in your self defense or otherwise to endure increased violence. Thus, from then in 1994, I resolved that I would find Sara Kruzan one day and see that she were given some opportunity to rehabilitate, rather than to face life in prison without any possibility of parole.
During my MA Program I caught up with Kim Deanne of Free Sara Kruzan and by 2010 I started producing content on behalf of the national campaign. Now in 2012, I am volunteering my time, around the clock, to ensure that Sara Kruzan is released at the nearest date possible. I have reviewed all of her court documents (available upon request) and here I would like to share with you her story, in sum. For more information, for Sara's Story, Human Rights Watch Video, all interviews and requests, you may contact us at: info@freesarakruzan.org
Sincerely Yours,
Jesaka Sekmet, Recording Artist
Peace Education, Class of 2009 :)
Sara's Story
Sara Kruzan
Sara Kruzan (d.o.b. January 8, 1978) is a survivor of child molestation, rape, of child-sex trafficking and of intimate battering. March 10, 1994, when child-sex captor G. G. Howard was motioning to rape Sara inside of a hotel room, Sara let off the fatal gunshot that ended her 5-year child sex-captors life. A year later on May 10, 1995, at the age of 17, Sara was convicted of the first degree murder [PC 187] of George Gilbert Howard. Sara was sentenced to life in prison, plus four years, with no possibility of parole. Signed on December 31, 2010, the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, commuted Sara’s sentence to life with the possibility of parole, come 2020.
Early Life
Sara Kruzan grew up in Riverside, California with an older sister and a single mother on welfare. Sara’s father was an ex-convict and heroine addict. On one of three occasions when Sara met her father, she witnessed him shooting up heroin in a bathroom. Sara’s mother was mentally ill, emotionally unstable and addicted to cocaine. She battered Sara and Sara’s sister physically and psychologically since they were infants. In one of Sara’s earliest memories, her mother smacked her across the face until blood splattered from her nose onto a nearby dresser. Child Protective Services opened an investigation in 1989, due to being notified (by Sara’s school) of bruises on Sara’s body. In 1993, Child Protective Services determined it to be unsafe for Sara to reside with her mother.
Sara was molested by several of the men her mother brought home. Sara’s earliest memory of molestation is cited at age five. As these incidents persisted, Sara’s mother did nothing to stop them, but instead displayed jealousy and blamed Sara. Sara was exposed to her mother’s sex and drug activity. By fourth grade, Sara started cutting. By age 11, Sara began to leave home without permission. Sara’s mother showed no sign of concern. Instead, she physically assaulted Sara and forced her out of her residence. At age 11, Sara was hospitalized for attempted suicide. Rather than to provide Sara with adequate safety, the State sent Sara home.
Child-Sex Trafficking
At age 11, George Gilbert Howard picked up Sara as she was walking home from school. G. G. bribed Sara with ice cream, then took her to his residence, where he undressed her and molested her, thereby committing a first degree felony sexual assault. From that date forward, G. G. Howard indoctrinated Sara into the child-sex trade. At age 12, Sara’s mother set Sara up with a 23 year old “mentor”, who furnished Sara with alcohol and raped her repeatedly over the course of a year. [In the State of California under PC 261.5, sex with a minor is defined as rape.] At age 13, Sara was gang raped by three men. Sara’s mother refused to allow Sara to press charges. She insisted it would backfire and that Sara had “asked for it”.
At age 13, 33 year old George Gilbert Howard raped Sara Kruzan [PC 261.5] then immediately began to sexually exploit Sara, selling her body for three years in the child-sex trade. G. G. Howard threatened Sara and set her in dangerous situations, in addition to the dangers of prostitution. At age 15, Sara was hospitalized when she survived a fatal car crash. Sara was then placed in five or six foster care homes, while she repeatedly ran away to return to G. G. Howard over the course of five months.
Plans to Escape
November of 1993, Sara attempted to escape a life of prostitution by going to Ontario with a 15 year old male friend. Sara’s mother threatened to report kidnap, ergo Sara returned to her mother’s neighborhood. Sara’s friend found a place where the two could temporarily stay with a friend’s uncle, James Earl Hampton. “James Earl” was a convicted felon and drug dealer out on parole. (James E. Hampton, Prisoner ID P23654, has since been convicted of rape and attempted murder, and is serving out a life sentence in the State of California.) As James Earl bragged of the murders he committed, waved guns and threatened to take Sara’s friends life, Sara hoped to borrow money from G. G. to get her own apartment. When James Earl caught wind of this, he demanded Sara follow his instructions to rob and murder G. G. if she wished that she and her loved ones survive.
