Guest Essay

The 2024 United States presidential election began with the announcement of Nikki Haley as a candidate for the Republican Party. She is said to be the strong candidate that represents the ideals of the former Republican Party. She is fiscally conservative, strong on foreign policy and a former governor.

It has been my honor and privilege to serve in government and public office for many years, including running for president of the Navajo Nation and more than a decade of service as a representative and later as a senator in the New Mexico State Legislature.

As we Diné know all too well, the uranium mining and milling that occurred in the Navajo Nation left a sad legacy. Many community members within the affected regions of our reservation have tragic stories about losing relatives to illnesses directly resulting from prolonged radiation and radon exposure.

May we stop the distortion of facts? I understand a campaign across the Navajo Nation to pass chapter resolutions opposing helium development is in motion.

How does one become a Navajo Code Talker, go through so much chaos on battlefields, and maintain sanity after being discharged from a military war?