Desert Rock: Navajo grandmother asks 'Do you remember?'

Photo: Navajos protest at Navajo President Joe Shirley's inauguration in January/Photo Dooda Desert Rock

Navajo grandmother thanks resisters opposing power plant and asks the Navajo President: 'Do you remember?'

From: Bessie Taylor

Navajo in Crystal, NM

"I appreciate you resisters who are trying to stop this big corporation. A lot of us agree with what you are doing. Some of us don't have a way to get there. It was very cold here in the winter. I appreciate Sarah White for doing this. I appreciate the people who marched on inauguration day and also the people who are on the land. I see that you have a heart for the people who don't know much about what is going on with this Desert Rock.
As for those people who are smart and know a lot about this Desert Rock, all they can see is money. What they don't know about is the health. Once the smoke goes up it is going to bring down the acid rain and it will go into our drinking water and into our plants and onto our animals. It will also darken the sky and it won't be a clear blue sky anymore. Some of us know that it is going to increase global warming.
Joe Shirley calls himself, "Dr. Joe Shirley." He should know about these dangerous things. Dineh Power should be on our side, not on the side of killing the earth. Joe Shirley said this has been talked about for years, but I have never heard about this at the chapter.
Joe Shirley always puts the culture up front when he is speaking, so I was really for him. I thought he really knew how to be our leader. But now he turns around and is on the bilagaana side.
Joe Shirley do you remember way back our ancestors used to say "if you try to do something that is only good for you, in the long run it will fall back on you and not be good for you." Anything you do to become a great person, to make yourself rich or make things turn around for you, it will fall back on you. That's why this Desert Rock is such a big thing to me and it scares me.
I hope for you folks who live in that area, I hope someone will explain to you what the dangers are. Those people who say you will get rich are trying to brainwash you with money. A lot of us are sad about this. I appreciate all the people that are standing with us."

Bessie Taylor
Crystal, New Mexico