The Crime Scene
March 9, 1994, James Earl Hampton garnered Sara Kruzan with a pistol and a pager. He ordered Sara to call G. G. Howard to arrange that the two of them meet. James Earl Hampton brought Sara to where G. G. picked her up to take her to a movie theater. Sara began to receive several pages from James Hampton, instructing “187? (as she knew to be the California Penal Code Section for Murder). G. G. escorted Sara to the same hotel room where he had raped her on prior occasions. While G. G. payed for the room, Sara called James Earl and asked to speak with her friend who was held hostage. James Earl declined to allow it and threatened Sara that she would not survive if she did not follow through with the murder and robbery of G. G. Howard.
Passed midnight, in the hotel room, 36 year old G. G. Howard put on a pornographic movie and began undressing and touching 16 year old Sara. G. G. took out a large sex toy. Sara dreaded being raped by G. G. Howard. When G. G. turned to plug the sex toy into the wall, Sara shot him. Sara took G. G. Howard’s money and keys, but left behind her purse, identification and shoes. She delivered the car and money to James Earl. James held a gun to Sara’s head and instructed her of what to say if she were questioned. James Earl brought Sara to some other residence where he ordered she be kept locked away in a room. When James Earl brought Sara to his mothers house, she was arrested. Sara initially repeated the story that James Earl demanded, yet she soon confessed to the shooting.
Her Life Sentence
Sara was 16 years old and had no priors. The convicted James Earl Hampton and the minor (then a friend of Sara’s) were never brought to trial. Sara’s defense counsel, David Gunn, advised Sara to take the case to trial. Sara Kruzan was tried in Riverside County Superior Court, with Judge J. Thompson Hanks presiding. The testimony lasted two and a half days. The jurors were not aware that George Gilbert Howard had sexually assaulted, raped and indoctrinated Sara into the child-sex trade for five years. While no expert witnesses spoke in Sara’s defense, Sara agreed to nearly every leading question the prosecutor asked. The probation officer assigned to Sara Kruzan’s case overlooked PC 190.5, that granted court discretion to sentence minors convicted of first degree murder to 25 to life with the possibility of parole. The officer incorrectly stated that State law required the court to sentence Sara to life without possibility of parole. On May 10, 1995, at the age of 17, Sara was sentenced to life in prison, plus four years, without possibility of parole.
Intimate Battering
Two key experts independently concluded that Sara suffered from the effects of intimate partner battering at the time of the shooting and that expert testimony would have affected the outcome of the criminal proceedings. After a thorough evaluation of Sara Kruzan and her documents, Dr. Linda S. Barnard concluded that, “Sara was suffering from the effects of intimate partner battering in March 1994 and her behaviors and actions were affected – if not controlled by – the years of abuse she endured. By failing to have an expert on intimate partner battering and its effects to explain the many complexities involved in this case, Sara Kruzan’s defense was severely limited.” Dr. Nancy Kaser-Boyd concluded, “Ms. Kruzan clearly suffered the common effects of intimate partner battering on the night of the shooting. Most young people [suffering from intimate partner battering and its effects] respond well to therapy and become healthy adults with therapeutic intervention.”
Free Sara Kruzan
Free Sara Kruzan was founded in 2006, by Kim Deanne, whose dedication was inspired by her friend Sara Kruzan to combat her plight as a victim of child-sex slavery and subsequently being sentenced as a youth to life in prison with no possibility of parole. In 2012, Free Sara Kruzan is a National Campaign run by three women (Kim Deanne, Jesaka Sekmet and Carrie Christie), whose mission is to raise awareness of Sara’s story, to facilitate her release from prison and to prevent all forms of child-sex slavery. With the aid of international supporters and Sara’s 2007 interview by Human Rights Watch (see: external links), on the last day of 2010, Sara’s sentence was commuted by Governor Schwarzenegger to 25 to life with the possibility of parole. Sara currently resides in an honors dorm in a women’s facility in the State of California. Sara has earned a college degree and has been named Woman of the Year by Correctional Officers. Sara’s final appeal to be released with time served was dated July 19, 2012, yet granted a 60 day extension. On September 18, 2012 Riverside District Attorney Paul Zellerbach will decide whether Sara will be released with time served. The National Campaign to Free Sara Kruzan is currently petitioning, educating and demonstrating for Sara’s immediate release.
Jesaka Saylove Sekmet is a peace scholar, hip-hop artist, and radio personality. Check her out at Saylove Music.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Flickr - projectbrainsaver
www.flickr.com
|
