About this contract on my life

[Chaumont Devin]

Dear Friends,

Regarding the $50,000 contract on my life on soc.culture.indonesia,, which
has the following key header lines:

Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 05:50:19 -0700
Message-ID: <199903251250.FAA04291 at xpressweb.com>
From: "H. Gouw" <hgouw at usa.net>
Subject: Dicari, Hidup Atau Mati, Chaumont Devin!!!

My friends in Honolulu have grown quite alarmed.  They point out to me the
fact that many people considered an enemy of the CIA, etc., have simply
disappeared, been reported to have been found with drug needles in their
apartments, etc.

So I would like to state very clearly in this message, which will go out
to key people all over the world, that I have never used recreational
drugs in my life, have never been drunk even once in my life, and do not
even know the taste of beer.  Any of my friends who really knows me should
immediately be able to verify what I am saying to you.

Furthermore, I am in excellent health, and have just had a
heart/lung/blood checkup at Straub Clinic in Honolulu.  My physician is
Dr. Kalani Brady.

My friends have pointed out to me that Indonesia is a member of the
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, and that by declaring myself an enemy
of the "Republic of Indonesia", which I have often called "one of the
largest criminal organizations in the world", I have automatically
declared myself an enemy of the United States because of Seato.

As far as being an enemy of the CIA, never worry, I have also made my
feelings clear on that score many times.

So to sum it up, if anything strange should happen to me, you will know
the reason(s).

And should I disappear, you or anyone else will be able to verify this
because I run both maluku-net at lavanet and eastnet at lava.net mailing lists.
You will know that I am missing because I post on those lists nearly every
single day.

I was born a free American to free American parents.  Although I am only
57, my grandfather crossed the plains three times in wagons and helped
settle the west, and you can find his journal somewhere in the University
of California archives at Berkeley.  My people fought for freedom for all
Americans including Blacks (my great uncle fought against the south in the
California Regiment).  My grandfather's gun killed two Indian agents who
raped an Indian princess before the "Americans" came and massacred her
village.  My father died of malaria and heart attack on Ambon Island while
in missionary service to the people of Maluku.

I grew up in Maluku, and saw these proud and noble people bent and broken
by their unprincipled oppressors (who have been consistently backed by the
Pentagon) all my life.  Instead of teaching Indonesia the principles of
democrasy and freedom, the United States has been arming and training the
JJavanese military elite to torture, kill and deceive under such programs
as "counterinsurgency training", "psychological warfare", etc.

And for the record, I am not a Communist, nor have I or any member of my
family ever been a Communist at any time (just thought I should clear THAT
up while I'm at it).

I was also a missionary in Maluku, where I paddled hundreds of miles in
outrigger canoes, and crossed islands on foot (sometimes on bare feet
because I was not able to obtain footware capable of standing up under
that kind of treatment for more than one or two days).  Death threats are
not new to me, because people also threatened my life for preaching the
Gospel in the Moluccan wilderness.

So, as I have told my friends, the decision to stand up to Indonesia and
its CIA and Pentagon backers is my own free choice, taken as a free
American.  I perceive them only as criminals who lack the honor I might
ascribe to a dog.  I was born a free American, I have lived a free
American, and I will die a free American.  And thanks to the Internet,
there is no way anyone can touch me outside due process of law without the
entire world knowing what they have done.  Small comfort perhaps, but
pretty good when you compare this with the fate of Christian friends in
Ambon.

And at last, as if to underline my defiance (bold letters underlined 3
times), I will tell you that I have been totally blind for the last 27
years, so that I am unable to arm myself or to see my attackers.  I still
defy them because I dare to defy evil in the full realization that it is
precisely when good men allow themselves to become intimidated that evil
prevails.

I am sorry because I know that some of you will be offended by this
message as being irrelevant to this mailing list, political in nature,
etc.  And yet none of us can escape the same forces, because we live in a
politically-driven and dangerous world.  So please forgive me yet again
this time.

With best regards,
Chaumont Devin.