Desperado

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow

The first thing that came to my mind, upon hearing that Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe came up with the brilliant idea of drafting and hand delivering a letter to the Governor, what that this was an act of desperation.

I mean, I really saw it as more than just the same old, "keepin' the dream alive in the press" sort of thing we're all used to.

Think about it - what with the new regs, and other Tribes giving them the angry eyes, and the downturn in the economy, and Carceiri v. Kempthorne coming up at the Supreme Court, the sensitive wetlands they're trying to build on, the organized grassroots forces opposing them, and shooting themselves in the foot with their obvious lack of historical ties to the land - well, the Tribe has got to see the writing on the wall. Right?

And they probably figured, "what the heck - the Governor likes casinos. He fights for casinos. He's our friend. He meets with us whenever we ask, which is more than he does for the Regional Task Force, so we've got an in - may as well use it. And what with the walls falling down all around this casino of ours, why not."

And in their haste they even forgot to include their BFF, Adam Bond (er... I mean Middleboro.)

Now let's say the Governor did negotiate a compact with the Tribe - it would be like getting a gold star on their application - a stamp of approval - demonstrating for the BIA and DOI that the State is okey dokey with the whole casino gambling concept.

You know, sort of like how the Middleboro Board of Selectman decided it was irrelevant to tell the DOI about article 3 - that Middleboro didn't want a casino.

Fortunately for the State, it seems our little Governor is growing up.

I respect the Tribe and I respect their interests, but until the land in trust is sorted out, there's not a whole lot that's meaningful about that conversation. - Deval Patrick to WBZTV

So was this a desperation move? I think it was. Either that, or a clueless one. Or maybe, they're just in denial.

Maybe, the Tribe really just completely believes that they're actually getting a casino.

Is it possible that they've managed to swallowed their own propaganda? Could Glenn and Sol and Scott and who knows who else have sold them a bill of goods they can't let go of?

Could there even be a sense of entitlement due to decades of IGRA abuse?

And it's not like the media hasn't helped spread the mantra of inevitability. You hear it everywhere you go. Just look how long it took the Governor to get the memo.

So Maybe the Tribe wasn't actually forgetting Adam Bond (er... I mean the town of Middleboro) after all. Maybe they just don't think they need anybody else - you know - until they need them.

Like Middleboro... like Mashpee... like the Governor... Just notches on a belt stretching all the way to casinoland. Don't take it the wrong way, Adam. It's nothing personal. They're just not that into you.

So maybe the Tribe hasn't gotten their own memo, and are in need of a reality check.


But heck, that's why I'm here.

Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get

- The Eagles