Press Release - ELF Press Office to Obama: Release U.S. Political Prisoners
NAELFPO | 20.04.2009 00:23 | Climate Chaos
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2009
Earth Liberation Front Press Office to President Obama: Release United States' Political Prisoners Before Expecting the Same From Cuba
Washington, D.C.: In response to President Obama's comments today calling on Cuba to release political prisoners as a step toward strengthening relations between the United States and Cuba, the North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office (NAELFPO) encouraged President Obama to first release political prisoners in the United States before expecting other countries to follow suit. The President's comments came during the closing of the Summit of the Americas held in Trinidad & Tobago.
"It is genuinely hypocritical for the United States to condemn other nations for their treatment and holding of political prisoners, when the United States itself maintains significant numbers of political prisoners locked away in the U.S. criminal justice system," stated NAELFPO press officer Lisa Nesbitt. "The current administration cannot expect to promote justice abroad, while ignoring the many individuals on U.S. soil who are imprisoned because of their political beliefs and activities or the color of their skin."
Nesbitt listed the following examples of political prisoners currently serving sentences in the United States:
• The Cuban Five: Five Cuban men in U.S. prisons, serving four life sentences + 75 years collectively for allegedly "committing espionage conspiracy against the United States." The five had instead been monitoring Miami-based terrorist groups to prevent anti-Castro terrorist attacks on Cuba.
• Patrice Lumumba Ford: A U.S. citizen and son of a former Black Panther Party leader, who after traveling to China in an attempt to reach Afghanistan to volunteer with an aid group, was found guilty of "seditious conspiracy" and "levying war against American and Allied forces." He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
• Marie Mason: An environmental activist sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison for nonviolent property crimes.
• Eric McDavid: An environmental activist sentenced to 19 years in prison for "conspiring" to engage in nonviolent property crimes.
• Mumia Abu Jamal: A former Black Panther Party member, framed for the murder of a police officer in 1981, sentenced to death.
• Leonard Peltier: An American Indian Movement (AIM) activist and citizen of the Anishinabe and Lakota Nations, serving a life sentence after being framed for the murder of two FBI agents in 1975.
• Louis Harper: An African American man sentenced, because of his race, to 50 years in prison in 1990 for selling $20 worth of cocaine.
"These are just a few of the many political prisoners in the United States," Nesbitt continued. "While the United States continues to promote itself as a beacon of freedom and democracy, the illegality of political dissent in the United States continues to be a reality."
The North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office is a legal news agency representing the earth liberation movement. The NAELFPO reports on the covert direct actions taken by the Earth Liberation Front in defense of the planet. Targeting deforestation, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), urban sprawl, automobile and industry pollution, and other threats to the natural environment, the Earth Liberation Front uses nonviolent economic sabotage to compel industries and governments to reshape their environmentally destructive policies.
The NAELFPO can be found on the web at www.elfpressoffice.org
Contact:
North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office
Tel: (202) 521-1482
info@elfpressoffice.org
###
April 19, 2009
Earth Liberation Front Press Office to President Obama: Release United States' Political Prisoners Before Expecting the Same From Cuba
Washington, D.C.: In response to President Obama's comments today calling on Cuba to release political prisoners as a step toward strengthening relations between the United States and Cuba, the North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office (NAELFPO) encouraged President Obama to first release political prisoners in the United States before expecting other countries to follow suit. The President's comments came during the closing of the Summit of the Americas held in Trinidad & Tobago.
"It is genuinely hypocritical for the United States to condemn other nations for their treatment and holding of political prisoners, when the United States itself maintains significant numbers of political prisoners locked away in the U.S. criminal justice system," stated NAELFPO press officer Lisa Nesbitt. "The current administration cannot expect to promote justice abroad, while ignoring the many individuals on U.S. soil who are imprisoned because of their political beliefs and activities or the color of their skin."
Nesbitt listed the following examples of political prisoners currently serving sentences in the United States:
• The Cuban Five: Five Cuban men in U.S. prisons, serving four life sentences + 75 years collectively for allegedly "committing espionage conspiracy against the United States." The five had instead been monitoring Miami-based terrorist groups to prevent anti-Castro terrorist attacks on Cuba.
• Patrice Lumumba Ford: A U.S. citizen and son of a former Black Panther Party leader, who after traveling to China in an attempt to reach Afghanistan to volunteer with an aid group, was found guilty of "seditious conspiracy" and "levying war against American and Allied forces." He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
• Marie Mason: An environmental activist sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison for nonviolent property crimes.
