Hopi & Navajo Update
Russell Means speaks to the Navajo & Hopi about their recent decision to bar environmentalists from protesting a coal fired power plant on their reservation.
NAVAJO NATION – Forgotten People Announces Suit to Produce Bennett Freeze Plan
July 8th, 2009
Today, July 8, 2009 marks the 43rd anniversary of a Bennett Freeze imposed on July 8, 1966 by U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs Robert Bennett. The freeze made poverty mandatory for 10,000 people (with countless more displaced) living on 1.5 million acres in the western portion of the Navajo Nation.
The freeze made it illegal for people to fix their homes, build new homes, have access to running water, electricity, any infrastructure and development. Elderly people whose wells ran dry could not drill a new well, were forced to drink uranium and arsenic contaminated water, denied the right to build a wheelchair ramps to their homes and repair leaking roofs and broken windows. No new housing, schools, waterlines, powerlines, community facilities. Nothing.
The ban on construction and high unemployment rate forced the area’s young people to work away from their homes and families. It also had a devastating effect on a traditional Navajo socio-economic system that is centered around raising livestock and farming. Compounded by livestock confiscation and barren fields, the people faced starvation or wage labor and federal aid.
On May 8, 2009, President Obama signed legislation to end the freeze. However, no plan for rehabilitation has been made public. For this reason, Forgotten People by and through their attorney James W. Zion, Esq. filed a Notice of Suit requesting production and disclosure of a Bennett Freeze Recovery Plan to make the plan public and see how it will or will not benefit the people of the Bennett Freeze.
Please publish the text of this E-mail communication, Media Release and Notice of Suit.
Thank you,
Don Yellowman, President
Billy Reese Kee, Chairman of the Board
Lucy Knorr, Secretary-Treasurer
Forgotten People
Navajo Nation, AZ
(928) 401-1777
TEXT FOLLOWS:
Media Statement
Dated: July 8, 2009
FORGOTTEN PEOPLE ANNOUNCE SUIT TO PRODUCE BENNETT FREEZE PLAN
The Forgotten People Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit corporation, announced today that it will file suit against Scott House, the manager of the Former Bennett Freeze Recovery Plan Task Force, the Navajo Nation, and WHPacific, Inc. for production and public disclosure of the Former Bennett Freeze Recovery Plan. Despite WhPacific’s broadside for a “Final All-Chapter Summit Meeting” in August 2008 and a promise that the “final project deadline” would be September 15, 2008, and despite President Joe Shirley, Jr.’s. January 26, 2009 announcement he would produce the plan, it has not been made public so that it can be reviewed by the victims of the Bennett Freeze.
President Shirley prematurely announced that the Bennett Freeze was “over” when the Navajo Nation signed a compact with the Hopi Tribe, and we now have legislation in place that formally terminated the freeze. What we do not have is either a plan or a program of rehabilitation to deal with the freeze, or effective involvement of the victims of the Freeze to address its severe impacts.
The Forgotten People Community Development Corporation made a formal demand for a copy of the Former Bennett Freeze Area Recovery Plan under the Navajo Nation Privacy Act on March 31, 2009. Scott House, the manager of the task force that was to develop the plan, did not respond to the demand for more than three months, so the Forgotten People CDC is bringing a suit to produce a copy of the plan so it can be made public.
Suit is initiated by a notice of intent made to the President and Attorney General of the Navajo Nation to give an additional period of time to produce a copy of the plan. The notice of suit states a claim under the Privacy Act and also states claims for access to public information under the free speech provisions of the Navajo Nation Bill of Rights and the “rule of law” and “communication with the people for guidance” provisions of The Fundamental Laws of the Dine.
The Forgotten People intends to make the plan public when a copy is obtained, with information on how it will or will not benefit the people of the Bennett Freeze.
For further information, contact: Lucy Knorr, Secretary-Treasurer (928) 401-1777
American Indian Genocide Continues – Scrapie Prion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The planned genocide against the Navajo People of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah continues with the latest poisoning and cover-up by the United States.
Navajos have faced well documented cases of mining Uranium without required protection, exposing them to facing premature abortions, cancer, degenerative diseases and death.
They have lived in the shadow of Rio Puerco, a Uranium waste spill that exceeds 3 Mile Island in the amount of nuclear material leached into the ground, with hundreds of people effected and which has yet to be cleaned up.
They have been poisoned by the United States at Fort Windgate, where Navajo People were exposed to the Hantavirus for the crime of living downwind from the Fort Windgate Munitions Depot. Though rarely mentioned, all cases of Hantavirus in the United States have occurred downwind of U.S. Military Munitions Storage Depots, in Hanford, in Long Island, New York and in Southern California.
And now:
Below is an urgent report we received from New Mexico. Dr Milo Muller has found evidence of mass poisoning of the sheep supply and gross criminal neglegence in the oversight of the USDA, further poisoning the Navajo People.
Not only are we demanding an investigation to this outbreak of Scrapie Prion (Mad Sheep Disease), but all the horrors that the Navajo people have faced in the last 30 years.
“This is continued planned genocide.” Charges Russell Means. “They cannot explain it otherwise.”
Miloslav Muller, DVM, MPVM
634 Eastlake Drive
Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87124
505-892-9288
Dear Friend:
My name is Dr. Milo Muller, I am living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and my profession is a veterinarian epidemiologist. My specialty is a veterinary public health, and part of my training is to investigate outbreaks of diseases transmissible from animals to humans.
Recently, in dealing with two issues of disparate treatment of American Indians in New Mexico, I found an issue that desperately needs the attention of the American public. In this instance, the Federal Government created this issue, failed to take corrective action when violations
of federal laws became known to the upper management in Washington, DC, and then stonewalled a proper investigation of this malfeasance, comparable only to infamous government Tuskegee Experiment on African-American men in 1940’s.
