Council Delegate Nelson Begaye is taking aim at alcoholism on the Navajo reservation. ("Committee seeks to strengthen laws against drunk driving and bootlegging") He seeks to introduce legislation which imposes stiffer penalties on drunk driving and bootleggers.
There have been a series of alcohol-related accidents on the Navajo reservation recently. Most recent, a young teenager from Kayenta was struck by a drunk driver. We also cannot forget about the Kayenta police officer that was killed in Flagstaff as a result of drunk driving, or the police officer that killed a white man in Phoenix due to drunk driving.
Yes, our people are struggling with alcoholism.
I thought taking aim at the bootleggers was an interesting move. Who are these bootleggers? Targeting their right to remain on the Rez and banishing them is an interesting idea.
What about those that serve liquor at the casinos. Shouldn't they be at fault too?
What about the habitual public intoxication arrestees?
Sometimes it seems like all the people in the remote Navajo reservation areas do is drink and get drunk. They are constantly drinking. Most of our Navajo men, particularly, have lost the will to live and just drink on the Rez. What kind of life is that, to appear to have no responsibilities and to escape reality into a numbing stupor? Who perpetuates their behavior? Themselves? Their parents? The border towns? Cindy Mccain? The People of the dark side? The federal government? Who?
To keep the status quo seems unacceptable. To put the drinkers in jail also does not seem right because incarceration makes them dependent on the tribe for food and lodging and escaping responsibilities for themselves and their families. How can we make our people good responsible citizens of the Dine Nation? Do the drinkers themselves want to be good responsible citizens? Or are they too lazy? Or hurting too much? Are they out of control? Are the reservation people out of control?
Here's a question: Does living on the reservation enable drinking because reservation Navajos don't need to work? One major reason Navajos drink is that they have nothing to do. There is no need to work because there is no requirement to pay expenses that urban Navajos pay, such as land expenses (property taxes, mortgage, rent, garbage fees, city expenses, etc.). There is no need to get a job because unemployment is high on the reservation. The people need something to do. The federal government has a lot to do with tying up the Rez economy.
Well these are some of my thoughts. I hope it stimulates thinking about this important discussion. I hope we get more discussion.
Bravo to Delegate Begaye.
