The recent apology by Australian PM Kevin Rudd to the stolen generation came and went on the international news scene, but the fact remains: apologies matter. As a white girl who grew up on the other side of the Pacific, i've long been horrified by the limitless accounts of atrocities committed against the native peoples on Turtle Island by the US government. So it was great to come across this news, about the honoring of Chief Leschi of the Nisqually tribe up in Washington State on the 150 year anniversary of his execution. The Chief was exonerated in 2004 for the death of a US Army Colonel, who was killed in an ambush during the manifest destiny wars in the Pacific Northwest. Once again, apologies matter.
An interesting - or shall i say synchronistic - aspect of this history is that Leschi's execution was the first case of capital punishment in what was at that time the Washington Territory. With trials of Guantanamo prisoners set to begin soon, the commemoration of Chief Leschi provides yet another opportunity to reflect on the death penalty, the murder of those tried in kangaroo courts in order to substantiate the political rhetoric being spewed about at the time. It’s hard to see how pre-determined verdicts for the Guantanamo six signify any kind of change in the way the US government approaches the trials of people from groups which have been considered threats to the empire over the course of its history. That the government is asking for the death penalty for Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, et al. hardly surprises, yet the thought of these sentences actually being carried out is something i personally find repulsive, moreso because the system under which they’re being tried is so corrupt.
A final thought on the apology theme: Bill Clinton’s infamous “bridge to the 21st century” shamefully excluded any substantive attempts on his part towards rectifying the injustices against native peoples. At the very least, he should have pardoned Leonard Peltier, who was extradited from Canada under false pretenses and whose incredibly long incarceration - 30 years and counting - is widely acknowledged to be an act of political scapegoating. This is an apology – and a pardon – long overdue!! I truly hope that when future generations commemorate Leonard, it will be on the anniversary of his release, rather than the date of any other event in his life.
An interesting - or shall i say synchronistic - aspect of this history is that Leschi's execution was the first case of capital punishment in what was at that time the Washington Territory. With trials of Guantanamo prisoners set to begin soon, the commemoration of Chief Leschi provides yet another opportunity to reflect on the death penalty, the murder of those tried in kangaroo courts in order to substantiate the political rhetoric being spewed about at the time. It’s hard to see how pre-determined verdicts for the Guantanamo six signify any kind of change in the way the US government approaches the trials of people from groups which have been considered threats to the empire over the course of its history. That the government is asking for the death penalty for Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, et al. hardly surprises, yet the thought of these sentences actually being carried out is something i personally find repulsive, moreso because the system under which they’re being tried is so corrupt.
A final thought on the apology theme: Bill Clinton’s infamous “bridge to the 21st century” shamefully excluded any substantive attempts on his part towards rectifying the injustices against native peoples. At the very least, he should have pardoned Leonard Peltier, who was extradited from Canada under false pretenses and whose incredibly long incarceration - 30 years and counting - is widely acknowledged to be an act of political scapegoating. This is an apology – and a pardon – long overdue!! I truly hope that when future generations commemorate Leonard, it will be on the anniversary of his release, rather than the date of any other event in his life.
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