[Mb-civic] Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash & John Graham

[Barbara Siomos]

For anyone following the arrest of John Graham for the murder of Anna
Mae... he is being railroaded just as Leonard Peltier was, they (the
U.S.) are trying to extradite him from Canada.

1975 Quote by Anna mae Pictou-Aquash:            

"These white people think this country belongs to them. They don't
realize that they are only in charge right now because there's more of
them than there are of us. The whole country changed with only a handful
of raggedy-ass pilgrims that came over here in the 1500s. And it can
take a handful of raggedy-ass Indians to do the same, and I intend to be
one of those raggedy-ass Indians."
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
Below find update from John Graham Defense
committee and day two updates from the hearing. 
daily updates posted each morning 
...can be found

 www.antoinetteclaypoole.blogspot.com
 
here is day TWO plus message from John Graham Defense Committee day two,
Graham bearings "The Beat Goes On.... day two"
 
day two, Graham hearings
Dec. 7, 2004
by antoinette nora claypoole
 
"The second day was devoted to a few procedural matters, with a great
deal of time being spent reviewing the arrest procedures and the
apparent violation of John's rights when he was not allowed to contact
an attorney once informed of the charge relating to the US indictment.At
the conclusion of the second day, the hearings were adjourned until
Thursday at 10:00 AM." 
--Matthew Lien,
 
John Graham Defense Committee, Dec. 7, 2004
 
It is a difficult task. Facing the truth of lies. John Graham carries
the weight of that reality like a snow plow on a mountain freeway. There
is black ice beneath it all. What we know today about the murder of
Annie Mae Pictou Aquash is even less than the day her body was found.
For at least back then people remembered. And knew. 
First hand. What the U.S. had planned for American Indian Movement
families. And families they were.

The Feds wanted AIM dead and that's all there
was/is to it. Back in late February 1976. When Bruce Ellison stood up
and insisted "jane doe" be exhumed. He believed and knew the Feds had
buried Annie Mae. When Ellison did THAT, most people knew he was calling
the U.S. on their murderous ways. But today is long years since then.
Some People have forgotten the feel of war. What governments can and
WILL do. John Graham and these hearings are a remembering. 

That the wars are far from over. He is being accused of murdering his
friend. After being offered a new identity if he named John Trudell or
Dennis Banks as her murderer. Am i the ONLY one out here who tastes the
bitter hemlocks in this??? Graham refused to name anyone because he
wasn't
into naming someone else to save his own ass.

Gotta say it straight. That's all there is to it. 
Some people survive blizzards. Others burn in a house of fire. Others
stand by and do nothing. Spirits will guide truth to be known. That is
what Martel felt in the courtroom yesterday. My theory is that on
opening day there were people on the other side watching all this, happy
to know someone has the courage to challenge the U.S. and it's lies. For
after all, that is why Annie Mae died. Would she ever trust the people
who threatened her life?? To indict her murderer.
 
Some people are saying the hearings may just be insignificant. My news
director at KPFK radio was straight up with me today. "Isn't this
hearing just a farce, antoinette, if Canada has to co-operate with a
so-called "friendly" nation?"
 
Okay breathe. Yes of course. I tell Patrick " The U.S. will probably
have their way with this. Get Graham to the racist state of South
Dakota. But no this is not a farce. John Graham, in this hearing, is
challenging the notion of friendly nation. 
That is a good thing" . Yikes I mean words are sorcery. If we let
America be called friendly. What next?? The FBI becomes are confessor
god and confidant?? Well yes it seems there is not much the defense can
actually do. Even LaLiberte has said "our hands are tied". Still, the
defense is doing it's best to put on the record all of the corrupt ways
Graham has been nabbed. AND they are gleaning what they can from the
prosecutions hand. Which will help when the next round goes down. But
more than that.
 
These hearings are about people coming together. And remembering not to
forget to be brave. To believe in a truth they know. And stand up for
it. At any cost. That is the way Annie Mae died. Standing for truth. For
the People. She defied the FBI by not working with them. She defied the
men by not being owned by them. She stood in the face of lies and made
ribbon shirts. There is nothing that hurts more than lying to yourself.
Annie Mae knew this. She was killed because of it.
 
Today John Graham was in court again. Listening to an attorney describe
the way he was arrested up in Canada. How he may have been coerced to
sign an affidavit that was misrepresented to him. When arrested. Yes.
The defense cannot challenge any evidence. So they are searching for
little things. To point out. To put on the record. Today in the
courtroom the procedure was "boring" according to some I spoke with. But
there sits John Graham. Defying the nation that gets away with murder
all the time. And then pins it on someone else.
 
Yes. Everyone is saying that John Graham will be extradited. Even the
defense committee senses this. Yes. The U.S. has evidence that they
don't have to even present. Snapped fingers and the clowns are supposed
to jump. Through a burning hoop. But hey. They forgot one thing. Some
people aren't afraid.The important thing about these hearings is that
people are standing together. Demanding truth be heard. Not sucking up
to a country, a government, a collection of men in brass buttoned suits.
After all, there is even talk of a constitutional challenge to this
entire extradition process. 

Today in Vancouver Supreme Court one man and his attorneys defy the way
a government lies to its People. Jackson Browne said that. "Lives in the
Balance". 1980's. Some things never change. And some will never be the
same again. The wars go on. If one person is hungry the whole world is
starving. 
And one more thing. One more time. Graham could have taken that new
identity the FBI offered him. But he didn't.
 
all people are One
antoinette claypoole
copyright 2004 

info at grahamdefense.org 
Graham Defense Update Dec. 7, 2004
From: "John Graham Defense Committee"
<info at grahamdefense.org>