Letters: ‘Trump may become the next Hitler’

We have a devil in our midst. His name is Donald Trump and he is likely to be the nominee for the GOP or the Republican Party. We as conscious human beings cannot allow this racist, bigoted, prejudice, and lunatic of a Bilagaana to hold any kind of public office.

We all need to work together diligently against Trump receiving one Native vote. This person has a mentality unlike a disease that continues to grow.

Donald Trump has roots to KKK, with history indicating that his father was part of the earlier KKK movement. Trump has failed to denounce David Duke who is a white supremacist and former grand wizard of KKK.

If this person gets elected he may become the next Adolph Hitler of modern times. This is an example of how far the GOP or Republican Party is willing to push to get people elected…at the cost of minorities. Don’t allow that to happen!

Ervin Tsosie
Gallup, N.M.

‘Bernie has always defended civil rights for all people’

As a Yakama registered Colville Native who grew up in Spokane, Wash., and now going to the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, my perspective is that Bernie has, throughout his 40-year career, always defended civil rights for all people of color. He recently hired Ojibwe Tara Houska as his advisor. She is an activist and his hiring her proves a genuine empathy for Native concerns. His stance on the environment and his unprecedented stances against the corporate stranglehold on most government processes: these are vital to Native peoples. As the word gets out on him, huge pluralities in our tribal voting in the primaries are becoming very clear. Certainly, this is one of the reasons he won Oklahoma.

Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest and Great Plateau area, protecting one of the few pristine environments left in the U.S., this would be inconceivable with both Trump and Clinton and their proven kowtowing to every corporate desire, especially the Wall Street Bailout, which Americans will have to pay for the next three decades.

Clinton supported one of the opponents of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Barry Goldwater, back when she was a young Republican.

Bernie, on the other hand, got arrested in Chicago protesting segregation, and a recent photo of Martin Luther King in Selma, clearly includes Bernie Sanders as a very young man, only 20 feet behind King in the photo.

For all Native peoples, there is so much at stake that I am impelled to not only share my views with your readers but also more vitally to ask that you, like the Seattle Times did recently, give an early endorsement to Bernie Sanders for the Democrat nomination. The Republicans are in such a disarray and need your guidance more than Democrats do, so you could also endorse whomever you want for the Republican nomination.

Natives in general lack representation in both politics and the media, and so we have a profound faith that having Bernie in the White House for eight years could bring new Native elected officials at all levels. We trust him, above all, and that is the most important criterion for us after centuries of abuse, neglect, racism, broken treaties, stolen land, and a litany of other injustices.

My friends from many tribes, plus my family and I, all recognize that this is a great chance for us to have a Vermont senator who descends from Polish Jews as president, and when we look at Trump’s and Hillary’s record, how can there be any choice?

Willow Tomeo
Santa Fe, N.M.
(Hometown: Spokane, Wash.)

‘Make the right choice for our people’

It’s that time again to elect a new U.S. president. And yes, I have to say, again, “How can anyone support Republicans?” Especially if you are Native American!

The party as of late has been in disarray. The party that we were informed stood for “civil rights” and “personal responsibility” has finally unveiled its true racist and hateful colors. Unfortunately, we weren’t informed previously the famous Civil Rights Act was signed by a Democrat President, Lyndon B. Johnson, not a Republican. That’s when the shift was made was by the Good Ole Boys or the Boys of the Hood to The Good Ole Party (GOP) because a Democrat president gave equal rights to all.

Every other civil rights passed by the Republicans fell short of teeth and grit for all Americans till the Act of 1964. Since then, they (Republicans) have been relentless in stopping any non-white to progress. Just like the current and past Congress, their sole purpose has been to dismantle, undo, and destroy any progress the current non-white, colored president has established while holding the rest of the country hostage. If I didn’t know any better, I would classify them as terrorists. With the likes of the senator from Texas holding Congress and the country hostage while reading a Dr. Seuss book and stalling to pass the budget; not moving forward to allow President Obama to select a new Supreme Court justice; Senator McCain for cunningly sneaking Oaks Flats (sacred Apache grounds) into a bill to be used for copper mining regardless of the Apache claim; and currently the lead Republican candidate openly condoning violence and hatred to his white supporters preaching “Let’s Make America Great Again.”

Not sure what that means but if it’s anything like his rallies, he may just put up a border on us (reservations) also. Then where will the Republican Navajo Arizona and New Mexico representative be? The McKinley County Republican State Central Committee? Or any other Native American claiming allegiance. Knowledge is power!

History always repeats itself. If we didn’t learn anything from Kit Carson, how our code talkers were treated for many years until recently, and how the U.S. government has continued its open assault on our sovereignty and other Native nations throughout Indian Country, etc.

