Casino Madness

Today's Globe article on the Wampanoags and their quest for a casino has a few paragraphs that are a real doozey, but first the key information from the article:

• Despite the fact that there's a mounting effort to change tribal leadership, Hendricks supporters "tried to present" a unified front.
• There's lots of he said, she said going on - on who are actually the "real" Mashpee Wampanoags. Tests of patriotism abound.
• The application to build a casino is going to the federal government today, which is one important step in getting acceptance.
• That process can take upwards of 18 months.
• Governor Patrick is the other major road block, but he's not expected to decide on it now until the "next month."

One wonders if troubles with their former leader, Glenn Marshall, pushed back Patrick's decision beyond Labor Day, which was the Governor's target date earlier in the summer. Nothing will set back a decision like finding out the leader sending you the proposal had a record - including being a convicted rapist. Yikes.

But anyway, I promised a few good quotes - and I'll deliver. Anyone know the definition of hypocrisy?

Hendricks, speaking on the edge of a grassy field outside the tribe's headquarters in Mashpee, said the allegations are untrue and called the members making the complaints "a group that want money and want power."

He said the tribe will continue the effort to build a casino in Middleborough and honor other agreements and plans the tribe had made under Glenn Marshall, who resigned as chairman last week amid disclosure that he embellished his war record and was a convicted rapist.

So, Hendricks accuses the group that seeks to unseat him as wanting "money and... power." Isn't that exactly what Hendricks wants himself? And all the Wampanoags who favor the casino? They aren't exactly supporting the construction of a soup kitchen here, folks. Let's not mince words - the Womponoag proponents of unseating Hendricks still want to build the casino, but they propose to toss out the current deal with developers because they think it a bad deal. They want an open bidding process - doesn't that actually make sense? Does anyone really trust the current leadership, when they're the one's who were likely handpicked by Glenn Marshall, the convicted rapist? Not to mention all the uninvestigated Jack Abramoff connections - they're just the inspiration of confidence in this whole deal. Opening up everything for a little breath of fresh air, giving time to find out all the important facts, can't be a bad decision.

So let's sum up this whole nightmare; the current Middleboro casino deal is

• Bad for the Commonwealth
• Bad for people who want to know exactly what they're building beforehand
• And Bad for the Wampanoags.

Is anyone really all that surprised?

Update: Very definately not the "Last of the Mohegans." Here's some more food for thought for our Governor as he makes his casino decision.

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority signed an exclusivity agreement with a developer who owns a 150 acre parcel of land near the Massachusetts Turnpike. The intention is to build a retail complex on the site that can also accommodate a casino if the Commonwealth of Massachusetts legalizes gaming.