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Black Mesa/ Big Mountain ACTION in Denver November 7th-8th

December 7, 2008 by Mano

Come show your solidarity at the action Monday, and come to find out more about this pressing threat to Navajo and Hopi people at the forum today!
Ahee'hee,
Mano

-----------------------

Press Advisory
For immediate release: Friday, December 4, 2008
Contacts: Wahleah Johns, (928) 637-5281
Enei Begaye, (928) 380-6296

Navajo & Hopi tribal members travel to Denver to meet with the Western Regional Office of Surface Mining as the agency prepares to permit Peabody Coal Company’s Black Mesa Project

Panel Discussion & Press Conference Announcement

WHAT: Panel Discussion, Navajo and Hopi delegation to Denver
*free and open to the public*

WHEN: Sunday Dec. 7th, 1-3 PM (MST)
WHERE: Denver Indian Center, 4407 Morrison Road Denver, CO 80219

WHAT: PRESS CONFERENCE, Navajo & Hopi People Say No to Coal Mining
WHEN: Monday Dec. 8th, 1 PM (MST)
WHERE: Sidewalk in front of Office of Surface Mining - DOWNTOWN Denver - 1999 Broadway, Suite 3320 Denver, CO 80202

Background Information:
Concerned Navajo & Hopi people will rally in downtown Denver on Monday while a small delegation meets with Office of Surface Mining (OSM) personnel at their offices in Denver. OSM is expected to make a final decision – a “Record of Decision” - on Peabody’s proposed Black Mesa Project. The controversial plan includes approval of a “Life-of-mine” permit, expanded mining operations, use of scarce water resources and an unclear buyer of the coal supply, potentially to the Navajo Generating Station in Page, AZ.

After a year of inactivity on the “Black Mesa Project” Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), the process was restarted on May 2008. Navajo and Hopi citizen’s were given 45 days to comment on a revised Draft EIS and were never offered a public commenting period. Requests for commenting period extensions were denied by OSM as well as requests for OSM to come to Navajo and Hopi lands for question and answer meetings.

The Final EIS states “if OSM approves the LOM revision for the Black Mesa Complex, the area previously associated with the Black Mesa operation (18,857 acres), including associated surface facilities, would be added to the 44,073 acres of the existing OSM permanent permit area for the Black Mesa Complex, bringing the total acres to 62,930, which would be considered as one operation for the purpose of regulation by OSM. This entire area is within Peabody’s existing coal leases. The coal-mining leases with the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation provide Peabody the right to produce up to 290 million tons of coal from the Navajo Exclusive Lease Area and up to 380 million tons of coal from the Hopi and Navajo Joint Lease Area for a combined total of 670 million tons.”

Black Mesa Navajo and Hopi residents are concerned about how this project will impact the future of their homelands given the history of Peabody's unwise use of the Navajo Aquifer to transport coal to MGS. Many community members from the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe are extremely disappointed in the lack of public outreach the Office of Surface Mining office and Department of the Interior has carried out through the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process.

Black Mesa is the ancestral homelands to thousands of Navajo and Hopi families and is regarded as a sacred mountain to the Navajo people and plays an integral role in the cultural survival for the future generations of both the Navajo and Hopi people. Many Navajo and Hopi people stand firm and oppose this mine expansion plan and are organizing to voice their concerns to the western regional office of the Office of Surface Mining in Denver, CO. on Dec. 8, 2008.

Excellent Photo Opportunities Possible
###

Comments

Awesome!

December 7, 2008 by ringokamens, 50 weeks 1 day ago
Comment id: 2416

Rock on!!! We totally need to do solidarity work with these folks!

?? No mention of Bog Mountain resistance...

December 8, 2008 by Anonymous, 49 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 2878

A major part of this struggle is the Big Mountain resistance, is there a reason that it's not mentioned?

Big Mountain is the same as Black Mesa

December 9, 2008 by Mano, 49 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 3297

The whole thing IS a Big Mountain resistance issue. Big Mountain and Black Mesa are interchangeable terms for the same place. Any mention here of Black Mesa is in reference to Big Mountain.

Thanks for the comment,
M

Big Mountain Clarification

December 10, 2008 by Anonymous, 49 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 3305

Big Mountain is a place on Black Mesa. It is located on the Hopi Partitioned Lands. Big Mountain and Black Mesa are NOT interchangeable terms!
The Big Mountain Resistance has always been about the mining of coal and subsequent government actions that have caused the forced relocation of more than 14,000 Dine' people from their ancestral homelands. How come this is not mentioned by the Black Mesa Water people if Black Mesa = Big Mountain?
It isnt even in any of their new releases. Roberta Blackgoat gave her life to fight for the future that these activists now hold, how do they honor her and the other elders still paying the price for their resistance? By making them invisible?
Maybe folks from Black Mesa spoke to this issue at the protest or panel, but the fact that its not even a part of the public information that is being disseminated is disturbing.

