Letters | Snacks and trinkets

Snacks and trinkets

Editor,
Yá’át’ééh Késhmish. My name is Austyn Huskey and my favorite tradition in my family is white elephant. When my family hosts a Christmas party there’s a kids white elephant and an adult white elephant.

The kids white elephant is just snacks, gift cards, toys, and clothes. Even though the kids is just snacks and trinkets, I still love it. Meanwhile, the adult white elephant has televisions, basketball game tickets, and electronics.

Austyn Huskey
Maricopa, Ariz.

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Not fracking wells

Editor,
I read with interest the article entitled “A fossil fuel group is working with US tribes to boost LNG exports” found on Page C7 of the Thursday, November 14, 2024 edition of the Navajo Times, which was republished with permission from Floodlight editor-in-chief Dee J. Hall.

The article displayed a photograph credited to University of Utah Environmental Justice Clinic of an Elk Petroleum well sign. The caption identifies the photograph as “A sign warns of the presence of hydrogen sulfide at this hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, well on the Navajo Nation in southern Utah. This gas can cause sickness or even death.” Elk Petroleum takes it responsibility seriously to comply with Navajo Nation EPA, U.S. EPA, and other federal, state and tribal requirements in order to protect its employees, the community, and the environment from the ill effects of hydrogen sulfide. Please also note that the caption erroneously identifies the well as a “fracking” well. Please be advised that this caption is false. Wells in the greater Aneth field are not hydraulically fractured and are not fracking wells.

I would also like to correct any impression that your reading public may have that associates Elk Petroleum with the LNG expansion discussed in the article. Elk Petroleum is not involved with any LNG expansion and none of our produced natural gas is used for LNG.

Thank you for allowing Elk Petroleum to set the record straight.

Bob Annear
Land manager, Elk Petroleum
Denver, Colo.

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Despotism in the Navajo Nation

Editor,
The struggle to keep the opinion of the people on the side of leadership has become a theatrical phenomenon on the Navajo Nation. Our leaders have stopped discussing the importance of balance in our tribal society.

The opinion of religion has always been a dividing issue in our chapter houses across the reservation. Being raised by my grandfather, who is a Nazarene preacher, was a Navajo Nation Councilman, chapter house president, and public servant.

I remember as a young child waiting for morning chapter meetings to conclude well into the late hours of the day because of the division of the people regarding religion. No resolution was ever passed to oppress the community in their beliefs.
With the exception of peyote, which the federal government considered to be a Schedule 1 Narcotic, meaning it has a high expectancy for potential abuse and has no accepted use in medical treatment. Schedule One Narcotic drugs include heroin, LSD, marijuana (THC), (MDMA), and psilocybin (magic mushrooms).

Not one time was the discussion about oppressing the community in their beliefs a topic that was discussed, carried, and assembled as a resolution to oppress the community in their beliefs until now. I am referring to Navajo Nation Council Legislation CYJ-34-24. This law was passed to create strict regulations and the oppression of Christian churches and their operations.

Nothing is more hypocritical than a leader who has the responsibility of protecting the interests of the community and agrees upon the oppression of the minority groups of their community. The Christian community has maintained roughly a 10 percent population on the Navajo Reservation. However, in recent years those numbers have dwindled to about 6 percent of the population.

Leadership around the world has kept the status of advocate to the majority of the population in any society and execute laws that are in the interests of the majority population. It is in the interests of any leadership to stir up the people by means of emotional responses, to rally the masses to their political agenda no matter the political party or governmental system (e.g., socialism, totalitarian dictatorship, communism, Marxism, democracy, or capitalism). Each form of government has a process of governance that support the ideology that support despot practices.

However, history has proven that every government that has oppressed the church has failed. History has shown that religion is cultural, but biblical faith is the determined expectation of things unseen, according to biblical scriptures.
We who believe the Bible are told to pray for the authorities and to pay our fair share of taxes. However, IRS code and U.S. constitution protects the rights of the citizens of America in regard to these matters. Native Americans have received their citizenship in 1924.

In Ephesians Chapter 6, Verse 12, it says “Our enemy is the rulers, the spiritual forces, that influence despotism of the people.” In the dictionary, the definition of despotism is “absolute power or control, tyranny, an absolute or autocratic government.” A country ruled by a despot.

Is our Navajo Nation misguided? Is the minority population unrepresented on the Navajo Nation Council? Can 24 Councilmen really represent a societally nation in a nation with a population of 500,000? And still responsibly represent the needs of their constituents?

Will you join me in prayer for the future of the Navajo Nation and their constituency? Could this oppressive legislation be the erosion of proper democratic governance?

Neal Riggs
Leupp, Ariz.

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