Jeff “Free” Luers November 26, 2006 Prison Dispatch on Palestine

Jeffrey Luers

sunburst graphic Jeffrey Luers is an American political prisoner, an activist in the Enviromental movement. In June 2001, 23 year-old forest defense activist Jeffrey "Free" Luers was sentenced to 22 years and 8 months in prison for the burning of three Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV's) in Eugene, Oregon. Despite the fact that this action hurt no one, caused only $40,000 in damages and the cars were later resold, Jeff was sent to prison for a sentence considerably longer than those convicted of murder, kidnapping and rape in Oregon state. To read more about Jeff and his case PLS visit his support website

Sadly, as Americans, we tend to be deaf to voices that aren’t our own. All around the world people are struggling to rid themselves from the yoke of oppression. Our media too often ignores or distorts these stories.

This dispatch is for my Palestinian friends and comrades, whose stories need to become a much larger part of our lives, especially because America helps finance their oppression.

There are more than 10,000 Palestinian political prisoners and POWs in Israel. Their imprisonment is beyond cruel.

The Israeli Defense Forces and police commonly use torture as an interrogation tactic. Detainees are kept awake for days on end, denied clothes and hygiene items. Their bodies are bound or handcuffed in unnatural positions for hours causing extreme pain. This torture continues often until they admit involvement in illegal activity or point the finger at someone else. These confessions or allegations against others are nearly always untrue and are made just to stop the torture.

The Palestinian government was democratically elected. The US however does not choose to recognize the Hamas government as legitimate. America has a standard policy of refusing to recognize even elected governments when those governments oppose American foreign policy.

Adding insult to injury the US gives arms and financial aid to the Israeli military, which has most recently gone under fire for the use of cluster bombs on civilian targets in Lebanon.

The Israeli military routinely carries out bombing raids or missile assassinations in Palestinian civilian areas. These attacks almost always kill innocent civilians.

Caterpillar Tractors, an American company, sell bulldozers to the Israeli Army. These bulldozers are then modified for war against the laws of the Geneva Convention. The bulldozers are used to destroy homes and olive orchards.

The end result is that generation-after-generation of Palestinians is growing up in refugee camps, prisoners in their own home land.

We have a responsibility to educate ourselves and others about the people and countries are government is oppressing. We have a duty to challenge that oppression at its root, here at home.

I leave you with a quote from my latest letter from the Palestinian front:

“I believe that our struggles are part of one worldwide struggle. You in the USA can’t win without us in the Third World weakening the Empire with our struggle. And we also can’t succeed if you don’t do your part. So the best thing every one of us can do is to do the best on the front we are placed in.”

Localized revolutions are still played out on the world stage. Solidarity mean s paying attention and participating.