Navajo Resist John McCain's SB 1003

This bill is not about coal, oil or anything else. It is about money! Plain and simple. The money that went into President Bush's champaign fund and the money that is lining the pocket of many of the Senators. That money was paid to them for favors such as removing the Indian people from their land so that Peabody could get rich off the minerals buried in Indian land.

The truth of the matter is, that land belongs to the Indian people, therefore the minerials belong to the Indian people. The money from the minerals should then go to the Indian people. All this amouts too is the robbing of the Indian people, again!

what action should be taken to help stop SB1003?

To stop this bill we need to tell all our friends and have them tell all their friends to write and call the appropriate senators etc and become a part of this story. With the internet it is not that hard to reach many, many people.

This is a letter I found on the internet:

senator [at] dorgan.senate.gov
> senator_mccain [at] mccain.senate.gov,
> senator [at] mccain.senate.gov
> senator_dorgan [at] dorgan.senate.gov
>
> Please feel free to replace my name with your own then copy and paste it
> to your represntative at:
>
> http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
>
> Dear Representative,
>
> Again I am writing in support of traditional Navajo (known in their
> language as Dineh) who will be forcibly evicted and dispossessed of their
> homes under the Senate Bill 1003 "The Navajo Hopi Land Settlement Act
> Amendments of 2005." This bill has been passed by the Senate by unanimous
> consent, despite public outcry opposing the bill. I find this to be an
> outrage since many Dineh families will be devastatingly affected and have
> not even been consulted with. I support the right of these families, who
> are among the few remaining American Indians who still speak their
> traditional language and practice their traditional culture, to remain on
> their lands and strongly oppose Senate Bill 1003.
>
> The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) "estimates that enacting S. 1003
> would have no significant effect on direct spending or revenues." In
> fact, the original Navajo Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974 forced 1000s of
> hardworking self-sustaining families into welfare dependency, despair and
> early death. After its passage, key senators noted that this bill was a
> mistake, yet nothing was done. This ill-conceived bill may actual force
> hardworking independent people into welfare dependency on the federal
> government and increase the cost to US taxpayers. The cost overruns and
> inadequate financing of the relocation program are not the fault of the
> Navajo affected and are entirely due to major miscalculations on the
> number of affected people and federal governmental incompetence. Adding
> insult to injury, the lands designated for relocation are the victim of
> the largest release (by volume) of low-level radioactive waste in U.S.
> history when in 1979 the Church Rock Uranium Mill's da
> m bro
> ke and 94 million gallons of slurry waters entered the Puerco River.
>
> The Navajo tell us that it is no coincidence that the land from which the
> Navajo are being removed contains over $20 billion worth of coal. This
> bill comes at a time while Peabody Energy is in the process of acquiring a
> life-of-mine lease in the Black Mesa area, even though the Black Mesa Mine
> is temporarily shut down. Peabody Energy along with Southern California
> Edison, the Navajo Nation, and the Hopi Tribal Council have been in secret
> negotiations so as to reopen the mine. It is also interesting to note
> that there is language in these negotiations that absolves both Peabody
> Energy and Southern California Edison of any responsibilities for
> destruction to the environment or to the people who live there.
>
> Therefore, I support the Navajo families in opposing Senate Bill 1003 and
> respectfully request
>
> * That the House of Representatives remove Senate Bill 1003 from
> consideration
>
> * That the Congress act responsibly and pass a resolution opposing forced
> relocation of Native Americans
>
> * That Congress help the communities already relocated rather than closing
> any federal offices that may be able to help them
>
> * That Congress work directly with affected families and communities to
> resolve any land issues and listen to them, not just Jack Abramoff or
> other high paid lobbyists.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Thomas Greywolf Atkins
> Chickahominy/Mattaponi/U.S.Citizen

Why must we whites consistantly cause suffering to the original owners of this great land? We as a voice of the people always say that we support the rights of others, but do we? All minorities are given special treatment by our government and politicians...except Native Americans! We have built a great counrty with the stolen land of others and we have the nerve to say that we discovered this land! It was already here and occupied! IT is now time for white and all groups of people to band together to make life better, not cause suffering among our fellow Americans. I am ashamed to be white and for my bloodline to have had any part, no matter how small, in the destruction of the native american way of life. Please let me know what I can do to help keep these great people on their land! Have courage! I am sure I am not alone in my thinking.

If you want to bring attention to your situation and let the world know of John McCain's part in your pain and misery please call talk show hosts this weekend and Monday before the Super Tuesday elections. Having read your story on several sites it made me sick to think John McCain might be president of the United States!!! He is OWNED by big coal and related interests.

Please help stop McCain.