Limes with Orange

"Silence is a message, just as doing nothing is an act." ~ Leonard Peltier

I was watching the documentary "Trudell" by Heather Rae about John Trudell, American author, poet and political activist.


When the film got to the incident at Oglala, I started thinking about how unthinkable it is that Leonard Peltier is still in jail. And then I realized that he has served more jail time than Nelson Mandela. 32 years now; Mandela was in prison for 27. Unthinkable.

But then I had this fantasy. A fantasy of President Barack Obama granting clemency to Peltier, that Peltier would be released as Mandela was eventually released. And then, think about it, four years later Peltier follows Mandela's lead and becomes elected president of the entire country.

Then I remembered that we are talking about the United States of America. If they still aren't ready for a woman as president, what chance is there for a Native American? But I'm okay with that part of the fantasy remaining just a fantasy. The thought of Obama being able to intervene here, however, that thought is stuck in my head regardless of how unlikely it seems.

And now I'm feeling the urge to go and listen to Buffy Sainte-Marie's song "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee." I've uploaded it to My Music Box on the side of this blog if you want to join me.

Labels: film, politics, quotes, videos