Monday, August 17, 2009

Fromme-Peltier: Inequality of Mercy

By Dennis Bernstein and Miguel Gavalan Molina
August 18, 2009

Child protégé and Manson cheerleader Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme walked free last week, straight through the front doors of Fort Worth Federal Prison, into a brilliant Texas sun.

Read on.

6 comments:

woodsgrl said...

I remember the day that Fromme pointed a gun at then President Ford, but I also remember that the gun wasn't even loaded. If what I remember is correct, then Fromme couldn't be that bright, young woman that her attorney described. She allowed herself to be led around by the nose by a crazy man. No individual thinking there. As for Peltier, I have always believed he was railroaded by the fibbies and no one cared, because he was native American. Just another example of the deplorable treatment that the indigenous peoples of the Americas have received from the conquerors.

Anonymous said...

As I recall the issue with Mr. Peltier has to do with representatives of the FBI vehemently opposing his release. As a result he has remained behind bars. This is not the case with
Fromme. No one of any consequence opposed her release and this is a convicted felon who is not repentant. She is still in awe of Manson. I have followed this case with Mr. Peltier and it is clear he was framed and being "tortured" with sadistic pleasure to this day. Clinton was going to pardon him and the FBI interceded and put a stop to that. No sitting President since has had the nerve or moral indignation to free that man. There is no justice, and will not be for Mr. Peltier. He is going to die in prison.

Unknown said...

"Fromme-Peltier: Inequality of Mercy" ??

The one was released after serving time for attempted murder; "attempted", as in no-one actually died, nor could have, due to an unloaded pistol.

The other is serving time for double murder -- perhaps unjustly, there's dispute about whether he did it, but there's no doubt that two federal agents were killed and are dead.

With such unequal crimes being punished, why expect "Equality of Mercy"?

Anonymous said...

It's about time someone picked up on the parallel injustice between these two cases and brought it out in an opinion piece. Whether or not the gun was loaded, Fromme threatened with it, and she was an involved Manson follower. There was never any proof that Peltier did what he was accused of, so it should still be considered an open cold case today and Peltier should be free. They won't give in because it's a matter of pride, there was a civil war going on in the rez country and technically those agents were victims of a war criminal. They've even released WWII criminals who were PROVEN to be guilty, but not Peltier, because it was such an insult to the government that they 1) were sideswiped by a Native American, and 2) that they could never find the real killer and prove it. So they threatened and coerced people into lying to convict someone-anyone. Now they won't make it right even after those people who lied have come forward with the truth.
Thank you!

Anonymous said...

"anywhere south of the Canadian border is the south"

-Malcolm X

some examples never cease to baffle or enrage our senses like the one of Leonard Peltier's unjust case with the Federal Government. His situation can only change if the system changes completely. The San Francisco 8 are in a similar situation as are the Angola 2 and Romain "Chip" Fitzgerald, one of the oldest Black Panthers still in prison, since 1969. Chip was accused of murder but no direct evidence was found. Still, he sits in prison though compelling evidence exists of foul play through the FBI. "Why expect equality or mercy?" its less about the expectation and more to do with fighting for ones justice and equal representation. There's a big difference when SF8 are arrested and shackled for the world to see and then when they are slowly found innocent by the "courts" the press is no where to report on the injustice and persecution of these elders. Example like Oscar Lopez Rivera, Puerto Rican Nationalist, incarcerated and found guilty of "seditious conspiracy, bank robbery" but is spending 77 years in prison for his political views. Others unjustly inprisoned are Leonard Peltier, Chip Fitzgerald, Mumia, Jalil Muntaqim, Herman Bell, Jamil Abdula Al-Amin, Marshall "Eddie" Conway.....

-LANDO

Anonymous said...

According to CNN, the gun had no bullet in the chamber but was found to have ammo in it.