A-Infos (en) Peltier Statement: FTAA (de)

[I-AFD_2@anarch.free.de (FdA/IFA Hamburg)]

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      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
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> From:    "LPDC" <lpdc@idir.net>
Dear Friends,

Below is a statement written by Leonard Peltier in support of the upcoming
demonstrations against the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

In Solidarity,
the LPDC


STATEMENT OF LEONARD PELTIER ON THE FTAA

Dear Brothers, Sisters, Friends and Supporters,

 I know many of you are already familiar with the FTAA, NAFTA, the WTO, the
IMF and the World Bank. I know many of you are working hard to expose what
these organizations and agreements are all about and how they are taking
over the world and violating human rights, labor rights, Indigenous rights,
environmental protections, and sovereignty rights, in each and every place
they set foot.  Therefore, what I would like to address is the bigger
picture - the real roots of the FTAA and ways which we can obstruct it.

 Where did the FTAA get its start?  Not in a conference room and not in an
office.  The FTAA is a continuation of the imperialism that began thousands
of years ago in Europe with the domination of Indigenous Peoples whose
self-subsisting land and way of life were taken away so that greedy
feudalists could reign.  Ever since, Indigenous Peoples have been forced
into submission, if not obliteration, in the name of civilization and
progress all over the globe.  Here we are in the 21st century, and the world
has far from benefited.  I do not need to explain the Earth's devastation,
the overwhelming poverty, and the wars that have resulted from practices
that put profit before the very survival of Mother Earth and the human race.

 Advocates of the FTAA would not dare refer to their policies as forms of
colonization or feudalism because these practices are now widely scorned.
Instead they will justify their actions in the name of "development" for the
"poor" countries of Central and South America.  Development?  What the first
peoples of the Americas need is "recovery" not development.   Recovery from
the very same colonization, domination, and genocide that multi-national
corporations want to perpetuate for their own gains today.

 Now we must continue, not only to condemn the practices of these trade
organizations and policies, but also to implement and support means of
self-sufficiency both in our communities and abroad.  We must support
Indigenous movements like that of the Zapatistas and the Uwa who are
fighting to maintain their land base and self-sufficient way of life.  We
must support the small farmers and farm workers who provide their
communities with healthy foods to eat.  We must create and support
innovative projects on Indian reservations, in inner cities and in third
world countries that promote self-sufficiency and better living conditions.

But in doing this, we must unite beyond the boundaries of race, class,
belief systems, and age that all too often divide us.  If we do not unite,
we will be defeated one by one, just as they destroyed the American Indian
Movement who fought so hard for Native sovereignty, the Black Panthers, who
developed much needed community based programs and struggled for
self-determination, the movements in Central America that sought to
implement schools, social programs, and land reform, and the unions who
fought for humane working conditions. Most important, we must break down the
barriers that divide us in our own backyards.

We need to develop a global culture that teaches us, as my ancestors did, to
think carefully about the impact our actions and policies will have on
Mother Earth, on each other, and on future generations before we act upon
them. If we can do this, then surely we can win.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier

Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
PO Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
785-842-5774
www.freepeltier.org
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