Letter: Mississippi Choctaws break compact with new casino bid

Thursday, August 26, 2010  

"Mexico and Canada are both sovereign nations that share borders with the United States. If either were to propose a nuclear waste dump on our border or started training terrorists, our government would not just sit back and say, "Well, they are a sovereign nation and what they do is none of our business."

Of course not!

What a sovereign nation does affects more than just those within its boundaries. This holds true for the Jones County casino. There will be costs that will affect those beyond the tribe's borders and they are not small and they should be addressed.

Also, this sovereign nation is located in the middle of the sovereign state of Mississippi. The compact with the state gives them the right to have casinos without paying taxes. But they can only open the type of casino which is legal for others to open in the state which are resort destination casinos. Which is what the Mississippi Band of Choctaws did in Neshoba County.

Our governor has a responsibility to protect our citizens from unjust expenses inflicted on non-Choctaw citizens and to be sure the tribe doesn't break the compact. That is exactly what Gov. Barbour is doing, and I applaud him for it."

Get the Story:
Cal Callen: Sovereign doesn't mean omnipotent (The Hattiesburg American 8/26)

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