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URGENT! TAKE ACTION FOR BIG MOUNTAIN TODAY

by via list
STOP FORCED RELOCATION ON BIG MOUNTAIN, BLACK MESA, AZ. TARGETED NAVAJO
COMMUNITIES SAY THAT NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE ACTION!
Please take a moment
to read and FAX this letter today.


Dear Friends of the Indigenous Peoples of Big Mountain, Black Mesa, AZ,

Something critical is about to happen concerning the traditional
communities on Big Mountain and surrounding areas on Black Mesa. Today,
more than 30 years after the passage of Public Law 93 - 531, the original
Navajo-Hopi Relocation bill, a new bill is before Congress that sets a new
timetable for the forced relocation of a number of Navajo families on
Black Mesa. Senate bill S. 1003 "The Navajo Hopi Land Settlement Act
Amendments of 2005" is now on the Senate Calendar and may be passed at
anytime without debate or serious consideration unless the public acts
now. The last major relocation bill was approved by the Senate within a
month after being placed on the Senate Calendar and stayed in the House of
Representatives less than a
week before becoming law. It's difficult to convey the serious nature of
these new developments. The passage of this bill would effectively
devastate these traditional communities of Navajo, or Dineh, stripping
them of their identity and way of life which is tied into the land itself.

Native people's lives and livelihoods are on the line!

This bill will permanently displace the indigenous families of Big
Mountain and surrounding communities on Black Mesa from their ancestral
lands and will relieve the federal government of any further
responsibility for the relocated people. S. 1003, sponsored by Senator
John McCain (R-AZ), comes as Peabody Coal, the world's largest coal
company, is planning to expand its strip mining of American Indian lands,
drawing down a high-quality residential aquifer in the process. Only one
thing stands in Peabody's way: indigenous people live on the land below
which lies billions of tons of low-sulfur coal. As with their ancestors,
the land is the basis for the Black Mesa people's traditions,
spirituality, and livelihoods.

There is still time to act!

S 1003 may pass the Senate and the House of Representatives within the
next few weeks. Senate Bill 1003 may become law anytime now once again
starting the machine of forced relocation. But fortunately, a small window
of opportunity exists to stop it. It must first pass the Senate so the
Senate Indian Affairs Committee and your Senator must hear your voices
today. The indigenous families from the Big Mountain and Black Mesa
communities have not been represented in this process.

It's up to us the public and the international community to demand that
Congress educate themselves before they vote. After passing the earlier
relocation act, PL 93-531, in 1974, several Senators expressed misgivings
about the law, but it was too late. We cannot allow this to happen again.
The people of Big Mountain are asking us to jump in and shake up the
political landscape. Our outcry may be their only hope.

We must tell those who would once again sell out the people and the land
that there will be a political price to pay. It's easy to make decisions
from afar if you never risk meeting the people who will be affected.
Demand that Congress listen to the people. Maybe it is possible to reach
their hearts.

In an era of transnational corporate dominance, the methods of separating
indigenous peoples from their land and natural resources have outstripped
the ability of any agency or nongovernmental organization to monitor or
regulate. The importance of building alliances cannot be stressed enough.
The elders of Big Mountain such as Roberta Blackgoat have shown us the way
to the survival of our planet and the danger to us all if sacred lands are
destroyed, warning us of what is now happening long before global warming
and gaia became common words. The people of Big Mountain can not win this
fight alone and need the support of all people who love justice, human
rights, and the earth.

Please join us in sending this fax, and ask your friends and family to do
the same:
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/blackmesais/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2552

Thank you and Peace,

Black Mesa Indigenous Support

http://www.blackmesais.org
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