Its like protesting NAFTA but not recognizing the Zapatistas or mentioning the context of Indigenous resistance in Chiapas.
Where is Big Mountain? It seems its a place either too controversial for these new activists or its just not important enough.

A caravan of folks from here in Denver just went there. Maybe they know more about the resistance for life and land than just the coal and water.
For context please visit: blackmesais.org.

Direct action-

December 9, 2008 by Anonymous, 49 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 3298

we need to organize some sort of direct action at the actual mining sites and hit them where it hurts, instead of small demonstrations which those corporate executives might get a glimpse of from their 20th story office.

unite

bring the fight to them-

December 9, 2008 by Anonymous, 49 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 3299

if they wont listen then were going to have to make them listen! my words go out to all local community activist organizers-

we cannot afford to wait for the change or simply let the land be exploited while we hold signs on the side of the road. we need to make the change on our own terms. if we cannot stop them, atleast we can make their job as difficult as possible. i have a small number of volunteers from my area south of denver but lack adequete connections with denver area activists... who wants to help?

back up!

December 9, 2008 by Anonymous, 49 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 3300

if you'd appreciate a young affinity group fresh-faced from DNC action ready for more direct action, I'd love to volunteer our services in defense of the land!

we are putting a party together

December 13, 2008 by eurie shitbag, 49 weeks 2 days ago
Comment id: 3314

me and a couple other friends of mine are trying to put a party together to go out to these sites and do some direct action. so if anbody has any futher information on were these minning sites are and would like to join us. you can contact me at my e-mail address natemc13_2004@yahoo.com

The points thing isn't working right

January 6, 2009 by Evan Herzoff, 45 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 3377

I tried to add points to this article and when I hit the arrow pointing upward it did nothing, then I clicked "reset vote" and it dropped a point. What's the deal here? I wanted to give props and add points and it looks like just the opposite happened. Oh well, I'll just type it out: You rock Mano! Thanks for all the good work you do.

Re: Voting Broken

January 7, 2009 by ringokamens, 45 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 3380

Does the arrow change color when you click it? If not, you probably don't have javascript enabled. The future version will be less javascript dependent.

If you reload the page, you should see your vote at the bottom of the article. Once it gets five votes, it gets auto-promoted to the front page. If it already has five votes, voting more won't do anything. Also, voting on comments doesn't do anything.

--webmonkey--

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Open Newswire

Health Bill Ignores Industrial Health Harms
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(Actually, this is for all Colorado and all of the country. Why's that option not there in the "Region" box?)

Health care bill, now in hands of the Senate, ignores every industrial threat and harm to health. It finds that people's behavior is the biggest threat. Could this be because all Senators are economically-linked to health-harming industries, AND their insurers and investors? Sworn and public-paid Congress members wouldn't go AWOL on their solemn oaths and duties to the people, would they?

If it were not for people, there would be no Health Crisis.

The legislation the Senate is discussing now is quite interesting and telling by what's there, or not.

See the Bill at: democrats.senate.gov/reform/patient-protection-affordable-care-act.pdf

A convenient search tool at the site finds the number of times a word appears in the legislation:

Nutrition 29 times
Tobacco 25
Smoking 11
Obesity 9
Exercise 9
Behavior 8
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Alcohol 2

However:

Pesticides 0
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Herbicides 0
Dioxins 0
Mercury 0
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Salmonella 0
Pollutant(s) 0
Pollution 0
Vehicle exhaust 0
Smog 0
E-coli 0
Asbestos 0
Toxins 0
Toxic 0
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And... Marijuana 0
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Organic(s) 0

There seems to be a theme here, perhaps aimed at reassuring us that private industries, especially investment properties of for-profit insurers, are no threat to health. That is off the radar. Nothing to worry about or act on there.
We (the) people are the problem.

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Free-Glucose-Meter-Rx.Com offers the free diabetic watch program that provides the latest information on assistance for diabetics. It covers job training, financial assistance, phone bill assistance, diabetic recipes, free grants, scholarship and loan resources available for a wide variety of purposes, including business start-ups for diabetics. The kit also includes a list of more than fifteen hundred professionals offering diabetics free advice and business guidance.

