<center>Letters to the Editor</center>

Action against Board of Election Supervisors unfair

Editor:

The Navajo Nation announced it was going to pursue criminal charges against the Navajo Board Of Election Supervisors approximately two months ago, but this action will leave a forever embarrassing scar on the history and legacy of Navajo justice that our ancestors worked so hard in defining.

What has happened to our elected Navajo Nation President Kelsey Begaye? We do not hear from him, nor do we see him exercising his powers of authority. We need a president who will fight on behalf of the people. Our government is currently so lopsided.

When you attend chapter meetings, these issues will be the topic of discussion, everywhere. The people have been rudely awakened, finding out attorneys run the government. No wonder we are perceived as the sleeping giant from the outside. Somebody tickle or slap or do something to provoke and fully awaken this sleeping giant before it is too late.

What happened to the council delegates whom we elected into office who in their oath stated that they would defend the rights of the people. We have some truly honorable council delegates who have taken a stand to defend the people’s rights. For the most part, the sad reality is that a majority of our delegates do not have the expertise or education to handle complex legal issues, so they bow out.

The trouble is when the delegates and the grassroots people do bow out, these attorneys are given far greater power than they should have. This is cluttering the integrity and dignity of our government.

How about prosecuting the real criminals? The Tuba City Chapter had boxes and boxes of documents taken out for alleged financial mismanagement. How about the alleged embezzled funds from a Tuba City domestic violence organization, a crime which has yet to be prosecuted? I wonder how many other cases there are that need attention.

We often hear of backlog of court cases and yet the one against the Board of Supervisors has miraculously made it to the top of the list, bypassing every other criminal case that has to be heard. This is a real travesty and mockery.

The Election Board Of Supervisors are the real heroes of the Navajo Nation. They will survive this government oppression. Through this, an identification of the unfair, unjust and ineffective laws needs to be made, such as why the votes of the people were not honored when they voted to downsize the council delegates to 24. The law that superseded the votes of the people is unjust, because it is interfering with the democratic process of the people’s votes. Why are the Election Board Of Supervisors being prosecuted when they only stood to preserve the integrity of the voting rights of the people? We will be calling upon the Navajo Nation Council to change these laws. We need new laws which will serve and honor the people’s rights.

The sleeping giant needs to awaken and reclaim our power as the grassroots people electorate and begin to speak out on the injustices within our government. Once this sleeping giant awakens, then we need to stand together to help the election board who stood up for our voting rights. As they are dragged through mud, we need to stand together to reaffirm the power of the people. We need to stand up for our civil rights and our voting rights.

Respectfully,

Juanita Burns

Tuba City

Peabody study should be questioned further

Editor:

Peabody Coal Company has come up with another model, showing that no damage is being done to the N-Aquifer. Are we blind and deaf as Hopi and Navajo people to not take action against your sole money provider?

If man can put men on the moon, then why can’t we come up with an alternative method to transport coal? Why not use the Colorado River as a renewable water source for the slurry pipeline?

Better yet, close down the generating plant at Laughlin, Nevada and refurbish the Navajo generating plant in Page. Better still we should build another plant by Lake Powell. It would create more jobs for Indian People, and perhaps prolong our water supply.

I also question why Peabody Coal Company has so many surface dams at the mine. What is the purpose of holding surface water near the mine?

The pumping of the sole pristine drinking water supply may drive the Hopi off what land they have left. Hopis are a living asset that the world needs. They are the oldest inhabitants that set footprints in this Great Country the U.S. Government calls its own.

It puzzles me why the U.S. Government or others might think that Indian people are less smart. Didn’t our Indian people and all nations bleed and die the same way as anyone else did in war? Well, I hope people of all nations hear and read this message and take action. One day the creator will speak and those that have not forgotten the good path of life will be rewarded— and those that hurt others will be punished.

Sincerely,

Elliott Selestewa Jr.

Tuba City

Companies should be required to label engineered foods

Editor:

I am outraged by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration’s new policies on genetically engineered (GE) foods. Despite overwhelming consumer demand, the agency still fails to require safety testing and mandatory labeling for GE foods. The “notification” policy is an insult to consumers, and irresponsibly ignores strong scientific evidence of numerous potential health and environmental risks to GE foods. They should be aware that these foods could be toxic, could cause allergic responses, could have lower nutrition value, could compromise immune responses in consumers, and could cause irreparable damage to the environment.

I am also greatly opposed to the FDA’s new “voluntary labeling” policy, which denies consumers a basic right to know. Without mandatory labeling, neither consumers nor health professionals will know if an allergic or toxic reaction was the result of a genetically engineered food. Consumers will also be deprived of the critical knowledge they need to hold food producers liable should any of these novel foods prove hazardous.

The FDA’s proposed rules ignore serious concerns, and appear to be a decision made to convenience industry at the expense of public health and the environment. I will not accept their attempt to make me a guinea pig of these untested foods, and I trust you will take my concern along with the thousands of others into serious consideration, and help raise the awareness of your readers or viewers.

Sincerely,

Robert Cote

Scottsdale