Hello there,
I was recently re-reading Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and I was astonished at the similarities between his point of view and those of Robert Lovelace. Have you read it? It can be found on the web at http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/frequentdocs/birmingham.pdf

I think it would look well on you if you took the time to read this document and reflect on how the political decisions of your government have resulted in the creation of political prisoners such as Robert Lovelace and the KI 6.

Robert Lovelace is in jail because, as Justice Cunningham outlined in his reasons for sentencing, Ontario does not approve of “self-help” actions such as sit-ins, marches, and occupations in the face of injustice. Your government and its judiciary body would prefer that citizens, and especially Aboriginal Peoples, left things to be sorted out through government imposed bureaucratic processes. Here is what Dr. King has to say in defence of “self-help”:
You may well ask: “Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are quite right in calling, for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word “tension.” I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.
Your version of negotiation was to send the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines to negotiate the terms under which uranium will be mined on unceded Algonquin Land. That does not really qualify as negotiation, does it? That was rather a form of coercion.

I suggest you begin again. This time, negotiate without forgone conclusions. This time, negotiate through a process that incorporates Algonquin methods of consultation. This time, keep Dr. Martin Luther King in mind.

I know you are a busy man and you probably don’t have time to read and absorb information with any depth, so I’ll close with one last quote from Dr. King’s letter: It is a statement that I have heard Robert Lovelace utter many times:

“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

Sincerely,
Catherine Wills
RR #4, Lansdowne, ON K0E 1L0

I am writing to you because up until recently, I have been proud to be a Canadian. I have thought myself lucky to live in a country in which we have freedom of speech, and justice is upheld. Now, I don’t feel so lucky to be a Canadian. Now, I don’t feel so lucky to be a citizen of a country in which Aboriginal leaders like Robert Lovelace are imprisoned; in which judges like Justice Cunningham dedicate their careers to assisting corporation like Frontenac Ventures; in which uranium exploration and open pit mining are commonplace, despite the known health and environmental risks.
Please make me proud to be a Canadian again.
Sincerely,

Maya Thau-Eleff

Thank you for your courage and commitment to the safety of other human beings. It takes many to solve the injustices of our world, but we need leaders such as yourself to guide the way.

Your freedom is being championed and your cause is being understood. Your work is being embraced, and I pray you will soon be too by your loved ones and all those who you hold dear.

Much support and admiration,

Jessica Carmichael
Edmonton, Alberta

Thank you.

respectfully,
Lori Le Mare
Toronto, Ontario

There are times when I am tempted to despair and to believe that we humans don’t deserve this beautiful planet. Sometimes it seems as though we could not do a better job of ruining this perfectly balanced jeweled mechanism of a world if that were our explicit purpose. Then I read about people like you, who are still sane and still care about the things that really matter, and I take heart. I hope you will take heart too, from the support of the rest of us.

With admiration,
John Lazarus
Kingston, Ontario

I am so sorry that you have become yet another example of the injustices that continue against our aboriginal people, and our mother Earth. I am so grateful there are those among us, like you, who will draw a line in the sand and say ‘no more’ in peaceful protest and I am outraged that such noble behaviour is met with contempt and what amounts to criminal treatment. Please know that we are most grateful that you have had the courage to do what we have not. I am frankly ashamed to go on with my daily routine while you fight this battle for us all. I will continue to follow your plight and do my best to help. My heartfelt thanks to you for being ‘Part of the Solution’.

Andrea Gleeson
Oakville Ontario

Michelle’s a dear friend of mine who’s brought your story to my attention.

I just read the lovely letter you wrote to your daughter. I can only imagine what you’re going through, but it’s obvious your choice of protest has cast an ever-widening light on an issue that would have otherwise remained in darkness.

I sincerely hope that your action will lead, as you eloquently stated in your letter to Skye, to a “higher standard of justice” — for you and your people.

Many thanks for trying to save us from disaster. I think it says a lot about you that you are attempting to build a library collection for the prisoners. While I’m sure that the outrage inflicted on you–six months for peaceful protesting–is bad PR for the government, it is also a chance for you to indicate the depth of your commitment. Talking, even marching, comes nowhere near to sitting in a prison cell. I always think of Thorough’s answer to his friend, who looked through the bars and asked, What are you doing in there? The answer: What are you doing out there? You are a hero for being in there, Sir, and I have deep respect for you.

I will never understand how some people come to believe that what is hidden under the surface of the earth can be of greater value than the earth itself. One can’t help but worry for their loved ones – might they need to see the beating heart to truly value it? Do they really not comprehend the damage they do?

I know that this is all about politics and corporate privilege and the inordinate power of the nuclear and mining lobbies, up against people concerned about environmental impacts and the rights of First Nations. And I don’t know how much I can do to fix any of that, but I’d like at least to pass along a poem.

It’s by a guy from Ottawa called Clive Doucet. It’s from a book of his called “Canal Seasons”, and it just seems appropriate.

I love this old planet.
I love the days
When morning comes to me
On silver wings
And sunrise opens my eyes
With the gentlest of inquiries.
I love this old planet
And if I could,
Would wrap my arms around it
And pull it to my chest
To keep it safe.

Thank you, Mr Lovelace, for doing what you can to keep part of this old planet and her deep-beating heart safe. Your courage is truly humbling.