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So the Navajo Nation decided to visit Hawaii for a few days. What's the big deal about that?
Anglo senators, representatives and other government leaders take junkets. Why is it a big deal that a lot of Navajo went to the islands?
This story gave the Navajo Nation a black eye. Is your newspaper biased and racist?
People who know the answers to these questions smirk at such ignorance.
But for the sake of clarity, allow me:
It matters for the Navajo people, it matters for the taxpayers who contribute to the federal funds that go to our schools, it matters to those sworn to represent their people, and by far and most importantly, it matters to the Navajo schoolchildren who should receive answers and better accountability from those who supervise them.
It is not the first time this newspaper has exposed a leadership, whether government or education or otherwise, for actions that others might find questionable.
In this case, it is the report that more than 362 Navajo people preregistered to represent the tribe in some
Without, I might add, very many volunteers coming forward to answer why it took nearly 400 people to bring back home a few ideas to help the students the conference intended to help.
No doubt, some of them traveled as dedicated educators committed to the cause of helping their schools. Sadly, their reward of being able to travel on such a trip as part of their proven commitment is tarnished by those with less obvious reasons for going. Also, not every deserving educator can go, or all of our schools would be sending dozens of those who earned the right.
A great deal of doubt, however, suggests it wasn't necessary for this much money to be spent traveling to Hawaii with this many people to get the job done.
How can you not see that something is wrong with this picture?
The Hawaii travel of one unnecessary Navajo representative using public money would be enough to buy quite a few pencils, pens and notebooks for a Navajo school.
Instead, for however many people who traveled on public money, that money went with them instead of to the schools.
Will it be worth it?
Ask anyone at Farmington City Hall if they feel our stories critical of that government's decisions were based in racism? Or anyone in the justice system when we write headlines about complaints against the police or about prosecutors when despised criminals go free? Or ask an oil-and-gas leader or an environmentalist leader if the stories we write critical of either of them is based in racism?
Any consistent reader of this newspaper already knows of our continuously stated goal to promote racial and cultural unity, across the board, whether it be race, religion or otherwise in which we argue for equality and fairness.
That often is an unpopular thing to do, but this newspaper feels that part of its journalistic mission is to be the attorney for the defenseless, as all newspapers should.
Further, they call the media the Fourth Estate for a reason. Its job in a democracy is to be that fourth branch in the checks-and-balance system that helps hold accountable the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.
That means, we ask questions.
This time, it was of the Navajo leadership, and a few are trying to defend themselves by suggesting the newspaper did this story simply for headlines and to create divisiveness. At least two unsigned e-mails claimed we simply wanted to bash the Navajos.
Our loyal readers, not all of whom are loyal fans, know better.
Any given day, our newspaper is full of stories promoting Navajos who have done many good things, whether it is a film festival, the first Navajo to play in Major League Baseball, or a prep profile of a local Navajo student-athelete, as all were featured in the past week or so in huge, well-played stories. Such stories of a smaller scale are almost daily in the paper.
It's what we feel the "unity" means in the word "community."
Therefore, to accuse this newspaper of biased reporting based on racism is the sound of a hypocrite, or someone in defense mode.
We would be the hypocrite if we did not include the Navajo leadership in the same scope of call to accountability that we do when we question any other entity involved with public spending and public service.
This story was done on behalf of the Navajo people, and on behalf of all taxpayers, and especially on behalf of the children.
It questions the cohesiveness and decision-making of those serving the Navajo people, specifically those who feel it was just fine to send so many people to Hawaii from each of the school districts, government offices or committees that could possibly benefit from the trip.
Don't shoot the messenger because we bring to light the question: Why was so much money spent to send 362 people representing one tribe to a meeting about education in Hawaii?
Don't get mad at our headlines if we have to ask why so many were necessary to get the job done.
Especially when we're still waiting on the answers.
It will be interesting to see the results that come in the next year from all this representation. What can we expect from such a well-attended meeting in Hawaii?
Surely the hundreds who traveled will no doubt provide a tremendous and immediate impact on the education system, not just in the Navajo Nation, but throughout the states of Arizona and New Mexico.
If that many attended a Hawaii conference from an entire state, not simply just one tribe, we would be asking the same question.
But the Navajos had enough representatives that if the 362 who preregistered traveled and then each took one state to go back and teach what they learned in Hawaii, each of the 50 states would have at least seven Navajo representatives who could share with them.
More than seven for every state. That's how many our public — and I do mean public — dollars paid for to travel to Hawaii, unless large numbers of private travelers wish to change that perception, and so far, we have not heard from one.
No government seems free of corruption or frivolous spending, and by no means should anyone feel the Navajo Nation is the only one, locally or otherwise, that has faults.
The bigger problem here is the lack of transparency.
Navajo school children need the money.
Navajo residents in many portions of the reservation need jobs, roads, schools, and an endless list of infrastructure improvements.
Yet, Navajo laws and those in government who practice them do not make it easy to get accurate reports of who gets money, how much, and how that money is used, as evident by the number of questions remaining about this Hawaii trip.
What we got: A spokesman who said the president would not take our calls.
What we got: Ignored phone calls, and a comment or two about it being important for everyone to go, instead of having someone return and share.
What they get: cheated.
Troy Turner is the editor of The Daily Times. He can be contacted at P.O. Box 450, Farmington, N.M., 87499; or at tturner@daily-times.com.