• Eric McDavid: An environmental activist sentenced to 19 years in prison for "conspiring" to engage in nonviolent property crimes.
• Mumia Abu Jamal: A former Black Panther Party member, framed for the murder of a police officer in 1981, sentenced to death.
• Leonard Peltier: An American Indian Movement (AIM) activist and citizen of the Anishinabe and Lakota Nations, serving a life sentence after being framed for the murder of two FBI agents in 1975.
• Louis Harper: An African American man sentenced, because of his race, to 50 years in prison in 1990 for selling $20 worth of cocaine.
"These are just a few of the many political prisoners in the United States," Nesbitt continued. "While the United States continues to promote itself as a beacon of freedom and democracy, the illegality of political dissent in the United States continues to be a reality."
The North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office is a legal news agency representing the earth liberation movement. The NAELFPO reports on the covert direct actions taken by the Earth Liberation Front in defense of the planet. Targeting deforestation, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), urban sprawl, automobile and industry pollution, and other threats to the natural environment, the Earth Liberation Front uses nonviolent economic sabotage to compel industries and governments to reshape their environmentally destructive policies.
The NAELFPO can be found on the web at www.elfpressoffice.org
Contact:
North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office
Tel: (202) 521-1482
info@elfpressoffice.org ###
NAELFPO
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
Do animal liberationists not exist?
20.04.2009 06:48
You put down Marie who burnt property and a wrongly convicted cop killer, but you ignore the SHAC 7 who were imprisoned for free speech??? Are they not good example of political prisoners???
The six individuals and organisation (Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty USA) did nothing more than advocate the closure of and ran a campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences. They were imprisoned not for campaigning, but for utilizing free speech. It was one of the most notorious cases in USA political history - I can't believe this has been ignored.
What happens if you find yourselves banged up for free speech JUST like the SHAC 7, will it then be an issue? I think its obvious that NAELFPO suffers from speciesism and favouritism. In summary, this press release reads like its exactly 20 days late, as a very late and pathetic joke. Just when I thought you might start actually receiving communiques, whereas now it doesn't look like many ALF/ELF activists are going to be interested if they read this.
Recommendations for the Press Office:
Website:
History:
Books: Terrorist or Freedom Fighters? / Igniting a Revolution
Diet: Veganism (a basic principle to denounce anthropocentrism)
Tip: Do your fucking research or just fuck off.
If you know all of this, then why aren't you highlighting it???
I'm genuinely looking for an answer here Lisa to restore my support.
PS
Well done for connecting racism with anthropocentrism, this is good going, how about now making the obvious connection between speciesism and human supremacy.
Shocked
To previous comment - How about just acting and not unjustly criticising
20.04.2009 17:34
In terms of the timeliness of the press release, I researched it and it was a direct response to comments made by Obama the same day (yesterday). If anything, the NAELFPO should be commended on their timeliness in responding.
As for not specifically including examples of who you identify as an animal liberationist in the cases on the press release, two of the people are just as mush animal liberationists as anything else. Second, it appears as though the cases listed all were examples of extreme sentences, more so than a specific representation of all the issues that political prisoners may be imprisoned for. With your rationale, you could just as easily argue and criticise for the release not containing Puerto Rican Independence activists, gay/lesbian activists, anti-nuclear activists, BLA activists, SLA activists, and more. Your single issue mindedness and failure to understand the connection between political movements is obvious within your comment.
On another issue, considering you have no way of knowing who is behind the NAELFPO, and who wrote the press release, does it really make any logical sense to attempt to criticise them and suggest they do not know what it is like to face serious repression and free speech impediments? Accusing the NAELFPO of speciesism and favouritism is just childlike and it is obvious from the work the NAELFPO does, this slandering couldn't be further from the truth.
And your recommendations for the press office are hilarious. First of all, there are far better and thorough resources available than your less-than-brilliant list. Second, there you go making false assumptions again about the NAELFPO and its press officers - who you have no idea as to their identities. Assuming they are not vegan - hilarious. You've got to really get off of that pedestal you're on, get out of the armchair and stop criticising and start acting.
Lastly, owing the nature of infighting and public slander and smear campaigns, I am wondering why you didn't talk directly to the NAELFPO and voice your concerns before engaging in your slandering campaign on this public forum. Truly, if you cared about the movement, this logical step would not have been overlooked. This leads me to believe you are either stupid, immature, or a scum of the earth law enforcement operative.
In the case of the former, don't make assumptions you can't back up. Keep fighting, keep struggling and concentrate on your own actions rather than criticising the actions of others.
anon