For additional information on Government Diabetes.Org, contact Charles Greene or visit http://www.government-diabetes.org http://www.free-glucose-meter-rx... , Diabetic-Testing-Supplies.Orgfor news on diabetes visit , http://www.free-diabetic-supplie... . . Government Diabetes.Org offers a free diabetics watch and a free glucose meter to qualified beneficiaries with diabetes. Free diabetic watch offers are available in all 50 states while supplies last.

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An Evening of Solidarity for Mutulu Shakur
Presented by Denver and Aurora CopWatch, Sisters of Color United for Education, and Denver ABC

Saturday, November 28th
Sisters of Color 2895 8th Ave, Denver, CO (8th and federal across the street from the bus yard)
7:30-12ish
Sliding Scale 1-5$ (if you ain't got it don't let it stop you from coming)

Teach-in by Professor Ward Churchill

Live Music by:
Mike Wird
Ietef
Debajito (of Debajo Del Agua)

Hosted by Shareef Aleem

Please join us on Saturday, November 28th to stand in solidarity with Dr Mutulu Shakur before his appeals hearing on Monday, November 30th at the super-maximum Federal prison in Florence, CO.

Dr. Shakur is a New Afrikan (Black) man whose primary work has been in the area of health. He is a doctor of acupuncture and one of the most prolific, committed and conscious freedom fighters and political prisoners to whom the Black liberation struggle has given birth.

Since the age 16, Dr. Shakur has been a part of the New Afrikan
Independence Movement. As a part of this movement Dr. Shakur has been a target of the illegal Counterintelligence Program carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (COINTELPRO). This was a secret police strategy used in the U.S. starting in the 1960's to destroy and neutralize progressive and revolutionary organizations. It is believed that Dr. Shakur's resistance to this program led to his arrest and trial.

"Straight ahead, stiff resistance"

contact info: 970.302.7349/miketruswell@yahoo.com
www.mutulushakur.com
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 Dear Radio Friend,
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LA VIRGEN DE LA GUADALUPE ES DE TODOS LOS MEXICANOS, NO DE LOS CURAS

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¿Ya se les olvidó a los curas que la Virgen de Guadalupe es el único símbolo religioso auténticamente Mexicano? ¿Ya se les olvidó que ellos llegaron con Hernán Cortés a robar y a imponernos su cruz a sangre y fuego? La Virgen de Guadalupe es Tonantzin y es nuestra, aunque no les guste a los extranjeros como ellos.

Lo que los curas del CEM no quieren es que el pueblo Mexicano, unido al SME, siga la trayectoria de don Miguel Hidalgo y les arrebate la jugosa ganancia.

Yo les pido a los curas del CEM que ya no nos “salven”.
¡¡Larguense de aquí!! ¡¡Larguense!! ¡¡Larguense!! ¡¡Larguense!! ¡¡Larguense!! ¡¡Larguense de México y de todo este continente!!
Josefa Ortiz
http://josefaortiz.hpage.com/sme...

 

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***MANY OF THESE SAME AMERICAN WEALTHY ELITE NOT ONLY HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER THEIRTX EVADING  FOUNDATIONS BILLIONS,BUT ALSO FIND IT NECESSARY TO HIRE LOBBYISTS TO ATTEMPT THE DIRECT CONTROL OVER VARIOUS USES OF AMERICAN TAX PAYERS TAX $$$ ???

WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER OUR U.S.CONGRESSIONAL TAX DOLLAR SPENDING WITH THEIR BEHIND THE SCENE LOBBY MONIES... AND ARE CONTINUING TO DENY MIDDLE~CLASS AND WORKING POOR AMERICANS PROPER HEALTH ~ CARE , PROPER LEGAL PROTECTIONS IN AMERICAN FAMILY COURTS,CIVIL COURTS,& FEDERAL APPEALS FROM STATE COURTS. **THOUSANDS OF POORER AMERICANS ALL ACROSS AMERICA ARE LOSING PARENTING AND VISITATION RIGHTS WITH THEIR CHILDREN, ARE BEING FALSELY IMPRISONED, WRONGFULY EXECUTED,LOSING THEIR HOMES OR APARTMENTS ETC...

** IS THIS REALLY WHAT MANY SAY APPEARS TO BE THE FORMATION OF A NEW WORLD ORDER IN AMERICA THAT IS ATTEMPTING TO BREAK DOWN AND DESTROY AMERICAN FAMILIES AND ESTABLISHED FAMILY VALUES ACROSS OUR GREAT COUNTRY ???

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