… Granted, I don’t live on the rez, but I’m very aware of rez life and do what I can, when I can to help. Yes help, not turn the other way, think of myself and my ideals only. As Native people, we have a responsibility to our creator and mother earth … I’m talking about because we experience it every day or every other day. But we’ve learned to live with it and at times stand up to it, and those who have learned how to from the knowledge we’ve gained.

Make the right choice for our people, not only in Diné Bi Keyah, but also throughout Native America. This election is not just about jobs, economy, or the deficit as they will have you believe.

Randall Benally
Rio Rancho, N.M.

Be informed about community at all levels

The recent Navajo Nation Science Fair and the success of the Lady Bengals basketball team highlight the accomplishments of our local youth. In addition to reading about their group accomplishments, I’d like to learn more about the individuals. Who are each of the members of the Lady Bengals team, and who are the winners of the Navajo Nation Science Fair categories?

As a volunteer judge for the science fair, I saw some very impressive projects by the high-schoolers: a sophisticated analysis of the Gold King Mine spill as well as a federally-funded project studying the function of pancreas cells that may lead to diabetes treatments. And the ability of the Lady Bengals to bring out the best in each other should also serve as role models. Where are these kids from? Who are their families, teachers and clergy? Who inspires them? And what are their plans?

I also recently had the pleasure of interviewing local high school seniors who are applying to Stanford University, one of the world’s premier academic institutions. They and their peers are applying to other outstanding schools, something they would not even have considered if not for their talents, accomplishments, and encouragement by their peers and important adults in their lives. When a local youth is admitted into a top-flight school – Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cal Tech, MIT, and others – it is as impressive as one of their peers obtaining an athletic scholarship and ought to receive the same attention. If their own community recognizes and celebrates their achievements, it is that much more likely they’ll return and serve it with similar pride.

It’s hard not to get fatigued and depressed looking at the local newspapers’ steady stream of photographs of orange-clad arrestees, and reading stories about alcohol-related exposure deaths, murders, child abuse, traffic accidents, and political conflict.

However, as a reader of the Navajo Times, I want to be informed about the community at all levels. We’d all benefit from knowing more about and being encouraged by the youth in our community whose character and accomplishments make us proud.

Rick Strassman
Gallup, N.M.

Natives standing against biotech farming industry

“Complicit” caught my attention and I appreciate, Cindy Yurth’s report and I support Dana Eldridge blasting NAPI growing GMOs. Natural food resources are being privatized by giant biotech corporate farming industries, like Monsanto. They are lying on their website, “they never sued a farmer” over patent violation. They sued a Canadian farmer, Percy Schmeiser, for “patent infringement.” After being vilified and harassed by Monsanto, they provided no safeguards in any farming practice, where GMO crops can co-existence with non-modified crops. Percy’s farm was located next to a GMO farmer contaminating his crops from natural pollination called pollen drift naturally occurring with the help of nature, carried by wind, birds, and insects seemed to be the guilty party, not Percy Schmeiser. He states, “Where does the corporation’s right end? And where does my right begin?”

Airborne pollination of GMO crops are contaminating naturally grown agricultural products across the globe and farmers are beginning to fight back. Look out Aztec, Farmington, Kirtland, and Fruitland, you live downwind from NAPI and your small family farms will be contaminated. The Navajo Nation should be making the same statement as Percy Schmeiser. What is going to happen to our Native farming practice if we get into a legal argument? Will our traditional farmers be protected to grow their own seeds, because Monsanto considers it “piracy” to save your own seeds? The American Indians were the first to practice farming on North American soil and I’m sure we’ll be fighting to protect our Native corn with Monsanto.

Our southwest Indian corn is sacred and has a history, not only with Navajos and Pueblos, but all indigenous nations in North and South America. “Tadidiin” (corn pollen) is the very core of our ceremony, philosophy and culture inherited from our ancestors. It’s who we are. The giant biotech farming industry doesn’t understand this. Their aim is to eliminate diverse natural food product, extinction of native seeds so they can increase ownership patents to a few corporations. You can’t feed the world with terminator seeds to conquer world hunger. Terminator seeds are worthless after one growing season.

Ryan Garcia is either complicit or naïve. Sounds like GMO producers have tiptoed in where they don’t belong, and they don’t do so without a written contract. What has the Navajo Nation waivered with this giant biotech farming industry? Monsanto is monopolizing food pricing on the world market.

I hope I have employees and members of the Department of Justice reading this editorial opinion. Please read, ”Native Rice Seeds,” by Winona LaDuke, a Native writer. She will open your mind about how Natives are taking a stand against major biotech farming industry.

Teddy Begay
Kayenta, Ariz.

---