Making missiles on the Navajo Nation farm

Missile making on the Navajo farm
by Brenda Norrell

This week in the news, Indian Country Today celebrated the war manufacturer Raytheon Missiles producing missile parts on the Navajo Nation's commercial farm.
Shortly before I was terminated in 2006, an ICT editor forbid me to expose the fact that Raytheon Missiles was operating on the same land where the Navajo Nation was growing corn and other crops for commercial sale at Navajo Agricultural Products Industry near Farmington, N.M.
It was during the same time that NAPI was negotiating a deal with Cuba for the sale of NAPI farm products to Cuba.
I wanted to find out what toxins and byproducts might be produced by Raytheon Missiles there, which would endanger the health of people eating the crops, including corn, pinto beans and potatoes, which become commercial food products. I had been to NAPI before, while I was working for Navajo Times, during the 18 years that I lived on the Navajo Nation.
The Indian Country Today editor forbid me from even researching the matter. (Yes, he put it in writing.)
It comes as no surprise today that ICT is celebrating the missile maker being there on Navajoland.
One of ICT's primary advertisers on the ICT website, with a large ad revolving, has been the CIA Clandestine Services, recruiting for CIA spies, since the fall of 2008.
Advertisers always exert influence over newspapers. Further, the income from advertisers pays at least a portion of the salaries of the reporters and editors.

Native Americans activists, including Louise Benally, Navajo on Big Mountain resisting relocation, point out that the US colonizers indoctrinated Navajos to such an extent in boarding schools and public schools, that they are now manufacturing weapons which ultimately kill other Indigenous Peoples.
Navajo Agricultural Products Industry is located in the same area where Navajos who live on the land are fighting a third power plant, Desert Rock. It is power plant development driven by Navajo politicians.
It is the same area where the US government sent Navajos to their deaths with cancer and respiratory diseases from radiation exposure, during Cold War uranium mining.
It is the same area where Utah Navajos with respiratory diseases have long fought the oil and gas wells around their homes.
It is the same area of the Navajo Place of Origin, Dinetah. Bahe Katenay, Navajo from Big Mountain, spoke out in defense of Dinetah, in northwest New Mexico. Katenay's comments came during the Bush energy exploitation of the land. Katenay opposed extensive oil and gas wells around Dinetah. Katenay was censored by Indian Country Today.
It is the same area where the land, water and air has been mined, desecrated and polluted by both the US government and Navajo politicians.
It is the Four Corners region.

Bahe, the uncensored article about Dinetah:
http://bsnorrell.tripod.com/id104.html

Making missiles on the NAPI farm:
The work done at NAPI is for weapons currently in use by U.S. and allied armed forces: the Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missile; Javelin Close Combat/Anti-armor Weapon System; Stinger; Phalanx Close-In Weapon System and Excalibur Precision Guided Extended Range Artillery Projectile, according to Raytheon.