Letters: Fundraising so my parents can watch me at the National Spelling Bee

My name is Kelvin Winney and I am from Chinle, located on the Navajo Nation. I am 10 years old and in the 5th grade at Canyon de Chelly Elementary. My parents are Tilford (or Chum as people know him) and Nora. I have two sisters, Nicole and Dru. I am also a new uncle with a baby nephew, Mathus. I am also very lucky to have my grandparents, Calvin and Lena McKerry, and my great-grandmother, Helen Winney, living nearby.

On March 12, I was in the Navajo Nation Spelling Bee in Kayenta. I practiced hard at school and at home, but I was so nervous. My family and I were so excited when I spelled the last word correctly and won. I thought it was all a dream.

At the awards ceremony I was awarded an iPad, a humongous dictionary, and a trip for two to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. I even had my picture taken for the Navajo Times with CEO Mr. Arviso and with Miss Navajo. It was such an exciting day and I was so proud of myself.

When I start thinking about the trip to DC, I don’t know who to take because I want my whole family to go. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I want to share this experience with them. I want my family in the audience because I love them very much.

It is my wish to take my family with me to the National Spelling Bee on May 25, so I am humbly asking for your help. All donations will go towards airline tickets and hotel. I will be doing my part by selling some of my video games and my parents will also be doing some fundraising.

If you would like to help me, donations can be made at http://www.gofundme.com/kelvinzDCtrip or at any Wells Fargo Bank using account No. 6745074804.

I will do my best at the National Spelling Bee. I want to say thank you to every person willing to help me, every person posting kind words of encouragement on the Navajo Times Facebook page, and the Navajo Times for sponsoring the spelling bee.

Ahe’hee. May God bless you all.

Kelvin Winney
Chinle, Ariz.

When you cast your ballot

The Navajo people know that when Joe Shirley was in office he damaged the Navajo Nation like never before. As I listen to his campaign rhetoric there is absolutely nothing he says or points to that causes me to think he has changed for the better. He is no different than he was during the years he was in office.

So far he has presented very few ideas even concerning two issues he and his running mate say they want to prioritize: bringing stability and trust back to the Navajo Nation government and listening to Navajo voters’ opinions. Saying they will “bring stability” and make connections to an anti-Shirley dominated Navajo Nation Council aren’t enough.

And neither Shirley nor Benally could offer any opinion on how to build consensus and respect between the Office of the President and the Council, as it is one of the hottest issues in Navajo politics for the upcoming election. In addition, Benally has never held public office or has experience turning around a big corporate-size organization into a smooth running government. He would have a steep learning curve in Window Rock.

In other words, Shirley makes and raises the very same points as when he last ran for office. He certainly doesn’t sound like a candidate who has been studying and bettering himself to offer fresh and original ideas about how he intends to improve the Navajo Nation.

The reaction of Navajo voters will be to embrace what has made the Navajo Nation an Indian Tribe to reckon with. Values, rule of law, rugged individualism, faith in the Navajo people, hard work, defending sovereignty, and being trustworthy and transparent at all times.

When Navajo voters cast a ballot, that expression of support for a particular candidate accompanies an expectation to be straightforward and transparent at every opportunity if elected. Life in the public eye demands that conflicts of interest — actual, potential or even perceived — are clearly expressed, especially if they could affect the outcome of a public debate.

Joe Shirley fell short of that measure when, during his time in office, he tried to divert funds from the Department of Dine Education, specifically the Head Start program, to purchase several suburban vans for his use. That misstep should render him unfit for office and more importantly, call his judgment into question, something Navajo voters will hopefully weigh when they head to the polls in April.

Wallace Hanley
Window Rock, Ariz.

‘Justices need to take a hike, or be fined’

I am a concerned citizen of the Diné Nation and I would like to express my displeasure with mass confusion caused by the Navajo Supreme Court on the tribal election, particularly the special presidential election.

First and foremost I thought the tribal council paved the way to restore harmony (hozho) by passing the referendum on March 13 and later signed into law by President Ben Shelly on March 16. It appears the Supreme Court is not unsatisfied with the referendum and as a result early voting is taking place.

First, the high court disqualified a highly qualified candidate for the presidency and then removed the entire election board for being law-abiding members. The high court should not be trespassing onto the jurisdiction that is legally established for the legislative branch of the Navajo Nation government. Trespassing requires a hefty fine and the justices should be fined or take a hike.

I hope my mind serves me right to say the chief justice and his justice should know the reason the three branch government was established. If not, I would like to step up and let them know the reason was to separate powers among the three branches (executive, legislative and judicial). If not, they need to be given a course on it. I am a concerned citizen and I can be consulted to give them the course.

