Dear readers, my friend Judy recently showed me a letter she had sent to numerous elected officials regarding the casino project. It's based on her correspondence with a woman on the West Coast who has been through the tribal casino scenario that we are now facing. I really liked the letter and asked if she would let me share it with you. Here is is:
In going through old paperwork today this is what I found. It was sent to me on November 15, 2007 from Kathryn Bowen in California, I had responded to an article she wrote in the Capital Weekly in Sacramento, California that I had read on line. At the time the meaning didn't hit me, I was still to "green" in the Indian Casino issue. Now finding it and re-reading it, it speaks volumes to me, I'm not "so green" anymore.
When I requested on "what is the process for an Indian owned casino, what is my hometown facting?" this is the email she sent me:
THE CASINO TRIBE BLUEPRINT LOOKS SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
1. Investers find land in rural town
2. Investers find tribe
3. Investers buy tribes sovereignty
4. Tribe begins appeal to voters (and their historical guilt) that the only way for the ticket out of poverty is to grant them with an agreement to build a casino on purchased land
5. Land around you begins to be privately purchased by the investers only to have the tribe submit application to petition the federal government to place PRIVATELY purchased land into federal trust status. (Question? Why would any tribe who has claimed the land privately purchased was THEIR land or in the vacinity of their land have to purchase it?, and then hand it over to the Federal Government, (land into trust) and then investers turn it over to tribe).
If they are successful, no property taxes for your town and the land will not be subject to local zoning or regulations.
6. Businesses such as gas stations and any business associated with the hospitality industry (hotels, bed & breakfast, etc), will not be able to compete with a large casino/resort that offers everything you want or need so that leaving the premises is not neccessary, they do build their own gas stations. Your selectmen better have a very good understanding of the 'MOU's" they sign. They are not worth the paper they are written on. Local or State: try collecting any promised revenue without the ability to audit their books! Some tribes have been able to shelter any purchases under a tribal LLC. They are not like a normal LLC. They are tribal LLC's that grants the tribe sovereign immunity with respect to their purchases. Navigate your way through that one!
7. Your town will slowly but very surely become a Casino Company Town losing the very character that has made it YOUR town and worse you will have lost your civil rights as a community in the process. ( In time the tribe will develop their own police, their own tribal courts, fire departments and on and on and on.)
THE PROMISE OF WINDFALL REVENUE IS A MIRAGE. THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT WILL GAIN IS THE TRIBAL LEADERSHIP, (TRIBAL COUNCIL), AND THE INVESTERS. THE HOST TOWNS ARE NOT HEARING THE TRUTH OF THIS MATTER AND ARE CONTINUALLY BEING LIED TO BY THE CASINO TRIBE AND INVESTERS.
As anyone can read, this has to be scripted, the investers use this blueprint over and over because IT WORKS!! I am reading this in 2008 here on the East Coast from the West Coast on 11/07. This is proof enough for me, she got it right without ever knowing the particulars here, way across to the other side of the country . I'm not "so green" anymore.
Please help, please write with us a letter to the Department of the Interior, the Federal Dept. that will make the decision to put the Middleboro land into trust, they want and encourage the host communities and surrounding area residents input before they make the determination that will be "forever" this is why THEY WILL LISTEN TO US.
Your co-operation will be much appreciated,
Sincerely,
Judy Gibbs
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2 comments:
This speaks volumes to all you have said during the last year.
Little noticed was the fine print indicating a gas station on the plans. And that's just the beginning. Clearly their justification is that 'you don't want those big busses going through town at 3AM.'
Wait until the supporters figure out ALL of the other businesses that can't compete.
The Shinnecocks in NY sell mail order cigarettes without taxes.
Thanks BOS! You sold your soul as well as ours!
Yup...sounds about right. What a shame that the Middleboro BOS didn't take the time to find out what they were agreeing to. Lucky for us we have the information we need to stop this land from going into trust. My keyboard is all fired up and ready to write those letters!
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