Sen. John McCain supports ongoing genocide against the Navajo Nation
Submitted by dcu on Sat, 07/08/2006 – 3:47am.
My wife and I have just returned from visiting Navajo friends in
New Mexico and Arizona. Upon returning home I received an email from a
friend in Colorado about what John McCain is doing to the Navajo people. Read
about it below the fold:
S.1003 Passes Through the Senate
Sen. John McCain paints on a counterfeit grin as he waves to the
crowds that have come to support him. If people knew the clandestine actions
taking place behind his practiced pose, they would be throwing eggs at him instead
of admiring glances. McCain, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is
campaigning to put an end to Navajo relocation costs via the S. 1003 bill. This
would mean that the government is no longer accountable ethically or financially for
the chaos it has inflicted on innocent Navajo people. S. 1003 has now passed the Senate.
It is moving fast tothe House for approval.
Traditionally nomadic in the Arizona area, the Navajo were coupled with their friends
the Hopi and both were forced upon this reservation, located around Big Mt./Black Mesa
in the NE corner of Arizona. In 1882 the powers that be at the time knew there were
fossil fuels underground. They also calculated that the Native Americans were easier to
manipulate then white settlers and thus placed the vulnerable Navajo and Hopi there,
knowing that someday the fossil fuels would be harvested from the land. In the 1950’s the
push came to get rid of just the Navajo. The forced exodus of over 12,000 Navajo people
ensued which shattered them physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Death by
grief is a grim reality in this community. Through this forced relocation the federal
government has destroyed the subsistence lifestyle of thousands of Navajos, uprooted whole
communities, and left the Navajo Nation and Navajo people to bear much of the burden of
addressing the extraordinary economic, social and psychological consequences of relocation.
Congress never understood the situation of the people living on the land, and refused to see
the costs or the heartbreak.
Genocide is sometimes fought against by our government in other countries but is
deliberate on this Navajo reservation. How dare we preach to other countries when we are
doing this to our own people here at home! None of which would be tolerated in mainstream
society. These crimes are perpetuated by the corporate media who refuses to highlight this
story of Homeland Terrorism.
The Navajo “resistors” who refused to relocate have been harassed to
leave by armed police through physical abuse and intimidation. Also being
classified as trespassers on their own land, they are denied their basic=2 0human
rights to practice their religious ceremonies, to fix or build homes through a law
named the Bennett Freeze and forbidden to collect wood for their fires. In addition
their sheep, cattle and horses are impounded to strip them of their sustenance. The
place that the Dine’ people are relocated to was named the “New Lands.” The name
conjures up a rosy image. But in reality the New Lands are lethal to inhabitants because
it is downstream from the largest uranium spill in US history. There are former EPA
officials who are willing to testify that the New Lands should be made a superfund site
and all inhabitants removed. The displaced Navajo just want to go home and live traditionally
in peace.
In blind pursuit of the coal, ancient ceremonial sites, petroglyphs, artifacts and
burial grounds have been destroyed along with people’s homes, air, land, medicinal plants
and water supplies. The harvesting and usage of coal fired power plants is deadly to humans
and the earth. As illustrated in Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth” America is the
biggest polluter globally and much of the pollution is caused by fossil fuel usage.
In sanctioning relocation, our government ignored more humane alternatives for resolving
this conflict. A cash settlement to the people affected is the norm when land is taken.
If McCain’s bill S.1003 is made into law, the Navajo will be forcibly removed from the land
without compensation and no safe place to go. This is outrageous and in opposition to the
United States Constitution. Our government is the bully in this arena and conceals its policy
of thrashing its poorest but most sacred residents. Native people are a unique and treasured
natural resource. Ancient wisdom and culture is endangered as the cadence of the
government spin picks up its pace. It is time to unify to rectify these injustices. The time
is now.
There are actions that all citizens can take to help the Navajo win this agonizing battle.
Mobilize your circles to create a massive flood of faxes then phone calls to your local
senators and representatives. In addition to your local congresswomen & men a deluge of
communications is needed to be sent to Congressman Rick Renzi who represents the Big Mt./Black
Mesa area. Contact Renzi by phone:
202-225-2315 or fax: 202-226-9739.
DEMAND a one year study to examine and assess the impacts and effects relocation has had on
Navajo people. This assessment will then serve as a policy and fact based tool for developing a
humane closure plan. Also demand that the Navajo be allowed to return from the New Lands to their
reservation in Big Mt./Black Mesa and to allow all Navajo there to live in peace and harmony.
See this website for more details:
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