As the confusion exists today, the leadership of the chief justice is a total embarrassment to the entire Diné Nation. He lost touch with the people and simply does not care one bit. He lacks K’e, respect and integrity. He’s atop the pyramid in his own small world.

The departure of justice Irene Black in October 2014 was due to her opposition of the way the high court was involved in the tribal election process. The departure of Ms. Black left only two sitting justices and leads me to question the validity of the recent rulings by the two justices on the council resolution to repeat the election, the dismissal of Myron McLaughlin’s appeal, and removing Chris Deschene from the ballot. How were the rulings of only two sitting justices’ justified and valid?

The tribal council led by honorable Leonard Tsosie with K’e and harmony in mind passed the referendum just for the high court to trash is unjust and unacceptable by the majority of the people. The two justices may have some degree of professionalism, but lack K’e and respect. They might be suitable to be outlaws of the Dine’ Nation.

The lack of K’e demonstrated by the justices in their recent rulings in connection with the tribal election process is a troubling concern. Most of us are fortunate to be taught to never ever forget about our identity throughout our lives and practice it on a daily basis. What about them?

In conclusion, I just wanted to air my frustration and share it with the people about the conduct of the two sitting justices. Thank you.

Vern Charleston
Farmington, N.M.

The right of the people to know

We at the chapter level would like to know how our delegate is voting on issues pertaining to us back at home. For this reason I would like to ask that votes on all resolutions be printed in the local newspapers showing how each delegate voted. After all, these are all public information and the right of the people to know. This was done before but somehow it was discontinued. I don’t believe there is anything secret about this.

The other matter is the chief justice allocating Navajo Nation money without a resolution passed by the Navajo Nation Council. This is a strict no-no and is misused when the Council is by-passed. I know all funds approved by the Council is to benefit the people, not for one or two individual’s gain.

This is the case with the $317,000, which will be taken out to run the election. We had people who were stranded in remote areas during the recent snow and rainstorm. There will be drought this summer and water will be needed for animal and household use.

Our college students need scholarship money to get their degrees. Senior centers are needed at some agencies. Our veterans need homes. I have not heard the chief justice direct the Budget and Finance Committee to put some money aside for these needs. This would be money put to use for a good cause. All allocation of monies belongs with the Council, not chief justice or anybody else.

All Navajo Nation laws put in place by the Council and the Navajo Nation president is by resolution and becomes law when the Navajo Nation president signs it into law. Only the Navajo Nation Council can change/invalidate this by resolution, not chief justice, Dale, Hank, or their attorney. This must be respected.

These are some of my thoughts and opinion on what is coming out of Window Rock. I do respect some of the issues, but most are just retaliation toward some departments and the Council. Some are abuse of power.

Harry Claw
Chinle, Ariz.

More funding needed to support
police force

The recent tragic killing of Navajo Nation Police Officer Alex Yazzie has brought to light the need to provide more funding and support for a deficient Navajo Nation police force. While such investment is sorely needed, the issue of domestic violence and abuse on the reservation is one aspect that cannot be ignored.

Let us not forget that Navajo police were responding to a domestic violence call when the tragic shootout ensued on March 19. The suspect, Justin Fowler, was reportedly holding his family hostage with an assault rifle and beating his wife and mother with another weapon. Such an extreme and horrific event as that serves as a reminder of the grim reality that plagues the Navajo Nation. As many victim-support organizations have documented, compared to non-Native women in the U.S., indigenous women experience domestic violence and sexual assault at a far greater degree. When one also takes into account the high level of poverty and unemployment on the rez (both of which hover around 40 percent) as well as the insidious influence of Western patriarchal hyper-masculinity, a picture of our present state comes into shape.

For Navajos on the reservation, this is all more than just data and statistics. Many of us know family and friends caught up in such plight. Many of us know the victims of what happened on March 19. We cannot continue to ignore the violence and abuse our brothers and sisters experience. We cannot continue to live in denial of the violence and abuse that we experience.

While more funding is needed for reservation policing, that cannot happen without more funding and support going toward services aimed at helping victims of violence. It is irresponsible to ignore such a dire issue on the reservation. With that said, let’s not forget that just last year, Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly vetoed nearly half a million dollars’ worth of funding aimed at combating domestic violence.

While our government’s response may continue to lag, we the people can take action at the community level, by doing our best to offer support and understanding to our brothers and sisters silently suffering. By further emphasizing our traditional concept of K’e, which promotes respect and mutual aid among men and women. At the same time, we need to demand that our government provide serious funding and support to confront violence and abuse. Failure to do so will only continue the cycle of destruction that painted headlines on March 19.

Kirbie Bennett
Shiprock, N.M.