Letters | Virus appears to be Mother Earth’s defense

The coronavirus eludes identification and capture. Relentless efforts by science have not found the origin or cause of the virus.

This is a telling of the longtime self-imposed limitations by science and Western medicine. There may be a not-so-complicated explanation, but one with complex content.

Before the pandemic, humanity was in trouble. The climate crisis was choking life out of the planet, the racial dynamic between a minority of white folks and people of color was ugly.

Now, as the world struggles to get past the pandemic, these troubles have gone from critical to imminent danger. The climate crisis is overwhelming, the extractive industry in complicity with most governments obstinately and exponentially continue to do what they do — make more money irrespective of the environmental and human devastation they leave behind.

Across America, the fervor of white supremacy metastasizes, brazenly flying its flag of racism, neo-liberal capitalism, conspiracies, and mean-spirited policy across the country.

The coveted United States is uncompromisingly polarized. White folks are imploding their government and society.

Some who never imagined themselves to have inclinations of “white is right” find themselves aligned or sympathetic with the agenda and rhetoric of white supremacy. It must be genetic by now. The notion of white superiority is rooted in ancient history.

Even while her skin scorches, the earth is alive, her spiritual essence continues to pulsate. She may die or she could live. Humankind decides her fate.

This reality is unfathomable, of zero relevance to the majority of white folks, particularly those of the white supremacy persuasion. They imperil the future of the grandchildren.

The COVID-19 virus is a phenomenon of nature. It is a living organism. It is alive with death.

Any living thing when threatened with injury or death will defend itself. The earth is fighting for her life, engaging her defenses. The virus appears to be a defense mechanism of the earth.

If that be true, it is commonsensical to think that the severity of the virus will be proportionate to the severity of injury inflicted on the earth and the extremity of injury perpetrated by the inhumanity of hatred.

A mother instinctively protects and defends her children. The earth mother defends her children who believe in truth and want to live being who they are supposed to be.

The earth is rebelling against the extreme exploitation of her body entity and the brutal oppression of her victimized children.

The message from the earth is clear but the world does not hear.

Duane “Chili” Yazzie
Shiprock, N.M.

No answers or help for Hardship benefit

This is in response to the article, “Council approves Hardship payments of $2,000 per person, $600 for minors,” (Dec. 29, 2021).

I strongly agree to this hardship benefits for the members of the Navajo Nation. However, my children are unable to get the Hardship benefits because the Navajo Nation Census Office told me that I couldn’t enroll my two sons for a census number because my current last name wasn’t listed on my birth certificate.

Every attempt I have made to get my sons’ a census, I am told, no, you need to change your name on your birth certificate.

This absolutely doesn’t make sense and thus means we, as whole, the Navajo Nation, doesn’t care about their people.

I am left with no answers or help on addressing this matter.

I unfortunately cannot go to the Census Office in person because I live out of state and with COVID now it surely has made it hard to get this done.

Michael M. Halona
Sherwood, Ark.
(Hometown: Whiskey Creek, Ariz.)

Job is bigger than US president

Ya’a’teeh Shi Dine’,

Navajo Nation has been looking for a leader to get us out of poverty and move us towards self-sufficiency and self-determination for the past 30 years without any success.

We need a leader who has achieved success through education, private business, solving difficult problems, experience in managing a multi-million dollar organization, and a fearless fighter for what is rightly ours and rightly due us by treaty and as citizens of this great nation, America.

The job is bigger than that of the president of the USA.

Ahe’hee’.

Vern R. Lee
Fruitland, N.M.

A resolution for Mother Earth

I have been using reusable grocery bags for nearly 20 years. I use them with such frequency that the cashiers at Bashas’ already know not to put my groceries in a plastic bag.

I also buy them for gift receptacles to encourage others to reduce waste, but it seems like my efforts fall on deaf ears.

The excuse I often hear is, “I forgot my bags.” Easy fix: Just put your groceries back in the shopping cart and bag them in the parking lot.

Plastic grocery bags are a courtesy, not the law, as long as you have your receipt. And if you’re only shopping for a few things, take the bag and use it as your basket.

Most stores will let you put bags on the counter to be scanned and it also makes self-checkouts a breeze.

In this COVID era, you can put a small bottle of hand sanitizer onto the handle of a reusable shopping bag, which can also be used to open those pesky produce bags.

So I write this letter to help my fellow humans to do better in 2022 and hopefully beyond. This is probably the easiest resolution you can make for yourselves and Mother Earth.

Germaine Martinez
Standing Rock, N.M.

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