Reply #335: I've mined uranium along with Navajo and Pueblo Indians, and I never saw any genocide. [View All]

The hazards of radiation were not known when the mines were started. Many miners, of many different races, died as a result. But to call it genocide is a stretch. BTW, many of the Navajo employees refused to work underground due to their beliefs, and as a result found jobs on the surface or in the open pit mines. Out of all of the miners I worked with, I can only remember two Navajos, although I can remember many Pueblo Indians. However, I understand that at the Church Rock mines near Gallup, NM the miners were mostly all Navajo. Most of those who mined in the '50's and '60's are dead, but they weren't sacrificed on purpose. Also, many Navajos died from exposure to radiation from tailing piles; some hogans were constructed with adobe made with material from uranium tailings. Unfortunate as that is, it cannot be called genocide.