"The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe of New York also has a favorable recommendation. And it has the strong support of New York officials, including Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Still, the feds sit on their hands. The St. Regis tribe has filed suit against Dirk Kempthorne, secretary of the Department of the Interior - of which BIA is part - alleging Kempthorne is holding up tribal applications ... well, because he can. The tribe alleges that Kempthorne is personally hostile toward land-to-trust, or off-reservation casinos, dating back to his days as governor of Idaho. The lawsuit came only after the tribe repeatedly asked for meetings with Kempthorne to discuss the delays, and did not even receive the courtesy of a reply. Has Secretary Kempthorne shelved these applications - which, remember, already have favorable BIA findings - because his politics are against tribal casinos? We can't answer that, but we do applaud the St. Regis band for deciding enough is enough. The lawsuit does not demand Kempthorne approve the tribe's casino application. It demands he do something. If the answer is yes, the tribe can move on to seek final approval in New York. If the answer is no, there's an appeals process. Here in Beloit, the Bad River and St. Croix tribes deserve an answer, too. They should consider filing a legal brief in support of the St. Regis effort. The city of Beloit and Rock County might want to join." Get the Story:
EDITORIAL: St. Regis lawsuit. It's about time (The Benoit Daily News 11/5)