My first concern is that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is unlawfully blocking a proper investigation of reckless exposure of American Indians residing on Navaho Reservation in New Mexico to Scrapie Prion (infection agent similar to Mad Cow Disease). My numerous letters and submissions to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and to the USDA Inspector General regarding this malfeasance have been ignored, in direct violations of federal government policies and regulations.
Attached to this email in .PDF file are a few examples of my letters to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a small federal agency responsible for investigation of allegations of prohibited personal practices committed by federal employees.
Regretfully, the OSC management, including the head of the Agency Mr. William Reukauf, do not see any wrongdoing when employees of other federal agencies (USDA) committed fiscal fraud for personal benefits for over $100K, or recklessly causing mutton from Scrapie infected sheep to enter human food chain of American Indians in New Mexico, or destruction of federal documents describing this malfeasance (EEOC, Denver and San Francisco District Office).
Disturbing is also fact that my two submissions to Henry Waxman, Chairman, and Tom Davis, Ranking Member, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, remains unanswered (attached are copies of both submissions). It should come as no surprise that my third letter on this subject dated February 14, 2009, addressed to Edolphus Towns, who replaced Henry Waxman, also remains unanswered.
The second issue is illegal destruction of part of USDA, EEO official complaint file pertinent to discrimination complaint registered by Mr. Carlos Jojola, one-race American Indian from Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico. Destruction of official complaint file documents was committed by the USDA Civil Rights Office employees in close cooperation with the EEOC Phoenix District Office management for sole purpose to falsely claim that in this particular EEO case “no discrimination occurred”.
The case was four and half years inactive (in accordance with federal policy it should be resolved in time limit of 180 calendar days), and then suddenly the Agency (USDA) issued its racist, bizarre decision claiming that “no discrimination occurred”, in contrary to factual evidence of the record.
Mr. Carlos Jojola was my coworker employed by the USDA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am still serving as his EEO Representative in this discrimination case that is currently at the administrative EEOC level. The cause of action in this EEO complaint is racial discrimination, failure to provide reasonable accommodation for Mr. Jojola’s disabilities, and harassment by employees of the USDA Personal Operation Branch in Minneapolis, MN.
For your information, attached in .PDF file is an Appeal Form that I submitted to the EEOC in February 2009. Neither USDA nor EEOC contacted me in a good faith for early resolution of this case. Both issues are extreme examples how federal government treats American Indians despite its rhetoric about Equal Employment Opportunity and other baseless claims. I have available 100’s of pages of supporting documents fully confirming my allegations.
In my opinion, after quite frustrating experience with multiple governmental entities, I believe that only solution to this situation would be to contact newspapers and to let American public know this malfeasance.
Please contact any trusted journalist who is willing to report on this issue.
Thank you very much for your time.
Sincerely,
Miloslav Muller, DVM, MPVM
634 Eastlake Drive
Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87124
505-892-9288
About the Attached:
In attachments please find four examples of Scrapie positive test results from the Colorado State Diagnostic Laboratory that is part of School of Veterinary Medicine. Hard copies are available upon request.
Also attached is an article describing the Innunohistochemistry test (IHC) that was used at the above mentioned laboratory for regular screening of those samples. As you can see, this test is practically 100 percent accurate. Basically, it is based on molecular markers, and if in particular sample is present infectious agent Prion, part of affected sample will turn purple. Basically, 4th grader can make diagnosis of positive or negative samples based on color change. It is very specific, as you can see from an article.
Do not be confused by statement on test results form that “these results have not been confirmed by National Veterinary Service Laboratory”.
These are standard operating procedures for USDA for any tests performed by a contract laboratories in the USA. In this particular case, this served as a political tool to “decide” what test will be classified as positive or negative, depending on their political agenda, in this case for covering fraud.
Since USDA knew that the collection of samples was fraudulent, and that the collector, USDA technician Mr. Braman, collected samples on monthly basis instead on daily basis as he was paid for, about ten days later, on April 27, 2006, USDA stated that all previously positive samples were “negative”. I will send you hard copies of that “decision” in mail. This was of course whitewash for purpose to cover up for illegal activities of multiple USDA officials.
Also, I am sending you one page of scanned slaughter dates for Hunts Meats in Waterflow, New Mexico. This is a plant that slaughtered those infected animals. Please see that the plant was not operating on January 20, 2006, but USDA technician claimed that on that day he collected samples (Test number 420, attached scanned copy) that had one positive sheep. I have multiple documents proving that this was ongoing issue of fraudulently submitted Scrapie samples. Basically, this plant was not inspected as required by USDA regulations, and it is massive multi-level fraud. The owner of the plant contacted USDA in Washington in writing, but they refused to investigate.
This issue should be presented to the press without any unclear areas, so USDA would not have any legitimate defense.
I also contacted Government Accountability Project in Washington DC, who partially worked on this issue three years ago, together with me and with the plant owners. I will hear from them soon if they would be willing to reopen this case. In th epast, they contacted USDA with request for those samples (for purpose to send them to England for confirmation of Scrapie), but USDA refused to communicate with them.
Milo Muller
-Article about IHC Test
-2nd Letter to OSC Bloch Oct 29 2009
-5th Letter to OSC Reukauf 6 2009
-Carlos Jojola EEOC Appeal Form Feb 2009
-Letter to Rep Henry Waxman Oct 2008
-Letter to RepTom Davis Oct 2008
-Scrapie Pos Test 405
-Scrapie Pos Test 409
-Scrapie Pos Test 419
-Scrapie Pos Test 420
-Slaughter Dates for January 2006
