Here at International Uranium Film Festival at Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Ariz., which ends on Dec. 4, 2013. Today is the second day of films and speakers. It’s amazing! The festival is being live streamed at:
www.ustream.tv/channel/iuff-4you
NAVAJO NATION COUNCIL DELEGATE RUSSELL BEGAYE
URI lobbying Navajo Council for approval to transport uranium over Navajo land. Asked if take to court and URI said no. We are standing strong. There are rumblings in Council about technology in future where uranium extracted safely. But those of us ask how long does uranium remain active? Not just 50 years or hundred years. I ask how do you know it’s not going to impact health of people. Talked with U.S. Indian Health Services which is digging water wells. When water surfaces, IHS finding uranium ore in water so they just cap and lock it down. In Sweetwater, Red Mesa, Cove, Red Valley the water is no longer useable. The water was used for centuries and now can’t use cuz contaminated. So IHS decided pipe water from Shiprock, NM, to Sweetwater and Red Mesa. So I asked if water can be cleaned up? Yes, we cud but when we capture uranium we have to transport and it’s cost ineffective. It’s too costly so we cap and that’s the end of water system. So we have wells all over rez that were dug for people but can’t sue cuz uranium and other minerals in it. So right for us to say No more mining on our land. Not only impacts us, our children but generations to come. As hear from films, it changes DNA of our people. We are strong people. We are beautiful, adventurers, survivors but w uranium changing DNA we cud lose lot of those attributes given to us by Lord God. OUr capcity to survive and do well is being changed by uranium. So long term impact. I have family members that have been impacted – nieces, nephews born with defects. And you see them and you know that the cuz of their health – whether mind or body – has come from uranum. And I don’t see why anyone on our land wud talk about extracting uranium which has caused that to us our people. In Shiprock we are really concerned about uranium dust and downwind testing from Utah. We are asking Congress to address fallout. We know that when dust storm we breathe in, we are constantly being impacted. So I appreciate our people, our leaders for what they do to prevent us from going down that road. But we have chapters that pass resolutions supporting uranium especially if they were impacted in really negative way. So I plead with people not to give in to companies that want to give you things.
Let us strong together. If we are united against something is destroying our people, we can stop uranium companies from mining ore that has destroyed our homeland, people.
