Letters: What happened to making positive strides for Nation?

I am a proud member of the largest land retained by the Native American tribe in the United States with a valid census number. I am writing to you in order to raise the issue of the Fiscal Recovery Fund, as well as the American Rescue Plan Act.

To my knowledge, our elected official, and what I mean by elected is the person who is our Navajo Nation president, Jonathan Nez, who the people of the Navajo Nation voted for thinking at that time he would live up to his duties and expectations as Navajo Nation president. Wrong.

President Nez has what I would assume is his mission statement, which is located on the website (Office of the President and Vice President).

By the way, why change the name from chairman to president? President sounds too formal coming from the reservation. Besides, we already have a president and that is President Joe Biden, the president of the United States.

Before I squirrel off the topic, in the mission statement I was writing about he states we need to talk about our Diné way of life teachings, Diné values, a voice of reason for our Diné people and focusing on the future that embraces the resilience of our ancestors.

President Nez, what happened to making positive strides for the Navajo Nation?

I believe what it all boils down to is making himself sound good by stating, “This generation will transform the Navajo Nation to a land of opportunity and hope for all by investing in our Diné people, we will invest in our future.”

Again, where’s all this investment?

What I wrote is coming from Jonathan and Phefelia’s public service to the Navajo people. Respecting values — ha, what a joke. They wouldn’t know values even if it slapped both of them in the face. This upsets me, makes me and I’m sure several others furious.

What a disgrace to the Navajo Nation. It upsets me because President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer will not give this Fiscal Recovery Fund to the Diné people. This Fiscal Recovery Fund is supposed to be for the Diné people.

As it states in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, $350 billion is to respond to the COVID-19 emergency and bring back jobs. The Treasury launched this much-needed relief to: support urgent COVID-19 response efforts to continue to decrease spread of the virus and bring the pandemic under control; replace lost revenue for eligible state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to strengthen support for vital public services; and help retain jobs, and support immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses.

Again, the Fiscal Recovery Fund is supposed to provide substantial flexibility for each government to meet local needs, including support for households, small businesses, essential workers, and for the communities hardest hit by this crisis. It can also be used to make necessary investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.

I didn’t read anywhere in that needed relief launched by the Treasury about buying an old pit house in Washington. In my opinion, that’s exactly what it sounds like, a pit house, and you turned down the budget for a prosecutor for the Navajo Nation in order to renovate your pit house? Wow!

By the way, why don’t you invest one of them porta potties that was funded to the veterans in Shiprock Agency to be delivered to the pit house in Washington? I’m pretty sure the veterans wouldn’t mind. Shiprock elected officials are doing a great job taking from the veterans and the youth anyway.

So, President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer, I am calling you both out. Are you planning on granting the Diné people what is rightfully their relief fund … $2,000 for each adult, $1,000 per child, and $5,000 cap? It’s your call.

Amber Kanazbah Crotty and Eugenia Charles-Newton are two respected fierce female Council delegates who know how to stand up for their Diné people. They’re the voice for those who are voiceless.

In Proverbs 31:8-9, “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

This is exactly what Council delegates Eugenia Charles-Newton and Amber Kanazbah Crotty stand for in my opinion.

Shame on the elected officials at the Shiprock Chapter House, including Tony Kinlahcheeny, you should be ashamed of yourself for disrespecting Delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton who was only doing her job and looking out for our youth and veterans.

And by the looks of it, all you and you know who you are were only looking out for yourselves.

I would like to put this out there, a person who has been sexually abused won’t magically have the confidence, strength and security that they need to stand strong. But that’s not the case for respected Council Delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton.

She has the ability to overcome any obstacles that may cross her path and she definitely has the strength to stand up for the Diné people. So thank you, Council delegates Eugenia Charles-Newton and Amber Kanazbah Crotty.

Well just as Council delegates Charles-Newton and Crotty kept explaining to you President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer, the Diné people need this Fiscal Relief Fund.

President Jonathan Nez, why do you keep avoiding this question? Are you going to compel me from asking also?

In my opinion, a person avoiding a question like this can only mean one thing — guilt. Hmmm, readers you be the judge of that.

The Navajo Nation administration under Nez and Lizer is a broken system, my Diné people. There is a lack of transparency, integrity, morals, and, most of all, the president doesn’t have any compassion for the veterans, youth, missing indigenous females/males/children, nor for the elders. What gives him the right to break moral codes, regulations, and standards?

Keeping Nez and Lizer in office, we’re headed for another crisis, maybe even destruction.

If it weren’t for our veterans, we wouldn’t be living on the land of the free nor have freedom of speech, so I salute each and every veteran who served in our armed forces. Coming from a U.S. Marine Corps family, I’m proud of my dad, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, and nephews who served in the armed forces.

In conclusion, Nez and Lizer, there are four important words in life that I know and you know very well…honestly, truth, love, and respect.

Without these four words in your life you have nothing, nor will you gain nothing.

Nellie Lee
Shiprock, N.M.

Condolences to Begaye’s family, relatives

It’s rough to put feelings into words. Relatives pass on into a mysterious point a living person doesn’t want to talk about.

Condolences to Kelsey Begaye’s wife, children and all his relatives of District One in the Kaibeto area on the Navajo Nation.

The passing of honorable Kelsey Begaye caught me by surprise. I grew up with Kelsey and attended Kaibeto Boarding School. Schools back then were not so closely netted, but we got educated though.

Respect and love one another. We sometimes cross someone’s line. Dispute comes from that causing illness. Sickness causes life disoriented, causing our life goal cut short.

In Dineh tradition, we are holy people. Our elders say, “Be careful on what you say and do, it might come true.”

Dineh people are now the largest indigenous nation in the United States. Our constituency electing who governs us made Oct. 12, 2021, Indigenous Day. More power to us.

Dean Benally
Phoenix, Ariz.

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