Today University of Arizona continues exploitation of Native Americans

University of Arizona continues exploitation of Native American resources: Water rights, desecration of sacred lands, racial profiling and militarization

By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
French translation by Christine Prat

TUCSON -- Today the University of Arizona in Tucson continues its exploitation of Native people and their resources, with a featured speaker on water rights who is opposed by Navajo and Hopi people. Navajos and Hopis issued a statement objecting to the speaker at today's Native Nations Institute.

The water rights attorney was hired by the Navajo Council. The Navajo Council was created by the US government to sign energy leases, according to its own history. Today, the Navajo government continues to sign energy leases for coal-fired power plants, and to hire attorneys who want to give away Navajo water rights.

This is at the root of Navajo relocation, clearing Navajos from Black Mesa for Peabody Coal. Now, southern Arizona wants Navajo and Hopi water both for their luxury lifestyles and to keep the Navajo Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant using Peabody's Coal, operating on the Navajo Nation near Page.

Arizonans are happy to have Navajos, Hopis and their neighbors suffering from the diseases caused by the coal-fired power plant, so they can have electricity in southern Arizona.

The media such as the armchair reporters at Indian Country Today make the situation worse by publishing press releases and spin for their paychecks, while failing to to be present on news stories.

Already the University of Arizona constructed telescopes on sacred Mount Graham, over the objections and lawsuits of Apaches and other Indian Nations. Wendsler Nosie, San Carlos Apache, was arrested by the university while praying on the mountain. Nosie now boycotts the university. The university built the telescopes in collusion with the Pope and a consortium of universities.

Ofelia Rivas, O'odham, also boycotts the university. Rivas points out the university entered into a joint partnership with Advanced Ceramics on San Xavier Tohono O'odham land to design drones. Drones are used against O'odham on the border and Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Drones are now an instrument for targeted assassinations by the Obama administration.

Further, the university has promoted programs which target Indigenous Peoples with racial profiling on the US Mexico border and joined in corporate partnerships with Raytheon Missiles and other war profiteers. The university works closely with Homeland Security and the US Border Patrol for further militarization of the US Mexico border, including the Tohono O'odham Nation, and targeting people of color on the border.

In further violations of human rights, the University of Arizona developed a cyber spying program which promoted racial profiling and targeted Middle Easterners globally.

The professors at the university include James Anaya, who also serves as the United Nations Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples. Anaya is a professor of law at the university.

The university's Law School is one of the sponsors of today's program on water rights at the Native Nations Institute, which includes the speaker opposed by Navajos and Hopis.

Earlier, Arizona Senator Jon Kyl and Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar attempted to sneak a Navajo Hopi water rights settlement through a Lame Duck Congress. Salazar resigned after the document and scheme were leaked.

Statement: Navajos and Hopis oppose water rights speaker at university
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2014/01/navajos-and-hopis-oppose-university-of.html


Brenda Norrell has been a reporter in Indian country for 32 years. During the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation, she was a reporter for Navajo Times, and a stringer for AP and USA Today. After serving as a longtime staff reporter for Indian Country Today, she was censored and terminated in 2006. As a result, she created Censored News, now in its 8th year with no advertising and 2.9 million views.