As a doctoral candidate in American Studies who specializes in American Indian history, I urge you to listen to the American Indian people opposing the Mount Graham telescope project. It seems so far away and maybe so alien to you that people would find a mountain sacred and don’t want to see telescopes built on it. It seems like maybe there are other places they can go to have the same religious experiences, but to have this sacred site desecrated in the name of scientific progress is absurd. People are spending their lives trying to protect this mountain, and that is not something people do on a whim. You, right now, have the power in your hands to help stop the legacy of racism that says white astronomers should have priority over American Indian people in deciding the fate of this mountain. Can the astronomers go anywhere else? Yes, they can, and they would have better access to the skies at other sites as well. If you believe in science and scientific progress above all else, then believe in the statements of the biologists and ecologists who confirm that further development of Mount Graham would very likely severely damage a unique ecosystem – a fragile oasis surrounded by dry desert lands. The University’s reputation is at stake here. If the corporate scandals of the past year have taught us anything, let it be that the American people should not accept back room deals that empower the privileged few at the expense of the underprivileged many. Prove you are ethical. Vote no on Mount Graham.

hy is it that American Indians are against building a telescope on sacred land but OK with building casinos on sacred land?