"Gov. Deval Patrick's latest casino move tells two stories. The first is the obvious: He wants the Bureau of Indian Affairs to reject the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's land-into-trust application, or at least delay approval, so the tribe opts to pursue a commercial casino license instead. Considering the tribe's past behavior, Gov. Patrick is wise to demand documentation of everything the tribe claims it will do. We commend the governor for taking a wide-angle view of the casino issue, examining how casinos would effect Massachusetts on a statewide scale. But the second story told by Gov. Patrick's letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs is problematic. His purpose is not to argue that the Mashpee Wampanoags are unfit to build a casino; rather, it is to force the tribe to do it his way. That goal interferes with the administration of federal Indian policy, which exists to solve larger problems. Some policymakers may think the time for reparations has passed, or that using casinos to help tribes with economic development has always been a seriously flawed idea. But unless Gov. Patrick means to ask our congressional delegation to take up the cause of changing Indian policy, he should let the Mashpee Wampanoags' federal application be considered on its merits." Get the Story:
OUR VIEW: Patrick's two casino stories (The Cape Cod Times 2/8) Another Story:
AFL-CIO backs Patrick on casinos (The MetroWest Daily News 2/8)